Mastech 5-in-1 Multimeter Review - Selector Knob, Input Ports, and Battery
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Below the buttons is the selector knob seen here. This has the obvious ability to change what it is you can measure with the instrument.
Some of these options you can choose from are standard fare on every multimeter. The "oddball" ones if you will, going clockwise, begin with the first "C" option (at about 11 o'clock) and go to the x10Lux option. The first "C" allows you to use the thermocouple and gives you a reading in degrees celsius and the next option, also a "C," is a bit more precise as it gives you degrees celsius to a tenth of a degree. The %RH, for those of you who don't already know, symbolizes the measurement of humidity levels.
Then dB for decibel or sound levels. Not to give you a history lesson, but the "bel" in decibel actually comes from Alexander Graham Bell who came up with the bel as a unit of measurement for communication devices. The bel is too large a measurement for everyday use so we use decibel which stands for .10 bels.
Now that class is over the next two options are Lux and x10Lux which are both used to measure light levels. Lux simply measures the lumen/light concentration in a given area or from a given source. The x10Lux allows for higher levels of Lux to be measured by giving a read out that's a tenth less than the actual Lux level, so you can take that read and x10, hence the clever name.
Along the bottom of the unit are the four input ports. The black wires obviously have but one color coated option, the reds on the other hand have three. The three ports are very clearly labled with each one's respective uses according to what you have selected with the knob.
In addition to the stand/prop in the back of the MS8209 there are also two small screws. These are your only means of changing the included 9v battery when it eventually dies. Though it might last a good long time, it's a pain to take these screws out due to the rubber casing that does such a good job of protecting the unit. The only benefit I can think of is that by doing this Mastech has helped to make the unit a tad more water proof.(note: this unit does not claim to be water proof or even water resistant, this is just my observation)
As you can see in the above picture, the battery sits loosely on the left side in a small plastic "cage" while the battery contact points are both on the circuit board itself. Putting the two halves together lines up the battery just right so that the contact points hold it firmly in place.
You might also notice that the left half also has the multisensor input panel attached to it. The actual sensors are connected directly to the circuit board and can be seen in the picture below without a covering.
Nothing very riveting here but I did set up the picture so they appear in the same order as the picture I showed earlier. The small black circle on the left is the mic, in the middle the blue-ish square is the light sensor, and the little grill with the white rectangle behind it measures the humidity levels. Also, on the bottom left side of the picture you can see the battery contact points sticking out of the motherboard. We will re-visit the guts later.
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