What is DMMCheck Plus?
The DMMCheck Plus is a battery powered instrument that checks nine important functions on a DMM: AC and DC Voltage, AC and DC current, Resistance, Frequency, Duty Cycle, inductance and capacitance. If you have a DVM or DMM that has questionable accuracy, the DMMCheck Plus can give you the confidence you need before relying on your test equipment. Recent improvements include the use of turret terminals on the PCB so that you connect your meter to these sturdy terminals instead of component leads or wire loops.
Provided on the small 2.5" W x 5" L x 2" H unit are the following circuits:
Resistance : Four 0.1%, 10ppm precision resistors are included: 100Ω, 1.00KΩ, 10.00KΩ, and 100.0KΩ
DC voltage : 5V, ± 0.007% voltage reference
DC current : 1mA, ±0.1% current source
AC voltage : 5V RMS, bipolar (+5V, -5V) square wave, ±0.1% voltage source
AC current : 1mA RMS, ±0.2% current source
Frequency : 100Hz, ±0.02% signal source
Duty Cycle : 100Hz, 5V RMS, signal source has 50% ± 0.05% duty cycle
*Capacitance and Inductance : .001, .01, .1 and 1uF precision capacitors and .001, .01, .1 and 1 mH inductors measured within .05% of value.
* Capacitance and Inductance are now included starting with Rev 8.
An external power supply is not needed. The included 9V battery makes the unit self-contained and easily transported. An on-board, on/off switch allows you to maximize battery life when not in use. Reverse polarity protection is included, so even if the battery is placed in the holder backwards, no damage will result. When the AC/DC slide switch is in the AC position, AC voltage and AC current reference signals are present at the “V” and “I” terminals. When in the DC position, DC voltage and DC current reference signals are produced. A high brightness, low current LED clearly indicates when the DMMCheck Plus is powered-up. With the optional 15Vdc universal power supply the unit can remain on at all times, eliminating the warm up wait, and providing better stability for the 5 Vdc reference.
Calibration Standards
View the calibration standards we use for the production of the DMMCheck Plus now by clicking the button below.
Additional Information
5VDC VOLTAGE REFERENCE:
The 5V reference voltage is based on the Linear Technology LT1021BCN8-5 buried Zener reference IC, (please see datasheet below). After the DMMCheck Plus is assembled, it is powered up with a 9V power supply for a minimum of 250 hours to "age" the reference and improve its long term stability. After aging, the trim potentiometer is carefully adjusted for a reference output of 5.0000V as measured by our calibrated 8.5 digit Keysight 3458A DMM that has an accuracy of 0.0008%. Accidental movement of the trimpot adjustment is prevented by the application of a small amount of acrylic enamel. The ambient temperature is also recorded (typically 70⁰F). The circuit board was designed to minimize the effects of mechanical stress on the voltage reference IC. Specifically, the reference is placed on the edge of the circuit board and 2 adjacent board slots prevent stresses in the board from reaching the reference IC which could otherwise cause the output voltage to shift.
Recalibration of the voltage reference is free for the first two years after purchase - just send it back to us and for USPS Priority return shipping. Please include $7.00 in stamps or US currency, or PayPal payment to sales@DMMCheckPlus.com. After two years, the charge is $20.00 plus shipping. Please contact us for shipping charges to destinations outside the USA.
PRECISION RESISTORS:
100Ω, 1KΩ, 10KΩ, and 100KΩ 0.1%, 10ppm/⁰C resistors (Vishay type PTF56), connected in series are available to check the resistance function of your DMM. Depending on how you connect your meter leads, many different resistance values are available. The resistors are guaranteed accurate within 0.1% of their stated values, but the actual value obtained with a 4-wire (Kelvin) measurement using our Keysight 3458A (.001% accuracy on OHMS) is provided on the as-measured record shown below.
1.000mA DC CURRENT SOURCE:
A 0.1% accurate active 1mA DC current source is provided to check the DC current measurement accuracy of your DMM. The compliance voltage is approximately 500mV which accommodates load resistances from 0 Ohms to 500Ohms. The only DMM's that we are aware of that are NOT compatible with DMMCheck Plus is the Fluke 116 which has a burden resistance of 3KOhms when measuring DC current and the Uni-Trend UT61E which has a burden resistance of about 1KOhms. To use this feature, set your DMM to measure DC current and connect the test leads to the provided current source terminals. The DC current sourced by DMMCheck is guaranteed to be within 0.999mA and 1.001mA, with the actual value, as measured by our 3458A, indicated on the included as-measured record.
5VAC RMS VOLTAGE REFERENCE:
A 0.1% accurate, 5.00VAC RMS, square wave 100Hz voltage source is used to check the AC voltage accuracy of your DMM. The signal is true AC (bi-polar), not pulsed DC. It can also be used to check the compensation of oscilloscope probes. Note that true RMS-reading DMM's such as Fluke 87, 287, 289 or Extech 540, 570 will agree with the AC voltage shown on the "Measured Values" sheet shown below. Less expensive DMM's are average responding and are calibrated for sine waves not square waves. The result is that average responding meters read 1.11 times higher than true RMS meters when measuring a square wave such as the one produced by DMMCheck Plus. The bottom line is that an average responding meter, when measuring a 5.00V RMS square wave, will display 5.55V and a RMS responding meter will display 5.00V.
1.00mA AC RMS CURRENT SOURCE:
A 0.2% accurate, 1.00mA AC RMS, 100Hz current source is used to check the AC current accuracy of your DMM.
100Hz, 50% DUTY CYCLE SIGNAL SOURCE:
The 100Hz, 5VAC voltage reference is generated by microcontroller firmware running off a 4MHz quartz crystal controlled clock. The firmware can be modified to generate other frequencies and duty cycles – please inquire with your specific needs. The frequency and duty cycle are measured by our calibrated Keysight 53220A and Agilent 53220A frequency counters referenced to a 10 MHz GPS reference.
DUAL-FREQUENCY:
Two frequencies are programmed into your DMMCheck Plus , 100Hz and 10 kHz signals. A custom 2nd frequency is available between 60 Hz and 20 kHz if desired. The list, below, shows how close the generated frequencies will be to what you specify, with the actual frequencies and duty cycles recorded on the included "Measured Values" table as measured by our calibrated Agilent 53220A frequency counter. This option costs an additional $15.00.
Stability of each frequency range.
25 Hz - 999 Hz 0.1%
1 kHz - 10.00 kHz 1.0%
11 kHz - 20 kHz 2.0%
Switching between the two frequencies: If the AC/DC switch is in the AC position on power-up or after switching from DC to AC with the power on, the lower of the two frequencies is generated. While keeping the unit powered-on, slide the AC/DC switch to the DC position and then back to AC- the higher of the two frequencies is then generated. Subsequent switching from AC to DC and back to AC will swap frequencies.
CAPACITANCE / INDUCTANCE option:
Our LC piggyback board sits above and just a little behind the precision resistor test terminals, giving you .001, .01, .1 and 1 uF reference capacitors AND .001, .01, .1 and 1 mH inductors, all tested to within .05% of their value. The .001, .01, and .1 uF capacitors are TDK Multi-Layer C0G/NPO , Ceramics . The 1 uF is low TC (temperature coefficient) KEMET Polyethylene Naphtholate (PEN) Stacked Film capacitor. The inductors are Bourns CC453232A AEC-Q200 Compliant Chip Inductors. All components are AEC-Q200 compliant and selected for temperature and moisture stability to ensure the measured value is maintained well within your testing environment. Turret style test terminals are provided on-board and an as-measured calibration certificate. A retrofit kit is available for those who already own a DMMCheckPlus rev.3 or higher. Component data sheets are available for the asking. please email if you require more specific information.
ABS ENCLOSURE option: provides the following:
• Dimensions are 3 x 4 x 1-1/2"
• Black plastic enclosure surrounds 9V battery mounted underneath circuit board
• Small rubber feet in bottom corners of enclosure keep unit from sliding on your work surface
• Robust PCB turret terminals on voltage, current, and resistor connections. (turrets now standard on all units)
Test & Acceptance
Shown above is our Agilent 3458A in 4-wire (Kelvin) resistance mode measuring a DMMCheck Plus 100K precision resistor.
Above, is an example of the Measured-Values sheet that is included with every DMMCheck Plus. In this example, the customer specified the dual-frequency option with oscillator values of 100Hz and 10KHz.
Shown above is our new Keysight 53220A, used with our Agilent 53131A Universal Frequency Counter. A Trimble 10MHz GPS disciplined oscillator is used as the timebase for the counters and is indicated by "ExtRef" on the display.