All it does on my multimeter is freeze whatever value it was reading at the time. When would I need to use this?
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4 Answers
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I rarely use the feature but for more precise measurements it can be useful. For example if measuring a sensor I might want to make a note that the meter reads 2.984 V and it's more convenient than trying to remember the value while I write it down on a piece of paper or enter the value into a spreadsheet etc.
Sometimes too I might be in a position where it's hard to read the meter output at the same time and I can rest my little finger on the hold while positioning the probes.
Some higher end meters also have an auto-hold type feature where once the reading becomes stable they will take the measurement and hold the display. That's a feature that I find much more useful because you don't have to keep your eye on the meter at all and they will beep when the measurement is done.
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You are up a step leader with little light due to the power being turned off…
Meters are not just used at nice work benches.
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Some hold buttons don't do the hold until the meter sees a signal. So you press hold, turn to your circuit, and put the probes on whatever you want to look at; the meter triggers the hold, and you get the reading without having to look at the meter or have a third hand to press the hold button while you're holding the probes.
answered Nov 23, 2014 at 14:54
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Many uses, for example when you can't read the screen because it changes in value too fast to read, mostly measuring the average is better then.
Also you can use it to measure the value after a certain time after you switched something on/off.
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1\$\begingroup\$ Have you use this function in your multimeter? What is the model? \$\endgroup\$– GR TechNov 23, 2014 at 12:17
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1\$\begingroup\$ I don't use it often, and the model I had used was an old Fluke handheld type at work for a few years. Also I missed the obvious like PeterJ stated, use it to save the value so you don't have to remember all the digits. The fast changing value is mostly only a problem if it fluctuates between two values with an overflow inbetween like 0.999 and 1.000, if it's fast you won't be able to read either of the values sometimes. \$\endgroup\$– P. KochNov 23, 2014 at 12:31