Types of Voltmeter

There are various types of voltmeter, some of these types are:

• Analog Voltmeter
• Digital Voltmeter
• Amplified Voltmeter
• Movable Iron Voltmeter
• Permanent Magnet Moving Coil Voltmeter
• Rectifier Voltmeter

Let’s discuss the types in detail.

Analogue or Analog Voltmeter

Analogue voltmeter is used mainly to measure the AC voltage. The reading is shown using a pointer that is mounted on the calibrated scale. Torque applied to the pointer affects its movement. The strength of the torque that is produced has a direct relationship to voltage measured.

A basic analogue voltmeter consists of a sensitive galvanometer (current meter) which forms part of high resistance series. The meter should have a large internal resistance or it would draw current significantly that might interrupt the operation of the circuit during testing. The meter displays a range of voltage determined by the series resistance value and galvanometer sensitivity.

In contrast, the use of an oscilloscope is quite common to measure low voltages where instantaneous voltage was shown as a vertical shift. The oscilloscopes measure the peak-to-peak and peak voltage of RF or AC applications. High potential differences meters are made using wiring, insulators and heavy-duty probes.

Digital Voltmeter

It shows the voltage as numbers on a digital voltmeter. Many of these meters can calculate voltage measurements to numerous decimal places. Practical laboratory voltmeters have maximum ranges of 100-300 volts. Commercially available voltmeters usually have multiple scales ranging in powers of ten i.they can measure voltage from to 1 Volts, or even up to

Amplified Voltmeter

These fragile sensors sometimes refer to as milli-voltmeters or micro voltmeters can measure pinch of potential drop. These voltmeters essentially have an electronic amplifier in the input line that boosts the amplitude of incoming electricity many times so as to allow for measurement with a basic voltmeter. These are present only in specialized labs and workshops.

Movable Iron Voltmeter

MI is movable iron voltmeter. Because the deflection is proportional to square of voltage assuming constant meter’s impedance, it can be used for AC as well DC measurements. Whatever may be the polarity of that voltage, it has always a directional component. They are further classified in two aspects,

Permanent Magnet Moving Coil Voltmeter

A Permanent Magnet Moving Coil voltmeter, sometimes referred to as a D’Arsonval meter often or simply galvanometer is an instrument that measures electrical current by watching the deviation of its magnetic field. The current is passing the coil and it creates a magnetic field that acts together with the one created by permanent magnet which causes deflection of this coil. The deflection amount is directly proportional to the current flowing through coil. PMMC voltmeters are direct current (DC) voltage measuring devices.

Rectifier Voltmeter

AC circuits are often measured with rectifier voltmeters. This type of voltmeter uses a rectifier for AC signals to DC, which can be further measured with PMMC instrument.

Voltmeter is a measuring instrument designed to detect the potential difference between two points in an electric or electronic circuit. A voltmeter is commonly used for AC or DC circuits. Specialist voltmeters may also measure Radio Frequency (RF) voltage.

A device’s voltage can be measured using a voltmeter that is connected in parallel to the said device. This arrangement is significant since parallel objects usually tend to have the same potential difference. It is wired in parallel with the circuit, primarily due to similar voltage losses across it. In this article, we will discuss all the topics related to Voltmeter including its diagram, parts, formula, various types, working principle, how to use, etc.