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Join Date: Apr 2006
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Re: Voltage tester idea
Me and the chips are in different places this week, so I can't tell you offhand but I went with Linear, who offer accuracy to better than 0.05% (that's not a typo) so when they say "10.00" they really mean it. And internal temperature compensation, so basically if you don't need gloves or icepacks to work, it doesn't either. Damned thing just hums along and says "Ten! Nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah! TEN!" all day long.
The main limit is output power, i.e. only use it with the usual high-impedance meters. It won't work with the source-self-powered LED voltmeter displays from China, minor drawback. Other than that, it pretty much doesn't give a damn what's connected in the way of power supplies, takes a wide range of those as well.
Seems like a lot of chipmakers have been coming up with all sorts of interesting "twelve volt" management devices in the last year or two. Multiple regulators, convertors, I've got to be thinking the "solar" industry is driving some of this.