EEVBlog 121GW Discussion thread

[Vespian]

With the added shipping delays for the US meters, I am going to need to change my shipping address. I was one of the Great Scott! backers.

[peteb2]

Just read Dave's latest update news of what's happening (sent as an email to Backers).

I just have gotta say from the point of view of someone who has backed a few Crowd Funded Projects now (where all of them delivered on time complete with their included Goal Additions)... this one has come unstuck a wee bit and i think it's simply because of it's own massive demand and therefore success.

With Dave having worked closely on the 121GW DMM's design and effectively endorsing it, it's a wonder it didn't blow out to 100s of 1000s of the things if not more being backed in the campaign.

I was so slow to get myself organized to do my backing in that i ended up in the Johnny Be Good group. I'd finally like to say i wouldn't want to be in Dave's role with a lot of folks who by now are sort of starting to wonder what's really happening but that i know the unit will eventually be a handy addition to my bench and that it's not the end all to wait as long as it needs for the thing to arrive.... 

[Candid]

Did any European early birds get the shim sent to them yet?  My meter dial has started to play up and I haven't received the shim.

I am still waiting for delivery. I recognize the shim problem since about 2 weeks now.

If you are one of the early birds you should have the same version as me. Can you please check something for me?

When I shorten the voltage input to com and set the 121GW to voltage AC 5V range I get a value of about 0,4999V displayed. When I open the short it is nearly the same (a little more maybe 0,5001V). In all other voltage AC or DC ranges I get 0,0xxxV when the input is shortened.

I tried to calibrate zero offset but this did not help. The last firmware (v1.15) did not too.

[fanOfeeDIY]

Did any European early birds get the shim sent to them yet?  My meter dial has started to play up and I haven't received the shim.

I am still waiting for delivery. I recognize the shim problem since about 2 weeks now.
 calibrate zero offset but this did not help. The last firmware (v1.15) did not too.

I am in Japan and I received the email that the shim set being sent on last Thursday and it has not been delivered to my home yet.

It could be simply it having delay at the custom. Normally it arrives in about five week days from Australia to Japan.

[Scottjd]

Dave,
I honestly don’t know if I will need to change my address or not based on the update email, obviously EUI should start shipping the next 1050 units. So if I understand this correctly the first 50 goes to Australia, then the next 1000 remaining EUi sends out goes to different fulfillment shippers based on the addresses in the remaining “great Scott” option? Since the “Great Scott” was only 450 I’m to assuming this supply will cover the remaining “Great Scott” supports on May 19th?

Now the question becomes if I change my address on Kickstarter how fast does this data get to EUI or the shipper like Kane for US customers and refreshed, and then passed onto Kane for the US shipper? Can we get a hard cutoff date to when the last date will be to change the address in Kickstarter?
I can’t give or know a hard date on when my address will change, if your have ever sold a house before then you know things can change at the last minute that will also change the date of the sale.

I don’t know about other country local posts but the US post office will not forward packages. The original shipping method was to be done with DHL as original mentioned in the “Great Scott” package I selected on Kickstarter. But it seems DHL isn’t handling any of these shipments now and was originally changed in the beginning also, that’s my assumption from the beginning logistics that seemed to be changed and was part of the original hold up at US customs.

I think a little more details will help me and others in my situation figure out what steps we might need to make next. For example, I have a UPS, USPS, and FedEx account. If I at least know what shipping carrier Kane will be using and the package is tracking then I may have different options to ensure I get the package without involving the Kickstarter address change.

If Kane is using USPS then my address forwarding will just screw this up. This means I need to do the Kickstarter address update and why the hard date would be useful and hope this change of address gets from Kickstarter, to Dave, then to Kane in time before it ships.

If I know Kane is using UPS for shipping then I don’t have to worry about my USPS post office forwarding and the meter package being returned, or worse case the new owner of my house keeping it. For this reason I hope these are being shipped insured?
I can work with my UPS account once I have a tracking number and request it be delivered to my new address or I can set up a UPS/or FedEx P.O Box. I would have done this already, but we never had a sure date in when shipping would continue and I couldn’t afford paying on a P.O. box since December just for this meter.

I can’t change Kickstarter to a confirmed new address since I have to sell the house first before buying a new one. And I was hoping to take a holiday that I haven’t had in 5 years first for maybe a month before buying a new home so it might go to a UPS P.O. box. Besides I don’t think Kickstarter allows P.O. box shipments anyway.

And same goes for FedEx, I believe I can work with my FedEx account in the same way I would work with my UPS account.
FYI: For others, it’s free to set up an basic UPS, FedEx, and USPS account online. You may need to provide a payment card but it didn’t involve a monthly fee and you don’t need to be a company for these accounts. Well at least it was when I set these up a few years ago.

Can we get a little more details?
1. How many of the “Great Scott” meters were already shipped in the first round. How many of the 450 still need to be shipped? If it will follow backer order and I know mine is in the next 100 from Kane then I’ll just let things be.
2. How is Kane shipping to US customers? Are they using FedEx, USPS, UPS, DHL? Knowing this I can at least put some changes in place with those shippers accounts to ensure it won’t get lost.
3. Will you or Kane be sending out tracking numbers? If I have this and see it’s going to the wrong address I can have the shipper intercept it and change the packages route to the correct destination. This could happen if a Kickstarter address change doesn’t get filtered to the shipper fast enough.
4. Well #3 is based off the assumption these will have tracking numbers. I hope they do at this point because to not track and insure packages could cause more customers issues with some people. And I’m sure this will just cause more work for you also.
5. On a scale from 1 to 10, how sure are you on the May 19th start of shipping before I pay for a P.O. Box. But I will still need to know the shipper Kane uses for the best P.O. box to set or put a hold on my packed from that shipper.

I would think you would want this to go as smooth as possible from this point forward considering all the issues and delays already.

I would rather not take any more “chances” or “unknown’s” from this point going forward. I would think some of this information I’m asking to be shared wouldn’t be hard to confirm. Kane probably has a contract in place with one specific shipper for each region, so that should be easy to let us know who the shipper is, if it will have a tracking number and if it will be insured.

Scott

[Hugoagogo]

I was in the original batch of a meters sold through the store, and as such cant see the updates posted to the kick-starter page, is there any way I can see these at all, or an alternate place I can read them.

Also finally got around to updating the firmware, going from V1.01 to V1.15 certainly speeds up the autoranging.

[firewalker]

Hi Backers

Sorry for all the delays, but we have been working through various issues that are now sorted out and we are back on track for production.

UEi are ramping back up production and calibration, and have the following dates:

- 50 units are shipping to me on the 5th May (this is an original lot of units that went into limbo at the docks - long story, but we have to account for these separately and some people are aware of these and have asked about them)

- 1000 units will be available for shipping to the various distributors on the 19th May.
(EEVblog for Aus + misc countries, Kane Test for the US, Welectron for the EU)

- Another 1000 units will be available ASAP after that.

Please note that UEi can't magically produce and calibrate thousands of units at once, and especially testing and calibration takes significant time. Current capacity is basically around the 1000 units per month figure.

The first lot of 1050 units will obviously fulfill the remainder Great Scott backers (mostly US based customers), and there will be a large number left over to start fulfilling the Johhny B. Goode backers. But which of these backers will get shipped units first I can't say, as that will depend upon exact number of units available for each distribution center, and likely the order in which you backed. There will unfortunately be a large number of Johnny B/ Goode backers who will have to wait for the next 1000 unit batch.

And please note that the above dates are NOT shipping dates to backers, they are dates when units leave the factory to the distributors. Obviously there will be extra logistical handling delays involved that are unique to each distributor. So please understand that we can't give an exact date your particular unit will be shipped, so please refrain from asking. Rest assured that the wheels are in motion and you will be shipped your unit and receive your tracking number as soon as it ships.

The EU VAT invoices for Johnny B. Goode backers will be going out shortly, and there will be a separate update for this.

I will provide further updates when actual units ship to backers.

Also, for existing backers who have their meter, v1.15 of the firmware has been released with various fixes, please update and use that firmware whenever reporting any issues, we want everyone on the latest version.

As always, the best place to follow progress and discuss things is on the EEVblog forum thread for this, Kickstarter comments is just horribly suited to discussions.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/eevblog-121gw-discussion-thread/

Regards

Dave.

[JustinD]

Hey Dave, I am ready for a refund.  I was backer #115 for great scott, early bird.  I paid in November, 2017.   Sorry man, it's just been five months after the promised date.  I will have to stick with my Fluke.

[Cliff Matthews]

Hey Dave, I am ready for a refund.  I was backer #115 for great scott, early bird.  I paid in November, 2017.   Sorry man, it's just been five months after the promised date.  I will have to stick with my Fluke.

Now that's odd.. Becoming a backer before becoming a forum member 

[Brumby]

Now that's odd.. Becoming a backer before becoming a forum member 

Not necessarily.  The meter caught his eye before the forum did.  I can understand that.

[Hugoagogo]

Thanks Firewalker, although I probably wasn't clear enough, the copied post is public on kickstarter.

There are four locked off posts in particular I wanted to stay on top of.
- Knob and shim shimpments (I got an email saying something from the eevblog store has been shipped, but not what it is or what to do with it)
- Update on hardware on software (is there any other faults I should know about?)
- Switch contact update
- General Update

[EEVblog]

I was in the original batch of a meters sold through the store, and as such cant see the updates posted to the kick-starter page, is there any way I can see these at all, or an alternate place I can read them.

Sorry, didn't think about that.
I guess I could bulk email those original 50 people?
This thread is the best place for updates really, the Kickstarter updates are more for those who haven't gotten their meter yet.

[EEVblog]

Dave,
I honestly don’t know if I will need to change my address or not based on the update email, obviously EUI should start shipping the next 1050 units. So if I understand this correctly the first 50 goes to Australia, then the next 1000 remaining EUi sends out goes to different fulfillment shippers based on the addresses in the remaining “great Scott” option? Since the “Great Scott” was only 450 I’m to assuming this supply will cover the remaining “Great Scott” supports on May 19th?

Now the question becomes if I change my address on Kickstarter how fast does this data get to EUI or the shipper like Kane for US customers and refreshed, and then passed onto Kane for the US shipper? Can we get a hard cutoff date to when the last date will be to change the address in Kickstarter?

I have already closed off the date to change address, but I guess there will always be one or two people who happen to change address after this and before shipment.
If you really ned to change your adress then send a message on Kickstarter and David will have to update your address manually.

I can’t give or know a hard date on when my address will change, if your have ever sold a house before then you know things can change at the last minute that will also change the date of the sale.

I don’t know about other country local posts but the US post office will not forward packages. The original shipping method was to be done with DHL as original mentioned in the “Great Scott” package I selected on Kickstarter. But it seems DHL isn’t handling any of these shipments now and was originally changed in the beginning also, that’s my assumption from the beginning logistics that seemed to be changed and was part of the original hold up at US customs.

I think a little more details will help me and others in my situation figure out what steps we might need to make next. For example, I have a UPS, USPS, and FedEx account. If I at least know what shipping carrier Kane will be using and the package is tracking then I may have different options to ensure I get the package without involving the Kickstarter address change.

If Kane is using USPS then my address forwarding will just screw this up. This means I need to do the Kickstarter address update and why the hard date would be useful and hope this change of address gets from Kickstarter, to Dave, then to Kane in time before it ships.

If I know Kane is using UPS for shipping then I don’t have to worry about my USPS post office forwarding and the meter package being returned, or worse case the new owner of my house keeping it. For this reason I hope these are being shipped insured?
I can work with my UPS account once I have a tracking number and request it be delivered to my new address or I can set up a UPS/or FedEx P.O Box. I would have done this already, but we never had a sure date in when shipping would continue and I couldn’t afford paying on a P.O. box since December just for this meter.

I can’t change Kickstarter to a confirmed new address since I have to sell the house first before buying a new one. And I was hoping to take a holiday that I haven’t had in 5 years first for maybe a month before buying a new home so it might go to a UPS P.O. box. Besides I don’t think Kickstarter allows P.O. box shipments anyway.

And same goes for FedEx, I believe I can work with my FedEx account in the same way I would work with my UPS account.
FYI: For others, it’s free to set up an basic UPS, FedEx, and USPS account online. You may need to provide a payment card but it didn’t involve a monthly fee and you don’t need to be a company for these accounts. Well at least it was when I set these up a few years ago.

And therein lies the problem, what if a thousand people are in the same situation? it becomes a nightmare!

Can we get a little more details?
1. How many of the “Great Scott” meters were already shipped in the first round. How many of the 450 still need to be shipped? If it will follow backer order and I know mine is in the next 100 from Kane then I’ll just let things be.

All but the US ones have shipped, so 256 US units left.

2. How is Kane shipping to US customers? Are they using FedEx, USPS, UPS, DHL? Knowing this I can at least put some changes in place with those shippers accounts to ensure it won’t get lost.

I don't know what service they are using, I will ask.

3. Will you or Kane be sending out tracking numbers? If I have this and see it’s going to the wrong address I can have the shipper intercept it and change the packages route to the correct destination. This
could happen if a Kickstarter address change doesn’t get filtered to the shipper fast enough.

Yes. Kane will send them out.

5. On a scale from 1 to 10, how sure are you on the May 19th start of shipping before I pay for a P.O. Box. But I will still need to know the shipper Kane uses for the best P.O. box to set or put a hold on my packed from that shipper.

I can't be sure of anything until it actually happens. Kane have said May 19th, but that's NOT shipping to customers it's units available from their warehouse to distributors.

I would think you would want this to go as smooth as possible from this point forward considering all the issues and delays already.

[EEVblog]

Hey Dave, I am ready for a refund.  I was backer #115 for great scott, early bird.  I paid in November, 2017.   Sorry man, it's just been five months after the promised date.  I will have to stick with my Fluke.

No problem, refunded.

[mtdoc]

I got an email saying something from the eevblog store has been shipped, but not what it is or what to do with it

Yep me to.  Was it the new knob and shim? 

[EEVblog]

Did any European early birds get the shim sent to them yet?  My meter dial has started to play up and I haven't received the shim.

I am still waiting for delivery. I recognize the shim problem since about 2 weeks now.

If you are one of the early birds you should have the same version as me. Can you please check something for me?

When I shorten the voltage input to com and set the 121GW to voltage AC 5V range I get a value of about 0,4999V displayed. When I open the short it is nearly the same (a little more maybe 0,5001V). In all other voltage AC or DC ranges I get 0,0xxxV when the input is shortened.

I tried to calibrate zero offset but this did not help. The last firmware (v1.15) did not too.

We suspect you might have a range switch problems causing weird stuff.

[EEVblog]

I got an email saying something from the eevblog store has been shipped, but not what it is or what to do with it

Yep me to.  Was it the new knob and shim?

Yes, it was the knob and shim being shipped.

[Average Meatsack]

Does each backer get a tracking number sent to them when their meter is dispatched on the final part of the journey?

[EEVblog]

Does each backer get a tracking number sent to them when their meter is dispatched on the final part of the journey?

Yes.

[Hugoagogo]

I was in the original batch of a meters sold through the store, and as such cant see the updates posted to the kick-starter page, is there any way I can see these at all, or an alternate place I can read them.

Sorry, didn't think about that.
I guess I could bulk email those original 50 people?
This thread is the best place for updates really, the Kickstarter updates are more for those who haven't gotten their meter yet.

Is there a page anywhere where this stuff can be kept track of, maybe a pinned post? Just with a rough outline of what the issues are, what the knob fix is, and how it is installed (mine turned up today . I t would also be nice if there was a changelog for the firmware. It is just a bit hard to keep on top of multiple 30 page threads to know whats going on.

I don't mean to be complaining, the meter has worked pretty well for me so far (even before the mechanical and software updates).

[kalross]

If you are one of the early birds you should have the same version as me. Can you please check something for me?

When I shorten the voltage input to com and set the 121GW to voltage AC 5V range I get a value of about 0,4999V displayed. When I open the short it is nearly the same (a little more maybe 0,5001V). In all other voltage AC or DC ranges I get 0,0xxxV when the input is shortened.

I tried to calibrate zero offset but this did not help. The last firmware (v1.15) did not too.

All measures fine when shorted on those ranges Candid.

[ChrisG]

All measures fine indeed on mine too.

[Candid]

Ok so I wait for the shim and knob and will see, if the problem can be solved. Thanks for the answers.

[Acecool]

So it does AC as well as DC? I read somewhere it only did DC... odd...

Where can I buy it and how long does it take to ship to USA / North Carolina?

Edit: Nevermind....

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/eevblog/eevblog-121gw-multimeter

I found that and thought ok, great $250 AU - but not available so ok $260 with free shipping.. fine I'll pay that after reviewing the features - I'd love to back this project... - I log in ... not available...

I then go to the site ( You should really add a link - ie change EEVblog Electronics Community Forum text to link to the main site as the main forum has a ton of other links with breadcrumbs )... $330 AU + tax + shipping, etc... for it and the bag... $80 more - wow..... Doesn't look like I'll be able to get it...

10 days to back or take pre-orders on a project is way too low....

[kalross]

Did any European early birds get the shim sent to them yet?  My meter dial has started to play up and I haven't received the shim.

I've had no notification of shipping of shim yet...was early bird backer...Dec 2017

Ta.

K