P3 Kill A Watt meter $17.00 plus sh. for Newegg subscribers.

[Zepper]

I doubt it will do all the functions as easily - does it read frequency, can it accumulate kW hours, etc.?

.bh.

 

[Localan]

Originally posted by: ivan2
my father has brought this kind of clip on "kill-a-watt" from work one day. it looks like a mix of a huge monkey wrench with a head like a table clamp, it clamps on a power cable and it can read the power draw for that cable. I wonder what those are really called and if they do what the kill-a-watt does?

Something like this? If so, then it would do anything a KAW would do and more, depending on what brand/model he has.

Hard to beat the price/nerdiness ratio of the KAW though. Might need to order a replacement for the one I broke a while back.

 

[hytek369]

i bought one. thanks.

 

[Zepper]

That Fluke can do what the KAW can do and more but at how many times the cost?

.bh.

 

[Navid]

Originally posted by: Localan

Originally posted by: ivan2
my father has brought this kind of clip on "kill-a-watt" from work one day. it looks like a mix of a huge monkey wrench with a head like a table clamp, it clamps on a power cable and it can read the power draw for that cable. I wonder what those are really called and if they do what the kill-a-watt does?

Something like this? If so, then it would do anything a KAW would do and more, depending on what brand/model he has.

Hard to beat the price/nerdiness ratio of the KAW though. Might need to order a replacement for the one I broke a while back.

Any current creates magnetic field around it. If you can measure the field (flux), you can calculate the current. The clamp operates based on that.
There is always current flowing in both wires of a power cord in opposite directions. So, the net current flowing through the clamp, if you clamp both wires, will be 0. That is why you need to clamp only one wire (not a pair) for it to work.

If you download the manual and look at it, you can see diagrams that show you how it works. The clamp must clamp around a single wire! So, if you want to use this for your PC, you will need to separate the two wires in your power cord in order to be able to clamp one.

I strongly advise against doing that (separating the two wires of a power cord).

 

[nomadh]

I bought a less expensive clamp dvm. I worked after splitting the cable as mentioned above. My prob was the chepie I bought only showed whole amps. Basically everything was either 1, 2 or 3 amps. Really only good for air conditioners and aircraft carriers. Bought a KAW 2 years ago. Its been great. I keep running it back and forth between home and work. Did you know most our prescott pentiums idle at 71 watts, 20-30 watts less than our AMD 3000+ at default? Turning on all the cool and quiet and it only makes them 3-8 watts less than a prescott at idle. So much for common knowledge
I was also able to get a pentium d805 up to 300 watts under load and 140 at idle. What a fun toy.

 

[mikeford]

Ended up checking fatwallet for codes, $24.99 -6 instant + $1.23 Ca tax + $4.99 sh - 2 code =$23.21 I seem to remember deals that came in under $20, so I am skipping it.

Happens every time with newegg, at least for me, down to the wire and something keeps me from pulling the trigger. OOS, shipping, price, something, and I have checked more than a dozen different items, each time I end up someplace else.

 

[Zepper]

You'll not find it anywhere else for less shipping included. It has been priced below $20 before but not shipping included much less 3-day. I just checked eBay and the lowest price I saw was ~$24. shipped and it looks like they plan to use media mail rate to ship as you can't really ship that for less than three something thru the USPS parcel post otherwise. So that's illegal and your package risks being confiscated.

.bh.