{"id":11038,"date":"2021-09-23T10:00:16","date_gmt":"2021-09-23T18:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/?p=11038"},"modified":"2023-01-08T07:03:07","modified_gmt":"2023-01-08T15:03:07","slug":"difference-between-multimeter-and-voltmeter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/difference-between-multimeter-and-voltmeter\/","title":{"rendered":"Difference Between Multimeter and Voltmeter"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/difference-between-multimeter-and-voltmeter\/#What_is_a_multimeter\" >What is a multimeter?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/difference-between-multimeter-and-voltmeter\/#What_is_a_voltmeter\" >What is a voltmeter?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/difference-between-multimeter-and-voltmeter\/#Differences_between_multimeter_and_voltmeter\" >Differences between multimeter and voltmeter<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Welcome to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Linquip<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> again! In this article, we are going to discuss the core <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">difference between a multimeter and a voltmeter<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Buckle up and keep reading.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_multimeter\"><\/span>What is a multimeter?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A multimeter is an electronics designer&#8217;s primary quality control tool and it is used to measure two or more electrical values\u2014principally voltage (volts), current (amps), and resistance (ohms). It is a standard diagnostic tool for technicians in the electrical\/electronic industries.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making sure you have the right meter at the right price might take some planning. Some multimeters include additional specialized features or advanced options. Some technicians have specific requirements and may need a model targeted to meet their needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are two primary types of multimeters: analog and digital. Each is designed to measure the same basic electrical values but differs in its method of measurement and display.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>1- Analog Multimeters, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">as you would suspect, use classic analog dials for measuring voltage, current and resistance. These are certainly more primitive and are rarely used these days, however, some would argue that analog meters are more sensitive than their digital counterparts and they are still preferred by many. After the slightest change in DC voltage, the needle on an analog multimeter can deflect, which affects the accuracy of measurement readings and might not be something you see on a digital meter. If you are dealing with circuits with highly sensitive measurements, an analog multimeter might be right for your needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>2- Digital Multimeters (DMMs)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> consist of an LCD display, a knob to select ranges, an analog-to-digital converter, and internal circuitry for signal conditioning. It is much more commonly used in today\u2019s world and is primarily used to verify one of three factors of Ohm\u2019s Law, voltage current and resistance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To choose the right equipment and understand the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">difference between a multimeter and a voltmeter, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">it is vital for you to know each and every one of their features.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11040\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/VC890D-Plus-Digital-Multimeter-ACDC-Voltage-Current-Resistance-Diod-Tester-1-1024x768_0.jpg\" alt=\"difference between multimeter and voltmeter\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/VC890D-Plus-Digital-Multimeter-ACDC-Voltage-Current-Resistance-Diod-Tester-1-1024x768_0.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/VC890D-Plus-Digital-Multimeter-ACDC-Voltage-Current-Resistance-Diod-Tester-1-1024x768_0-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/VC890D-Plus-Digital-Multimeter-ACDC-Voltage-Current-Resistance-Diod-Tester-1-1024x768_0-560x420.jpg 560w, https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/VC890D-Plus-Digital-Multimeter-ACDC-Voltage-Current-Resistance-Diod-Tester-1-1024x768_0-80x60.jpg 80w, https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/VC890D-Plus-Digital-Multimeter-ACDC-Voltage-Current-Resistance-Diod-Tester-1-1024x768_0-160x120.jpg 160w, https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/VC890D-Plus-Digital-Multimeter-ACDC-Voltage-Current-Resistance-Diod-Tester-1-1024x768_0-265x198.jpg 265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Features of Digital Multimeter<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Digital multimeter is the most advanced measuring instrument that makes use of modern Integrated circuits for making electrical measurements. Some of its features that make it famous in the eyes of professional technicians are:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is light in weight.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capable of giving more accurate readings.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It measures lots of physical quantities like voltage, current, resistance, frequency, etc.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is less costly.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It measures different electrical parameters at high frequencies with the help of special probes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Digital multimeters combine the testing capabilities of single-task meters\u2014the voltmeter (for measuring volts), ammeter (amps), and ohmmeter (ohms). Often, they include several additional specialized features or advanced options. Technicians with specific needs, therefore, can seek out a model targeted to meet their needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The face of a digital multimeter typically includes four components:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Display:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Where measurement readouts can be viewed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Buttons:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> For selecting various functions; the options vary by model.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Dial (or rotary switch):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> For selecting primary measurement values (volts, amps, ohms).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Input jacks:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Where test leads are inserted.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Test leads are flexible, insulated wires (red for positive, black for negative) that plug into the DMM. They serve as the conductor from the item being tested to the multimeter. The probe tips on each lead are used for testing circuits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, to understand the core <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Difference Between a Multimeter and a Voltmeter<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we are going to explain what a voltmeter is and then compare a multimeter to a voltmeter.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_voltmeter\"><\/span>What is a voltmeter?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A Voltmeter is an instrument that measures voltages of either direct or alternating electric current on a scale usually graduated in volts, millivolts (0.001 volts), or kilovolts (1,000 volts). Many voltmeters are digital, giving readings as numerical displays.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voltmeters can also provide readings in analog form, by moving a pointer that indicates voltage on a scale, but digital voltmeters generally have a higher order of accuracy than analog instruments.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-11041\" src=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/the-body-voltage-meter-835383_2000x.jpg\" alt=\"difference between multimeter and voltmeter\" width=\"700\" height=\"704\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/the-body-voltage-meter-835383_2000x.jpg 700w, https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/the-body-voltage-meter-835383_2000x-298x300.jpg 298w, https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/the-body-voltage-meter-835383_2000x-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/the-body-voltage-meter-835383_2000x-696x700.jpg 696w, https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/the-body-voltage-meter-835383_2000x-418x420.jpg 418w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Working Principle of Voltmeter<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The main principle of a voltmeter is that it must be connected in parallel which we want to measure the voltage. A parallel connection is used because a voltmeter is constructed in such a way that it has a very high value of resistance. So if that high resistance is connected in series then the current flow will be almost zero which means the circuit has become open.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If it is connected in parallel, then the load impedance comes parallel with the high resistance of the voltmeter, and hence the combination will give almost the same impedance that the load had. Also in the parallel circuit, we know that the voltage is the same so the voltage between the voltmeter and the load is almost the same and hence voltmeter measures the voltage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For an ideal voltmeter, the resistance is to be infinity,\u00a0 and hence the current drawn is to be zero so there will be no power loss in the instrument. But this is not achievable practically as we cannot have a material that has infinite resistance.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Differences_between_multimeter_and_voltmeter\"><\/span>Differences between multimeter and voltmeter<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Voltmeter<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Multimeter<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A voltmeter can measure only the potential difference between two points in an electrical circuit.<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A multimeter is a multi-purpose instrument that can directly measure various parameters like potential difference, current, resistance, frequency, capacitance, etc.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To measure the resistance of a circuit, an ammeter is also required along with a voltmeter.<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Multimeters can directly measure the resistance of a circuit. So no need to use a separate ammeter for this.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is generally not used to test diodes or transistors.<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Multimeters can be used to test diodes and transistors.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A voltmeter cannot substitute a multimeter.<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A multimeter can substitute voltmeter.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Voltmeters are comparatively cheaper.<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Multimeters are costlier as they consist of multiple parts for measuring various parameters.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The area of application of the voltmeter is narrow.<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Multimeters have a wide area of applications for their capability to perform multifarious functions.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now you know the core <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">difference between a multimeter and a voltmeter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hope you enjoyed the article! You can find <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/sign-up?client_redirect=\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-schema-attribute=\"\">similar content on <\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Linquip<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a professional network for equipment manufacturers, industrial customers, and service providers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Buy Equipment or Ask for a Service<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>By using Linquip RFQ Service, you can expect\u00a0to receive quotations from various suppliers across multiple industries and regions.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/linquip.com\/get-quote?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_campaign=product_list&amp;utm_term=product_list&amp;utm_content=rfq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click Here to Request a Quotation From Suppliers and Service Providers<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Read More On Linquip<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong><a title=\"Difference Between Potentiometer and Voltmeter\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/difference-between-potentiometer-and-voltmeter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-schema-attribute=\"\">Difference Between Potentiometer and Voltmeter<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong><a title=\"Difference Between Voltmeter and Ammeter\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/difference-between-voltmeter-and-ammeter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-schema-attribute=\"\">Difference Between Voltmeter and Ammeter<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/multimeter-parts-all-you-need-to-know-about-all-the-components\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">7 Different Multimeter Parts and Components: All You Need to Know about All the Components<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/the-practical-guide-to-types-of-multimeters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Practical Guide To Types of Multimeters<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/types-of-multimeters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A Brief Look at Types of Multimeters<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to Linquip again! In this article, we are going to discuss the core difference between a multimeter and a voltmeter. Buckle up and keep reading. What is a multimeter? A multimeter is an electronics designer&#8217;s primary quality control tool and it is used to measure two or more electrical values\u2014principally voltage (volts), current (amps), &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":11039,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11038","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-electrical-component"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11038"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11038\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25632,"href":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11038\/revisions\/25632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.linquip.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}