To sum up, I think f you put an experienced
hardware repairman on a
desert island withjust a multimeter he could do a lot. But although
that's what a beginenr might be limited to as well, he doesn't have the
experience to use it in unconventioal ways.
You can do a lot with a schematic,meter and a brain. Often beginers
need exercise on that last item.
That is precisely my point. The 'brain' is the most importat piece of
test gear. And it's one that gets better with experience. An experienced
hardware guy will know how to make measuremtns with the instrumetns he
has, even if those wouldbn't be his first choice, to find the fault. A
beginner will not know how to do that.
And the problem is that very often the beginner is the one lacking i nthe
right instruments.
-tony