Another cheapo multimeter: 19999 count, 0.05% DC accuracy

[nidlaX]

Also known as the AN870 or the Richmeters RM219.

AN870 eBay example: https://www.ebay.com/itm/AN870-Digital-Voltmeter-Ammeter-Ohmmeter-Multimeter-Volt-AC-DC-Tester-Meter-MT/352297173058

RM219: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/RM219-True-RMS-19999-Counts-Digital-Multimeter-NCV-Frequency-Auto-Power-off-AC-DC-Voltage-Ammeter/32850861443.html

Anyone have hands-on experience with these? Not quite as cheap as the HY-19E / Surpeer on Amazon right now.

[Mark Hennessy]

My first reaction was "Ah - it's finally been spotted in the wild!" - see the ante-penultimate paragraph of this post:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/opinion-on-a-bside-zt302-multimeter/msg1344853/#msg1344853

But the more I look, it seems like a 19,999-count version of the AN860B, rather than a 19,999-count version of the ZT301. It appears to have a separate holster (good), but if it's the same size as the AN860B, that's quite a large meter, as my pictures show - practically Fluke 87V size. Personally, I quite like the small size of the ZT301.

I see it's available on eBay UK for £27 - thanks for the pointer

Meanwhile, has anyone seen the 19,999-count of the ZT301 yet? The BSIDE website is of little help, needless to say.

[Fungus]

This one is interesting, too:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/surpeer-av4-true-rms-4-5-digit-multimeter/

It's about the same price/accuracy but it has dual display, bar graph, etc.

[Gandalf_Sr]

A just ordered an AN870 from eBay for $37.

[Kleinstein]

Probably the difference between resolution and accuracy got somewhat lost in translation. 4.5 digits provide 0.05% of resolution, but accuracy is usually lower in cheap meters - more like 1% or maybe 0.5%.

[precaud]

No mention of bandwidth in ACV... or ACI... deal-breaker if its the same 3kHz as its siblings.\
It's the same size as the AN860B+.

[BradC]

Hrm. 20A range. Finally something that might replace my ageing Protek 506. Might have to have a closer look at this one.

Specs would indicate it's an order of magnitude more accurate on DCV, twice as accurate on DCA, 3 times as accurate on ACV, about the same on resistance and a tenth as accurate on frequency.

I wonder how close it actually gets to its accuracy specs?

[egonotto]

Hello,

0.05% from 19999 is 9.9995

Best regards
egonotto

[BroMarduk]

Seems similar to the HY-19E (https://www.banggood.com/HY-19E-20000-Counts-NCV-Multimeter-AC-DC-Voltage-Current-Resistances-Capacitors-Diodes-Temp-Tester-p-1153062.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CN) with different button placements (same rotory positions).

HY-19E also has a dual LCD (for Hz with AC V/mV) and bar graph (albeit with the same refresh rate as the display).   

More accurate than any of the Anengs I have, but I don't have this new Aneng/Richmeter.

[maginnovision]

For some reason I bought 2. I'll check them out when they show up.

[casinada]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/20000counts-Multimeter-Digital-LCD-Professional-Voltmeter-Current-Tester-RMS/372140030906?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

I purchased it in December. There is no way to change the contrast that is not good at certain angles.
I paid $28.84 shipped but comes without pouch 

[thm_w]

Hrm. 20A range. Finally something that might replace my ageing Protek 506. Might have to have a closer look at this one.

Specs would indicate it's an order of magnitude more accurate on DCV, twice as accurate on DCA, 3 times as accurate on ACV, about the same on resistance and a tenth as accurate on frequency.

I wonder how close it actually gets to its accuracy specs?

The 506 is rated for 20A. Keep in mind that on almost all meters the 20A spec is only for a short time (10-20A for 30s max).
You can also cal the 506 yourself if you have a good reference meter. Its probably typically a bit better than 0.5% on DCV.

But anyway, this is a $40 meter, some things will be better, certainly some things will be worse as well. Would be impressed if it hits that 0.005%.

[Fungus]

For some reason I bought 2. I'll check them out when they show up.

2 of which one?

[maginnovision]

For some reason I bought 2. I'll check them out when they show up.

2 of which one?

The aneng an870.

[maginnovision]

I don't know if anyone is interested but my two ANENG AN870 showed up today. Turned them on and both had batteries at about 80C after a few seconds. One because a switch contact was bad. The other... I'm still working on. There is a single PTC on V input, and what looks to be a TVS on the ma/ua input. The SMD soldering is ok, and the through-hole isn't. It's too thin and instills little confidence that the leads are making good contact with the sleeves. The holster is super cheap and the range switch really stiff. Display seems fine and the case feels solid. The buttons are a bit squishy but ok. I'll update more on how close it reads to keysight 1252 once I get the second one working.

[Fungus]

I don't know if anyone is interested but my two ANENG AN870 showed up today. Turned them on and both had batteries at about 80C after a few seconds. One because a switch contact was bad. The other... I'm still working on. There is a single PTC on V input, and what looks to be a TVS on the ma/ua input. The SMD soldering is ok, and the through-hole isn't. It's too thin and instills little confidence that the leads are making good contact with the sleeves. The holster is super cheap and the range switch really stiff. Display seems fine and the case feels solid. The buttons are a bit squishy but ok. I'll update more on how close it reads to keysight 1252 once I get the second one working.

Please keep us informed.

I'm also interested in how fast the readings settle, etc.

[maginnovision]

Well some quick tests... I set up power supply to run through 3 voltages. They were 1.263V, 17.632V, and 23.928V.
The keysight read 1.2624V, 17.630V, and 23.928V. The 870 read 1.2623V, 17.633V, and 23.93V.
So that seems alright. I also set it to switch between them every second. The keysight I could see the voltages every time. The 870 I could see 17, and 23 but it never had time to range for 1V.

A 0.68 ohm resistor read .69/.70 on keysight and 0.73 on 870.
A 2.2 ohm resistor read 2.22 on keysight and read 2.27 on 870.
No rel to account for leads but for everything I used the same leads just swapping input jacks so apples to apples. The resistance kept going down on the 870 but I stopped at 5 seconds because that's about the maximum patience I'd usually have. The keysight was a second or less to stable. Both resistors were 5W 1% tolerance and 50ppm stability.

47nF capacitor: Keysight was 48.30nF, 870 was 46.10nF. 47uF: Keysight was 49.21uF, 870 was 49.22uF and pretty slow to figure it out. The capacitors were 50V 10% tolerance.

So it seems alright in accuracy but definitely slower than the keysight, surprise. The real problems for me are that 1 of 2 arrived with what appears to be a short under the blob over die(This could have been from sticking it in a mains outlet just to see if it'd blow up, but it didn't seem to have a problem reading it). The leads are not very good and don't seem to make good contact, the extra leads it came with would be better but then you've got longer leads and screw connections at both ends. The multimeter specific leads in general were probably trash. I couldn't even verify they used pvc for the insulator because they said nothing. I think the manual warnings of 36vdc and 24vac as limits is a good indication not to mess around and at least get some decent leads (and avoid mains).

[precaud]

A 0.68 ohm resistor read .69/.70 on keysight and 0.73 on 870.
A 2.2 ohm resistor read 2.22 on keysight and read 2.27 on 870.
No rel to account for leads but for everything I used the same leads just swapping input jacks so apples to apples.

Not a fair test. You need to use Rel when measuring low-value resistors with 2-wire Ohms.

The resistance kept going down on the 870 but I stopped at 5 seconds because that's about the maximum patience I'd usually have. The keysight was a second or less to stable. Both resistors were 5W 1% tolerance and 50ppm stability.

That is a genuine concern. Either variable contact resistance, or too-low current for low-value Ohms to begin with. Might be worth examining solder connections of the input jacks to the pcb. And fuse holders.

[dave356]

Looks like the voltage rail is the same as the aneng 8008.

1-100uf cap on rail with space for extra smd caps, just like 8008.
 
Probably will benefit from the JACKENHACK mod to improve
faster readings.

[maginnovision]

It may not seem fair but again it was the same resistors, same leads, and they weren't repositioned on the resistors. The soldering wasn't very well done but I got similar results before and after touching up the through hole soldering. It would make sense that it has too low drive current since the 47uF capacitor also took a while to get a reading. If it weren't 1am I would have tried more things, like AC readings, which I may do tonight if I have a chance. If I do I'll see if I can get it to stabilize for relative measurement but it was being fickle so I didn't bother for either meter.

[JohnPen]

I notice the switch side PCB picture refer's to 10A not 20A maybe its only 15 secs.

[Fungus]

It may not seem fair but again it was the same resistors, same leads, and they weren't repositioned on the resistors. The soldering wasn't very well done but I got similar results before and after touching up the through hole soldering. It would make sense that it has too low drive current since the 47uF capacitor also took a while to get a reading. If it weren't 1am I would have tried more things, like AC readings, which I may do tonight if I have a chance. If I do I'll see if I can get it to stabilize for relative measurement but it was being fickle so I didn't bother for either meter.

Put another meter in series and watch the current. 

[maginnovision]

Capacitance looks like it starts at 19.81uA and tops out at 388.85uA at OL. Ohms looks about 387.02uA and diode mode about 1.781mA(1692.3uA in uA range)(3.3V of course).

The frequency counter looks good up to 19.99MHz with a sine wave at 2.5Vpp. 1.61Vpp was the lowest it was still reading correctly, 1.58Vpp for 10MHz(9.999MHz reading). 117mVpp was about where it stopped reading a 5MHz(4.999MHz reading) sine wave and 1Hz was as low as it would go.

2.426mA for a small pierce-gate oscillator on 870, 2.437mA shown on keysight. 14.528mA for a 3V3/1V0 dual buck converter supply board with no load on 870, 14.616mA on keysight. 0.8724A for dual 3W leds driven from a 5V0 -> 3V3 dual buck converter on 870, 0.8757A for keysight. For reference power supply read 0.878A, but it reads 3mA with no load.

60Hz 500mVpp read 0.3533V on 870, read 0.3535V on keysight. 60Hz 2.5Vpp read 1.7635V on 870, read 1.7601V on keysight.

The AC voltages and the frequencies were generated by built in function generator on R&S RTB2004 so there is bound to be some error at generation too. All in all it seems pretty decent used in a low voltage space. If anyone wants to know anything else I'm happy to test what I'm able to.

[precaud]

What's the -3dB BW for ACV from say 1Vpp?
Does it use AA or AAA batteries?

[Gandalf_Sr]

Mine arrived yesterday, took it out of the packet and fitted 2 x AA batteries - it turns on and I see stuff on the display which is nice and clear (and BIG - good for my old eyes).  I'll do some more tests and report back. Let me know if you want something specific tested - I have a calibrated 6.5 digit Keysight for comparison - LOL, a $22 (shipped) meter Vs a $1,000 meter!

[joeqsmith]

Same old story.  Vias in the switch pads, input routed directly to the switch with the PTC and clamp on the backside and looks like there could be problems again with the current inputs.  But is does have a CAT IV rating.  Must be good.

[floobydust]

They brought out the serial TX pin 20  PT1.7 is pin 17, RX is pin 21. Have to see if the firmware sends anything out.
ZT219 using Hycon HY12P again?

[rhb]

Mine arrived yesterday, took it out of the packet and fitted 2 x AA batteries - it turns on and I see stuff on the display which is nice and clear (and BIG - good for my old eyes).  I'll do some more tests and report back. Let me know if you want something specific tested - I have a calibrated 6.5 digit Keysight for comparison - LOL, a $22 (shipped) meter Vs a $1,000 meter!

How about hooking the 2 meters to a voltage reference if you have one, or a bench supply if you don't,  and post some comparisons  on all the ranges.  If you use a bench supply include a scope trace.  Same thing with other measurement modes.

[Fungus]

How many mA does it put through a white LED?

[Gandalf_Sr]

How about hooking the 2 meters to a voltage reference if you have one, or a bench supply if you don't,  and post some comparisons  on all the ranges.  If you use a bench supply include a scope trace.  Same thing with other measurement modes.

I did that yesterday, almost spot on in comparison with my Keysight meter on volts.

[Stinger]

Same old story.  Vias in the switch pads, input routed directly to the switch with the PTC and clamp on the backside and looks like there could be problems again with the current inputs.  But is does have a CAT IV rating.  Must be good.

Hello,

Thanks for your videos.

Are AN870 have bug reading like AN860 when switching DC to AC ?

https://youtu.be/4PjmFqzlfLc?t=26m00s

[TheInfernoMan]

Hello I have received my AN870 today,

I checked the ac bandwith with a Sine Wave 1Vpp and so in my calculation the Vrms is 0.353V
I have measured a value of 0.367Vac with the AN870 (this error is most likely because of my frequency generator).
The -3dB point of 0.259Vac is with my AN870 at 3.02kHz not better than my Aneng AN8001.

I've also checked the diode mode and the open circuit voltage of the AN870 in diode mode is 3.255V and the short circuit current is 1.82mA.

Are there other tests I can do without special equipment?
What I am happy about the AN870 is the auto range function, I think it is faster than my Aneng AN8001, but at the moment I havent measured the speed.

Thanks in advance and sorry for my bad english,
TheInfernoMan

[Stinger]

Hello,

Can you test if your new DMM have bug display when change DC to AC ?

https://youtu.be/4PjmFqzlfLc?t=26m00s

[TheInfernoMan]

While testing the AN870 I found a problem with the auto range function. I think this is a bug.

The first picture shows the sine wave signal (5Vpp, 50Hz, no offset) and the AN870 reads without a problem.

If I offset the sine wave with 2.5Vdc (second picture) the AN870 cant find the right range in Vac Mode. See the video for demonstration.

The AN8001 reads just fine.

Demonstration Video: https://youtu.be/C9V6pa3hWxg

[Johnboy]

My first reaction was "Ah - it's finally been spotted in the wild!" - see the ante-penultimate paragraph of this post:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/opinion-on-a-bside-zt302-multimeter/msg1344853/#msg1344853

But the more I look, it seems like a 19,999-count version of the AN860B, rather than a 19,999-count version of the ZT301. It appears to have a separate holster (good), but if it's the same size as the AN860B, that's quite a large meter, as my pictures show - practically Fluke 87V size. Personally, I quite like the small size of the ZT301.

I see it's available on eBay UK for £27 - thanks for the pointer

Meanwhile, has anyone seen the 19,999-count of the ZT301 yet? The BSIDE website is of little help, needless to say.

Yes, it has arrived.

http://zotektools.com/products-2/zt303/

Looks like the recent AN870 may have some "competition" in the confusingly-similar, mystical world of cheaply-built Chinese multimeters.

[Fungus]

Yes, it has arrived.

http://zotektools.com/products-2/zt303/

Looks like the recent AN870 may have some "competition" in the confusingly-similar, mystical world of cheaply-built Chinese multimeters.

DC voltage accuracy 0.5%?? 

(on that page and in the downloadable manual)

[Johnboy]

Yikes. Well, the spec claims for accuracy are definitely on the side of the Aneng... 

[Fungus]

Yikes. Well, the spec claims for accuracy are definitely on the side of the Aneng...

Maybe they're just covering their asses.

ANENG and Zotek both seem to sell the exact same models, I'm betting they're branches of the same company. Anybody know the story?

In that case it might be that they want ANENG to be the main brand so they deliberately put lower specs on the Zoteks. Who knows?

nb. Zotek appear to have the AN870: http://zotektools.com/products-2/zt219/

Weird that ANENG doesn't have the ZT103 equivalent yet.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They do a 15B+ and a 17B+ model. I wonder where they copied those model numbers from... 

[HKJ]

When you look at the circuit board of these meters they have a ZTxxx type number, probably because they are all made by Zotek.

[001]

What about speed of this new 19999 count beauty?

[precaud]

When you look at the circuit board of these meters they have a ZTxxx type number, probably because they are all made by Zotek.

I agree. The facts on this and other meters suggest that Zotek is the manufacturer; and Aneng, Bside, and others are sales and marketing companies.

[Fungus]

When you look at the circuit board of these meters they have a ZTxxx type number, probably because they are all made by Zotek.

I agree. The facts on this and other meters suggest that Zotek is the manufacturer; and Aneng, Bside, and others are sales and marketing companies.

I've noticed that there's a weird dull patch on the plastic just below the "OFF" position on my AN860B+. It's also present on the other brands, eg. You can see it here in joe's review of the Kasuntest variant:



This makes me think they all come out of the same machine.


Edit: Yep, it's on the Zoteks, too. I can see it in Youtube videos:

(OK, not easy to see in that frame but it's very obvious in the video. I wanted a frame where you could see the splodge and the Zotek branding at the top which isn't easy when the cameraman is insane).

DoubleEdit: Also Zhiaoxin brand:

[Johnboy]

In a side-by-side comparison, the ZT219's claimed accuracy specs trump the ZT303's in every respect but Megohms at the top of the range. The ZT303 is only rated up to 10A, while the ZT219 covers twice that. The position of the ZT219 on Zotek's product page suggests that it is their current "flagship" product (cough, cough) and probably their newest design. The ZT303 is being offered at the same price point by the Zoyi brand, but my suspicion is that most of the sellers (Aneng and others) decided to pass on the ZT303 and brand the ZT219 instead (it also has an additional dedicated voltage switch position and temperature measurement). Under the hood, the AN870 will almost certainly have "ZT219" printed on the circuit board.

[HKJ]

The ZT303 is only rated up to 10A, while the ZT219 covers twice that.

Only on paper, reading is not stable.

Under the hood, the AN870 will almost certainly have "ZT219" printed on the circuit board.

It have: ZT219 V0.4

[HKJ]

I put up a review of AN870: http://lygte-info.dk/review/DMMAnengAN870%20UK.html

As usual it includes my schema with functions, have measured a lot of stuff and do a tear down.

[001]

Thanx a lot!

Can You compare an860b+ vs An870?

An870 pros: 19999 counts
An870 contra: ac+dc voltage fail, zero cross at Hz/%


Is  an860b+ more usable unit it all?

What about continuity and autorange speed?

PS -- You sad what 860 input is not protected  and wires directly connect chip
But An8002 etc  can survive after 2kV  test
Is circuit is same ?

[HKJ]

They are very similar meters, the AN870 has better resolution and this also means it has one digit extra in resolution in the lowest ranges (1uV (Below u5V is clamped to 0) & 10nA). The AN870 can measure higher ohms values and higher frequencies, but most people will probably not have anything to use that difference for. The specified tolerances are better to AN870

I have compare autorange speed for ohms, but I it is difficult to measure speed for voltage.

These meters all use basically the same protection: 10Mohm or 1Mohm (Depends on range) directly into the chip, then the chip must handle the over current/voltage. Input pins can usual handle a few mA, and 2kV is only 2mA through 1Mohm (Any capacity in the resistor is fairly bad for the chip with fast transients).

[Candid]

I put up a review of AN870: http://lygte-info.dk/review/DMMAnengAN870%20UK.html

As usual it includes my schema with functions, have measured a lot of stuff and do a tear down.

Thank you. The first teardown big picture is missing

"Not Found

The requested URL /pic/Aneng/AN870/DSC_7490a.jpg was not found on this server."

[Fungus]

They are very similar meters, the AN870 has better resolution and this also means it has one digit extra in resolution in the lowest ranges (1uV (Below u5V is clamped to 0) & 10nA).

Thanks for all the info!

They look very similar to me. The AN870 seems to have about twice the usable frequency for TrueRMS, half a digit extra on most measurements, otherwise very similar.

It costs more, you get more. 

For me I don't think the difference is enough to discard my 860B+, I'll keep mine for now but if/when it dies the 870 looks like a good candidate to replace it.

Protection will be about the same, too. The most important thing is to make sure it's in volts range when you do something risky.

PS: how well does the NCV tester work? Can it detect wires in walls?

[edmundopt]

so, since the price is about the same :
what to choose :
 AN870/ZT219/RM219 or
 Zeast282 / SURPEER AV4

the Zeast 282 states that is 0.05% but according to
 http://lygte-info.dk/review/DMMZeast282%20UK.html and https://lygte-info.dk/review/DMMAnengAN870%20UK.html
they are close, battery life is not important since I am interested in this for a 3rd  meter, small eletronics only

[HKJ]

Thank you. The first teardown big picture is missing

I had type the wrong picture number, it is fixed now.

The AN870 seems to have about twice the usable frequency for TrueRMS, half a digit extra on most measurements, otherwise very similar.

How do you get that, they both drop just above 2kHz, i.e. RMS needs considerable lower frequency to work.

PS: how well does the NCV tester work? Can it detect wires in walls?

I have a wall without wires in that most NCV tester signals on. NCV is fairly difficult to compare because how you hold the meters is one of the parameters for sensitivity. If you have your hand around the meter and the wire is just behind a very thin wall it might give alarm.

[Fungus]

Looks like the accessories vary with brand.... 

[001]

Can I  power AN870 with two AA NiMH cells ?

[Fungus]

The AN870 seems to have about twice the usable frequency for TrueRMS, half a digit extra on most measurements, otherwise very similar.

How do you get that, they both drop just above 2kHz, i.e. RMS needs considerable lower frequency to work.

The AN860B+ is 5% down at 1kHz, 12% down at 2kHz.

(although it is quite linear up to 2kHz so you can still take measurements if you know that)

You say the AN870 is 5% down at 2kHz, that's half as much.   

[Fungus]

Can I  power AN870 with two AA NiMH cells ?

The test says:

Code: [Select]

Meter works down to 2.2V where it turns off, battery symbol show at 2.4V.
So it's your call.

(2.4V is quite high though, maybe this meter is suitable for Batteroo Batterisers!  )

[001]

 No? 

[HKJ]

Can I  power AN870 with two AA NiMH cells ?

You cannot use the full runtime of them, the meter says empty battery at 2.41V, that would mostly work.

[HKJ]

The AN870 seems to have about twice the usable frequency for TrueRMS, half a digit extra on most measurements, otherwise very similar.

How do you get that, they both drop just above 2kHz, i.e. RMS needs considerable lower frequency to work.

The AN860B+ is 5% down at 1kHz, 12% down at 2kHz.

(although it is quite linear up to 2kHz so you can still take measurements if you know that)

You say the AN870 is 5% down at 2kHz, that's half as much.   

My numbers says 2kHz and 5% for both meters, measured with a sinus. It is a fairly high order filter.
A square wave is only about 10% different from a sine wave.

[Fungus]

My numbers says 2kHz and 5% for both meters, measured with a sinus. It is a fairly high order filter.
A square wave is only about 10% different from a sine wave.

I was using a square wave, maybe that's the difference.

[001]

 what about temperature compensation ?

[HKJ]

what about temperature compensation ?

Thats fairly standard with a temperature sensor inside the multimeter chip. The linearization for temperature input is good, it basically works from -200 to +1300°C

[HKJ]

As it says at the bottom of the review I got this meter from Banggood and after my review they decided to add some discount (I do not now if they raised the price before they did that  ), details are on my frontpage (Click globe).

[001]

what about temperature compensation ?

Thats fairly standard with a temperature sensor inside the multimeter chip. The linearization for temperature input is good, it basically works from -200 to +1300°C

is it same circuit as qn860 or not?

[HKJ]

what about temperature compensation ?

Thats fairly standard with a temperature sensor inside the multimeter chip. The linearization for temperature input is good, it basically works from -200 to +1300°C

is it same circuit as qn860 or not?

It is basically the same as AN860B+

[001]

It is basically the same as AN860B+

Is it DTM0660 based? 

[HKJ]

It is basically the same as AN860B+

Is it DTM0660 based? 

It is rather difficult to read the type number on a COB chip and I am not going to check the contents of the EEPROM.

[Stinger]

Thank's for your job. 

And about wrong temperature mesurement of AN860B+ brother ?

[001]

And about wrong temperature mesurement of AN860B+ brother ?

What about  AN860B+  temperature? 

[Fungus]

What about  AN860B+  temperature? 

I never had any problems with it. 

[HKJ]

And about wrong temperature mesurement of AN860B+ brother ?

What about  AN860B+  temperature? 

Probably somebody that do not know how thermocouplers work, there are a couple of pitfalls.
I wrote a bit about it here: https://lygte-info.dk/info/DMMThermocouplers%20UK.html

[gpu7990]

Hello, can someone read eeprom from zt219 or AN870? Thanks

[lordvader88]

So what's the verdict ? I need a 2nd DMM for breadboard level stuff and for upto 240V mains heaters/hotwater boilers, once in a blue moon. And I don't want to take my quality DMM out of my house.

So for $50 is a good choice for that ?

[Johnboy]

The consensus seems to be that these cheapos, while useful for extremely low-current, low-voltage work, are not suitable for working with mains.
I do not think anyone here would suggest that the meters discussed in this particular thread can be considered "safe" for household use, let alone industrial applications. If safety is your concern, that is what you are paying for, not the meter.

I'm interested in this model because of what it can do at the lowest ranges, but I wouldn't trust my life to the diaphamous input protection on the device when working with higher voltages, and I don't recommend you do either.

[maginnovision]

I am fairly certain one of mine died at 120v. The leads are junk and there is little protection in the meter. Get something else.

[lordvader88]

Yeah rewatching some of Joe Smith's testing video's (of others), this thing has no amount of input protection MOVs or PTCs.

[Fungus]

So what's the verdict ? I need a 2nd DMM for breadboard level stuff and for upto 240V mains heaters/hotwater boilers, once in a blue moon. And I don't want to take my quality DMM out of my house.

So for $50 is a good choice for that ?

If it really is "once in a blue moon" then you'll live. Just make triple-sure:
a) The leads are in the correct holes,
and
b) The dial is on the voltage range.

(a) Is maybe the most important. You can get it right by measuring a 9V battery before you start.

[coromonadalix]

the verdict to me ,  buy an good brand meter, good input protection, good behavior   etc etc ...  for a little more $$ you have some well built mastech models, and the fuses and batteries are easily removables  the 8240 or 8340 22000 count dmm, but i think they have changed the revision model, and removed a fuse, mine was an 8240d if i recall corectly and had 2 hrc fuses and data logging features too

theres a thread for some mastech meters and pictures of them
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/mastech-ms-8233e-ms-8240d-and-ms-8250c/

[spidola]

Is the speed of AN870 / RM219 measurements anywhere close to UNI-T UT61E? Or how much does it differ from the previous models? I am looking at RM303 / ZT303 that should be similar in performance.

[HoracioDos]

I am looking at RM303 / ZT303 that should be similar in performance.

is there an ANENG equivalent for this model?

[joeqsmith]

I've been watching videos of people making modifications to their UPS's and came across this video.    ANENG in a zip lock bag.   I wonder what their concern is. 
 
https://youtu.be/GFiIovqdBwY?t=2262

[Gregg]

I've been watching videos of people making modifications to their UPS's and came across this video.    ANENG in a zip lock bag.   I wonder what their concern is. 
 
https://youtu.be/GFiIovqdBwY?t=2262

The ANENG meter was probably a sizeable investment to the person in the video and they wanted to protect it in case of a lithium battery incident.  Not unlike the patented Joe Smith meter coffin to protect everything but the meter when destructive testing is happening (only in reverse).

[ez24]

I wrote a bit about it here: https://lygte-info.dk/info/DMMThermocouplers%20UK.html

Added link to List C - it will show up in the next upload

[spidola]

I am looking at RM303 / ZT303 that should be similar in performance.

is there an ANENG equivalent for this model?

It does not look like there one yet.

[HoracioDos]

The ANENG meter was probably a sizeable investment to the person in the video and they wanted to protect it in case of a lithium battery incident.  Not unlike the patented Joe Smith meter coffin to protect everything but the meter when destructive testing is happening (only in reverse).

There's a TMI meter in a ziploc bag also @57:25. I think that plastic bag purpose is to protect the meter from environment not to protect her from the meter.

[HoracioDos]

I am looking at RM303 / ZT303 that should be similar in performance.

is there an ANENG equivalent for this model?

It does not look like there one yet.

If I read the specs correctly 60mA range is also missing like Q1.

[Fungus]

I am looking at RM303 / ZT303 that should be similar in performance.

is there an ANENG equivalent for this model?

It does not look like there one yet.

If I read the specs correctly 60mA range is also missing like Q1.

Just get the ANENG 860B+, it's the one to get! 

[joeqsmith]

I've been watching videos of people making modifications to their UPS's and came across this video.    ANENG in a zip lock bag.   I wonder what their concern is. 
 
https://youtu.be/GFiIovqdBwY?t=2262

The ANENG meter was probably a sizeable investment to the person in the video and they wanted to protect it in case of a lithium battery incident.  Not unlike the patented Joe Smith meter coffin to protect everything but the meter when destructive testing is happening (only in reverse).

You could very well be right but if the packs come apart, how much protection does a zip lock bag really offer?   Maybe when they spot weld they get some splatter and the bag is enough to stop it. 

[maginnovision]

I am looking at RM303 / ZT303 that should be similar in performance.

is there an ANENG equivalent for this model?

It does not look like there one yet.

If I read the specs correctly 60mA range is also missing like Q1.

Just get the ANENG 860B+, it's the one to get! 

I don't have an 860B+ but I still think you might be right. Neither of the 2 870 I bought held up to 120v mains and basic accuracy testing. That's pretty bad despite accuracy being pretty good. The Q1 has a neat screen but that's about it for that one. I bet that relay dies WAY before you'd expect too.

[flywheelz]

I was set on ordering ZT302 but few here recommended ZT301 over ZT302. The latter is missing 10mA and 100mA but the former is missing 1mV range that 8008/8009 have right? So no 1uV resolution?  How useful is it to have 1mV range that has 3 decimal points?

Now I think I might hold on for ZT303/AN303/RM303 to go on sale.

[edmundopt]

I have received my Zt219, here are some pictures of it

[001]

  I am looking at RM303 / ZT303 that should be similar in performance.

Any news?

[spidola]

  I am looking at RM303 / ZT303 that should be similar in performance.

Any news?

Yes, I purchased RM303. It is a nice meter. However, the speed of measurements is on par with the other meters of this price category, it is not as fast as in UT61E.

[coromonadalix]

I have received my Zt219, here are some pictures of it

Damn thats a cheaply "non protected inputs meter", i would not play with voltages greater than 50vdc / 50vac ...

Does the words  "security / user safety"  resonate somewhere ??

[HKJ]

I have received my Zt219, here are some pictures of it

Damn thats a cheaply "non protected inputs meter", i would not play with voltages greater than 50vdc / 50vac ...

Does the words  "security / user safety"  resonate somewhere ??

That protection is fairly standard in cheap meters and will often handle up to about 230VAC.

[edmundopt]

I have a U1273A as my main multimeter
as my 3rd multimeter this one is actually pretty good, to be used in  battery/bench psu powered devices

[magic]

Is that high impedance millivolt range on those Anengs of any use or just a gimmick?
Does it show zero with a wire between the input jacks? Does it still show zero with a 1Meg resistor?

Somebody said that voltages below 5µV are rendered as zero
I suppose that's to hide the meter's offset voltage. What happens to this "helpful" feature in REL mode? Does it activate when the displayed value is below 5µV? Does it activate when the actual input voltage is below 5µV? Does it just go away?

[ledtester]

I've been watching videos of people making modifications to their UPS's and came across this video.    ANENG in a zip lock bag.   I wonder what their concern is. 
 
https://youtu.be/GFiIovqdBwY?t=2262

From the comments:

[magic]

Somebody said that voltages below 5µV are rendered as zero
I suppose that's to hide the meter's offset voltage. What happens to this "helpful" feature in REL mode? Does it activate when the displayed value is below 5µV? Does it activate when the actual input voltage is below 5µV? Does it just go away?

So I know the answer now:

REL at anything within ±4µV - nothing changes
REL at -5µV: the display goes -1, 0, 5, 10, 11