Fluke 115C User manual

®
PN 2538695
July 2006, Rev. 1, 2/07
© 2006, 2007 Fluke Corporation, All rights reserved. Printed in China
All product names are trademarks of their respective companies.
115C and 117C
True-rms Multimeters
Users Manual

115C and 117C
Users Manual
2
Safety Information
A "XWWarning" statement identifies hazardous conditions and actions that could cause bodily harm or death.
A "WCaution" statement identifies conditions and actions that could damage the Meter or the equipment under test.
To avoid possible electric shock or personal injury, follow these guidelines:
•Use the Meter only as specified in this manual or the protection provided by the Meter might
be impaired.
•Do not use the Meter or test leads if they appear damaged, or if the Meter is not operating
properly.
•Always use proper terminals, switch position, and range for measurements.
•Verify the Meter's operation by measuring a known voltage. If in doubt, have the Meter
serviced.
•Do not apply more than the rated voltage, as marked on Meter, between terminals or
between any terminal and earth ground.
•Use caution with voltages above 30 V ac rms, 42 V ac peak, or 60 V dc. These voltages pose
a shock hazard.
•Disconnect circuit power and discharge all high-voltage capacitors before testing
resistance, continuity, diodes, or capacitance.
•Do not use the Meter around explosive gas or vapor.
•When using test leads or probes, keep your fingers behind the finger guards.
•Only use test leads that have the same voltage, category, and amperage ratings as the meter
and that have been approved by a safety agency.
•Remove test leads from Meter before opening the battery door or Meter case.

True-rms Multimeters
Safety Information
3
•Comply with local and national safety requirements when working in hazardous locations.
•Use proper protective equipment, as required by local or national authorities when working
in hazardous areas.
•Avoid working alone.
•Use only the replacement fuse specified or the protection may be impaired.
•Check the test leads for continuity before use. Do not use if the readings are high or noisy.
•Do not use the Auto Volts function to measure voltages in circuits that could be damaged by
this function’s low input impedance (≈3 kΩ)(117 only).
Symbols
BAC (Alternating Current) IFuse
FDC (Direct Current) TDouble Insulated
XHazardous voltage WImportant Information; Refer to manual
NBattery (Low battery when shown on the
display.) JEarth ground
~Do not dispose of this product as unsorted
municipal waste. Contact Fluke or a
qualified recycler for disposal.
DAC and DC

115C and 117C
Users Manual
4
Display
VoltAlert
11
7
17 18
12
13
14
9
6
5
4
3
2
1
16 15
8
10
edy02f.eps
No. Symbol Meaning Model
AwThe Meter is in the VoltAlert™ non-contact voltage detect mode. 117C
BsThe Meter function is set to Continuity. 115C & 117C
CRThe Meter function is set to Diode Test 115C & 117C
DOInput is a negative value. 115C & 117C
EYXUnsafe voltage. Measured input voltage ≥30 V, or voltage
overload condition (OL). 115C & 117C

True-rms Multimeters
Display
5
FKDisplay hold enabled. Display freezes present reading. 115C & 117C
GM
VWX
MIN MAX AVG mode enabled.
Maximum, minimum, average or present reading displayed 115C & 117C
H(Red LED) Voltage presence through the non-contact VoltAlert sensor 117C
ILoZ The Meter is measuring voltage or capacitiance with a low input
impedance. 115C & 117C
JnµF mVµA
MkΩkHz Measurement units. 115C & 117C
KDC AC Direct current or alternating current 115C & 117C
LNBattery low warning. 115C & 117C
M610000 mV Indicates the Meter’s range selection. 115C & 117C
N(Bar graph) Analog display. 115C & 117C
OAuto Volts
Auto
Manual
The Meter is in the Auto Volts function.
Auto ranging. The Meter selects the range for best resolution.
Manual ranging. User sets the Meter’s range.
117C
115C & 117C
115C & 117C
P+Bar graph polarity 115C & 117C
Q0L WThe input is too large for the selected range. 115C & 117C
RLEAd WTest lead alert. Briefly displayed whenever the Meter’s
function switch is rotated to or from any A position. 115C & 117C

115C and 117C
Users Manual
6
Terminals
10 A
FUSED
COM V
A
1
2
3
edy01f.eps
No. Description Model
AInput terminal for measuring ac and dc current to 10 A. 115C & 117C
BCommon (return) terminal for all measurements. 115C & 117C
CInput terminal for measuring voltage, continuity, resistance, capacitance,
frequency and testing diodes. 115C & 117C
Error Messages
bAtt Battery must be replaced before the Meter will operate.
CAL Err Calibration required. Meter calibration is required before the Meter will operate.
EEPr Err Internal error. The Meter must be repaired before it will operate.
F11 Err Internal error. The Meter must be repaired before it will operate.

True-rms Multimeters
Rotary Switch Positions
7
Rotary Switch Positions
Switch
Position Measurement Function Model
xAutomatically selects ac or dc volts based on the sensed input with a low
impedance input. 117C
e
Hz (button)
AC voltage from 0.06 mV to 600 V.
Frequency from 5 Hz to 50 kHz.
115C & 117C
115C & 117C
DDC voltage from .001 V to 600 V. 115C & 117C
lAC voltage from 6.0 to 600 mV, dc-coupled. DC voltage from 0.1 to 600 mV. 115C & 117C
ΩOhms from 0.1 Ωto 40 MΩ. 115C & 117C
sContinuity beeper turns on at <20 Ωand turns off at >250 Ω. 115C & 117C
RDiode Test. Displays OL above 2.0 V. 115C & 117C
SFarads from 1 nF to 9999 μF. 115C & 117C
j
Hz (button)
AC current from 0.1 to 10 A (>10 to 20 A, 30 seconds on, 10 minutes off).
>10.00 A display flashes. >20 A, OL is displayed. DC-coupled.
Frequency from 45 Hz to 5 kHz.
115C & 117C
IDC current from 0.001 A to 10 A (>10 to 20 A, 30 seconds on, 10 minutes off).
>10.00 A display flashes. >20 A, OL is displayed. 115C & 117C
wNon-contact sensing of ac voltage. 117C
Note: All ac functions and Auto-V LoZ are true-rms. AC voltage is ac-coupled. Auto-V LoZ, AC mV and AC
amps are dc coupled.

115C and 117C
Users Manual
8
Battery Saver ("Sleep Mode")
The Meter automatically enters "Sleep mode" and blanks
the display if there is no function change, range change, or
button press for 20 minutes. Pressing any button or
turning the rotary switch awakens the Meter. To disable the
Sleep mode, hold down the gbutton while turning the
Meter on. The Sleep mode is always disabled in the MIN
MAX AVG mode.
MIN MAX AVG Recording Mode
The MIN MAX AVG recording mode captures the minimum
and maximum input values (ignoring overloads), and
calculates a running average of all readings. When a new
high or low is detected, the Meter beeps.
•Put the Meter in the desired measurement function and
range.
•Press pto enter MIN MAX AVG mode.
•Mand MAX are displayed and the highest
reading detected since entering MIN MAX AVG is
displayed.
•Press pto step through the low (MIN), average
(AVG), and present readings.
•To pause MIN MAX AVG recording without erasing
stored values, press f. Kis displayed.
•To resume MIN MAX AVG recording, press fagain.
•To exit and erase stored readings, press pfor at
least one second or turn the rotary switch.
Display HOLD
XWWarning
To avoid electric shock, when Display
HOLD is activated, be aware that the
display will not change when you
apply a different voltage.
In the Display HOLD mode, the Meter freezes the display.
1. Press fto activate Display HOLD. (Kis
displayed.)
2. To exit and return to normal operation, press for
turn the rotary switch.
Backlight
Press Qto toggle the backlight on and off. The backlight
automatically turns off after 40 seconds. To disable
backlight auto-off, hold down Qwhile turning the Meter
on.
Manual and Autoranging
The Meter has both Manual and Autorange modes.
•In the Autorange mode, the Meter selects the range with
the best resolution.
•In the Manual Range mode, you override Autorange and
select the range yourself.

True-rms Multimeters
Power-Up Options
9
When you turn the Meter on, it defaults to Autorange and
Auto is displayed.
1. To enter the Manual Range mode, press q.
Manual is displayed.
2. In the Manual Range mode, press qto increment
the range. After the highest range, the Meter wraps to
the lowest range.
Note
You cannot manually change the range in the
MIN MAX AVG or Display HOLD modes.
If you press qwhile in MIN MAX AVG or
Display Hold, the Meter beeps twice, indicating
an invalid operation, and the range does not
change.
3. To exit Manual Range, press qfor at least 1 second
or turn the rotary switch. The Meter returns to
Autorange and Auto is displayed.
Power-Up Options
To select a Power-Up Option, hold down the button
indicated in the following table while turning the Meter on.
Power-Up Options are canceled when you turn the Meter
off and when sleep mode is activated.
Button Power-Up Options
fTurns on all display segments.
pDisables beeper. bEEP is displayed when
enabled.
qEnables low impedance capacitance
measurements. LCAP is displayed when
enabled. See page 14.
gDisables automatic power-down ("Sleep
mode"). PoFF is displayed when enabled.
QDisables auto backlight off. LoFF is
displayed when enabled.
Making Basic Measurements
The figures on the following pages show how to make
basic measurements.
When connecting the test leads to the circuit or device,
connect the common (COM) test lead before connecting
the live lead; when removing the test leads, remove the live
lead before removing the common test lead.

115C and 117C
Users Manual
10
Measuring Resistance
edy04f.eps
XWWarning
To avoid electric shock, injury, or
damage to the Meter, disconnect
circuit power and discharge all high-
voltage capacitors before testing
resistance, continuity, diodes, or
capacitance.
Testing for Continuity
edy06f.eps
Note
The continuity function works best as a fast,
convenient method to check for opens and
shorts. For maximum accuracy in making
resistance measurements, use the Meter’s
resistance (e)function.