Application Note

3 Fluke Corporation New Fluke 117 Digital Multimeter drives the ghosts out of the attic
Use the Auto-V/LoZ switch
position on the DMM when
readings are suspect (ghost
voltages may be present) or
when testing for the presence
of voltage. When the leads are
placed on an open circuit that
contains a ghost voltage, the
low input impedance will cause
the ghost voltage to dissipate
and the meter will display a
reading near zero volts indicat-
ing no voltage present. When
the leads are placed on a live
circuit, however, the input
senses the presence of “hard”
voltage and then displays the
actual voltage present.
Non-contact voltage
detection
The Fluke 117 DMM also
includes the built-in VoltAlert
™
non-contact voltage func-
tion. Located on the top of the
meter above the LCD display,
it’s another feature handy for
detecting the invisible. The
VoltAlert function detects the
presence of ac voltage, sounds
an audible tone and activates
a red LED indicator light on the
top center of the LCD display.
Using this feature before
making a contact measurement
can add an extra layer of safety.
Users should, of course, still
test for the presence of voltage
using test leads with the meter
in the volts setting.
Four user groups,
four meters
The new Fluke DMMs include
four distinct models, each aimed
at a specific group of users. The
114 Electrical Multimeter is
ideal for electrical troubleshoot-
ing and straightforward ‘go/no
go’ testing in the residential
electrical setting, and also is
designed for use in electric util-
ity applications to test circuits
before turning power back on
at the meter. The 115 Multi-
meter is optimized for electrical
and electronic testing by field
service technicians. The 116
Multimeter features temperature
and microamps measurements
useful for heating, ventilation,
air conditioning and refrigera-
tion (HVAC/R) technicians. And
the 117 Electrician’s Multime-
ter tested by Eldon Walstad is
designed for commercial electri-
cians. All are rated for use in
600 V CAT III environments,
and all except the 115 include
the LoZ low impedance test
capability.
“I like it,” Walstad says of
the 117. “When you’re trying
to prove something, you’ve got
to know whether you’ve got
real power there or not. If you
think you’ve got power but
don’t, then you can go off in a
different direction trying to find
problems when you really need
to be back here working on
something. You’re not wander-
ing aimlessly, looking for it.”
And there are no ghosts
in sight.
Fluke Corporation
PO Box 9090, Everett, WA USA 98206
Fluke Europe B.V.
PO Box 1186, 5602 BD
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
For more information call:
In the U.S.A. [phone] or
Fax [phone]
In Europe/M-East/Africa [phone] or
Fax [phone]
In Canada (800)-36-FLUKE or
Fax [phone]
From other countries [phone] or
Fax [phone]
Web access: http://www.fluke.com
©2006 Fluke Corporation. All rights reserved.
Printed in U.S.A. 9/2006 2747091 A-EN-N Rev A
Fluke. Keeping your world
up and running.™