Agilent U1253B OLED Slowly Going Bad

[Twenty4Pack]

Has anyone had an Agilent U1253B DMM OLED go dim over several months, then bought a replacement OLED, fixing the problem?

I have an out-of-warranty Agilent/Keysight U1253B with a display that is barely usable.  I've read in a couple of places (here and Keysight) that a replacement OLED is available, then didn’t see if the replacement fixed the problem.  Only one post I’ve found mentioned a dim display, the other bad OLED wasn’t dim, it was dead.  There are few hours on this meter, so in my tiny world the issue should be considered a manufacturing defect.  In Keysight's world, it's cause to replace my working meter with everything working except a bad display, with a new meter for ONLY $314 (or so).

I’m a hobbyist who doesn't want to afford spending another $300+ on a new meter – I need a quality multimeter that will work for a long time as a Fluke meter would.  (I bought this one because it had the cool OLED and a high count).  This meter cost a lot of money, and I chose it over cheaper models because I believed I was dealing with a reputable company who would unquestionably stand behind their products.  They won’t.  I called their technical department asking the same questions and when asking about the chances of a replacement OLED fixing my problem, was sharply/snobbily told "You sure it's the display?"  That doesn’t look bad now – too bad I can't convey the snobbish attitude he presented.  I've heard about Keysight's poor customer service and hoped I wouldn't experience it for myself.  One good part is that my initial message was answered quickly and professionally.  Too bad the initial contact message people said they couldn't help.  I think if those folks could have helped, they would.

Thanks in advance for any info that will help.

Link to the replacement U1253B OLED:
https://community.keysight.com/external-link.jspa?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.keysight.com%2Fmy%2Ffaces%2FpartDetail.jspx%3FpartNumber%3DU1253-66007%26_afrLoop%3D896813769079782%26_afrWindowMode%3D0%26_afrWindowId%3Dqa4d6lpkt_1%23%2540%253F_afrWindowId%253Dqa4d6lpkt_1%2526_afrLoop%253D896813769079782%2526partNumber%253DU1253-66007%2526_afrWindowMode%253D0%2526_adf.ctrl-state%253Dqa4d6lpkt_13

[GlowingGhoul]

Keysight's customer service is known as top-tier in the T&M equipment industry,   Your belief that they aren't because they won't "unquestionably stand behind" your out of warranty equipment, for which you passed on the opportunity to buy an extended warranty, sounds like sour grapes from a unwise buyer. OLED is and always has been wonderfully bright and visible, at the cost of the poorest longevity of any display technology.

[Twenty4Pack]

I asked a question, you figured educating this "unwise buyer" would mean more, showing me how smart you are in comparison.  You win.  Trouble is, this, now wiser buyer can prove that his OLED has poor longevity.  So sour grapes?  Yeah.  I spent $470 on a DMM that should be good for more than 3.5 years.  I know there are U1253Bs out there that have been working much longer - that's why I bought one.  I also know how to work with customer service, something Keysight didn't provide.  I did not notice or look for a warranty extension option - more proof of your greatness.

Back to the question:
Has anyone successfully replaced a dimming OLED on their U1253B with a new OLED?

[Fungus]

Has anyone had an Agilent U1253B DMM OLED go dim over several months, then bought a replacement OLED, fixing the problem?

Yes, lots of people.

eg. https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/agilent-u1253b-multimeter/

It's in the nature of OLEDs to burn out, especially OLEDs from the time this meter was designed (around 2009):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLED#Disadvantages

I know there are U1253Bs out there that have been working much longer - that's why I bought one.

It depends on how many hours it's been switched on, not when it was purchased.

I need a quality multimeter that will work for a long time as a Fluke meter would.  (I bought this one because it had the cool OLED)

So... will your next one be "cool" or will it last a long time? 

[Twenty4Pack]

Thanks much, that's what I wanted to learn.

The coolness thing was meant only because I've worked with VOMs for over 40 years, from the PSM-6, to Simpson, and a few fantastic Fluke meters.  When I saw the U1253B at Fry's in San Diego and studied its specs, the brightness and clarity of the OLED caught my eye so I went for it.

Thank you again - I've read through the posts you suggested a while back and have been searching to see if replacing the display was a viable fix for a while.  I haven't seen any recent posts or a problem that comes closer to what I'm seeing so I decided to bring the subject up again.  I'll buy the new display and see if I can get another few years out of the otherwise fantastic meter.

[rsjsouza]

I am sorry to hear about your troubles. I bought my U1273A from Fry's during a fire sale of Agilent products they did early last year and so far it has been holding up quite well - it is used daily for several hours. Obviously that only time will tell how long it will last, but as Fungus mentioned, the technology generation may be a factor on its longevity.

[cdev]

Would there be any way to "emulate" the OLED with a cheaper, longer lived other display? (or more generic cheaper OLED)

[chickenHeadKnob]

It's in the nature of OLEDs to burn out, especially OLEDs from the time this meter was designed (around 2009):
It depends on how many hours it's been switched on, not when it was purchased.

Unfortunately this is not strictly true. Shelf life matters for at least one failure mode, water ingress. When Cambridge Display Technology first announced their proto OLEDs in the early 1990s they claimed a lifetime of around 6 months, with water ingress (humidity) doing them in whether switched on or not. I thought then that is a show stopper. The longevity has improved but I still wouldn't buy a DMM with one.

[lowimpedance]

You may find this thread helpful (if not already seen it!).

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/replacing-oled-screen-on-an-agilent-u1253a-multimeter/50/

[james_s]

OLED is the most amazing looking display technology I've ever seen. I just hope they can really nail down the reliability issues. The latest displays seem to be considerably improved but I still don't really trust them.

[james_s]

Given the short life of that particular display, it would have been prudent for Keysight to offer a retrofit display free of charge even well beyond the warranty period. Obviously they did not feel the same as I do though.

[KE5FX]

Eh, I can understand the OP being upset at purchasing a $470 meter that lasts only until the warranty's up.  Most of the HP gear in my lab is old enough to drink and still working great.  My TFT-based 34461A has run for 12+ hours all day every day with no screen saver, and its display looks brand new after 4+ years.

The U1250-series OLED meters fail the WWBDD? test, IMO.  If a given display technology isn't durable, then it doesn't belong in a Keysight product, no matter how sharp/cool/trendy it looks.  When widespread premature failures do occur, they should not be the customer's problem.  Leave these kinds of practices to the other T&M companies out there.

Meanwhile, my Wavetek handheld DMM, purchased new 25 years ago and almost ready to settle on its first stable reading, also still refuses to die, despite annoying me almost to the point of Widlarizing it every time I take it out of the drawer. 

[Fungus]

in the early 1990s they claimed a lifetime of around 6 months, with water ingress (humidity) doing them in whether switched on or not.

Later on they told us they'd solved that...

The longevity has improved but I still wouldn't buy a DMM with one.

The battery life would kill it for me even if they were reliable.

[rsjsouza]

The battery life would kill it for me even if they were reliable.

I thought battery life on this thing would be abysmal, but actually it has been holding pretty well over this year of usage.

Obviously that it loses to LCDs but it does not break the bank.

[Keysight DanielBogdanoff]

This meter cost a lot of money, and I chose it over cheaper models because I believed I was dealing with a reputable company who would unquestionably stand behind their products.  They won’t.  I called their technical department asking the same questions and when asking about the chances of a replacement OLED fixing my problem, was sharply/snobbily told "You sure it's the display?"  That doesn’t look bad now – too bad I can't convey the snobbish attitude he presented.  I've heard about Keysight's poor customer service and hoped I wouldn't experience it for myself.  One good part is that my initial message was answered quickly and professionally.  Too bad the initial contact message people said they couldn't help.  I think if those folks could have helped, they would.

https://community.keysight.com/external-link.jspa?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.keysight.com%2Fmy%2Ffaces%2FpartDetail.jspx%3FpartNumber%3DU1253-66007%26_afrLoop%3D896813769079782%26_afrWindowMode%3D0%26_afrWindowId%3Dqa4d6lpkt_1%23%2540%253F_afrWindowId%253Dqa4d6lpkt_1%2526_afrLoop%253D896813769079782%2526partNumber%253DU1253-66007%2526_afrWindowMode%253D0%2526_adf.ctrl-state%253Dqa4d6lpkt_13

I'm very sorry to hear you had a bad experience with our support team and that you're having an issue with your meter! If you remember who it was you spoke to, could you please PM me their name and any relevant info for your situation? Also, how many hours-ish of use did it have? How long ago was it purchased?

I can't make any promises, but I can at least poke into the issue.

[wraper]

I know there are U1253Bs out there that have been working much longer - that's why I bought one.

It depends on how many hours it's been switched on, not when it was purchased.

Nope, it matters. It might surprise you but OLED displays, especially old types, degrade just by sitting on the shelf.

[Bud]

Do the modern cell phones with oled have that problem?  Or it is a different technology?

[dmills]

Yep cell phone screens degrade, (and suffer burn in, one of the reasons phone UIs favour colours that are not saturated!).

Usually the blue goes more then the green or red, but oled is inherently a limited life thing. It is instructive to take a year or so old OLED phone and hold it up next to a brand new one of the same model in the shop.

Fortunately cell phones tend to have a design life short enough that the screen failing is not the limiting factor!

I have just completed a project swapping out a design using early generation OLED for something using LCD displays, the OLEDs had better viewing angles and blacks, but the LCD has a lot more consistent colorimetry.

Regards, Dan.

[Bud]

My Fluke 87V lcd is so bad so i would do the other way around, swap its screen to an oled one.

[james_s]

It's rare for the LCD itself to fail. Usually with the Flukes it's just a matter of cleaning the zebra strip that connects the LCD to the board. I don't know why those tend to be problematic, it's one of the very few problems I've encountered with Fluke meters.

[Twenty4Pack]

I know there are U1253Bs out there that have been working much longer - that's why I bought one.

It depends on how many hours it's been switched on, not when it was purchased.

Nope, it matters. It might surprise you but OLED displays, especially old types, degrade just by sitting on the shelf.

I'm wondering if that could be what happened - over the last 18 months I've been away from home.  When I returned I noticed that each time I turned the meter on its display appeared more dim.   Thank you.

[james_s]

It probably had a leak or contamination. I had the same thing happen with one of those little OLED graphical screens on a project. It gradually got dimmer over a period of about a year of occasional use until it could barely be seen. The replacement has held up nicely for several years now.

[cdev]

Has anybody here ever been walking through a woods very late at night and seen bioluminescence (on land)

Most of us have seen bioluminescent red tides, etc. And of course also fireflies.

But sometimes it also occurs on land in woods and its associated with fungi.

Sometimes walking through the woods late at night Ive seen glowing bits of plant matter.

(I've lived around forests in the past.)

If thats the chemistry OLEDS are based upon, I would be surprised if those organic molecules were as long lived in the context of an electric current as non-organic materials.

Them being shorter lived just seems to make sense.

[Twenty4Pack]

I installed the new display this morning and my U1253B's display is working like new.  Very pleased with that, though as others have said, Keysight should give a break to those who experience premature OLED failure.  For now, I'm gonna wait for Dave Jones' 121GW, and when it's available, get rid of the Agilent...unless the new display maintains its brightness.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion.

[Joel_l]

Did you ever contact Daniel at KS?Just curious.

OLED is why I bought the U1252B. Even then I was hesitant because of the battery used, but that ended up not being a problem.

Glad to hear it's working.

[Twenty4Pack]

Did you ever contact Daniel at KS?Just curious.

OLED is why I bought the U1252B. Even then I was hesitant because of the battery used, but that ended up not being a problem.

Glad to hear it's working.

I did, and he explained that he couldn't help, my issue was beyond his influence.  Nice gesture.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[Twenty4Pack]

Gotta say one more thing - I was wrong about Keysight's Customer Service.  Though I do my best to be calm and respectful, the original issue may have been my fault.
After I replaced the defective display (?$101 USD), they didn't have any problem selling me a one-year Service Agreement.  They state specifically that it isn't a warranty so I'm not sure what I got, but I'm happy to have something to fall back on if the new display fails, I hope...  I've talked with several people from there now, and I appreciate their effort in working to help.