Hosted by David L. Jones
And presented in Dave's unique non-scripted overly enthusiastic style!
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EEVblog #185 – Fluke 87V Multimeter GSM Fix
Posted on July 11th, 2011 20 comments
What have Fluke been up to since the infamous GSM mobile phone bricking incident back in Oct?
Not only have they fixed it, but they are giving an unprecedented exclusive look at their new pre-production board!Hi-Res photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eevblog/sets/72157627120630430/
18 responses to “EEVblog #185 – Fluke 87V Multimeter GSM Fix”
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In the US, there are laws against “false marking” of products with patents, and there are interpretations of those laws that say that the manufacturer must pay between $100 and 500, split between the government and the party bringing the lawsuit, for each expired patent, and each individual product example, marked on a product.
So, if Fluke sells 100,000 multimeters with the first patent (which I believe expires this year) marked on them, after the patent expires, they could be on the hook for $10-50 million. And, because there’s two other patents, and a patent pending statement that may no longer be true, on there…
(In fact, they may have needed to make that particular change as a running change, to avoid that risk, separate from the PCB revisions.)
Not stating the patent numbers on the product avoids that quite nicely. (Also, silkscreening them instead of molding them would make a running change easier, there.)
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Thanks to you, Dave for the thorough review and for exploring the TI 157 probes! To address the comment above: Customer feedback is at the core of what we do. It’s why our meters have that way of doing exactly what you need them to do – it’s because you tell us what you need and we find a way to take care of it.
I should also mention that we anticipate the new models will be available in November, and when we release them, we’ll also publish more information about the existing 87V units.
We’re glad to have had the chance to investigate and address this issue (again, thanks to Dave’s sleuthing), and we invite all Fluke tool owners and users to share their feedback and suggestions, any time – just email fluke-info@fluke.com.
Thanks, all!
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Thanks for responding through the blog, and allowing me to show a pre-production unit, it shows you guys are confident in what you are doing!
Dave.
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f4eru July 13th, 2011 at 02:55
Dave, neyt time you open your mike, put some 100pF caps on every IO of the board
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Steve July 14th, 2011 at 04:59
Hello:
Where’s the link to the photos?
Also, did you do the simple test of checking if the new components connect to the jtag pins? they might…Best Regards
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Randy Ott July 16th, 2011 at 13:20
OK, I just don’t get the point. If you put a strong RF emitter (cell phone) next to your DVM it might weird out. So what? Don’t do that! Why call Fluke to task over a non-issue?
While I’m on my soap box, what’s the deal with the special sliding insulators on the probes? If you are working with dangerous voltages, be careful. That little 1/2 inch of probe is probably the least of your worries. If you can’t handle that, find another profession. Otherwise let natural selection take its course.
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The meter can be potentially BRICKED (rendered permanently inoperable) by putting a GSM phone next to it. You don’t think that’s a big deal for the worlds most famous and respected industrial meter?
Fluke obviously though it was a big deal because they took it very seriously and fixed it ASAP.
A GSM mobile is something that can reasonably be expected to inadvertently put near a multimeter on a work bench or desk. It is not just some random RF source at some random frequency.
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Dave why don’t you try adding that cap and resistor to your old meter and see if it fixes the problem on the old one?
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Hi Dave,
I Have a rev. 10 board here (Not the sticker, the board). This one doesn’t seem to have the problem either. I held the transmitting phone in every possible position, but not anything happening on the meter. This might show that the problem was fixed earlier. No idea how old this meter is.
Just thought I’d tell you. Keep up the good work!
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Eddie July 23rd, 2011 at 12:41
Be careful Dave… Becomming too important in the electronics world could cost you more than your time.
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Hello sales,
We are interested in placing an order Fluke Multi-Meter 87-V.
Item:
Fluke Multi-Meter 87-V
Kindly advise back with the price and current stock availability for this items or you can special order. Payment Credit Card.
Regards.
Dominic frank
Groc Company
Ph:206 202 9051
Fax: 206 202 9051 -
Martin October 14th, 2012 at 07:19
Hi Dave,
I’m proud owner of a brand new fluke 87V-Meter and I must confess, it’s the most expensive meter I’ve ever buyed for my hobbie in private the last 30 years, professional skills (radar sites, etc.) or private (amateur radio stuff), but it’s worth every single cent! Built like a brick, a live saver every day and a no-brainer to concentrate on the real work, beauty!
Thanks for your great reviews on such stuff, carry on! Btw, no problems with GSM or the mobile phone stuff, great! And the new one TL175 probes are like ‘my wishes come true’…
)Best regards from Hamburg, Germany,
Martin
DG1ASC
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bhtooefr July 11th, 2011 at 12:16