I'm thinking of building a shunt adapter for the Fluke 101. Basically some test leads cut open and a shunt soldered in place.
I'm sure that will be much safer than the flimsy AN8008...
Don' forget the HRC fuse, blast-proof enclosure etc.!
I can't think of a time I have ever used a hand held meter to look at current in a CAT III environment, outside of a clamp. I have heard of people attaching a meter with the leads connected to the current inputs across the AC line by mistake. Do this in a CAT II, chances are good you may only pop a fuse of trip a breaker. CAT III and up is where the HRC fuses really come into play.
From 61010-2-033:2012
MEASUREMENT CATEGORY Short-circuit current (typical) Location in the building installation
kA a
II < 10 Circuits connected to MAINS socket outlets,
and similar points in the MAINS installation
III < 50 MAINS distribution parts of the building
IV >> 50 Source of the MAINS installation in the building
a The short-circuit current is calculated for a 1 000 V line-to-neutral voltage and the
minimum loop impedance. The values of loop impedances (installation impedances) do
not take into account the resistance of the probe assemblies and impedances internal
to the measuring equipment. These short-circuit currents vary, depending on the
characteristics of the installation.
In the case of the 101, there is no current input. Chances of someone accidently leaving their external shunt attached and going across the line, well I won't say it can't happen but I would say chances are slim to do this unintentionally. We do have people who think it's fine to connect their meter to the output of a MOT and wonder why it dies then blame the mfg.
Like Dave's uCurrent Gold most of the time I would use a shunt, it's unfused and out in the open. I use them in circuits of 300A and less at 50V and under. For me, the risk is fairly low.
How many of you have hooked Dave's uCurrent Gold directly across the AC line to measure current?