Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

First I want to let you know that I have no financial interest in the Simpson Electric Company, I just recommend this product.

If you are a Born Free motorcoach owner and have some mechanical ability, I would recommend the purchase of a high quality analog test meter to help trouble shoot electrical problems that seem to crop up occasionally.

The Simpson 260 VOM (Volt Ohm Meter) has been in continuous production for over 69 years and is a very high quality and rigged instrument that is considered a standard in the test industry. I recommend their current version Simpson 260-8 P/N 12388. I have owned one now for 40 years. It measures DC and AC voltage, DC current and resistance in ohms in a total of 20 ranges.

This is not a cheap instrument. The lowest price that I could find searching the internet was from Amazon.com for $267.73 plus $8.07 shipping. Click on this link: https://www.amazon.com/Simpson-260-8-12 ... pson+260-8

A trip down memory lane. Analog meters are a bit of a dinosaur nowadays. They are good for tracking voltages that vary quickly and checking semiconductors. In my early working career, the shop preferred Triplett. During my Air Force days, the meter used was a PSM-6. I don't know who made it, but it was a tank. All metal case.


Here's a shot of my Fluke 77. I was testing my motorcycle battery using a 12 volt 75 watt spotlight. The light tipped over onto the meter and this is what it looked like when I checked a half hour later.

Yes, definitely a trip down memory lane. As a newly minted Air Force PMEL technician at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, I fixed and calibrated many of these. I would rate them PSM-6 first, Simpson 260 second and Triplett third.

I do have a different perspective for the average RV owner. $260 is a lot to pay for the little you will use it. The new DVOMs (Digital Volt Ohm Meters) are more accurate and rugged than the old style analog meters for under $100. This Harbor Freight meter for $6 https://www.harborfreight.com/7-functio ... 63604.html has no over voltage protection but is highly accurate. Blow it up? Get a new one ...or two. ( I give them to everyone asking me for advice about trouble shooting electrical problems [with a little tutorial].)

The biggest benefit today from an analog VOM is not it's accuracy but it's inherent ability to show you fluctuations in readings. A diagnostician can gain a great deal of insight as what's happening by seeing the needle movements in relation to changes happening to the system under test. These changes will not be displayed as graphically on a digital VOM due to it's slow sampling speed and digital display. If you have the DVOM for accuracy then you don't need a top of the line VOM - get a fused VOM for under $20, treat it gently and use it only for spotting fluctuations and varying measurements.