GW Instek GDM-532 User manual

Handheld Digital Multimeter
GDM-532
USER MANUAL
ISO-9001 CERTIFIED MANUFACTURER

This manual contains proprietary information, which is protected by
copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this manual may be
photocopied, reproduced or translated to another language without
prior written consent of Good Will company.
The information in this manual was correct at the time of printing.
However, Good Will continues to improve products and reserves the
rights to change specification, equipment, and maintenance
procedures at any time without notice.
Good Will Instrument Co., Ltd.
No. 7-1, Jhongsing Rd., Tucheng Dist., New Taipei City 236, Taiwan.

Table of Contents
3
Table of Contents
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS .................................................. 4
GETTING STARTED.......................................................... 8
GDM-532 Overview .................................................9
OPERATION .................................................................. 13
Operating Instructions .......................................... 14
Others ................................................................... 29
SPECIFICATIONS ........................................................... 30
General Specifications........................................... 30
Technical Specifications ........................................ 31
MAINTENANCE ............................................................. 37
General Meintenance ............................................ 37
Battery/Fuse Replacements ................................... 37

GDM-532 User Manual
4
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
This chapter contains important safety
instructions that you must follow during
operation and storage. Read the following before
any operation to ensure your safety and to keep
the instrument in the best possible condition.
Safety Standards
 The meter is designed according to BS EN 61010-1; BS EN 61010-
2-030; BS EN 61010-2-033 and BS EN 61326-1; EN 61326-2-2.
 The meter conforms to CAT II 1000V/CAT III 600V, double
insulation, overvoltage standard, and pollution degree 2.

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
5
Electrical Symbols
These safety symbols may appear in this manual or on the
instrument.
Caution
Alternating current
Grounding
Direct Current
Double insulated
Warning
Conform to EU directive
CAT III
Measurement category III is applicable to test and measure
circuits connected to the distribution part of the building’s
low-voltage MAINS installation.
CAT II
Measurement category II is applicable to test and measure
circuits connected directly to utilization points (socket
outlets and similar points) of the low-voltage MAINS
installation.

GDM-532 User Manual
6
Safety Information
 Do not use the meter if the rear cover is not completely covered
up, or it may pose a shock hazard.
 Check and make sure the insulation of the meter and test leads is
in good condition without any damage before use. If the
insulation of the meter casing is found to be significantly
damaged, or if the meter is considered to be malfunctioning,
please do not continue to use the meter.
 Keep fingers behind the finger guards of the test leads when
using the meter.
 Do not apply more than 1000V between any terminal and earth
ground to prevent electric shock and damage to the meter.
 Use caution when working with voltages above AC 30Vrms or
DC 60V. Such voltages pose a shock hazard.
 The measured signal is not allowed to exceed the specified limit to
prevent electric shock and damage to the meter.
 Place the function dial in the correct position before measurement.
 Never turn the function dial during measurement to avoid
damage to the meter.
 Do not change the internal circuit of the meter to avoid damage to
the meter or user.
 Damaged fuses must be replaced with fast-acting ones of same
specifications.
 When “ ” is displayed, please replace the batteries in time to
ensure measurement accuracy.

SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
7
 Do not use or store the meter in high temperature, high humidity,
flammable, explosive, or strong magnetic field environments.
 Clean the meter casing with a damp cloth and mild detergent. Do
not use abrasives or solvents.
 Use of test probe
For CAT III /CAT IV test, please ensure probe cover is installed in
place to avoid electric shock.
For CAT II test, remove the probe cover to test recessed sockets
such as wall socket, and do not lose the probe cover.

GDM-532 User Manual
8
G ETTING STARTED
This chapter describes the GDM-532 in a nutshell,
including its main features and front/ rear panel
introduction.
GDM-532 Overview .................................................9
Overview ............................................................................................. 9
Features................................................................................................ 9
Accessories........................................................................................10
External Structure ............................................................................11
Function Buttons .............................................................................12

GETTING STARTED
9
GDM-532 Overview
Overview
GDM-532 is a 9999-count true RMS digital multimeter with high
resolution, auto range and new intelligent ADC chip. Designed
according to CAT II 1000V/CAT III 600V, the meter comes with
overvoltage and overcurrent alarms, and a false detection protector
for 6kV electric shock and high voltages.
Features
Unique appearance, ergonomic design, compact structure.
9999-count display, true RMS measurement, and fast ADC (3
times/s).
Full-featured false detection protection for up to 1000V surge,
and overvoltage/overcurrent alarm.
Extended measuring range, especially for capacitance
(compared with similar products), the ≤9.999mF response time
within 6s.
Optimized NCV function: EFHi mode to distinguish neutral
and live wires, EFLo mode for low electric fields, and
audio/visual alarm.
Recoverable and anti-burning protector is built into the current
input terminal.
Measurement of flame sensor of heating device can be
performed at µA position.
Current (AC/DC) mode memory function.
Low power consumption (general: 2mA; sleep state: <30µA) to
effectively extend the battery life to 500 hours.

GDM-532 User Manual
10
Accessories
Before using the GDM unit, check the package contents to make
sure all the accessories are included. If any of the follows is missing
or damaged, please contact your supplier immediately.
Standard Accessories
Description
User manual*1 pc
Test leads*1 pair
Temperature probe*1 pc
1.5V AAA Battery*3
If any of the above is missing or damaged, please contact your
supplier immediately.

GETTING STARTED
11
External Structure
Item Index
Description
1
LCD Display
2
Function buttons
3
Dial switch
4
mA /10A input terminal
5
µA input terminal
6
COM input terminal
7
Other terminals
8
Hook
9
Probe holder
10
Bracket

GDM-532 User Manual
12
Function Buttons
Button
Description
SEL Button:
Press this button to switch between DCV,
continuity/resistance/diode/capacitance,
frequency/duty cycle, ℃/℉and AC/DC current.
Each time you press it, the corresponding
measuring range will be switched alternately.
RANGE Button:
When the dial switch is in position of V, mV,
resistance, mA or A, short press this button to
switch to manual range and long press to enter
AUTO mode.
REL △ Button:
When the dial switch is in position of V, mV,
resistance, capacitance, µA, mA or A, short
press this button to enter relative value
measurement mode.
Button:
Press this button to perform/cancel data hold;
press this button for ≥2s to turn on/off the
backlight.

OPERATION
13
OPERATION
Operating Instructions .......................................... 14
AC/DC Voltage Measurement .....................................................14
Continuity Test.................................................................................16
Resistance Measurement.................................................................17
Diode Test.........................................................................................19
Capacitance Measurement..............................................................20
Frequency Measurement.................................................................22
Duty Cycle Measurement ...............................................................23
AC/DC Current Measurement .....................................................24
Temperature Measurement ............................................................26
Non-Contact Voltage (NCV) Sensing..........................................27
Others ................................................................... 29

GDM-532 User Manual
14
Operating Instructions
AC/DC Voltage Measurement
Wire Connection
Diagram
Steps of
Measurement
1. Turn the function dial to the AC/DC voltage
position or the mV small voltage (<99.99mV)
position.
2. Insert the red test lead into the “VΩ” terminal,
black test lead into the “COM” terminal, and
make the probes in contact with both ends of
the measured voltage (parallel connection to
the load).
3. Read the test result from LCD.

OPERATION
15
Warnings
Do not input a voltage over 1000V, or it may
damage the meter and hurt the user.
If the range of the measured voltage is
unknown, select the maximum range and then
accordingly reduce (if the LCD displays “OL”,
it indicates that the voltage is over range).
The input impedance of the meter is 10M Ω.
This load effect may cause measurement
errors in high-impedance circuits. If the
impedance of the circuit is ≤10kΩ, the error
can be ignored (≤0.1%).
Be cautious to avoid electric shock when
measuring high voltages.
Before each use, verify meter operation by
measuring a known voltage.

GDM-532 User Manual
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Continuity Test
Wire Connection
Diagram
Steps of
Measurement
1. Turn the function dial to the continuity test
position.
2. Insert the red test lead into the “VΩ” terminal,
black test lead into the “COM” terminal, and
make the probes in contact with the two test
points.
3. When measured resistance>420Ω, the circuit is
broken, LCD shows “OL” and the buzzer
makes no sound. When measured resistance is
at 30Ω～420Ω, the circuit conductance value is
relatively large, the buzzer makes no sound
along with a red LED indication. When
measured resistance ≤30Ω, the circuit is in
good conduction status and the buzzer beeps
continuously along with a green LED
indication.
Warnings
Switch off the power supply of the circuit and
discharge all capacitors before test.

OPERATION
17
Resistance Measurement
Wire Connection
Diagram
Steps of
Measurement
1. Turn the function dial to the resistance
measurement position.
2. Insert the red test lead into the “VΩ” terminal,
black test lead into the “COM” terminal, and
make the probes in contact with both ends of
the measured resistance (parallel connection
to the resistance).
3. Read the test result from LCD.

GDM-532 User Manual
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Warnings
Before measuring resistance, Switch off the
power supply of the circuit and discharge all
capacitors before measuring resistance.
If the resistance is not less than 0.5Ω when the
test leads are shorted, please check if the test
leads are loose or abnormal.
If the measured resistor is open or the
resistance exceeds the maximum range, the
LCD will display “OL”.
When measuring low resistance, the test leads
will produce 0.1Ω~0.2Ω measurement error.
To obtain the final accurate value, the
resistance of shorted test leads should be
subtracted from the measured resistance
value.
When measuring high resistance, it is normal
to take a few seconds to stabilize the reading.
Do not input voltages over 60 VDC or 30
VAC.

OPERATION
19
Diode Test
Wire Connection
Diagram
Steps of
Measurement
1. Turn the function dial to the diode test
position.
2. Insert the red test lead into the “VΩ ”
terminal, black test lead into the “COM”
terminal, and make the probes in contact with
the two endpoints of the PN junction.
3. If the diode is open or its polarity is reversed,
the LCD will display “OL”. For silicon PN
junction, the normal value is generally about
500mV~800mV (0.5V~0.8 V).
Warnings
Switch off the power supply of the circuit and
discharge all capacitors before terminal, and
make the probes in contact with the two
endpoints of the capacitance. Testing the PN
junction.
The test voltage is about 4.0V/1.5mA.

GDM-532 User Manual
20
Capacitance Measurement
Wire Connection
Diagram
Steps of
Measurement
1. Turn the function dial to the capacitance
measurement position.
2. Insert the red test lead into the “VΩ” terminal,
black test lead into the “COM”.
3. When there is no input, the meter displays a
fixed value (intrinsic capacitance). For small
capacitance measurement, this fixed value
must be subtracted from the measured value
to ensure measurement accuracy. So, please
use the relative value measurement (REL)
mode to automatically subtract the fixed
value.