Fluke 77 repair advice Sydney

[Rod Out back]

All,

My Fluke 77 III digital mulitmeter died an unnnatural death the other day;
it may have gotten wet from a rain shower that made it all the way into the
back of the shed(not sure, but definately wasnt immersed in water). The
battery wasnt dead, or corroded, but there was moisture around the inside of
the dial on the front panel. Elder brother has taken it back to Sydney to
see if anyone can assess it and maybe repair it.

Fluke quoted $175 to repair it; flat rate if they can fix it(return it free
of charge if not possible). Seems like a bit steep if it is something
simple, but probably cheap if the guts need replacing....However, I'm a bit
annoyed that it doesnt seem any more splash-proof than a $50 Dick Smith
Special...

Any reccommendations for someone (other than Fluke) to look at it in the
Sydney area? I'm happy to pay a reasonable amount for somone to check it
out, but $175 seems a bit high.

Cheers,

Rod.......Out Back

 

[Ken Taylor]

"Rod Out back" <someone@IHATESPAM.BIGPOND.COM> wrote in message
news:Y7mDd.107358$K7.105629@news-server.bigpond.net.au...

All,

My Fluke 77 III digital mulitmeter died an unnnatural death the other day;
it may have gotten wet from a rain shower that made it all the way into
the
back of the shed(not sure, but definately wasnt immersed in water). The
battery wasnt dead, or corroded, but there was moisture around the inside
of
the dial on the front panel. Elder brother has taken it back to Sydney to
see if anyone can assess it and maybe repair it.

Fluke quoted $175 to repair it; flat rate if they can fix it(return it
free
of charge if not possible). Seems like a bit steep if it is something
simple, but probably cheap if the guts need replacing....However, I'm a
bit
annoyed that it doesnt seem any more splash-proof than a $50 Dick Smith
Special...

Any reccommendations for someone (other than Fluke) to look at it in the
Sydney area? I'm happy to pay a reasonable amount for somone to check it
out, but $175 seems a bit high.

Cheers,

Rod.......Out Back


If you really don't want to pay to have it restored as a Fluke, then why not

just take it apart, put in a hot water closet or somewhere similar to dry
out, spray liberally with CRC or sim and leave to dry? Chances are that
would do the trick. If not, it's likely to be $175 or a new meter anyway.

Fluke make a range of splash/weather/water-proof meters, clearly the 77
isn't one of them. :-(

Ken

 

[Phil Allison]

"Rod Out back"

All,

My Fluke 77 III digital mulitmeter died an unnnatural death the other day;
it may have gotten wet from a rain shower that made it all the way into
the
back of the shed(not sure, but definately wasnt immersed in water). The
battery wasnt dead, or corroded, but there was moisture around the inside
of
the dial on the front panel. Elder brother has taken it back to Sydney to
see if anyone can assess it and maybe repair it.

Fluke quoted $175 to repair it; flat rate if they can fix it(return it
free
of charge if not possible). Seems like a bit steep if it is something
simple, but probably cheap if the guts need replacing....However, I'm a
bit
annoyed that it doesnt seem any more splash-proof than a $50 Dick Smith
Special...

Any reccommendations for someone (other than Fluke) to look at it in the
Sydney area? I'm happy to pay a reasonable amount for somone to check it
out, but $175 seems a bit high.

** Have you opened and inspected it for water damage ?

Usually there is a whitish discolouration or stain on the PCB and all the
solder pads too.

A good clean with metho and a stiff brush, followed by hot air drying and
then a going over with a small brush moistened with spray lube may be all
that is needed to remove leagage paths that the stain creates.




............ Phil


................. Phil

 

[Ed]

does this model have a lifetime warranty?

"Ken Taylor" <ken123@xtra.co.nz> wrote in message
news:3469lgF46fivdU1@individual.net...

"Rod Out back" <someone@IHATESPAM.BIGPOND.COM> wrote in message
news:Y7mDd.107358$K7.105629@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
All,

My Fluke 77 III digital mulitmeter died an unnnatural death the other
day;
it may have gotten wet from a rain shower that made it all the way into
the
back of the shed(not sure, but definately wasnt immersed in water). The
battery wasnt dead, or corroded, but there was moisture around the inside
of
the dial on the front panel. Elder brother has taken it back to Sydney to
see if anyone can assess it and maybe repair it.

Fluke quoted $175 to repair it; flat rate if they can fix it(return it
free
of charge if not possible). Seems like a bit steep if it is something
simple, but probably cheap if the guts need replacing....However, I'm a
bit
annoyed that it doesnt seem any more splash-proof than a $50 Dick Smith
Special...

Any reccommendations for someone (other than Fluke) to look at it in the
Sydney area? I'm happy to pay a reasonable amount for somone to check it
out, but $175 seems a bit high.

Cheers,

Rod.......Out Back


If you really don't want to pay to have it restored as a Fluke, then why
not
just take it apart, put in a hot water closet or somewhere similar to dry
out, spray liberally with CRC or sim and leave to dry? Chances are that
would do the trick. If not, it's likely to be $175 or a new meter anyway.

Fluke make a range of splash/weather/water-proof meters, clearly the 77
isn't one of them. :-(

Ken

 

[Franc Zabkar]

On Fri, 07 Jan 2005 02:05:44 GMT, "Rod Out back"
<someone@IHATESPAM.BIGPOND.COM> put finger to keyboard and composed:

My Fluke 77 III digital mulitmeter died an unnnatural death the other day;
it may have gotten wet from a rain shower that made it all the way into the
back of the shed(not sure, but definately wasnt immersed in water). The
battery wasnt dead, or corroded, but there was moisture around the inside of
the dial on the front panel.

I'd dismantle it and then wash and scrub it with isopropyl alcohol.

Fluke quoted $175 to repair it; flat rate if they can fix it(return it free
of charge if not possible). Seems like a bit steep if it is something
simple, but probably cheap if the guts need replacing....However, I'm a bit
annoyed that it doesnt seem any more splash-proof than a $50 Dick Smith
Special...

I'm not impressed with Fluke either. I have an expensive (AU$2750)
PM97 Scopemeter which has been a POS since the day I bought it. It's
now been out of order for several years and will probably stay that
way. One day when I'm sick of looking at it I'll probably step on it
.... again and again and again ...

IME Fluke gear is no better or more reliable than many cheaper
alternatives. A Fluke LCD will break when you drop it, just like any
other meter. Leads will break just as they do for any other meter.
However, unlike other brands, Fluke parts are ridiculously expensive.

For years I used to carry a Hung Chang Korean made DMM which was more
reliable than any Fluke I ever had. AFAIK, my brother is still using
it. I now have a Jaycar DMM which has some minor annoyances but which
still represents far better value than an equivalent Fluke. I'm now
building a small calibration circuit based around a MAX6350 5.000V
reference IC. This chip has a claimed 0.02% accuracy (5.000 +/-
0.001V), so I reckon if accuracy is Fluke's selling point, then I
could do just as well by purchasing a cheap DMM and calibrating it
myself.


- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 's' from my address when replying by email.

 

[Rod Out back]

"Ed" <eddie_nospam@optusnet.com> wrote in message
news:41de1b64$0$2540$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au...

does this model have a lifetime warranty?

"Ken Taylor" <ken123@xtra.co.nz> wrote in message
news:3469lgF46fivdU1@individual.net...
"Rod Out back" <someone@IHATESPAM.BIGPOND.COM> wrote in message
news:Y7mDd.107358$K7.105629@news-server.bigpond.net.au...
All,

My Fluke 77 III digital mulitmeter died an unnnatural death the other
day;
it may have gotten wet from a rain shower that made it all the way into
the
back of the shed(not sure, but definately wasnt immersed in water). The
battery wasnt dead, or corroded, but there was moisture around the
inside
of
the dial on the front panel. Elder brother has taken it back to Sydney
to
see if anyone can assess it and maybe repair it.

Fluke quoted $175 to repair it; flat rate if they can fix it(return it
free
of charge if not possible). Seems like a bit steep if it is something
simple, but probably cheap if the guts need replacing....However, I'm a
bit
annoyed that it doesnt seem any more splash-proof than a $50 Dick Smith
Special...

Any reccommendations for someone (other than Fluke) to look at it in
the
Sydney area? I'm happy to pay a reasonable amount for somone to check
it
out, but $175 seems a bit high.

Cheers,

Rod.......Out Back


If you really don't want to pay to have it restored as a Fluke, then why
not
just take it apart, put in a hot water closet or somewhere similar to
dry
out, spray liberally with CRC or sim and leave to dry? Chances are that
would do the trick. If not, it's likely to be $175 or a new meter
anyway.

Fluke make a range of splash/weather/water-proof meters, clearly the 77
isn't one of them. :-(

Ken

Ed,

Yes, Indeed it does have a Lifetime warranty.

However, to quote Fluke:

Limited Lifetime Warranty
Each Fluke 20*, 70*, 80*, 170 and 180 series DMM will be free from defects
in material and workmanship for its lifetime. As used herein, "lifetime" is
defined as seven years after Fluke discontinues manufacturing the product,
but the warranty period shall be at least ten years from date of purchase.
*(Lifetime Warranty applies to products manufactured after October 1996)
In what way is the warranty limited?

a.. It does not cover batteries or fuses.
b.. It does not cover abuse or usage outside of specifications.
c.. It does not cover normal wear and tear of mechanical parts.
d.. It covers the LCD for 10 years only (state-of-the-art for LCDs).
e.. It covers original user purchaser only.

I would expect this excludes the unit from warranty, as I dont think getting
the damn thing wet is considered normal wear and tear...

I will get the brother to try the suggestions regarding washing it out with
alcohol.

Thanks to all for the ideas.

Cheers,

Rod.......Out Back

 

[David L. Jones]

Franc Zabkar wrote:

For years I used to carry a Hung Chang Korean made DMM which was more
reliable than any Fluke I ever had. AFAIK, my brother is still using
it. I now have a Jaycar DMM which has some minor annoyances but which
still represents far better value than an equivalent Fluke. I'm now
building a small calibration circuit based around a MAX6350 5.000V
reference IC. This chip has a claimed 0.02% accuracy (5.000 +/-
0.001V), so I reckon if accuracy is Fluke's selling point, then I
could do just as well by purchasing a cheap DMM and calibrating it
myself.

Not really. The Flukes are much better made and use quality high
specification and stable components. Once calibrated the Fluke stands a
much better chance of remaining stable and retaining that calibration.
The Jaycar and DSE cheapies do not.

Open up the Jaycar meter and you might be in for a big surprise. I'd be
surprised if you don't find at least a few dry joints. The older Jaycar
meters from a few years ago were absolutely attrocious, with also most
every solder joint being dodgy, dozens of large blow holes etc. Jaycar
seems to have changed suppliers now and the newer models use surface
mount technology, but they still look like they are hand assembled on
someones kitchen table and use the lowest grade components.

Try abusing your meter and you'll quickly find out the difference
between the Jaycar cheapie and the Flukes. For example, in our
production facility at work we have tried the Jaycar cheapies many
times and every single one of them without exception dies within
several months. Yet not one Fluke in the same environment has failed
yet. This is an environment where the meter is handled dozens of times
a day by production workers who don't care, that is the real test.
Dave

 

[Mike Harding]

On 6 Jan 2005 23:39:09 -0800, "David L. Jones" <altzone@gmail.com>
wrote:

Franc Zabkar wrote:
For years I used to carry a Hung Chang Korean made DMM which was more
reliable than any Fluke I ever had. AFAIK, my brother is still using
it. I now have a Jaycar DMM which has some minor annoyances but which
still represents far better value than an equivalent Fluke. I'm now
building a small calibration circuit based around a MAX6350 5.000V
reference IC. This chip has a claimed 0.02% accuracy (5.000 +/-
0.001V), so I reckon if accuracy is Fluke's selling point, then I
could do just as well by purchasing a cheap DMM and calibrating it
myself.

Not really. The Flukes are much better made and use quality high
specification and stable components. Once calibrated the Fluke stands a
much better chance of remaining stable and retaining that calibration.
The Jaycar and DSE cheapies do not.

snip

With reluctance - I agree with David.

Mike Harding

 

[Bill Bailley]

"David L. Jones" <altzone@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1105083549.470789.212430@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...

Franc Zabkar wrote:
For years I used to carry a Hung Chang Korean made DMM which was more
reliable than any Fluke I ever had. AFAIK, my brother is still using
it. I now have a Jaycar DMM which has some minor annoyances but which
still represents far better value than an equivalent Fluke. I'm now
building a small calibration circuit based around a MAX6350 5.000V
Try abusing your meter and you'll quickly find out the difference
between the Jaycar cheapie and the Flukes. For example, in our
production facility at work we have tried the Jaycar cheapies many
times and every single one of them without exception dies within
several months. Yet not one Fluke in the same environment has failed
yet. This is an environment where the meter is handled dozens of times
a day by production workers who don't care, that is the real test.
Dave

I have a Fluke 87 which has a lifetime warranty. It went flaky/awol once and

was fixed in days by the service agents. I wouldn't dream of buying a
multimeter from anyone but Fluke.

Value for money spent = Fluke.

 

[David L. Jones]

Bill Bailley wrote:

"David L. Jones" <altzone@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1105083549.470789.212430@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
Franc Zabkar wrote:
For years I used to carry a Hung Chang Korean made DMM which was
more
reliable than any Fluke I ever had. AFAIK, my brother is still
using
it. I now have a Jaycar DMM which has some minor annoyances but
which
still represents far better value than an equivalent Fluke. I'm
now
building a small calibration circuit based around a MAX6350 5.000V
Try abusing your meter and you'll quickly find out the difference
between the Jaycar cheapie and the Flukes. For example, in our
production facility at work we have tried the Jaycar cheapies many
times and every single one of them without exception dies within
several months. Yet not one Fluke in the same environment has
failed
yet. This is an environment where the meter is handled dozens of
times
a day by production workers who don't care, that is the real test.
Dave

I have a Fluke 87 which has a lifetime warranty. It went flaky/awol
once and
was fixed in days by the service agents. I wouldn't dream of buying a

multimeter from anyone but Fluke.

Value for money spent = Fluke.

Actually, the "value for money" part is interesting.
You can buy 10 Jaycar cheapies for the price of a Fluke.
The average user who uses the meter carefully on a bench and doesn't
abuse it almost certainly wouldn't go through 10 Jaycars before 1
Fluke. So in this case the Jaycar might be better "value for money".
What you are buying with Fluke is "meaurement confidence" and build
quality, you don't get that with the Jaycar cheapies. How much you
value that is up to you.
In the case of a professional multimeter used to make important
quantitative measurements, a top quality meter is absolutely essential.
Try getting a Jaycar cheapie calibrated, they will throw it back at you
laughing and refuse to do it.

Fluke have produced some shockers though, look at the asian
manufactured Fluke 19. We had three of those that have failed, all with
the same fault.
They were however built down to a price and designed to compete with
the cheapies. It was quickly removed from the market.

Dave

 

[Mr. T]

"David L. Jones" <altzone@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1105139536.535494.199660@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

In the case of a professional multimeter used to make important
quantitative measurements, a top quality meter is absolutely essential.

Not necessarily. A cheap meter with a calibration certificate is useful. An
expensive meter with NO calibration certificate is worthless.
What is required is adequate resolution coupled with the necessary level of
uncertainty.

Try getting a Jaycar cheapie calibrated, they will throw it back at you
laughing and refuse to do it.

Not at all! Simply look up the NATA directory and you will find calibration
centres prepared to test anything as long as you pay them.
It will probably cost more than the meter, but I have in fact seen that done
many times.

The big problem with the cheapies (apart from reliability) is that the
uncertainty is probably larger, and the calibration interval will probably
be less.

Fluke have produced some shockers though, look at the asian
manufactured Fluke 19. We had three of those that have failed, all with
the same fault.

Yes, the worst multimeter I ever owned was a Keithley, not the cheap Jaycar
one I keep in the car.

MrT.

 

[Phil Allison]

"Mr. T"
"David L. Jones"

In the case of a professional multimeter used to make important
quantitative measurements, a top quality meter is absolutely essential.

Not necessarily. A cheap meter with a calibration certificate is useful.
An
expensive meter with NO calibration certificate is worthless.

** Not this load of anal, pedantic, bloody CERTIFICATE **CRAP** again
!!

What is required is adequate resolution coupled with the necessary level
of
uncertainty.

** That means being able to check the meter's basic accuracy is OK whenever
needed.

There are many simple ways to do this. IC voltage references are plentiful
with 0.1% accuracy or better, comparison with other meters will immediately
reveal if a fault has developed, a few precision ( 0.1%) resistors will
check the ohms ranges, even the humble mercury cell is a good voltage
reference. AC ranges can be checked with the aid of a CRO ( with CRT) and
sine wave generator.

Most DMMs only have ONE calibration adjustment anyhow - for basic DC
accuracy on the lowest range, all the other ranges rely simply on resistors
holding their value.

Try getting a Jaycar cheapie calibrated, they will throw it back at you
laughing and refuse to do it.

Not at all! Simply look up the NATA directory and you will find
calibration
centres prepared to test anything as long as you pay them.

** Yeah - the bloody parasites would charge you to calibrate a torch
battery.



............ Phil

 

[Mr. T]

"Phil Allison" <philallison@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
news:3495cmF498eaeU1@individual.net...

What is required is adequate resolution coupled with the necessary level
of uncertainty.

** That means being able to check the meter's basic accuracy is OK
whenever
needed.

That's even better if you can do it.

There are many simple ways to do this. IC voltage references are
plentiful
with 0.1% accuracy or better, comparison with other meters will
immediately
reveal if a fault has developed, a few precision ( 0.1%) resistors will
check the ohms ranges, even the humble mercury cell is a good voltage
reference. AC ranges can be checked with the aid of a CRO ( with CRT)
and
sine wave generator.

Sure, you can use anything suitable with a KNOWN value, NOT a nominal one.
You know the value when it is compared to a TRACEABLE reference standard.
If you have calibration certificates for the above, then they are suitable.

Most DMMs only have ONE calibration adjustment anyhow - for basic DC
accuracy on the lowest range, all the other ranges rely simply on
resistors
holding their value.

Calibration and adjustment are two DIFFERENT things. Maybe one day you will
look up the facts.

Not at all! Simply look up the NATA directory and you will find
calibration centres prepared to test anything as long as you pay them.

** Yeah - the bloody parasites would charge you to calibrate a torch
battery.

Yes of course. Do you work for nothing Phil?

MrT.

 

[Phil Allison]

"Mr. T"

"Phil Allison"

Not necessarily. A cheap meter with a calibration certificate is useful.
An expensive meter with NO calibration certificate is worthless.

** Not this load of anal, pedantic, bloody CERTIFICATE **CRAP** again
!!

What is required is adequate resolution coupled with the necessary level
of uncertainty.

** That means being able to check the meter's basic accuracy is OK
whenever needed.

There are many simple ways to do this. IC voltage references are
plentiful with 0.1% accuracy or better, comparison with other meters will
immediately reveal if a fault has developed, a few precision ( 0.1%)
resistors will
check the ohms ranges, even the humble mercury cell is a good voltage
reference. AC ranges can be checked with the aid of a CRO ( with CRT)
and sine wave generator.


Sure, you can use anything suitable with a KNOWN value, NOT a nominal one.
You know the value when it is compared to a TRACEABLE reference standard.
If you have calibration certificates for the above, then they are
suitable.

** Oh NOOOOOO - not this SAME load of anal, pedantic, bloody
CERTIFICATE **CRAP** again
!!

There must be an institution where one can get a terminally pedantic
fuckwit like Mr T committed !!

Most DMMs only have ONE calibration adjustment anyhow - for basic DC
accuracy on the lowest range, all the other ranges rely simply on
resistors holding their value.

Calibration and adjustment are two DIFFERENT things.

** Errrr - the trimmer is labelled "cal" - one adjusts it -
fuckhead.

If the meter is out of spec on other ranges after that - then it needs
fixing.

Those lab parasites would not be up to such a task.

Maybe one day you will look up the facts.

** Maybe one day you will extract your head out from your anus.

Not at all! Simply look up the NATA directory and you will find
calibration centres prepared to test anything as long as you pay them.

** Yeah - the bloody parasites would charge you to calibrate a torch
battery.

Yes of course. Do you work for nothing Phil?

** Nope - but then I am not a fucking parasite.

Obviously YOU are.




.............. Phil

 

[Mike Harding]

On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 15:34:50 +1100, "Mr. T" <mrt@home> wrote:

Calibration and adjustment are two DIFFERENT things.

A point very often overlooked - well said MrT.

Mike Harding

 

[Phil Allison]

"Mike Harding"
"Mr. T"

Calibration and adjustment are two DIFFERENT things.

** But a "calibration adjustment " is ONE thing.

A point very often overlooked - well said MrT.

** Says one donkey brain to another worse one.



............. Phil

 

[Mike Harding]

On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 15:53:29 +1100, "Phil Allison"
<philallison@tpg.com.au> wrote:

"Mike Harding"
"Mr. T"

Calibration and adjustment are two DIFFERENT things.


** But a "calibration adjustment " is ONE thing.


A point very often overlooked - well said MrT.


** Says one donkey brain to another worse one.

Be nice Phyllis.

Calibration is the act of checking the _current_ accuracy
of the unit. A cal. house will normally do a calibration,
and record the results, before they even take the back
panel off the unit. If the unit is out of cal. they will,
subsequently adjust it and then perform a second
calibration and record results.

This process is necessary because when an item has
been calibrated all one can say is that it is in cal NOW.
By the time it's been shipped back to the user a couple
of days later it may have gone out of cal. and that may
not be detected for another six months (or whatever).
If that were the case, in some industries, it may be
necessary to go back over ALL the measurements
made with that instrument since it's last cal. and make
decisions regarding the consequences if those
measurements were faulty. It's not a perfect process
but it's not bad.

By the way Phyllis MrT is quite correct your precision
voltage ref. or your 0.1% resistors are no more than a
indicator that the unit is _probably_ working unless they,
in turn, are regularly calibrated and traceable.

Mike Harding

 

[Phil Allison]

"Mike Harding"
"Phil Allison"

Calibration and adjustment are two DIFFERENT things.


** But a "calibration adjustment " is ONE thing.

A point very often overlooked - well said MrT.

** Says one donkey brain to another worse one.

Be nice Phyllis.

** Get fucked you pommy psychopath.

Calibration is the act of checking the _current_ accuracy
of the unit.

** Not the topic.

" An expensive meter with NO calibration certificate is worthless."

Context is a foreign word to autistic control freaks like Mike Harding.

By the way Phyllis MrT is quite correct your precision
voltage ref. or your 0.1% resistors are no more than a
indicator that the unit is _probably_ working unless they,
in turn, are regularly calibrated and traceable.

** Massive load of insane pedantry and false logic.





............ Phil

 

[Mr. T]

"Phil Allison" <philallison@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
news:34970bF42h56tU1@individual.net...

** Not this load of anal, pedantic, bloody CERTIFICATE **CRAP** again

Typical Phil, anything he doesn't understand must be crap or a scam.

** Nope - but then I am not a fucking parasite.

I don't think you will find anyone to agree with that.

MrT.

 

[Mr. T]

"Phil Allison" <philallison@tpg.com.au> wrote in message
news:349akeF48s81tU1@individual.net...

Calibration is the act of checking the _current_ accuracy
of the unit.
** Not the topic.

" An expensive meter with NO calibration certificate is worthless."

Context is a foreign word to autistic control freaks like Mike Harding.

The only mistake is yours Phil.

I find it surprising you have total trust in instrument manufacturers to be
able to supply equipment that *never* goes out of spec, and yet you have
little trust in other manufacturers to supply equipment that meets spec at
time of delivery.

Fact is, some people *need* to know what they're measuring. Some don't.
You are fortunate that you don't.

MrT.