I used to like “hook-type” probe used in oscilloscope , as this type is very convenient in testing small parts. You just hook the test clip and see the result in the display. But why most multitester (Digital or Analog) uses standard probe? I don’t really got the idea.

So, let’s build by ourselves the oscilloscope-like probe for our multitester (you can call multimeter, DMM, or whatever).

You will need 3 major parts:

  • The connector head (to plug into your multitester)
  • Cables (AWG 18 or bigger, prefer insulated to cover at last 300V)
  • The “hook-type” (you can also call it spring clip type) probe

The minor parts needed:

  • Soldering iron and other soldering tools
  • Hairdryer or matches
  • Time (few hours)
  • Motivation (yeah!)
  • etc

Ok, first, put the cable on the connector head. Mine has screw to lock, but I put extra solder to make sure it will tight there forever and ever. See, they will be there, won’t release even you pull it hard.

Then, encapsulate the cable with teflon tape. You can use the teflon tape usually used for plumbing application. This one should be a very good and cheap solution for you to give extra protection to the cable itself. Well, the other option is to use more expensive cable which has good insulation. Since I use cheap AWG 18 cable, then I prefer to cover it with the teflon tape for extra shielding.

Finally, solder the spring-clip probe. You are done. Now we can test the small parts easily. As you can see below, I can let the multitester test the resistor by itself. I can monitor the result easier. Well, for this application, perhaps the benefit is not too significant. But imagine when you are testing “live” on the circuit with more than 2 tester. One for voltage, one for current, the other maybe for the clock, etc. You only have 2 hands (+ 2 feet if you think that helps) which can hold the standard multitester probe. This kind of probe definitely very useful!