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• Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

Poll

What's the meaning of "OL"?

Over Limit 30 (21.9%) Open Line 2 (1.5%) Over Load (Overload) 92 (67.2%) Open Loop 4 (2.9%) Depends on the measuring mode 9 (6.6%)

Total Members Voted: 137

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Author Topic: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters? (Read 38064 times)

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TheAmmoniacal

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Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« on: November 03, 2018, 11:09:11 am » It's used on every multimeter - yet everyone calls it something different. What is it? Logged

The Soulman

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2018, 11:16:54 am » Imho its over limit, better would be out of range. Logged

VK3DRB

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #2 on: November 03, 2018, 12:52:06 pm » I remember a rather boastful electronic engineer at IBM seeing OL on fluke DMM, saying something like "OL means the meter is faulty". OL is a defacto standard that works with seven segment displays quite nicely.We use a lot of defacto standards without thinking about it. One defacto standard I hate is SMD tantalum caps having the stripe as positive, yet on electrolytic caps it in negative. Who ever devised the tantalum "standard" needs to be removed from the gene pool. It is illogical, stupid and dangerous. I think many of us have been caught out with that once. Logged The following users thanked this post: wilfred, David Aurora, edavid, SilverSolder, Johnny10, Jacon

macboy

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #3 on: November 03, 2018, 02:00:27 pm » I can't believe overload is leading the poll. A meter is decidedly not overloaded with an open circuit on resistance mode. The measurement however is certainly over limit. Over limit works for all modes. Logged

xmo

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #4 on: November 03, 2018, 03:03:02 pm » macboy wrote: "I can't believe overload is leading the poll."------------------------------------------------------------------------It's probably the leader because that's what it means. At least according to what the manufacturers say in their manuals.Keysight: "OL - Overload (the reading exceeds the display range)"Fluke: "If the input signal is greater than the selected range can measure,the Meter displays overload" Logged The following users thanked this post: EPAIII, I wanted a rude username, teb

Gyro

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #5 on: November 03, 2018, 03:25:29 pm » Datron:- Overrange: "Is signified by a 1 being illuminated at the left of the normal display. 100% overrange permits a maximum display of 19999(9)."- Overload: "Results in blanking of the display* when measured value exceeds 100% Overrange."*(would be OL on other meters) « Last Edit: November 03, 2018, 03:29:52 pm by Gyro » Logged Best Regards, Chris

TheAmmoniacal

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #6 on: November 03, 2018, 03:47:57 pm » An overload indicator does not really make sense on modern multimeters, and really only makes sense in voltage or current mode (?).I would guess the OL indication originates from back when voltmeters were resistive panel meters? An over-voltage condition would in this case cause it to overheat and potentially burn?I've just looked at a few manuals, both Keysight and Fluke do say overload. Logged

Cyberdragon

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #7 on: November 03, 2018, 06:47:31 pm » Early digital bench meters have red overload lamps on them. Logged *BZZZZZZAAAAAP*Voltamort strikes again!Explodingus - someone who frequently causes accidental explosions

Dubbie

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #8 on: November 03, 2018, 07:33:58 pm » My Keysight meter says Overload on the screen when open circuit on ohms mode Logged

pelule

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #9 on: November 03, 2018, 08:03:53 pm » IMHO it's overload.ADCs in the past have been single- ord dual-slope types. A integrator is charged by input voltage (and for dual-slpe again discharges by the reference voltage) The charge time is counted and gives the display value (count).Thus exceeding the input range caused the integrator to be overcharged means overloaded./PeLuLe Logged You will learn something new every single day

Mr. Scram

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #10 on: November 03, 2018, 08:09:54 pm » It's obviously "Out of Luck". Logged The following users thanked this post: hans, SilverSolder, Gregg, Jeff eelcr, Kim Christensen, Dan123456

wilfred

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #11 on: November 04, 2018, 12:02:47 am » Quote from: VK3DRB on November 03, 2018, 12:52:06 pm

I remember a rather boastful electronic engineer at IBM seeing OL on fluke DMM, saying something like "OL means the meter is faulty". OL is a defacto standard that works with seven segment displays quite nicely.We use a lot of defacto standards without thinking about it. One defacto standard I hate is SMD tantalum caps having the stripe as positive, yet on electrolytic caps it in negative. Who ever devised the tantalum "standard" needs to be removed from the gene pool. It is illogical, stupid and dangerous. I think many of us have been caught out with that once.

Re SMD tantalum cap marking. Thanks for the warning. Only used through hole till now. Logged

Feynman

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #12 on: November 04, 2018, 08:38:43 am » For me its always been "over load". Most multimeter manuals describe "OL" with something like "Overload condition is detected", e.g. the manual of the Fluke 87V. « Last Edit: November 04, 2018, 08:43:05 am by Feynman » Logged

BeBuLamar

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #13 on: April 24, 2021, 11:31:17 am » While it may not make sense it means "Over Load" because the DMM manufacturers said so. I just wonder which DMM was first to display "OL". Early DMM display a 1 for this. Logged

tom66

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #14 on: April 24, 2021, 01:39:18 pm » I want to know why budget multimeters show a single "1" when in over-range. If the concern is over logic complexity, I can understand not wanting to implement text characters, but a single or double hyphen would probably be more understandable. So many times I've worked someone unfamiliar with multimeters through a problem and they've said things like, it reads "1 Volt" and then only do you realise that they had it on the mV range and that's the overload indication. Logged

Neilm

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #15 on: April 24, 2021, 06:01:29 pm » Surely it means "Oh Lord" - given I most often see it on a continuity reading and I now have an open circuit to find in a bunch of wires Logged Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe. - Albert EinsteinTesla referral code https://ts.la/neil53539 The following users thanked this post: Black Phoenix, Dan123456

Cyberdragon

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #16 on: April 24, 2021, 06:24:12 pm » Quote from: BeBuLamar on April 24, 2021, 11:31:17 am

While it may not make sense it means "Over Load" because the DMM manufacturers said so. I just wonder which DMM was first to display "OL". Early DMM display a 1 for this.

Nixie (or other early digital display) multimeters have indicator lights for "Over Load". I'm assuming LCD DMMs in the 80s soon followed. Logged *BZZZZZZAAAAAP*Voltamort strikes again!Explodingus - someone who frequently causes accidental explosions

bdunham7

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #17 on: April 24, 2021, 06:26:22 pm » Some of them spell it out for you. overload.jpg (188.25 kB, 1500x1125 - viewed 10062 times.) Logged A 3.5 digit 4.5 digit 5 digit 5.5 digit 6.5 digit 7.5 digit DMM is good enough for most people. The following users thanked this post: thm_w, edavid, I wanted a rude username, Dan123456

rfclown

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #18 on: April 24, 2021, 06:54:36 pm » It isn't up for a vote. Read the manual. Logged

TimFox

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #19 on: April 24, 2021, 07:58:42 pm » I repeat the important bit mentioned above: "OL" works nicely on 7-segment displays, but "OR" is perhaps harder to read. Logged

magic

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #20 on: April 24, 2021, 09:16:44 pm » Quote from: tom66 on April 24, 2021, 01:39:18 pm

I want to know why budget multimeters show a single "1" when in over-range. If the concern is over logic complexity, I can understand not wanting to implement text characters, but a single or double hyphen would probably be more understandable. So many times I've worked someone unfamiliar with multimeters through a problem and they've said things like, it reads "1 Volt" and then only do you realise that they had it on the mV range and that's the overload indication.

The answer is "because ICL7106" Now, what Intersil was smoking, ask them... Logged

hans

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #21 on: April 24, 2021, 09:20:29 pm » Quote from: macboy on November 03, 2018, 02:00:27 pm

I can't believe overload is leading the poll. A meter is decidedly not overloaded with an open circuit on resistance mode. The measurement however is certainly over limit. Over limit works for all modes.

Well, if you consider an Ohms measurement using a CC, then overload could be applied (somewhat reciprocally) that the open circuit voltage is being exceeded.I agree over limit makes more sense, but my first intuition was that this terminology (among other generic terms) by chinglish translations. Nonetheless, there are more conventions that we carry over by tradition rather than common sense. Otherwise the whole world would be using metric by now, and we certainly wouldn't have 0.635mm SOP packages that look like 0.65mm Logged

KE5FX

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #22 on: April 24, 2021, 09:28:03 pm » Quote from: TimFox on April 24, 2021, 07:58:42 pm

I repeat the important bit mentioned above: "OL" works nicely on 7-segment displays, but "OR" is perhaps harder to read.

But it's used even when 7-segment displays aren't. In addition to the Fluke above, the mainstream HPAK DMMs also display "Overload" with open probes in the resistance mode.It's especially weird because in continuity test mode, the default display is simply "OPEN." Why didn't they do that for resistance as well? Logged

SpecialK

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #23 on: April 24, 2021, 09:32:45 pm » ∞ infinityComing from an analogue multimeter to an autoranging DMM I only ever really saw the OL in ohms mode. Luckily I've never measured voltage greater than the DMM could handle and I much less often measure current, usually I measure that from the bench power supply. Logged

Cerebus

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Re: Seriously, anyone know the story and meaning of "OL" on multimeters?

« Reply #24 on: April 24, 2021, 10:52:45 pm » Quote from: Mr. Scram on November 03, 2018, 08:09:54 pm

It's obviously "Out of Luck".

Na, can't be that. The seven segment abbreviation of that would be 5.0.0.L. and they just put 0.L. Logged Anybody got a syringe I can use to squeeze the magic smoke back into this?

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