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Voltage Multimeter Suggestions?
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BobA:
+1 for the auto ranging as an incorrectly set range dial can mess up your reading.  It takes alot of guess work out of setting the dial for new users.
mgb:
personnally, I use a Fluke, but only because I need a good meter for my job and it gets used every day.
But for a hobby meter, you really don't need to spend much at all.
definitely go with an autorange digital meter.
the main functions you want are ac and dc voltage, ohms, diode and some kinda beep scale.
make sure the meter does dc and actual ohms. some of those small electricians meters that they sell at places like Home Depot, only measure ac volts and shorts or opens.
It would also be benifit to be able to measure curent too.
check out the Ideal and Greenlee meters, they may fit your needs well.
depending on what you plan on working on, it also can be helpful to have in addition to a digital, a small cheap needle voltage meter for checking quick burst of voltage like that found in the degaussing circuit of a monitor.
MonMotha:
For casual troubleshooting use, the $5 special from Harbor Freight is probably fine, but they aren't autoranging and may be more difficult to use.  The low end ones also usually lack a beeper for continuity checking.  The beeper isn't required, but it makes things a lot easier when probing stuff out quickly.  Some low end ones with a beeper also have a long delay before the beeper activates which diminishes the use of the beeper.

I do hesitate to hook a $5 cheapo meter up to AC mains.  You're talking about a source that can deliver lethal amounts of power into a device that probably isn't even turned on before you see it.  I've never had a problem, but it's tough to deny the possible hazard.  I have a little more confidence in the big names like Fluke to make something that won't blow up in my hand.

The high end meters do feature lots of features you won't necessarily need like true-RMS readings (for troubleshooting arcades, the only time I can see needing this is when measuring the filament voltage on a CRT).  Some do provide a capacitance meter which can be handy when troubleshooting arcade stuff.  The Flukes also mostly feature a rapid response "analog" meter part that can somewhat replace an analog meter in transient measurement applications.

I have a Fluke 114 now, but use it professionally and can easily justify the cost.  I used a $5 special for years before that without a ton of issue, but I was often frustrated at the lack of capabilities (again, consider my uses were probably more demanding than yours).  If you do get a cheapie, you might want to consider getting a better set of test leads.  It's amazing how much better a $10 set of leads are than what comes with those cheap meters.
mgb:
Heres a Klein manual range meter at Home Depot for 25 bucks. Klein is a reliable name (albeit over rated).
Manual range is not too bad to use, just not as convenient as auto range, you just need to remember to be in the correct scale, for instance, when metering for 24volts dc, you need to put the meter in the 200vdc mode, not 20vdc.

http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-Electrical-Tools-Accessories-Electrical-Test-Meters/Klein-Tools/Ideal/Gardner-Bender/h_d1/N-5yc1vZboffZrzZmiZ3xg/R-202565780/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
Paul Olson:
Most meters will work OK, but if this is a hobby you plan on enjoying for a while, spring for a Fluke. High quality tools are nice to have. I disagree with what others have said about accuracy. Some of these arcade boards are very finicky, and a 0.5 volt swing on your meter will make it hard to troubleshoot. There are boards that only want to run correctly really close to 5.1 volts.

That being said, you don't really need Fluke accuracy, but it is nice to know that your meter isn't a problem. I use a Fluke 179 which can be found in the $100 range on ebay. I used a $35 radio shack meter for a few years, and it was fine, but I haven't touched it since I bought the Fluke. I think it is worth the cost to be able to use nice equipment, but if not, you can go cheaper.

Definitely get one with an audible continuity test. The $3 harbor freight ones don't have it.
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