
13
MEASURING AC CURRENT IN A WIRE
To measure AC current in a single wire, follow the steps in
“Measuring AC Current Using the AC Current Adapter” on
Page 10, but do not use the AC current adapter (in other words,
skip Step 3). Instead, insert the wire you are measuring inside
the probe’s jaws in Step 4. Move the probe so the wire is in the
center of the open area inside the jaws. The wire’s current (in
amps) is equal to twice the reading you see (in milliamps) on
the multimeter. For example, if your multimeter shows 125 mA,
the wire is carrying 250 amps of current.
Important: Make sure you place only one wire inside the
probe’s jaws at a time. If you try to measure AC current in more
than one wire at a time, the measurement will not be accurate.
DETERMINING WATTAGE
You can use the probe to tell how many watts of power an appli-
ance uses. This helps you determine what the electricity costs
are for that appliance. The following formula can help you make
the necessary conversions.
V (volts)
x
A (amps) = W (watts)
To determine how many watts an appliance uses, use your mul-
timeter to measure the number of volts it uses (120 volts single-
phase AC is standard for most household appliances) then use
your probe and multimeter to measure the current it uses. Then
multiply those numbers. For example, if your air conditioner
uses 120 volts and you measured 10 amps, it uses 1,200 watts.
22-601.fm Page 13 Monday, August 2, 1999 3:48 PM