An Ammeter is widely used measuring instrument for measuring the flow of electric current in a circuit. Since electric currents are measured in amperes, the instrument is named as Ammeter.

Types of Ammeter Moving Coil Ammeter: The earliest design was a moving coil ammeter making use of a magnetic deflection. The current was made to pass a coil, causing it to move in a magnetic field. This type of ammeter works only on direct current or DC. Moving Iron Ammeter: These instruments make use of pieces of iron, which move when electromagnetic force of a fixed coil of wire is applied. It operates and responds to both Direct and alternate current.

A resistor, called a shunt is sometimes used for measuring larger currents. A shunt is placed parallel to a ammmeter, allowing most of the current to flow through it and leaving only a small fraction in the meter. This solutions allows the measurement of larger currents.

Use of Ammeter

• Educational Institutions
• Laboratory Equipment
• Generators
• Electrical Equipment