ok guys..looking to build a 1 to 10 acv step up. now i do not wanna do a transformer because of the lost over the transformer. here is the situation. we have a pc based dmm. it has a 10 acv max rating on it. we want to make this be 100acv max. so we are needing to build a 1 to 10 ratio acv step up. how can i do this. and once we get this built we are wanting to do a 1 to 10 ratio acv step up. thanx for the quick reply..

 

Wait - you mean that you want a 10:1 reduction in voltage, right?

If your PC based DMM only has a 10VAC max rating and you want to be able to measure 100VAC, then you'll need to scale the voltage down, not an increase in voltage.

The most noise-free way to do that would be to use a 10:1 O-scope probe. You can buy them for around $10 on Ebay.

If you're thinking of measuring any mains voltages though, you must use a transformer.

 

The most efficient, lowest loss method of converting between AC levels is the transformer.

 

yes sorry...im doin 100 things at once..yes i need a 10:1...so i can use a 10x prob wire into the pc based dmm leads and should work ? cause idk how that could work but i could be wrong

 

O-scope probe leads have a BNC male (coaxial bayonet) base. You would need a BNC female connector to banana plugs (or whatever your DMM connections are) or a "BNC female breakout".

Sorry, I forget that not everyone has those kinds of things lying around in boxes.

If you're only going to be measuring 50Hz to 60Hz VAC, your safe and easy solution will be a transformer. However, if you're going to be measuring other frequency VAC, you'll need a different approach.

 

well we are goin to need to be able to measure from 20Hz to 100Hz VAC

 

so what are my options now...if i can get the probe to work...shouldnt have a problem with those freq should i ?

 

For measuring those frequencies, the 10:1 probe is a good choice.

 

thanks guys