New Multimeter Purchase

[amdx]

It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
current.
I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one after
that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

Mike

 

On Mon, 1 Mar 2010 15:21:56 -0600, "amdx" <amdx@knology.net>wrote:

It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
current.
I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one after
that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

Mike

Fluke 177

 

[Martin Riddle]

"Meat Plow" wrote in message news:3ie299.8lm.19.3@news.alt.net...

On Mon, 1 Mar 2010 15:21:56 -0600, "amdx" <amdx@knology.net>wrote:

It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
current.
I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one
after
that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

Mike



Fluke 177

Fluke 179, a thermo couple is nice to have around. Still $200 and
change.
I'd personally get the 287 or 289, with data logging. But these are
$500.

Cheers

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Mon, 1 Mar 2010 15:21:56 -0600, "amdx" <amdx@knology.net> wrote:

It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
current.
I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one after
that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

Much as I like Fluke (I have a model 12 and 75) they're kinda
expensive. The 75 was stolen from a former employer in 1982. The
Model 12 was obtained in liu of payment on a repair job in about 1995.
Both are totally reliable and very easy on consuming 9v batteries.

A few months ago, I bought three Extech DVM's.
<http://www.extech.com/instruments/categories.asp?catid=49>
<http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=49&prodid=296>
About $40. Comes with a temp probe, rubber bounce protector, big
digits, and the usual probes. The frequency counter goes to 5MHz
which has been very handy. One has already survived about 3 months
banging around my vehicle's toolbox, so I think it's sufficiently
rugged.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Okkim Atnarivik]

In sci.electronics.design amdx <amdx@knology.net> wrote:
: It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
: I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
: AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
: I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
: current.
: I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one after
: that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
: Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

Well, this is not a known quality brand, but I was very happy
with my TENMA, I think the equivalent current model is the 72-7732.
181e in Farnell. Mine had a 80mV range with 10uV lowest count, which
might come handy with your low value shunts. That range was very useful
in SQUID work. The 72-7732 seems to have a 40mV range with same reso.
My unit had a robust and solid feel and served me well for 3 or 4 years,
and felt like it would serve much longer. Unfortunately British Airways
lost my luggage last year and down that drain went the DMM, too.

Nowadays I'm using Agilent U1253A which is nice, except for the
annoying start-up chime and the short battery life due to its
OLED display. I should have gotten the LCD version. It has a range
with 1uV lowest count - good. I also like the dual display AC/DC
voltmeter mode, handy when checking gains of various amplifier stages
as it separates the DC bias point from the AC test excitation. I guess
the Agilent is above your budget, however.

Regards,
Mikko

 

[Mark Zacharias]

"amdx" <amdx@knology.net> wrote in message
news:87ca0$4b8c2ff3$d8baf3ed$1212@KNOLOGY.NET...

It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
current.
I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one after
that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

Mike

Hard to beat a Fluke 87 series V. There is a new 28 series II which is
almost identical function, and uses AA cells instead of a 9V battery, but
it's brand new, not discounted yet, costs 50.00 more than the 87, and here's
the kicker for me:

The 800 hour rated battery life is great, yes? Except for the battery
corrosion problems we are inevitably going to see resulting from this.
People are simply going to forget to change their batteries in time.
Hopefully Fluke will have the appropriate replacement parts available...

A 9V battery in a 87V should last about 1 year of normal use, and 9V models
are double encased, therefore less prone to leakage. Current consumption in
auto-power off mode is vastly improved over the III series, about 25uA. My
85III ia useless in this respect, drawing very nearly as much in
"power-save" mode as in actual operation.

Contrary to popular belief however, Fluke's vaunted lifetime warranty is
only to the original purchaser. On the bright side, they are all over eBay
for less than 250.00 used.

The 28II is waterproof though! And 10 foot drop resistant! How cool!

Mark Z.

 

[amdx]

"Jeff Liebermann" <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote in message
news:6dgpo51eltkod26rnrbku6c0jf6b2t9146@4ax.com...

On Mon, 1 Mar 2010 15:21:56 -0600, "amdx" <amdx@knology.net> wrote:

It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
current.
I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one
after
that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

Much as I like Fluke (I have a model 12 and 75) they're kinda
expensive. The 75 was stolen from a former employer in 1982. The
Model 12 was obtained in liu of payment on a repair job in about 1995.
Both are totally reliable and very easy on consuming 9v batteries.

A few months ago, I bought three Extech DVM's.
http://www.extech.com/instruments/categories.asp?catid=49
http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=49&prodid=296
About $40. Comes with a temp probe, rubber bounce protector, big
digits, and the usual probes. The frequency counter goes to 5MHz
which has been very handy. One has already survived about 3 months
banging around my vehicle's toolbox, so I think it's sufficiently
rugged.

Hows the low ohms range, the problem I have with my meter is on
low ohm range. When I short the leads it might read 15 ohms, pull
the leads, twist, yell at them and it may go down to 0.5 ohms.
I have used Cremolin on them but this is a problem that is getting old!
The other day I had an odd reading and had to rotate the function switch
to get a normal reading. This is a Tenma. I have a Beckman HD 110 that
went flakey many years ago and a Fluke 77 that a battery leaked in. Meters
I should have tossed them 15 yrs ago, but ya know "someday" I might fix
them. ;-)
Mike

 

[amdx]

"Okkim Atnarivik" <Okkim.atnarivik@twentyfour.fi.invalid> wrote in message
news:hmijr1$bb$1@epityr.hut.fi...

In sci.electronics.design amdx <amdx@knology.net> wrote:
: It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
: I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
: AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
: I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
: current.
: I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one
after
: that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
: Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

Well, this is not a known quality brand, but I was very happy
with my TENMA, I think the equivalent current model is the 72-7732.
181e in Farnell. Mine had a 80mV range with 10uV lowest count, which
might come handy with your low value shunts. That range was very useful
in SQUID work. The 72-7732 seems to have a 40mV range with same reso.
My unit had a robust and solid feel and served me well for 3 or 4 years,
and felt like it would serve much longer. Unfortunately British Airways
lost my luggage last year and down that drain went the DMM, too.

Yea, have a Tenma now, it's worked for me at least 15 years, but has

connector problems. I like that low volt range. I'll look into the price.
Mike

 

[amdx]

"Jeff Liebermann" <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote in message
news:6dgpo51eltkod26rnrbku6c0jf6b2t9146@4ax.com...

On Mon, 1 Mar 2010 15:21:56 -0600, "amdx" <amdx@knology.net> wrote:

It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
current.
I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one
after
that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

Much as I like Fluke (I have a model 12 and 75) they're kinda
expensive. The 75 was stolen from a former employer in 1982. The
Model 12 was obtained in liu of payment on a repair job in about 1995.
Both are totally reliable and very easy on consuming 9v batteries.

A few months ago, I bought three Extech DVM's.
http://www.extech.com/instruments/categories.asp?catid=49
http://www.extech.com/instruments/product.asp?catid=49&prodid=296
About $40. Comes with a temp probe, rubber bounce protector, big
digits, and the usual probes. The frequency counter goes to 5MHz
which has been very handy. One has already survived about 3 months
banging around my vehicle's toolbox, so I think it's sufficiently
rugged.

Hey Jeff, What is the autorange time? Say I probed a 9mv signal, how

long before it reads correct?
Mike

 

[nesesu]

On Mar 1, 1:21 pm, "amdx" <a...@knology.net> wrote:

It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
 I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
  I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
current.
 I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one after
that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
 Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

                                       Mike

I have a Fluke 75 and a 77 from new [25+ years] and they both are
working perfectly. Autoranging is fast enough that it is usually
unnoticed. 9V batteries last for years in my usage. I also have a pair
of Fluke 8000 bench DVMs, one with the Monsanto 'pin-point' LED
display, the other with the later 'light pipe' display and both with
internal NiCd battery pack. The still both work accurately but one has
a somewhat flakey switch.
I bought a cheap 'Canadian Tire' DVM I could take were I needed a
simple troubleshooting tester and there was a risk of loss or
destruction. It cost about $9 and is better than 1% on all ranges.

Neil S.

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 09:03:35 -0600, "amdx" <amdx@knology.net> wrote:

Hows the low ohms range, the problem I have with my meter is on
low ohm range. When I short the leads it might read 15 ohms, pull
the leads, twist, yell at them and it may go down to 0.5 ohms.

That's not the leads. It's the bananna jack connector where it
enters the meter. It might also be a broken wire.

I have that problem with every meter I own and use the same fix. Spin
the bananna jack. I just noticed I have a Extech 22-816 True RMS
Multi-meter on my desk. No idea who left it here or where I stole it
from. Works nicely on low ohm. About 0.5 ohms without spinning the
bananna jacks. About 0.3 after.

I have used Cremolin on them but this is a problem that is getting old!

Clean out the residual oil and grease. Start over.

The other day I had an odd reading and had to rotate the function switch
to get a normal reading. This is a Tenma.

Sorry, no experience with Tenma.

I have a Beckman HD 110 that
went flakey many years ago

I bought one of those at a club meeting. Most of the attenuator
section was blown. I gave it to a friend for parts.

and a Fluke 77 that a battery leaked in.

Nice work. I wrap my 9v batteries in cellophane foil.

Meters
I should have tossed them 15 yrs ago, but ya know "someday" I might fix
them. ;-)

I had my pile also. However, I use them often enough that I recycled
all my $5 Harbor Freight DVM's and got something better (Extech).

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Jeff Liebermann]

On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 09:16:59 -0600, "amdx" <amdx@knology.net> wrote:

Hey Jeff, What is the autorange time? Say I probed a 9mv signal, how
long before it reads correct?
Mike

AC or DC? Frequency?

It's fairly noisy at low AC voltages. With nothing connected to the
leads, I'm getting about 1mv of noise, probably from AC hum and AM
radio stations. Looking at the settling time, my guess(tm) is that it
will be close within about 0.5 seconds, and stable after about 2
seconds. At 9mv AC, you're not going to get a stable reading without
shielding.

This is with the Extech (Radio Shack) 22-816 which somewhat different
from the Extech MN-16 that I'm too lazy to go to the car and retrieve.

--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

 

[Jim Yanik]

Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com> wrote in
news:vgqqo55inn69iq17t6bouje8v4edk0ln3e@4ax.com:

I had my pile also. However, I use them often enough that I recycled
all my $5 Harbor Freight DVM's and got something better (Extech).

FYI,those HF meters are all 1 Megohm input Z.

At one time,I flirted with the idea of redoing the divider string to get a
10MegR input Z. It's doable.


--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com

 

[John Larkin]

On Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:49:08 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com>
wrote:

On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 09:03:35 -0600, "amdx" <amdx@knology.net> wrote:

Hows the low ohms range, the problem I have with my meter is on
low ohm range. When I short the leads it might read 15 ohms, pull
the leads, twist, yell at them and it may go down to 0.5 ohms.

That's not the leads. It's the bananna jack connector where it
enters the meter. It might also be a broken wire.

I have that problem with every meter I own and use the same fix. Spin
the bananna jack. I just noticed I have a Extech 22-816 True RMS
Multi-meter on my desk. No idea who left it here or where I stole it
from. Works nicely on low ohm. About 0.5 ohms without spinning the
bananna jacks. About 0.3 after.

I have used Cremolin on them but this is a problem that is getting old!

Clean out the residual oil and grease. Start over.

The other day I had an odd reading and had to rotate the function switch
to get a normal reading. This is a Tenma.

Sorry, no experience with Tenma.

I have a Beckman HD 110 that
went flakey many years ago

I bought one of those at a club meeting. Most of the attenuator
section was blown. I gave it to a friend for parts.

and a Fluke 77 that a battery leaked in.

Nice work. I wrap my 9v batteries in cellophane foil.

Meters
I should have tossed them 15 yrs ago, but ya know "someday" I might fix
them. ;-)

I had my pile also. However, I use them often enough that I recycled
all my $5 Harbor Freight DVM's and got something better (Extech).

I have an Extech DVM/thermocouple thing and it's pretty nice. I
haven't blown it up yet.

The Extech stuff is generally pretty good. FLIR recently bought them
(probably to sandbag their IR imager project) so I don't know if they
can stay pretty good.

John

 

[Martin Riddle]

"John Larkin" <jjlarkin@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote in
message news:robro5545g90qjkacgoj9dd9ptji4ifpk6@4ax.com...

On Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:49:08 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com
wrote:

On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 09:03:35 -0600, "amdx" <amdx@knology.net> wrote:

Hows the low ohms range, the problem I have with my meter is on
low ohm range. When I short the leads it might read 15 ohms, pull
the leads, twist, yell at them and it may go down to 0.5 ohms.

That's not the leads. It's the bananna jack connector where it
enters the meter. It might also be a broken wire.

I have that problem with every meter I own and use the same fix. Spin
the bananna jack. I just noticed I have a Extech 22-816 True RMS
Multi-meter on my desk. No idea who left it here or where I stole it
from. Works nicely on low ohm. About 0.5 ohms without spinning the
bananna jacks. About 0.3 after.

I have used Cremolin on them but this is a problem that is getting
old!

Clean out the residual oil and grease. Start over.

The other day I had an odd reading and had to rotate the function
switch
to get a normal reading. This is a Tenma.

Sorry, no experience with Tenma.

I have a Beckman HD 110 that
went flakey many years ago

I bought one of those at a club meeting. Most of the attenuator
section was blown. I gave it to a friend for parts.

and a Fluke 77 that a battery leaked in.

Nice work. I wrap my 9v batteries in cellophane foil.

Meters
I should have tossed them 15 yrs ago, but ya know "someday" I might
fix
them. ;-)

I had my pile also. However, I use them often enough that I recycled
all my $5 Harbor Freight DVM's and got something better (Extech).

I have an Extech DVM/thermocouple thing and it's pretty nice. I
haven't blown it up yet.

The Extech stuff is generally pretty good. FLIR recently bought them
(probably to sandbag their IR imager project) so I don't know if they
can stay pretty good.

John

They do have a neat wireless datalogger in a couple of their meters. IP6
and 10' drop rating. Much less than a caparable Fluke.

Cheers

 

[Mark Zacharias]

"amdx" <amdx@knology.net> wrote in message
news:d1d96$4b8d296f$18ec6dd7$3939@KNOLOGY.NET...

"Okkim Atnarivik" <Okkim.atnarivik@twentyfour.fi.invalid> wrote in message
news:hmijr1$bb$1@epityr.hut.fi...
In sci.electronics.design amdx <amdx@knology.net> wrote:
: It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
: I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
: AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
: I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
: current.
: I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one
after
: that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
: Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

Well, this is not a known quality brand, but I was very happy
with my TENMA, I think the equivalent current model is the 72-7732.
181e in Farnell. Mine had a 80mV range with 10uV lowest count, which
might come handy with your low value shunts. That range was very useful
in SQUID work. The 72-7732 seems to have a 40mV range with same reso.
My unit had a robust and solid feel and served me well for 3 or 4 years,
and felt like it would serve much longer. Unfortunately British Airways
lost my luggage last year and down that drain went the DMM, too.

Yea, have a Tenma now, it's worked for me at least 15 years, but has
connector problems. I like that low volt range. I'll look into the price.
Mike

Current Tenma models are made by Uni-T (United Trends) and can be had for
less buying direct (eBay).

Looks like pretty good stuff, as far as it goes. I cannot think the support
would be much good, but their better meters start at 60.00 to about 180.00
for the handheld oscilloscope.

The Chinese Fluke 110 series don't cost much more, and have a 3 year
warranty, but I don't think they have a regular technicians' multimeter in
this range, only electrician (industrial) type.

Anyone interested should check out Dave Jones' EEVblog on Youtube for
multimeter reviews. I really enjoy them.


Mark Z.

 

[David L. Jones]

Mark Zacharias wrote:

"amdx" <amdx@knology.net> wrote in message
news:87ca0$4b8c2ff3$d8baf3ed$1212@KNOLOGY.NET...
It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
current.
I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one
after that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

Mike





Hard to beat a Fluke 87 series V. There is a new 28 series II which is
almost identical function, and uses AA cells instead of a 9V battery,
but it's brand new, not discounted yet, costs 50.00 more than the 87,
and here's the kicker for me:

The 800 hour rated battery life is great, yes? Except for the battery
corrosion problems we are inevitably going to see resulting from this.
People are simply going to forget to change their batteries in time.
Hopefully Fluke will have the appropriate replacement parts
available...
A 9V battery in a 87V should last about 1 year of normal use, and 9V
models are double encased, therefore less prone to leakage. Current
consumption in auto-power off mode is vastly improved over the III
series, about 25uA. My 85III ia useless in this respect, drawing very
nearly as much in "power-save" mode as in actual operation.

Contrary to popular belief however, Fluke's vaunted lifetime warranty
is only to the original purchaser. On the bright side, they are all
over eBay for less than 250.00 used.

The 28II is waterproof though! And 10 foot drop resistant! How cool!

It is indeed.
See my Fluke 28-II review:
http://www.eevblog.com/2010/02/28/eevblog-64-fluke-28-series-ii-multimeter-review-teardown/

I will also be posting my "torture test" of a 28-II soon, where I, umm,
destroy a brand new meter. Let's just say that it meets the claimed
ruggedness specs.

Dave.

--
================================================
Check out my Electronics Engineering Video Blog & Podcast:
http://www.eevblog.com

 

[George Herold]

On Mar 2, 11:22 am, nesesu <neil_sutcli...@telus.net> wrote:

On Mar 1, 1:21 pm, "amdx" <a...@knology.net> wrote:

It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
 I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
  I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
current.
 I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one after
that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
 Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

                                       Mike

I have a Fluke 75 and a 77 from new [25+ years] and they both are
working perfectly. Autoranging is fast enough that it is usually
unnoticed. 9V batteries last for years in my usage. I also have a pair
of Fluke 8000 bench DVMs, one with the Monsanto 'pin-point' LED
display, the other with the later 'light pipe' display and both with
internal NiCd battery pack. The still both work accurately but one has
a somewhat flakey switch.
I bought a cheap 'Canadian Tire' DVM I could take were I needed a
simple troubleshooting tester and there was a risk of loss or
destruction. It cost about $9 and is better than 1% on all ranges.

Neil S.

I blew up my Fluke 77... big sigh, don't ask, it was a silly mistake
and I won't make it again.

I loved that meter.

George H.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

John Larkin wrote:

On Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:49:08 -0800, Jeff Liebermann <jeffl@cruzio.com
wrote:

On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 09:03:35 -0600, "amdx" <amdx@knology.net> wrote:

Hows the low ohms range, the problem I have with my meter is on
low ohm range. When I short the leads it might read 15 ohms, pull
the leads, twist, yell at them and it may go down to 0.5 ohms.

That's not the leads. It's the bananna jack connector where it
enters the meter. It might also be a broken wire.

I have that problem with every meter I own and use the same fix. Spin
the bananna jack. I just noticed I have a Extech 22-816 True RMS
Multi-meter on my desk. No idea who left it here or where I stole it
from. Works nicely on low ohm. About 0.5 ohms without spinning the
bananna jacks. About 0.3 after.

I have used Cremolin on them but this is a problem that is getting old!

Clean out the residual oil and grease. Start over.

The other day I had an odd reading and had to rotate the function switch
to get a normal reading. This is a Tenma.

Sorry, no experience with Tenma.

I have a Beckman HD 110 that
went flakey many years ago

I bought one of those at a club meeting. Most of the attenuator
section was blown. I gave it to a friend for parts.

and a Fluke 77 that a battery leaked in.

Nice work. I wrap my 9v batteries in cellophane foil.

Meters
I should have tossed them 15 yrs ago, but ya know "someday" I might fix
them. ;-)

I had my pile also. However, I use them often enough that I recycled
all my $5 Harbor Freight DVM's and got something better (Extech).

I have an Extech DVM/thermocouple thing and it's pretty nice. I
haven't blown it up yet.

The Extech stuff is generally pretty good. FLIR recently bought them
(probably to sandbag their IR imager project) so I don't know if they
can stay pretty good.

Have you seen this DMM at Harbor Freight?

<http://www.harborfreightusa.com/usa/itemdisplay/displayItem.do?itemid=98674&submit2=find+it>

It appears to be a Mastech MS8229, which some places sell for $99. I
bought the HF meter on sale for $29.99. The regular price is $39.99

It is on sale for $29.99 to their 'Inside Track Club' members,
through 03/31. That price isn't available without paying to join the
ITC.

<http://www.multimeterwarehouse.com/MS8229.htm>


--
Greed is the root of all eBay.

 

[Keith]

On Tue, 2 Mar 2010 08:22:55 -0800 (PST), nesesu <neil_sutcliffe@telus.net>
wrote:

On Mar 1, 1:21 pm, "amdx" <a...@knology.net> wrote:
It's time, I need to purchase a new multimeter, home benchwork only.
 I could work with a autorangeing meter as long as it's not slow.
AC, DC, volts, ohms, amps, capacitance ok but I have a cap meter.
  I generally use a 0.1 ohm or 0.01 ohm resistor as a shunt to measure
current.
 I'm looking at the Fluke meters, I want it to last 15 years, the one after
that will last my lifetime! I figure on spending around $200.
 Any suggestions about another quality brand or Fluke Models?

                                       Mike

I have a Fluke 75 and a 77 from new [25+ years] and they both are
working perfectly. Autoranging is fast enough that it is usually
unnoticed. 9V batteries last for years in my usage. I also have a pair
of Fluke 8000 bench DVMs, one with the Monsanto 'pin-point' LED
display, the other with the later 'light pipe' display and both with
internal NiCd battery pack. The still both work accurately but one has
a somewhat flakey switch.

I still have two Fluke-77s, from '88 or so. The third walked off...

I bought a cheap 'Canadian Tire' DVM I could take were I needed a
simple troubleshooting tester and there was a risk of loss or
destruction. It cost about $9 and is better than 1% on all ranges.

....so I bought a few $4 Harbor Freight meters to keep in sight, for borrow
bait.