Funny behavior - Simpson 260

[Bob Engelhardt]

I have a Simpson 260, series 6XLM that is acting funny. If I rub my
fingers across the face plate, the needle deflects & stays deflected. I
assume that this is from static. And if I remove the face cover, the
needle returns to zero. And deflects again when I move the cover back
towards it (I don't have to actually fit the cover in place).

So
- does this happen to anybody else? (It doesn't happen with a different
VOM that I have.)
- is it likely that something is wrong/broken that is causing the needle
to be sensitive to static, when it otherwise wouldn't be?
- the "glass" (plastic actually) looks original, but if a prior owner
replaced it, could the type of plastic make a difference?

Puzzled,
Bob

 

[Ron]

Bob Engelhardt wrote:

I have a Simpson 260, series 6XLM that is acting funny. If I rub my
fingers across the face plate, the needle deflects & stays deflected. I
assume that this is from static. And if I remove the face cover, the
needle returns to zero. And deflects again when I move the cover back
towards it (I don't have to actually fit the cover in place).

So
- does this happen to anybody else? (It doesn't happen with a different
VOM that I have.)
- is it likely that something is wrong/broken that is causing the needle
to be sensitive to static, when it otherwise wouldn't be?
- the "glass" (plastic actually) looks original, but if a prior owner
replaced it, could the type of plastic make a difference?

I have a Philips meter which does the same thing, and always has. If I
touch the plastic and earth the other hand, the needle goes back to zero.

Ron(UK)

 

[jakdedert]

Bob Engelhardt wrote:

I have a Simpson 260, series 6XLM that is acting funny. If I rub my
fingers across the face plate, the needle deflects & stays deflected. I
assume that this is from static. And if I remove the face cover, the
needle returns to zero. And deflects again when I move the cover back
towards it (I don't have to actually fit the cover in place).

So
- does this happen to anybody else? (It doesn't happen with a different
VOM that I have.)
- is it likely that something is wrong/broken that is causing the needle
to be sensitive to static, when it otherwise wouldn't be?
- the "glass" (plastic actually) looks original, but if a prior owner
replaced it, could the type of plastic make a difference?

Puzzled,
Bob

I've heard it's pretty common, especially in low humidity. One fix I've
heard is to use a dryer sheet to dissipate the charge.

jak

 

[Gnack Nol]

On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:44:21 -0500, Bob Engelhardt wrote:

I have a Simpson 260, series 6XLM that is acting funny. If I rub my
fingers across the face plate, the needle deflects & stays deflected. I
assume that this is from static. And if I remove the face cover, the
needle returns to zero. And deflects again when I move the cover back
towards it (I don't have to actually fit the cover in place).

So
- does this happen to anybody else? (It doesn't happen with a different
VOM that I have.)
- is it likely that something is wrong/broken that is causing the needle
to be sensitive to static, when it otherwise wouldn't be? - the "glass"
(plastic actually) looks original, but if a prior owner replaced it, could
the type of plastic make a difference?

Puzzled,
Bob

Absolutly normal during cold or other static prone weather and happens
with glass or plastic. The meter movement is sensitive to be deflected by
static charges as it must be to read properly.

Easy to prevent clean the plastic with a mild dish washing detergent
solution and rinse. That should cure the problem. If the problem persists
afterward use a 10/90% mix of detergent and water and wipe the face with
it but don't rinse. This is what we had to use on statc mats to keep them
conductive.

Gnack

 

[hr(bob) hofmann@att.net]

On Jan 29, 1:59 pm, Gnack Nol <mchozfcesuj...@mailinator.com> wrote:

On Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:44:21 -0500, Bob Engelhardt wrote:
I have a Simpson 260, series 6XLM that is acting funny.  If I rub my
fingers across the face plate, the needle deflects & stays deflected.  I
assume that this is from static.  And if I remove the face cover, the
needle returns to zero.  And deflects again when I move the cover back
towards it (I don't have to actually fit the cover in place).

So
- does this happen to anybody else? (It doesn't happen with a different
VOM that I have.)
- is it likely that something is wrong/broken that is causing the needle
to be sensitive to static, when it otherwise wouldn't be? - the "glass"
(plastic actually) looks original, but if a prior owner replaced it, could
the type of plastic make a difference?

Puzzled,
Bob

Absolutly normal during cold or other static prone weather and happens
with glass or plastic. The meter movement is sensitive to be deflected by
static charges as it must be to read properly.

Easy to prevent clean the plastic with a mild dish washing detergent
solution and rinse. That should cure the problem. If the problem persists
afterward use a 10/90% mix of detergent and water and wipe the face with
it but don't rinse.  This is what we had to use on statc mats to keep them
conductive.

Gnack- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Simply grounding the meter leads and also grounding your body should
put everything at a ground potential and zero the meter. This is a
common situation in northern USA where the indoor humidity in
wintertime is very low unless there is a large humidifier operating.
But that causes moisture condensation and mold, so most of us keep the
humidity fairly low, even with double-pane windows and such.

 

[Bob Engelhardt]

Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know that this is common. I did
the soap-and-water thing & it's working well - thanks.

Bob

 

[Paul G.]

On Fri, 30 Jan 2009 13:51:20 -0500, Bob Engelhardt
<bobengelhardt@comcast.net> wrote:

Thanks for the feedback. It's good to know that this is common. I did
the soap-and-water thing & it's working well - thanks.

Bob

We had several of these meters, someone rubbed their fingers across
the glass, and for about 6 months it would not come back to zero. I
finally opened up the case, breathed (closely) to the inside of the
transparent window, and the problem went away. It is surprising how
long the charge can be held by the glass (or plastic on some meters).
The soap will do a good job of dissipating an induced charge. It's the
same idea that the antistatic dryer sheets (Downy, etc) use.... The
active ingredient in them is sodium stearate, which is pretty well
what soap is made of.
Soap is the cheapy antistatic agent, but it isn't all that
reliable, and doesn't last all that long.
Are there any more reliable spray-on antistatic treatments that
will last ??

I've seen cracked faceplates that develop an internal charge, and
nothing seemed to get rid of the charge.

Paul G.

 

On Jan 29, 8:44 am, Bob Engelhardt <bobengelha...@comcast.net> wrote:

I have a Simpson 260, series 6XLM that is acting funny.  If I rub my
fingers across the face plate, the needle deflects & stays deflected.  I
assume that this is from static.  And if I remove the face cover, the
needle returns to zero.  And deflects again when I move the cover back
towards it (I don't have to actually fit the cover in place).

So
- does this happen to anybody else? (It doesn't happen with a different
VOM that I have.)
- is it likely that something is wrong/broken that is causing the needle
to be sensitive to static, when it otherwise wouldn't be?
- the "glass" (plastic actually) looks original, but if a prior owner
replaced it, could the type of plastic make a difference?

Puzzled,
Bob

Just breathe some warm breath on it. Zeros right out.

G˛

 

[whit3rd]

On Jan 30, 5:54 pm, Paul G. <paul...@eastlink.ca> wrote:

[regarding electrostatic charge on faceplate of meter]

   Soap is the cheapy antistatic agent, but it isn't all that
reliable, and doesn't last all that long.
   Are there any more reliable spray-on antistatic treatments that
will last ??

Indium/tin oxide (ITO) can be put on glass relatively easily,
I recall a spray-on solution and a bake cycle.
It's possible that original equipment was so coated,
and the malfunction resulted from changing out a broken
window (or heavy cleaning of the original).

If you see this message on an LCD panel, you're looking
through a conductive ITO layer.