Purkeys’ Multimeter Training Unit (MTU) is a tool technicians can use for multimeter training that simulates a wide range of troubleshooting scenarios, according to the company. By training with the MTU, technicians will learn how to identify a variety of multimeter functions in the heavy-duty, commercial trucking industry.
The MTU was originally devised as a competition tool for professional tech conferences. Eventually, the need expanded beyond competition use. According to Larry Rambeaux, sales and service engineer at Purkeys, “In the beginning, the MTU was just for technician competitions, then fleets started asking where they could get one.” Now the ‘training board’ has been developed into a compact training tool available to the public.
Dale Henningson, chief engineer at Purkeys, said, “We designed the MTU to simulate the order in which you test the electrical system.” The MTU walks technicians through the entire electrical diagnostic process and is programmed to act like the electrical system of a heavy-duty vehicle. Henningson added, “We wanted to give hands-on, real world practice for every function of a multimeter.”
The MTU trains technicians on how to better use the voltmeter, ohmmeter, and ammeter functions, the company said, noting it also gives real-world practice diagnosing:
• Battery state of charge
• Voltage drop
• Alternator ripple
• Frequency
• DC current
• Resistance
• Capacitance
• Pulse width modulation
“At Purkeys, we like to share what we know about electrical systems,” Rambeaux said. “The more technicians understand about electrical systems and how they work the better they can diagnose issues.”
