What does shielding protect an analog meter from?

Shielding serves a critical function for analog meters by protecting them from stray magnetic fields. These magnetic fields can induce unwanted currents in the meter's components, which may lead to inaccurate readings or fluctuations in the measurements. By using shielding, the meter's sensitive internal mechanisms are isolated from these external influences, ensuring that the readings are more reflective of the actual values being measured rather than being distorted by environmental electromagnetic interference.

While other factors such as electrical overcurrents, environmental conditions, and high voltage spikes can also affect the operation and longevity of electronic equipment, they fall outside the specific protective scope that shielding addresses. Shielding mainly focuses on electromagnetic interference, which is crucial for maintaining the accuracy and reliability of measurements taken by analog devices.