There are several pieces of test equipment that any electronics enthusiast should have on their bench, but none more essential than a good digital multimeter. Multimeters are used to answer several questions about the circuit you’re working on, such as “What is my power supply voltage?” or “How much current is that unmarked capacitor consuming?”

Top Digital Multimeters for Arduino and Raspberry Pi Users

Digital multimeters for Arduino and Raspberry Pi allow you to measure DC and AC voltages and currents and also resistance. This one from UUGear isn’t a fancy model, and it doesn’t feature auto-power off or auto-ranging, and it can only be used for currents up to 10A (that’s 1 AMP). That said, it will accurately measure DC Voltage between 200mV and 600V and DC Current between 200uA and 10A and Resistance up to 20M Ohm.

The first thing you’ll want to do with any multimeter is check the battery. Most will have a test button that allows you to do just that, and most modern ones also come with a backlight for easy reading in the dark.

After that, you’ll want to test the continuity of a diode by connecting the red probe to the anode and the black to the cathode, then touching the probes together. If there is continuity, the meter should emit a beep. Most multimeters also have a capacitance measurement mode, which is indicated by a capacitance symbol with a number after it. Be sure to discharge the capacitor before connecting it, and always pay attention to lead polarity when doing so.