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This fairly new multimeter from China's Aneng is distinguished by a readout of up to 6,000 counts, a minimum voltage range of 60.00 mV and a maximum voltage range of 2,000 V. |
Introduction to the V9 from Aneng
Type, manufacturer and prices
This multimeter is available through almost all well-known Chinese electronics mail order companies and their European clones. Most Chinese multimeters are offered with various type names and various 'manufacturers'. However, we found this multimeter exclusively as type V9 of the Aneng brand. You pay about twenty euros for it. At the time of writing this test, the V9 ordered via AliExpress costs € 20.51 and at Banggood € 22.46. We ordered our specimen from Banggood.
The main features of the Aneng V9
What immediately stands out about this multimeter is its 'old-fashioned' look. The manufacturer has made no effort to make the meter as small, thin and light as possible, as is common nowadays. Well on the contrary, the V9 measures a hefty 176 mm by 91 mm by 47 mm and weighs no less than 368 grams. Nor is the device powered from a USB rechargeable battery, a standard feature these days. You have to insert three 1.5 V type-AA batteries. You will also search in vain for a full-colour touch screen. The display is a monochrome LCD with seven-segment digits 23 mm high.
The V9 is a semi-automatic multimeter. That means you have to use the large rotary knob to select the measuring function, but the meter itself determines the most suitable measuring range. We like that very much, because our experiences with fully automatic meters are not exactly positive. The rotary knob lies easily in the hand and clearly clicks into its various positions. It is virtually impossible to accidentally turn the knob one position further than intended.
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| The rather hefty V9 multimeter from Aneng. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
That large dial allows you to choose from no less than sixteen functions and ranges:
- 2,000 Vac
- 2,000 Vdc
- NCV
- Vac + frequency or duty-cycle
- Vdc
- mVac + frequency or duty-cycle
- mVdc
- Resistance
- Continuity
- Diode
- Capacitance
- Frequency
- Rectangular wave output frequency
- Temperature (°C or °F)
- mAac or mAdc
- μAac or μAdc
There is even a separate input for the 2,000 V ranges. However, what the point of these two measurement ranges is eludes us somewhat. We cannot recall ever having felt the need to measure 2,000 V voltages.
As is the case with virtually all multimeters, the V9 has a separate input for measuring currents. This input is internally protected with a 600 mA ceramic-filled 250 V glass fuse.
Six firm-feeling push buttons allow you to select the additional functions of any modern multimeter:
- Automatic or manual measurement range setting.
- Relative measurement.
- Select frequency or duty-cycle.
- Select alternating or direct current.
- Select °C or °F.
- Select frequency of output pulse.
- Hold function.
- Min/Max function.
- Display lighting.
- Measurement location lighting.
Aneng's V9 viewed from all sides
In the photo below, we have combined the three main views of this multimeter. As the comparison of this with the previous photo shows, the soft plastic cover that protects the meter is available in several colors: black, red, green and blue. By the way, if you need to replace the internal fuse, you have to remove this cover to get to the four screws. That removal is not really easy! We had to make two small cuts in the bottom with a knife to make the cover slightly wider so it can be pulled over the hard plastic of the meter housing more easily. On the back of the plastic sheathing are two clips where you can clamp the two measuring probes. However, this is not very convenient!
In the center of the rear panel, you can see the white LED with which you can slightly illuminate the measuring object. At the top, above this LED, there is a hole with which you can hang the meter on a hook in the wall. Most of the rear panel is taken up by the fold-out bracket that allows you to place the V9 in a good reading position on the table.
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| The V9 multimeter viewed from three sides. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
Scope of delivery
The V9 is delivered in a cardboard box containing:
- The meter itself.
- A 26-page excellent English manual.
- The standard test leads that come with every Chinese multimeter.
- A thermocouple with two banana plugs.
The meter comes without batteries.
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| The scope of delivery of the V9 multimeter. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
The test leads
These are the standard test leads supplied with virtually every Chinese multimeter. The 90° angled 4 mm banana jacks are fully insulated. The 16 mm long tips of the test probes are uninsulated. However, caps are included that you can slide over the tips, leaving only 2 mm of uninsulated tip.
The thermocouple lead
This is truly the cheapest thermocouple lead available! The wires of the thermocouple are not screwed or soldered into the banana plugs, but inserted into a hole that is afterwards pressed together. A strain relief in not present. Over the actual thermocouple is a piece of ordinary shrink tubing.
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The supplied measurement leads. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
The manual
The manual for the V9 can be found as a PDF on the Internet and we have saved it for you on our account on archive.org:
Aneng V9 specifications
- Display: Monochrome LCD, 66 mm x 42 mm
- Display range: 6000 counts, 9999 counts for frequency
- Digit size: 23 mm
- Sampling rate: three measurements per second
- DC voltage ranges: 60.00 mV ~ 600.0 mV ~ 6.000 V ~ 60.00 V ~ 600.0 V
- DC voltage accuracy: ±[0.5 % + 3]
- AC voltage ranges: 60.00 mV ~ 600.0 mV ~ 6.000 V ~ 60.00 V ~ 600.0 V
- AC voltage accuracy: ±[1.0 % + 3]
- High voltage range (AC and DC): 2,000 V
- High-voltage accuracy: DC ±[2.0 % + 3], AC ±[3.0 % + 3].
- DC current ranges: 600.0 μA ~ 6.000 μA ~ 60.00 mA ~ 600.0 mA
- DC current accuracy: ±[1.2 % + 3]
- AC current ranges: 600.0 μA ~ 6.000 μA ~ 60.00 mA ~ 600.0 mA
- AC current accuracy: ±[1.5 % + 3]
- Resistance ranges: 600.0 Ω ~ 6.000 kΩ ~ 60.00 kΩ ~ 600.0 kΩ
- Resistance ranges: 6.000 MΩ ~ 60.00 MΩ
- Resistance accuracy: ±[0.5 % + 3] ~ ±[1.5 % + 3]
- Capacitance ranges: 6.000 nF ~ 60.00 nF ~ 600.0 nF ~ 6.000 μF
- Capacitance ranges: 60.00 μF ~ 600.0 μF ~ 6.000 mF ~ 60.00 mF
- Capacitance accuracy: ±[2.0 % + 5] ~ ±[5.0 % + 20]
- Frequency ranges: 9.999 Hz ~ 99.99 Hz ~ 999.9 Hz ~ 9.999 kHz
- Frequency ranges: 99.99 kHz ~ 999.9 kHz ~ 10.00 MHz
- Frequency accuracy: ±[0.1 % + 5]
- Duty-cycle range: 1 % ~ 99 %.
- Duty-cycle accuracy: ±[0.1 % + 2]
- Temperature range: -20 °C to +1,000 °C
- Temperature accuracy: ±[3.0 % + 5]
- Diode range: 3.0 V max.
- Continuity range: 50 Ω max.
- Frequency pulse: 50 Hz ~ 5 kHz
- True-RMS measurement: yes
- Data hold: yes
- Screen illumination: yes
- Low battery voltage alarm: yes
- Automatic shutdown: yes
- Min/Max indication: yes
- Relative measurements: yes
- Automatic range switching: yes
- Non-Contact Voltage detection (NCV): yes
- Power supply: 3 x 1.5 V battery, type-AA
- Dimensions: 176 mm x 91 mm x 47 mm
- Weight: 368 g (with batteries)
The electronics in the Aneng A9
Opening the case
After the removal of the flexible protective cover, it turns out that the two parts of the housing are connected by only four small screws. After removing these screws, you can open the multimeter like the two half shells of an oyster. One 'shell' contains the three batteries, and the other 'shell' is completely filled with the circuit board. The contact between the battery compartment and the circuit board is established via two small springs pressed onto rectangular pads on the circuit board.
The printed circuit board
It is clear from the picture below that fewer and fewer components are necessary to realize a complete multimeter. We recognize the protection components that are standard in semi-automatic multimeters today. On the bottom left you can see six MELF resistors R3, R18, R28, R29, R34 and R35 which are intended to protect the rest of the circuit from excessive voltages. R27 is probably a Metal Oxide Varistor switched directly between the V and COM inputs. Above the fuse are four diodes D1, D2, D3 and D5 forming a bridge with diode D4 in one of the diagonals. This is undoubtedly a Transient Voltage Suppressor. Finally, we note the two transistors Q4 and Q5 which are switched as zener diodes and contribute to the protection of the multimeter.
The intelligence of the multimeter is hidden under a blob and is not traceable. At the top of the PCB you can see the antenna for detecting electromagnetic fields around conductors in walls. LED1 is a red LED that lights up when the meter detects such a field.
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The internal of the V9 multimeter. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
The 2,000 V input
What is immediately noticeable is a small PCB at the bottom of the meter to which the 2,000 V input socket is connected. The picture below shows what this PCB contains: ten MELF resistors connected in series that reduce the high voltage at the 2,000 V input to a safely measurable value.
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The component side of the 2,000 V PCB. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
Testing the Aneng V9
Auto Power Off feature
The meter turns off after fifteen minutes of inactivity. One minute before this happens, the meter sounds five short beeps. If you then press the 'SELECT' briefly, the counter resets and enters another 15 minutes of Auto Power Off time.
The Auto Power Off feature can be turned off by pressing the 'SELECT' button when turning the meter on.
Introductory Note
The following tables list values of a voltage, current, resistance or capacitance in the leftmost column. You should not consider these to be absolutely accurate and thus not use them to judge the accuracy of the Aneng V9. For that, the columns on the right are for comparative measurements with our much better laboratory equipment.
Measuring DC voltages
Here we use various DC voltage sources and resistor dividers to cover a range of 1 mV to 1,000 V. We use our Fluke 8842A as a reference and calculate the percentage deviation of the V9's measurement results. Neatly, the V9 stays below the specified deviation of ±0.5 % for almost all measurements. The system that automatically selects the correct measurement range works extremely quickly and accurately.
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| Accuracy in measuring DC voltages. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
Determining the input resistance
To check this we measure a DC voltage of about 10 V with and without an accurate series resistor of 1 MΩ. Without this resistor, the Aneng V9 measures a voltage of 10.03 V. With the resistor in series, the measured value drops to 9.13 V. A few simple calculations with these results show an input resistance when measuring DC voltages of 10.14 MΩ. The standard value, in other words.
Measuring DC currents
We make a series circuit of a DC power supply, some resistors, the Aneng V9 and our 8842A, which we again use as a reference. The measurement results are summarized in the table below. Again, the measured deviations remain neatly below the specified value of ±1.2 %.
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| The accuracy when measuring DC currents. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
The burden voltage when measuring dc currents
The burden voltage is the voltage that drops across the meter when you measure a current. The smaller this voltage, the less impact measuring a current has on the circuit in which you are measuring. For a current of 600 mA, a voltage of 0.798 V drops across the V9.
Measuring 50 Hz alternating voltages
We use our function generator DG1022 and a variac to generate 50 Hz sine wave voltages between 10 mV and 270 V. Now our ET3255 multimeter from East Tester is used as a reference. The results are summarized in a table and again it appears that the V9 almost always measures much more accurately than the specified ±1.0 %.
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| Accuracy when measuring 50 Hz alternating voltages. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
The frequency range when measuring AC voltages
This is not very good with most multimeters, and Aneng's V9 is no exception. We measure with a sine wave voltage of 1 Vrms and discover that you can only measure accurately up to 2 kHz. At 3 kHz, the reading has already dropped to 87.5 % of what it should be.
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The frequency range when measuring AC voltages. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
Measuring resistors
For this test we have at our disposal a set of resistors with a tolerance of ±0.1 %. As a reference meter, we obviously use our 8842A from Fluke and again calculate the percentage error on the readout of the V9. The 8842A uses a four-wire kelvin probe, which is not possible with the Aneng V9. The results are summarized in a table. Also when measuring resistances, the percentage error remains below the specified value of ±[0.5 % + 3].
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| The accuracy when measuring resistors. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
Measuring small resistances
It is not well known that the 'Continuity' measurement function that every multimeter has is ideal for measuring very small resistances. This is because in that function, a constant current is flowing through the component you have connected to the meter and the voltage drop across it is measured. Because the V9 does not have a function for measuring with the kelvin method, you must always compensate the resistance of the test leads in such measurements with the 'REL' function. The table below shows what the V9 performs in this measurement mode, again comparing it to Fluke's 8842A.
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Accuracy in measuring small resistors. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
Measuring capacitors
Thanks to a set of five accurate capacitors with a tolerance of ±1 %, we can also check the performance of the Aneng V9 when measuring such components. Above 1 μF we measure ordinary electrolytic capacitors from our stock. As a reference meter, we use East Tester's ET4401 with an accuracy of ±0.2 % for non-electrolytic capacitors.
When measuring these components, the V9 performs beautifully, better than the specifications promise. However, as might be expected, large errors arise when measuring electrolytic capacitors. This is a result of the fact that when measuring capacitors with multimeters, a constant current is passed through the capacitor and measured how long it takes until the discharged capacitor is charged to a certain voltage. That charging time is directly proportional to the capacitance of the component. However, this method does not take into account the leakage current of an electrolytic capacitor which is consuming a portion of the charging current. As a result, the component takes longer to charge and the meter measures a larger capacitance than intended. Some electrolytics have a large leakage current and the capacitance of such an electrolytic is measured with an error that can be tens of percent. A true RLC meter, such as East Tester's ET4401, measures the capacitance of the electrolytic capacitor by putting a small 120 Hz sine wave superimposed on a DC voltage across the capacitor and measuring the alternating current through the part. However, since the accuracy of the ET4401 when measuring electrolytics is not very good anyway, we have taken this meter as a reference only for capacitors up to 1 μF.
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| The accuracy when measuring capacitors. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
Measuring frequencies
As a source, we use Rigol's DG1022 function generator, set to sinusoidal output. We immediately determine the sensitivity, the voltage at which the V9 measures a stable frequency. We read this as the rms value on the display of the function generator.
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| The accuracy and sensitivity when measuring frequencies. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
Measuring temperatures
Testing accuracy when measuring temperatures is a tricky business. We have a UT320A thermometer from UNI-T with its own thermocouple. The accuracy of this meter is specified as ±(0.5 %＋1), that of the supplied thermocouple ±2.0 °C. Since this is similar to the accuracy of the Aneng V9, you can use the measurement results in the table below for comparison purposes only.
To ensure that both thermocouples measure the same temperature, we proceed as follows. We drill a 3.0 mm hole in a 50 mm heatsink of type SK0850. We fill this hole with heat-conducting paste. Then we push the tips of both thermocouples into this hole. We mount a 100 W wire-wound resistor on the heatsink and connect it to an adjustable DC power supply. We cool the profile with compressed air from a spray can until the UT320A indicates a temperature of -12 °C. The heatsink is then slowly warmed up by heating the resistor. We note the reading on the V9 at the time the UT320A indicates a multiples of ten temperature. The results are summarized in the table below and again we must note that the V9 performs excellently.
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| Measuring temperatures. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
Testing the NCV function
With this function it should be possible to detect alternating current conducting wires in walls and to distinguish phase wires from neutral wires. All modern multimeters have this function and we can never get very excited about it. This is also the case with the Aneng V9. The function works too inaccurately to be reliable. Use an old-fashioned neon tester to detect live wires!
The rectangle voltage output
Whether this feature is very useful is questionable. The V9 delivers a nice rectangular pulse with an adjustable frequency between 50 Hz and 5 kHz. You select the frequency by pressing the 'SELECT' key. The oscillogram below shows what the unloaded 5 kHz pulse looks like. The amplitude is not adjustable, which makes its usefulness even more questionable. The blue trace shows the zero level, i.e., the pulse becomes slightly negative!
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| The output pulse of 5 kHz. (© 2023 Jos Verstraten) |
Our opinion of the Aneng V9
The V9 from Aneng is a multimeter where we can find almost nothing we could criticize. If you take a look at our measurement results, you will agree with us that, in terms of accuracy, the V9 performs better than its specifications promise. There is also nothing to criticize about the construction of the meter and the control buttons; it all looks solid.
For any beginning electronics hobbyist who needs to build up a basic set of measuring instruments, the V9, with its price of only twenty euros, is an excellent choice as a first multimeter. Practice will then show whether this meter will continue to suffice or whether a meter with, for example, a higher resolution will eventually be desired.
Aneng V9 multimeter
