What is an Ohmmeter?

Circuit Diagram, Types and Applications

There are different types of meters available for electronic devices testing, etc. The electronic
devices testing equipment like ammeter, ohmmeter, voltmeter, and multimeter are used to test
the circuit resistance, voltage and current to check the wiring connection whether the connection
is correct or not. So the circuit testing can be done using a device called ‘Ohmmeter’. But
without identifying the working concept, it is unfeasible for connecting this device to any circuit
for testing the soldering components. However, to be a skilled technician, one should require
being an expert in this to do many things than simply reading a test device.

What is an Ohmmeter?

An ohmmeter can be defined as, it is one kind of electronic device mainly used for calculating
electrical resistance of a circuit, and the unit of resistance is ohm. Electrical resistance is a
calculation of how much an object resists allowing the flow of current through it. There
are different types of meters available with different sensitivity levels such as micro, mega and
milli-ohmmeters. The micro-ohmmeter is used for calculating very low resistances with high
precision at specific test currents, and this ohmmeter is used in bonding contact applications.
Ohmmeter
Micro-Ohmmeter is a portable device, mainly used for calculating current, voltage, as well as
for diodes testing. This type of meter comprises several selectors for choosing the preferred
function, and it automatically ranges to select most measurements. Mega-ohmmeter is mainly
used for calculating the large resistance values. Milli-Ohmmeter is useful for calculating low-
resistance at high precision to verify the value of the electrical circuit.

Ohmmeter Working Principle

The working principle of ohmmeter is, it comprises of a needle and two test leads. The needle
deflection can be controlled with the battery current. Initially, the two test leads of the meter can
be shorted together to calculate the resistance of an electrical circuit. Once the two leads of the
meter are shorted, then the meter can be changed for appropriate action in a fixed range. The
needle comes back to the highest point on the meter scale, and the current in the meter will be
highest. An ohmmeter circuit diagram is shown below.

Basic Ohmmeter Circuit Diagram

Once the testing of the circuit is done then the test leads of the meter must be detached. Once the
two test leads of the meter are connected to the circuit then the battery gets discharged. When the
test leads get shorted then the rheostat will be adjusted. The meter needle can be reached to the
lowest position that is zero, and then there will be zero resistance among the two test leads.

Types of Ohmmeter

The classification of this meter can be done based on the application in three types namely series
type ohmmeter, shunt type ohmmeter, and multi-range type ohmmeter. The brief discussion of
meters is given below.
1) Series Type Ohmmeter

In series type ohmmeter, the component which we want to measure can be

Connected with the meter in series. The resistance value can be calculated through the shunt
resistor R2 using D’Arsonval movement which is connected parallel. The R2 resistance can be
connected in series with the battery as well as R1 resistance. The measuring component is
connected in series by the two terminals A as well as B

Series Type Ohmmeter

Whenever the measuring component value is zero then there will be a huge flow of current
through the meter. In this situation, the shunt resistance can be corrected until the meter specifies
the full-load current. For this current, the needle turns aside in the direction of 0 ohms.

Whenever the measuring component is detached from the circuit then the circuit resistance turns
into the unlimited & flow of current in the circuit. The needle of the meter deflects towards the
infinity. The meter illustrates the infinite resistance when there is no flow of current & the zero
resistance once the huge flow of current through it.
Whenever the measuring component is connected in series with the circuit, and the resistance of
that circuit is higher, the meter needle will deflect in the direction of the left. And if the
resistance is little, then needle turn aside in the direction of right.

2) Multi-Range Ohmmeter
The multi-range ohmmeter range is very high, and this meter includes an adjuster, and the range
of a meter can be selected by an adjuster based on the requirement.
Digital multimeters generally take measurements with accuracy superior to their analog
counterparts. Standard analog multimeters measure with typically three percent accuracy,
[4]
 though instruments of higher accuracy are made. Standard portable digital multimeters are
specified to have an accuracy of typically 0.5% on the DC voltage ranges. Mainstream bench-top
multimeters are available with specified accuracy of better than ±0.01%. Laboratory
grade instruments can have accuracies of a few parts per million.[5]
Accuracy figures need to be interpreted with care. The accuracy of an analog instrument usually
refers to full-scale deflection; a measurement of 10V on the 100V scale of a 3% meter is subject
to an error of 3V, 30% of the reading. Digital meters usually specify accuracy as a percentage of
reading plus a percentage of full-scale value, sometimes expressed in counts rather than
percentage terms.
Quoted accuracy is specified as being that of the lower millivolt (mV) DC range, and is known
as the "basic DC volts accuracy" figure. Higher DC voltage ranges, current, resistance, AC and
other ranges will usually have a lower accuracy than the basic DC volts figure. AC
measurements only meet specified accuracy within a specified range of frequencies.
Manufacturers can provide calibration services so that new meters may be purchased with a
certificate of calibration indicating the meter has been adjusted to standards traceable to, for
example, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), or other
national standards laboratory.
Test equipment tends to drift out of calibration over time, and the specified accuracy cannot be
relied upon indefinitely. For more expensive equipment, manufacturers and third parties provide
calibration services so that older equipment may be recalibrated and recertified. The cost of such
services is disproportionate for inexpensive equipment; however extreme accuracy is not
required for most routine testing. Multimeters used for critical measurements may be part of
a metrology program to assure calibration.

Sensitivity and input impedance

When used for measuring voltage, the input impedance of the multimeter must be very high
compared to the impedance of the circuit being measured; otherwise circuit operation may be
changed, and the reading will also be inaccurate.
Meters with electronic amplifiers (all digital multimeters and some analog meters) have a fixed
input impedance that is high enough not to disturb most circuits. This is often either one or
ten megohms; the standardization of the input resistance allows the use of external high-
resistance probes which form a voltage divider with the input resistance to extend voltage range
up to tens of thousands of volts.
Most analog multimeters of the moving-pointer type are unbuffered, and draw current from the
circuit under test to deflect the meter pointer. The impedance of the meter varies depending on
the basic sensitivity of the meter movement and the range which is selected. For example, a
meter with a typical 20,000 ohms/volt sensitivity will have an input resistance of two million
ohms on the 100 volt range (100 V * 20,000 ohms/volt = 2,000,000 ohms). On every range, at
full scale voltage of the range, the full current required to deflect the meter movement is taken
from the circuit under test. Lower sensitivity meter movements are acceptable for testing in
circuits where source impedances are low compared to the meter impedance, for example, power
circuits; these meters are more rugged mechanically. Some measurements in signal circuits
require higher sensitivity movements so as not to load the circuit under test with the meter
impedance.[6]
Sometimes sensitivity is confused with resolution of a meter, which is defined as the lowest
voltage, current or resistance change that can change the observed reading.
For general-purpose digital multimeters, the lowest voltage range is typically several hundred
millivolts AC or DC, but the lowest current range may be several hundred milliamperes,
although instruments with greater current sensitivity are available. Measurement of low
resistance requires lead resistance (measured by touching the test probes together) to be
subtracted for best accuracy.
The upper end of multimeter measurement ranges varies considerably; measurements over
perhaps 600 volts, 10 amperes, or 100 megohms may require a specialized test instrument.