Multimeter for continuous 10A scale reading

[Matt Gadd]

Hey Everyone,

I need to do a parasitic draw test on my 94 Ford E-350 (12V batteries), but after watching Eric’s video on this I noticed he was continuously running the amperage reading (thought nothing of it at the time). I check my meter to find that the 10A scale can only be measured for 10 seconds at a time every 15 minutes. After looking into that, I saw that even if the reading turned out to be 4-5A, it would still be VERY tedious to pull fuses and measure with my current meter. My batteries died very quickly so I’m expecting a high amperage reading when I test (after charging or replacing the batteries, ugh), but hopefully not >10A.

I saw Eric had a Blue Point EEDM503B meter in the video and that it didn’t have a time limit on the 10A setting, which I expected. I’ve also found a Blue Point EEDM503A for $85 online (they look the same, but not sure if there’s a difference between the A and B. Having said this, my questions are….1) will this 503A meter do the job I need, as in does it have the capacity to continuously measure perhaps 3-7A (estimate at this point) while I pull fuses? If so, I’ll buy it and go on with testing. 2) what other meter not mentioned here would you recommend for the job? I know I’ll have to pay for continuous amperage testing, but not looking to go $400-500 for top of the line meters. For perspective, my current Innova meter was $35, so the $85 503A would be a price (and hopefully quality) upgrade.

Any other tidbits of info would be much appreciated, thank you!

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