> Actually, it is. It's for when you forget that the meter is
> in current mode and you put it across a voltage source. The
> fuse prevents the test leads from melting in your hands.

Well, a typical digital meter will run the current you're trying to measure
through a low-value shunt resistor, and then put the voltage drop through a
nice sensitive A-D converter.  At low current ranges, this "shunt resistor"
probably has a high precision, low wattage, and relatively high ohm value,
and I suspect that these resistors are what you are protecting with a fuse.
For the high current range, you probably have a high-power resistor of
rather lower precision and ohms, with accuracu suitable for measuring larger
currents...

Melting the leads can happen after the resistors "fail shorted", but I don't
think it is the primary concern...

BillW

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