We will discuss the differences between the current measuring AC and DC clamp meters in the article. Both types of clamp meters are measuring instruments to measure electrical current.
What are DC and AC clamp meters?
Clamp meters are used to measure the electrical current. Clampmeter may also measure other parameters like voltage, and resistance depending on the models of the clamp meters.
However, the main function of the clamp meter is to measure the electric current without touching the electrical wire.
Clamp meters are available in DC-type and AC-type clamp meters. However, there is a difference between AC-type and DC-type clampmeters.
Differences between AC and DC type clamp meter
The main difference between the AC and DC clamp meter is that The DC clamp meter can measure both DC and AC electric current, however, the AC clamp meter can measure AC-type electric current only.
There are the following main differences between DC and AC-type clamp meters:
- AC type clamp meter can measure AC type electric current only
- DC type clamp meter can measure DC as well AC type electric current
- AC clamp meter measurement uses the current transformer concept
- DC clamp meter uses the Hall effect type concept. It can not use the transformer-types concept as the current is DC in nature
- The cost of an AC-type clamp meter is less.
- The cost of the DC clamp meter is more. It is much higher than the cost of the DC clamp meter
- Both the DC-type and AC-type clamp meters are available in the same size
- Both types of clamp meters are available in different current rating
- Generally, the AC-type current meter is used to measure the main wire current
- DC-type clamp meter can also read small DC currents. So it required a more accurate and complex measuring circuit. And hence it becomes expensive also.
- DC clamp meter can measure the total current of the many wires passing through its clamp. It can add or subtract the all-electric currents in different wire depending on the direction of the DC current flow
- AC clamp meter can also measure the total current for many wires. But it will measure vector addition of the current and not algebraic summation. So the addition of the current will depend upon the phase angle between different currents
- In the AC mode of the DC clamp meter, it works exactly like an AC clamp meter and will show vector addition of the AC electric current
DC clamp meter uses the Hall effect type concept. It can not use the transformer concept as the current is DC. AC clamp meter uses a CT transformer for measurement.
To know more about how a DC clamp meter measures multi-wire electrical current, watch the video (In Hindi):
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About the author – G K Agrawal B.Sc and B.Tech (from HBTU Kanpur), Retd. Sr DGM Design (BHEL), the inventor of patents, has lifelong industry experience in the electrical and electronics design field of R&D. He worked for BHEL. He shares his experience and knowledge on blogs and YouTube. Read the profile here.
