user1499: I have created an arduino shield and i want to measure the voltage between the GND pin and 5V pins, to see if i see a voltage difference between the two points, in order to test if my pcb is fine.
My concern is since these are right next to each other and my multimeter probes are thick.
If the multimeter probe that 5V pin touches the GND pin, in other words, if i short circuit the 5V and GND pins, then will my arduino be safe?
I am afraid of damaging the arduino.

user4143: It all depends on how you are powering the board.
If you're running it from USB then the computer should shut off the power to the USB port. If it doesn't then the Arduino has a small self-resetting fuse on the USB power which should shut the power off for you.
However if you're powering through the barrel jack there's no protection. Worst case scenario: it will blow the voltage regulator, which then "fails short", meaning it passes the whole of the input voltage through to the microcontroller, which then kills it.
So yes, it's possible to damage the Arduino with a short circuit.
Most multimeters have a better way of testing the board though: either the "beepy" continuity test, or the resistance mode.  You can use that to test the continuity or resistance between your 5V and GND pins without having to connect the shield to the Arduino at all. 100% safe.

user313: No, shorting +5 to Gnd is not safe, although a brief short might not cause damage. If it persists, you could burn a trace, overheat the voltage regulator, or damage the computer USB if that is what powers your Arduino. Most computers will sense that short and disconnect power to that USB until the short goes away, but you don't want to count on it!
If your meter has probes with clip-ends, use those to clip two bread-board wires, and probe the Arduino pins by plugging the wires into your shield. If the shield has no pin sockets installed, at least the bread-board wires are small enough not to short adjacent pins.

user72885: mostly yes , mostly no . my old arduino got a little too much dusty and when i cleaned it with mild amount of water (nervously) and dried it partially . nothing happened to it . it was operating normally . but some beginner manuals tell not to short circuit it . dunno what's going on ...

1499: <p>I have created an arduino shield and i want to measure the voltage between the GND pin and 5V pins, to see if i see a voltage difference between the two points, in order to test if my pcb is fine.</p>
<p>My concern is since these are right next to each other and my multimeter probes are thick.</p>
<p>If the multimeter probe that 5V pin touches the GND pin, in other words, if i short circuit the 5V and GND pins, then will my arduino be safe?</p>
<p>I am afraid of damaging the arduino.</p>
 4143: <p>It all depends on how you are powering the board.</p>
<p>If you're running it from USB then the computer should shut off the power to the USB port. If it doesn't then the Arduino has a small self-resetting fuse on the USB power which should shut the power off for you.</p>
<p>However if you're powering through the barrel jack there's no protection. Worst case scenario: it will blow the voltage regulator, which then &quot;fails short&quot;, meaning it passes the whole of the input voltage through to the microcontroller, which then kills it.</p>
<p>So yes, it's possible to damage the Arduino with a short circuit.</p>
<p>Most multimeters have a better way of testing the board though: either the &quot;beepy&quot; continuity test, or the resistance mode.  You can use that to test the continuity or resistance between your 5V and GND pins without having to connect the shield to the Arduino at all. 100% safe.</p>
 313: <p>No, shorting +5 to Gnd is not safe, although a brief short might not cause damage. If it persists, you could burn a trace, overheat the voltage regulator, or damage the computer USB if that is what powers your Arduino. Most computers will sense that short and disconnect power to that USB until the short goes away, but you don't want to count on it!</p>
<p>If your meter has probes with clip-ends, use those to clip two bread-board wires, and probe the Arduino pins by plugging the wires into your shield. If the shield has no pin sockets installed, at least the bread-board wires are small enough not to short adjacent pins.</p>
 72885: <p>mostly yes , mostly no . my old arduino got a little too much dusty and when i cleaned it with mild amount of water (nervously) and dried it partially . nothing happened to it . it was operating normally . but some beginner manuals tell not to short circuit it . dunno what's going on ...</p>
