RETIRED - How to Use a Multimeter
This Tutorial is Retired!
This tutorial covers concepts or technologies that are no longer current. It's still here for you to read and enjoy, but may not be as useful as our newest tutorials.
View the updated tutorial: How to Use a Multimeter
Nate 
Introduction
So... how do I use a multimeter? This tutorial will show you how to use a digital multimeter (DMM), an indispensable tool that you can use to diagnose circuits, learn about other people's electronic designs, and even test a battery. Hence the 'multi'-'meter' (multiple measurement) name. We will be using the SparkFun VC830L throughout the tutorial but these methods should apply to most multimeters.
The most basic things we measure are voltage and current. A multimeter is also great for some basic sanity checks and troubleshooting. Is your circuit not working? Does the switch work? Put a meter on it! The multimeter is your first defense when troubleshooting a system. In this tutorial we will cover measuring voltage, current, resistance and continuity.
Suggested Reading
You may want to know about these concepts to help you with this tutorial:
- What is Electricity?
- Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Ohm's Law
- What is a circuit?
- Metric Prefixes
- How to Use a Breadboard
- Connector Basics
- Polarity
- Series and Parallel Circuits
- AC vs DC current
- PCB Basics