Why an Electrician Needs a Multimeter

My hubby is always installing and repairing electrical systems. (He became an electrician a couple years ago.) These types of systems include electronics, wiring and circuit boards. He busted his multimeter the other day and spend quite a bit buying a new one.

For those who don't know what an electrician does or why they need a meter, this article is for you.

When building a house, an electrician is a big part of that team. They have to run electrical wiring among other things and install electrical sockets and lighting. Because electricians work with so much electricity it is important for them to have a good multimeter in their toolbox.

A multimeter is an electronic measuring instrument that combines several measurement functions in one unit. Your typical multimeter usually has features to measure voltage, current and resistance. I will go into details more about those in a minute. Electricians can use a multimeter for testing batteries, electrical current and broken appliances. They can also be used to troubleshoot problems in a wide range of appliances from household to factories.

There are two different types of multimeters, the analog and the digital multimeter. Most electricians use digital because the measurement readings appear in exact numerical values. With the high demand to become an electrician these days it is more reasonable for an electrician to use a digital multimeter because of its accuracy as well as it gets the job done faster. Let me explain how a multimeter works in more detail; this will help you understand why having this tool is so important for an electrician.

As stated before a multimeter is used to troubleshoot electrical and electrical circuits, as well as ensure correct operating levels and check voltage. The reason it is called multimeter because it combines three functions in one giant tool. These functions are a voltmeter, ammeter and an ohmmeter. 

Here are these functions in more detail:

Meter- Is simply the measuring device.

Ammeter- Measures the number of electrons that are passing a giving point in a certain amount of time. This will give us the unit called amperes. A multimeter can be used to check how many amperes different appliances, are drawing excessive current.

Voltmeter- measures the electrical potential between two points and is measured in volts.

Ohmmeter- measures the resistance to current flow and is measured in units called ohms.

Not all digital multimeters are the same and it is important for the electrician to understand what type of calculation they need. The differences in digital multimeters are there method of calculation. Some of the different thing you can test with this tool is frequency, current, resistance, voltage and continuity. It is important to know what methods to look for when testing.

Here are the common methods:

1. RMs- the meter measures the heating that will effect if the voltage is impressed across a resistive load.
2. Peak Method- the meter will read the peak of the signal; divide the result by the square root of 2 to get the value of the rm.
3. Averaging method- the meter determines the average value of the corrected signal.

All these methods should give you the same result for a clean misleading signal. However they can give different results for a misleading signal which is not uncommon.

Multimeters come in a wide range of prices. You can find them anywhere from 20 to 100 plus dollars. It is important to figure out what type of job you want to use it for and the different features you would like for it to have. The best thing to do when looking into investing in a tool for the job is to ask other electricians and read many reviews. Some people end up spending way too much for a multimeter that ended up being not the type they needed. Always ask around and talk to other professionals before you make a purchase.

Electricians work with electricity and electrical current every day. As everyone knows electricity can be very dangerous when handled wrong. Why not get a tool that can make working with electrical devices easier as well as give you accurate results. Without a multimeter an electrician is forced to use trial and error when it comes to the job which can often be dangerous, given the things they must do. A multimeter is a must for every electrician to do a wonderful job and make their clients happy.

Presto 01370 Pro 8-Quart Stainless Steel Cooker Product Description

I want to continue to practice my use of description by writing a review of the 8 quart Presto stainless steel pressure cooker. I just replaced that model with a newer one -- the Presto 01370.

I am very picky about the pots that I use around my family. I am all about safety features. I love the steam release valve that can be set to “quick cool.”

Pressure cooking is already fast, but cooling the pan faster is even better. Plus the faster it cools, the shorter period of time I have to keep fingers away from a hot pot.

I know firsthand what disasters can befall when you are too antsy and open the lid of a cooker before all the pressure is released. Let’s just say it involves a stool and scrubbing the ceiling with a sponge.

I knew going into this that I wanted something that was going to last so I read a lot of reviews. I did not want another explosion.

I looked at pressure cooker reviews, but I also bought a set of stainless steel cookware and want to give a shout out to Cookware Nation for their helpful articles. Those include the following:

Best NonStick Cookware: Reviews of Pots and Pans!
Best Ceramic Cookware Sets: Good Quality Pots and Pans Reviews
Best Stainless Steel Cookware Sets: Reviews of Top Rated Pots and Pans
Best Pressure Cooker: 10 Popular Electric and Stove Top Brands

Each provided info about the material of the cooking vessel, which shaped the style of cooking pot I bought for my pressure cooker. I'll never use Teflon coated pots and pans.

Presto pressure cooker review: Pros

The lock on the cover show when there is pressure inside the pot so I don’t have to be worried that my dinner is going to explode once I open the pan.

I really enjoy the steaming basket in this Presto unit. I can cook more than one food all at once and the flavors don’t seep into each other.  Also the instruction book with the recipes is really nice. I like to learn new recipes and make all kinds of fun stuff. The pressure regulator on the lid does more than just quickly cool the pan, it also keeps the pan at a consistent temperature while coking,

Although I love this pressure cooker. I wish that it came with a rack to keep food off the bottom of the pan to keep it from burning.

I have several racks that I use with my other pans that work just fine, but if I was a first time pressure cooker I would be very frustrated.

It is really difficult to clean burned stuck on food out of a pot after a full cycle in a pressure cooker, So a cooking rack is almost essential. I have also found the locking mechanism of the lid to be a bit of a hassle.

Cons of the Presto 01370 Pro

When I first ordered this product I had an exceptionally hard time getting the lid to snap in the right way. I have since figured out and have very little trouble. Difficulty locking the lid is not a deal breaker, it’s just a frustration when I don’t need any more.

Cooking dinner for 4 pick teenagers is difficult enough without having to wrestle with the pots and pans I need to cook with. I have also found with this cooker, that the parts go bad after a year or so. I have had this cooker for 3 years and every year I have to replace the gasket as well as other parts 3 times.

I am a low maintenance person, so having to replace parts on a pan was not my favorite thing. I like things to work once I take them out of the Presto box and for years afterwards. Having said all that, I still love this cooker and given the choice I would choose this one again.

I have a very picky family, so cooking for them is a challenge. Not to mention the time and effort that is already exerted will preparing the ingredients and such.

I really like that this cooker cooks quickly and easily with very little effort on my part, other than preparing everything that has to go into the cooker. It is a wonder that anyone goes about their life not knowing what cooking with a pressure cooker is like. It is so much faster and easier. Although I have a few problems with burning food on the bottom of the pan and parts randomly going bad. I still have enjoyed this Presto pressure cooker and I plan to cook with it for many, many years to come.

This is my review of the Presto 01370 Pro 8-Quart Stainless Steel Cooker.

Learning the fine art of description

For the first visual observation/attraction I did a bird cage, and the reason I did this was to show that whatever the object is, somehow something is done to them to make them more lively.  The bottom of the cage is beige in color with a removable rectangular tray that is in front of the base so gravel can be put at the bottom of the cage.  Moving up the bars of the cage are analogized or painted in gold.  There are three vertical rectangular doors in the front of the cage, and each of them have a half circle at the peak of the rectangle.  The two outside doors have a spot to house the white food and water dishes, and the middle door has a heart shaped out of the same material as the cage affixed to the middle of the front door. 

The roof looks like it was designed after a old house, because it comes to a V in the middle and extends off the sides of the cage about an inch.  Some of the visual qualities that made this attractive was the color, because it is a warmer color compared to silver, and it is just more inviting.  Also the heart made the entire cage more attractive, because it added something to bring that boring row of bars a little more exciting. 

For the second one I did an array of fake flowers that were engulfed in a capsule.  The main reason I did this was to try and bring these boring flowers a little more exciting.  The entire arrangement rests upon a high gloss brown wooden circular base.  Moving upwards olive green wrinkled leaves with hints of reddish-brown line the tips.  While above these leaves the sky blue petals of a fully matured flower are opened gracefully.  To left is another sky blue flower, but this one is still in its closed form.  Directly above these two flowers is a series of leaves exactly the same as the ones below, however, there are four baby blue flowers with bright yellow centers to contrast the blue.  The last sky blue flower is standing above everything, and it is in full bloom.  While this entire arrangement is covered by a dusty glass capsule.  The flowers themselves made this arrangement attractive, but whoever designed it could have done a better job, because it is very monotonousness.  It needs variety in it and not just more blue flowers either.  Also, the balance is really strange, because the entire arrangement is balanced at the bottom, but the flower at the top is just floating around up there.

The third is of a philadandera that was recently transplanted into a different pot.  The reason it attracted my attention was, because it does not appear that it is going to survive.  Nestled into a dark green rectangular pot made out of clay in which one plant exists that has two leaves.

The first of the two leaves holds the tip of its leave up proudly, and the green stem holds up just as straight.  The white stripe that is in the middle of the leave is at the same angle as the stem.  The second stem is a tannish color that is drooping over the side of the pot, and the tan leave is almost directly lying on the oak table that the pot is sitting on.  I was attracted to this because of the color of the plant and the pot—which was green.  Also this plant reminded me of an L, because one of the leaves and stems are standing straight in the air and the other drooping to the right of it. 

The fourth is of the parrakeet that calls the prison I described earlier home.  I did a description on this bird, because of his colors.  They are mostly warm colors and I wondered if that had an affect on how much energy the bird has, because he can not sit still for anything.  His entire head is covered in yellow with a few spots on the back of his head that are green.  His peach colored bill has two holes in it, and below his bill there are four black round dots.  On both sides of the dots there is a shape of a black triangle. 

The entire belly of this bird is a yellowish-green, and his wings have spots of yellow and black throughout them but their main color is yellowish-green.  Moving towards the tail feathers which are just as long as he is (about five inches), and the color scheme is just about the same as the wings.  All the vivid colors attracted me towards describing this bird, and the curiousness of whether the warmer colors he has for feathers make him more active that a parrakeet with all blue feathers.

The fifth description is of a unique candle holder which I found while cleaning out my closet .  The reason I decided to describe this was because of the geometric shapes that it is made up of.  The base of the holder is just a black circle that has two pieces of metal welded together to form a X which is welded inside the circle.  There are four open circles that are welded to each other, and they stand vertically in the middle of the X.  On the top of the last circle there is a razor sharp circular tray that catches the melded wax, and directly above that is the small circular hole that is used to place the candle.  This object caught my eye, because of the geometric shapes and its open form.    

Wizard of Oz and Ethics: Some Randoms

Just watched the Wizard of Oz and thought that I'd make a post about the ethical significance of the symbolism of the yellow brick road, the ruby slippers, the emerald city, the snow on the poppies, or the idea of good vs. evil.

Big topic, I know. But I think it'll be fun. 

I think that there is some truth in the idea that yellow brick road is a symbol for “the code” or “the rulebook.”  The movie alludes to this very well. 

At the beginning of the film, Dorothy is on a dirt road, and she acts in the manner of a child, roaming and running away from her life to be with Toto. 

My impression is that the dirt road and innocence of childhood can go together, because when one is a child, there is nothing etched in stone, causing one to follow different paths, not following a linear progression and not worrying.  Besides, a dirt road changes every day; it never could be the same from one day to the next.  This seems like the life she leads;

However, it is in a dream that she plays with the idea of the brick road.  The yellow brick road consists of a lasting substance, changing little by little every decade or so.  She is still in her state of purity, however, during her unconscious state, she tries out the idea of the brick road.  The ideas probably came from watching her parents work and follow the same rules and routines. 

I think that it takes a special person to follow down the dirt road, since change and disruption is everywhere, but I don’t think it would be good for most people to follow the dirt road. 

The reason is that everybody would be trying to accomplish something or trying to make a mark--a shot for eternal life after death.  This would probably lead to some sort of chaos, and the special people that travel this road would lose some meaning.  Most people want to live comfortably, not straying from what they are used to--materialistic stuff. 

***

The idea that each of us produces the answer to our own problems is interesting, since each of us knows our lives better than anybody.  Finding these answers is a problem because each of us doesn’t have red slippers on our feet--a visible physical or material answer to this idea that we know the answer. 

***

This was not mentioned, but I am going to take a shot at it: At the end of the film, Toto is the one that allows the four members to know the wizard is fooling them. 

It kind of suggests that the most primitive nature is more effective than the human’s logic.  This type of primitive nature doesn’t know boundaries, and while the human is thinking the animal acts.

The four members would, perhaps, still to this day--well, maybe not--be oblivious to what was happening behind that curtain.  Nevertheless, I think this goes very well with the question about the dirt road. 

It is the childhood innocence--our primitive nature that is still within us since we know no different when we our children--that would change one’s mind from following down the brick road and to opt for the dirt one.