Both analog and digital meters are capable of measuring a wide variety of quantities. Depending on a meter's specific design, it can measure electricity, energy, force or volume. Simple meters are composed of a numbered display and a physical needle or pointer that moves across the display in accordance with the amount of energy applied to it. Meters of this type are termed analog meters. Digital meters display the same types of measurements with an electronic display instead of a pointer over a scale.
Also, most analog meters show multiple scales for reading different quantities on their displays. This is another source of errors - users can read the wrong scale.
One of the most important advantages of the digital meters is their ability to detect pressure spikes. With analog equipment, pressure spikes may move a needle slightly but will not give an accurate reading of the maximum pressure.
Digital meters can take measurements in intervals as short as a few milliseconds so they catch even very short spikes in pressure.
Before taking a measurement with your analog meter, you have to take an educated guess at a range of values you expect to see - and set the scale. What if you are wrong? If you misjudge the scale, the reading will be too high or too low to read. In some cases, you can damage the meter. So if you do not know what values to expect, you have to start with the highest scale and work your way down until you hit the correct range.
Most digital meters have circuitry that automatically detects the scale and indicates it on the display making them easier and quicker to use than analog meters.
Increased portability necessitates increased durability. Because digital meters contain fewer or no exposed moving parts, there is less danger of damage, which could lead to inaccurate readings. An analog meter is more likely to suffer damage to its moving parts.
A digital meter is calibrated by exposing it to a neutral, or zero-level, signal and then setting the readout to zero. This is typically accomplished with the push of a button, which sends a signal to the meter to reset the readout.
Electronics-related digital meters have built-in overload protection that is uncommon in analog meters. The components of an analog meter will burn out if exposed to too strong of an electrical load. A digital meter is protected from the same load.
See a related blog on how to select a digital meter for your needs. For more tips on hydraulic and pneumatic systems, visit our technical pages or browse through our past blogs.
Posted by Joni Scott