I have a cheap multimeter because I do not require one frequently enough to invest in a decent one. I noticed something interesting though: there are a lot of seemingly metallic things in my apartment that are surprisingly good insulators? (e.g.: a (brass?) doorknob)
I thought the multimeter was the problem, but when I measure something like a wire, it seems to be okay. Is this normal?
I'll have to check if I have any spare resistors with known values laying around to better test the meter.
fedops ππ
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • • •Jonathan Lamothe
in reply to fedops ππ • •@fedops ππ This is what I was thinking. Also, after a little research, it seems that brass can either a conductor or an insulator depending on the ratio of copper to zinc. Higher concentrations of zinc make for a more durable, but less conductive metal.
TIL metals can be insulators (assuming this random sketchy web site can be trusted).
Source: techiescientist.com/does-brassβ¦
ππππππ π³οΈββ§οΈπ¦
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • • •Jonathan Lamothe likes this.
Jonathan Lamothe
in reply to ππππππ π³οΈββ§οΈπ¦ • •@ππππππ π³οΈββ§οΈπ¦ I thought maybe it was some sort of protective coating, but this makes more sense. I also found this potential explanation: techiescientist.com/does-brassβ¦
Perhaps a combination of factors.
Jonathan Lamothe
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • •ππππππ π³οΈββ§οΈπ¦
in reply to Jonathan Lamothe • • •This is why gold is used in electronics so much. Copper may be a much better conductor than gold, but copper has surface oxidation that can get bad, while a thin plating of gold is... golden!
Aluminum oxidizes within seconds after scraping a fresh layer and why it's so difficult to work with
Jonathan Lamothe likes this.