Fluke 28 II Battery life

[Janne]

Recently my Fluke started to freeze when using the beeper mode. Reads "batt" on the screen, and will not work until powered off and on again. So I figured the batteries that came with it were not very good and ran out quickly. After putting in new batteries, it now works again. But, the old batteries were not really that flat either. All measure 1.495-1.501V, and can deliver 1.5A+ into a short circuit. I thought it should be able to drain the batteries a bit further than that??

Also, with the 1.5V batteries it's just the beeper mode that makes it shut down. Everything else works(ohms measure without beeper too), even with backlight at full power.
Is there something wrong with the meter, or is the beeper mode just so dependant on fresh batteries?

[Janne]

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-64-fluke-28-series-ii-multimeter-review-teardown/30/

According to this thread, it's a problem at least with older units. I'll have to see if it's possible to get warranty repair for my meter.

[fn49]

Mine does that same thing.  I haven't looked at getting it repaired yet cause I got it on Ebay from an unauthorized dealer so I don't think I will have warranty on it even though it was brand new when I got it.  I will do something with it soon though.

[M. András]

you can always ask their local distributor, its costs nothing

[termi]

Was there ever a solution to this?

I recently bought a new Fluke 28 ii, and it has the same problem. It's not a big deal though.

My meter has serial number 22790xxx.

Edit:

The diode check is behaving funny too when the back-light is on level 2. My batteries are definitely fine; each cell reads 1.598V, expiration date 03-2019.

[R@dek]

As is written above - the same issue: “Have had the Fluke 28II for over a 2 years. Had a problem from the start when you tried to use the beeper in the continuity mode, the battery would be displayed on screen. Saying the battery was low.” You need to remove the bottom hood (6 screws battery hood and another six screws for bottom DMM hood). Then you can see the beeper on the opposite side of display. You need only add some resistor (47-56R) in serial to the beeper. For fix you must remove the beeper – there are connected 3pin together and one pin separately. You must use campton tape between the PAD on PCB, and then connect it through resistor. That’s easy and fully working – of course the volume comes down a little, but I doesn’t matter and battery issue disappear.
First this post was placed on Fluke forum - but now it disapeard
Radek

[zaoka]

Does anybody have new (problem FREE) version of Fluke 28 II to take a picture of the PCB so we can see if they changed anything...

If I remember correctly if you measure diode or ohm and press Hz or % button it act weird....

[coldframe]

hi,
there must be previously made battery pack somewhere.
This looks a bit similar to your problem
http://kimboricha.blogspot.kr/2014/01/make-1900ma-fluke-189-high-capacity.html

[JuiceKing]

I had this false low battery warning/meter freeze problem with my 28II and finally got around to sending it in to Fluke for warranty repair in Everett. I'm the original owner and bought it from an authorized dealer. Fluke was very quick about issuing an RMA and I sent it in.

One month later, I still don't have my meter back. They sent me one notice on May 5, estimating shipment back on May 19. When it didn't come, I called and spoke with customer care three times over the subsequent two weeks, each time promised that I'd get an email from the service lab with an ETA. No email. Last time I called they said that it would be sent on June 6.

This is the second time I've had to send this meter in for repair. The first time was because the display plastic spontaneously (!) developed a 1/2" crack in the lower right corner. Never mind a "torture test"...this meter was never dropped even an inch. It must have been under stress from the time of manufacture. That first repair was reasonably quick.

I've got other meters so it's not like I've been shut down without it, but geez, it's been frustrating. The customer care people I spoke with were all very nice and responsive but they've had no visibility to what was going on and all they could do was send emails to the service lab and "escalate." They seemed powerless to get any real communication or expedite things. The last time I called (when they said it would ship on June 6) they said that the lab told them that they had sent me an email...which they had not. All I got was the original estimate email, but no update. Nothing in my "junk/spam" folder. Who knows.

Your mileage may vary, but this was my experience. I don't know if Agilent would have treated me any better, but in this instance Fluke product and service quality were not as good as they would like you to believe.

[Robomeds]

This is very interesting.  I had purchased and then returned a used Fluke 27-II for basically this same reason.  Even with a good battery the meter would give a low battery warning when you did a continuity test with the backlight on.  I tested the current draw during the test and found that it was alarmingly high (no longer remember the numbers) during the time the beep was on.  I had assumed this was a one off defect with this meter even though I couldn't ever find the problem.  I guess it wasn't one off. 

[JuiceKing]

Update: Got my 28ii back from Fluke yesterday. They replaced the main board and now it works fine. Surprisingly, the service tech note said that they weren't able to reproduce the problem, but from the way the note was written, it looked like they only tried to turn on the meter and didn't actually try to test continuity, which is what you need to do to see the problem. It seems that their technician had never seen or heard of this before, or it would have been obvious.

[BH]

I am experiencing the same issue with my Fluke 28-II, serial 23170026.  I have monitored the current consumption while the buzzer is sounding and my instrument draws ~225mA.  Unfortunately I would need a comparison reading from a working instrument to know for certain if this is abnormal.  But it certainly sounds like a heck of a lot of current for a buzzer, and I would be surprised if this was normal behaviour.

I have had a tinker inside the instrument and I have located the buzzer.  I tried to find a datasheet for it so that I could determine the typical current consumption, but I could not find any record of this component on the internet! The component marking is: SWP OS127C4.  I found information on other buzzers made by the same manufacturer, and they had parts numbers such as: SMOS-1020I-26L0.
The component reference is LS4.

I guess this could either be a problem with the buzzer drawing too much current, or it could be a problem with the threshold point for the low battery detector.

My next move is to ask Fluke if they can shed any light on this problem, and perhaps I will give them a link to this forum post so that they can see the issue is being discussed in the community.

I don't suppose anyone else has further info on this issue? Or a service manual for the Fluke 28II?

BJH.

[retiredcaps]

My next move is to ask Fluke if they can shed any light on this problem, and perhaps I will give them a link to this forum post so that they can see the issue is being discussed in the community.

Yes, point Fluke to this thread so they can investigate.

[BH]

Already done I will let you all know what information they provide.

[Vito_R]

Same issue here.  Fluke 28-II serial number starts with 2090 less then 2 years old brand new in the box.  Batteries are brand new and swapped out with another set of fresh batteries to see if it made any difference.  Original batteries also tested full capacity under load and were fine.  Meter stops working and freezes up completely when you try to use continuity with 2nd level back light on.  As soon as you touch the test leads together the meter freezes up and displays BATT with a lightning symbol.  Sent it to fluke yesterday and it's in their hands now.  Will see what they do.  Could be a common defect with a certain version of the main board.  It was also not doing this the first time I purchased and tested it.  It was however displaying just the low battery symbol but did not freeze up or shut down.  Seems like it might be some sort of component degradation over time since this particular meter was not even used and just left in our inventory.  I'm quite surprised this would happen to a Fluke Multimeter.

[Vito_R]

Just got back my meter from Fluke today.  As usual excellent fast and responsive world class service.  They replaced my meter under warranty with a brand new one in the box as my original meter I sent in to them was never used and still in original packaging.  Fully tested this new recently build unit and there is no low battery indication that appears at anytime when using continuity or any other function with 2nd level backlight on and works perfectly.  I'm presuming this revised board used in the latest meter is a permanent fix but will know for sure in a few years I guess if the problem develops again.  This is why you can recommend to anyone why they should spend hundreds of dollars on a high quality made in USA meter then a piece of S*** chinese multimeter.  They support their customers and stand behind their products and your investment of hundreds of dollars will last you a life time instead of throwing away money on unreliable and dangerous chinese garbage.  Kudos to Fluke once again.

[retiredcaps]

I'm quite surprised this would happen to a Fluke Multimeter.

Glad to hear you got your Fluke 28 II problem resolved by Fluke.

Fluke, like any corporation, will make mistakes, sometimes potentially lethal ones as you can read in their product recalls.  How they service and support their customers is why their products are premium priced.

http://en-us.fluke.com/customer-service/safety-notices/

[Vito_R]

I'm quite surprised this would happen to a Fluke Multimeter.

Glad to hear you got your Fluke 28 II problem resolved by Fluke.

Fluke, like any corporation, will make mistakes, sometimes potentially lethal ones as you can read in their product recalls.  How they service and support their customers is why their products are premium priced.

http://en-us.fluke.com/customer-service/safety-notices/

My friend, at least they act on any issues and potential safety defects unlike those chinese manufacturers constantly producing many unsafe and dangerous products and keep quiet about it as their only importance is making a buck.  No one should trust their professional reputation or lives with that junk especially and most importantly test equipment.

[retiredcaps]

My friend, at least they act on any issues and potential safety defects unlike those chinese manufacturers constantly producing many unsafe and dangerous products and keep quiet about it as their only importance is making a buck. 

Are we not saying the same thing? 

[Janne]

I'm still suffering the same problem with my meter, didn't get around to send it back  to Fluke for warranty. I would kinda need to buy another meter to fill in for it while it's being repaired.
Wonder if it would be fixed by just swapping the beeper, or if the problem is somewhere in the PCB?
Of course it might be a good idea to buy another reliable meter anyway, if it would broke for some reason I would be at least mildly screwed.

[retiredcaps]

Wonder if it would be fixed by just swapping the beeper, or if the problem is somewhere in the PCB?

If your meter is under warranty, I suggest NOT making any mods to it.

Fluke could rightfully deny future warranty service pointing to your mod. 

[Vito_R]

I'm still suffering the same problem with my meter, didn't get around to send it back  to Fluke for warranty. I would kinda need to buy another meter to fill in for it while it's being repaired.
Wonder if it would be fixed by just swapping the beeper, or if the problem is somewhere in the PCB?
Of course it might be a good idea to buy another reliable meter anyway, if it would broke for some reason I would be at least mildly screwed.

The problem is NOT the beeper.  It is a defect on the main board.  They need to swap out your main board to fix the issue.  Your fluke has a lifetime warranty so take advantage of it.  I did and I am very satisfied now.  The service turn around time is usually very fast.  I got mine back in a few days.  On average a couple of weeks at most is what I've experienced in the past.  Well worth the great fluke service.  They also usually fully calibrate your meter when you send it in for warranty repair and apply a calibration seal on it.  Another good reason to send it to them.

[Vito_R]

I would kinda need to buy another meter to fill in for it while it's being repaired.
Wonder if it would be fixed by just swapping the beeper, or if the problem is somewhere in the PCB?
Of course it might be a good idea to buy another reliable meter anyway, if it would broke for some reason I would be at least mildly screwed.

Can't be fixed by replacing a single component on the board either.  They have to replace the entire board I was told.  In my case they simply replaced the whole meter since it was brand new.  I do agree you should have a 2nd meter or a backup meter for these situations and also to compare readings or do voltage and current measurements at the same time.  Highly recommended. There are couple of lower cost fluke meters that could fill in for you like the Fluke 107 you can get on ebay cheap or a 115.  Just be aware they don't do very low mA or uA current measurements.  If you want my personal recommendation and i'm sure Dave has also mentioned it, pick yourself up a used Fluke on Ebay really cheap.  There are many good bargains on older flukes models and you can't really go wrong with them.  I've scored some great deals on the old Fluke 27 and Fluke 87.  Fluke 70's series are great too.  Excellent meters that beat the crap out of any of the chinese trash meters everyone's selling.  Whatever you do don't buy one of those dirt cheap chinese junk meters on ebay.  Not worth a penny and the frustration and headaches you'll have with them not to mention they are dangerous.

[Janne]

Well I went ahead and ordered Fluke's 87 for "backup". Since I get to tax-deduct the price +  VAT, I figured the price is not too much.. Especially compared to the headache it would cause me if my only reliable meter would go bottoms up.

I'll test out Fluke's warranty service once I get my new meter 

[Vito_R]

Well I went ahead and ordered Fluke's 87 for "backup". Since I get to tax-deduct the price +  VAT, I figured the price is not too much.. Especially compared to the headache it would cause me if my only reliable meter would go bottoms up.

I'll test out Fluke's warranty service once I get my new meter 

Congratulations on your new Fluke 87 purchase.  I'm sure you will be very satisfied with it.  It's one of Fluke's best meters in my opinion and I own 3 of them.  I actually prefer working with them over the 28.  It's has a better continuity sound, much louder and lower pitch then the 28 and has a slimmer form factor of course but not waterproof.  You can't go wrong with that kind of investment in test equipment.  You can rely on it for a lifetime.  I still have my original Fluke 87 1st gen series from 1992, still in service and working perfectly.  Had it calibrated a year ago and was still completely in specifications. Try to get that out of some crap chinese ebay meter.

[Janne]

Got my Fluke 28 / 2 back from warranty repair a few days before Christmas. They had swapped the PCB, and also calibrated it. Not bad 

[retiredcaps]

They had swapped the PCB, and also calibrated it.

Can you share a picture of the new PCB if there are no stickers that say "void if removed"?

[Handyman32]

I just bought a Fluke 28ii and was impressed by the build quality.
Of course I tested the continuity test with backlight on.
There was no battery warning message but the buzzer was sounding puny (with the higher backlight level), quite similar to a dying 5 dollar meter. It was annoying and disappointing for a meter of such caliber.
I opened the battery case. Cleaned all contacts (batteries and metal contacts). Put 3 old/half used batteries just for a test. Problems gone.
Put back the original batteries and no more buzzer problems.
Hope this will help.
Also I had to screw back the cover with a torque screwdriver.
If you don’t have a torque screwdriver, just put some silicone grease around all rubber gaskets and fasten appropriately. This should work just fine for waterproofing.

[electrolust]

My 28 II has this same problem.  It's especially annoying to me now because I'm using it on the bench for lots of measurements, as opposed to in the field for 1-2 measurements.  I guess it's still worth reporting on fixes so I'll see about getting it repaired and report back on my experience.

[electrolust]

Had this repaired in January.  Took about a week and they also calibrated it free of charge.

[roli_bark]

Does anybody have access to the 28-II Service Manual ?

[retiredcaps]

Does anybody have access to the 28-II Service Manual ?

If by service manual, you mean schematics, bill of materials, theory of operation, etc like the olden days of the original Fluke 70 and 80 series, then NO.

AFAIK, Fluke has never released a service manual with any of those attributes listed above for any of their modern handheld meters.

[roli_bark]

I have the same "bAtt" Alarm & DMM Total Freeze problem with a 28-II bought brand new in mid-2013.

It freezes over after either of the following:
1. Doing Continuity test after pressing the 'SOUND Beep' button, or
2. After pressing TWICE the 'SOUND Beep' button, or
3. After pressing the "Min/Max" button.

The only way to get it out of this catatonic state is to turn the DMM Off & then On again.
Fluke doesn't respond to my emails to Customer Service.

I was thinking about installing a 9v Li-Ion rechargeable battery to replace the 3 AA in the compartment.
A 9v Li-Ion consists of 2 Li-Ion cells, with 3.7v to 4.2v nominal voltage level each.
So the DMM will see a 7.4v to 8.4v on its DC supply.

Question is - Am I risking any damage to my 28-II DMM doing that ?
TIA

[retiredcaps]

I have the same "bAtt" Alarm & DMM Total Freeze problem with a 28-II bought brand new in mid-2013.

If you bought it brand new from an authorized dealer, you should get it replaced under Fluke warranty.  From other posts, Fluke will change out the PCB and do a calibration check.

Fluke doesn't respond to my emails to Customer Service.

You should give them a phone call.  Perhaps your email ends up in the junk folder or is filtered out as spam?

So the DMM will see a 7.4v to 8.4v on its DC supply.

Question is - Am I risking any damage to my 28-II DMM doing that ?

Don't know for sure, but the meter is expecting 4.5V from 3 AA and feeding it 7.4V or higher seems like a potentially bad idea.  If you do damage it with this modification, your chances for getting it repaired under warranty for free is close to zero.

The best course of action is to phone Fluke's support number.

[roli_bark]

I see here several reports of the same.
Is there an official Fluke 28-II DMM recall for this specific problem ?

[willb]

I had a Fluke 27-II which was doing the exact same thing. I procrastinated for at least a year before I decided to do something about it. I bought the 27-II used, on eBay, and it came from the USA. Fluke Canada replaced it with a brand new full retail box Fluke 28-II, with calibration! No questions, no issues. I was expecting my 27-II to be repaired or replaced with a refurb of some sort, but they gave me a brand new free upgrade. The best part was the turnaround was less than a week! Contact them, you've got nothing to loose.

[PowerNet]

Sorry to bump this old post but safe to say this is now resolved yeh, its 2017 

[ElektroQuark]

And the solution was...

[PowerNet]

so its not resolved ?

hmmmzz

[tyreman1]

I have one of these meters 28 II TRMS about 2011 one
Never had that specific issue but just sent it in to Fluke service in Mississauga Canada to get checked

Added question any Canadian form member(s) know if Fluke Canada charge to check meter over under warranty or you pay?

[JPERU]

Hello, everyone after finding information about the problem that the teams found the solution, is anyone still interested?

[JPERU]

After checking FLUKE equipment (289,287,115,87V, 1587,374, etc.), I concluded that the current buzzer's current consumption is too high, so the multimeter is frozen, I presume it is a manufacturing / design failure. the card.

To solve the problem they have to replace the SWP QSI27C4 buzzer with one of the AC SERIES series.

In this link you will find more detail of the buzzer:
http://www.buzzer-speaker.com/manufacturer/magnetic%20buzzer.htm

I just did the replacement and the equipment works very well !!!.

[2X]

After checking FLUKE equipment (289,287,115,87V, 1587,374, etc.), I concluded that the current buzzer's current consumption is too high, so the multimeter is frozen, I presume it is a manufacturing / design failure. the card.

To solve the problem they have to replace the SWP QSI27C4 buzzer with one of the AC SERIES series.

In this link you will find more detail of the buzzer:
http://www.buzzer-speaker.com/manufacturer/magnetic%20buzzer.htm

I just did the replacement and the equipment works very well !!!.

Hello,
do you have any part number for the right buzzer so to buy it from mouser or farnel? Thanks in advance.

[BC7333]

Last week I sent a 28II that I bought cheap on ebay a couple years ago with the BATT problem to fluke for repair.  They just replaced it with a free brand new one without any questions at all.  I must say that's great service. 

[Ondre]

Same here! I bought my Fluke 28 II quite a few month ago used on eBay and noticed the battery problem just recently. I've sent an e-mail to Fluke explaining the problem and today they just sent me a brand new one. Awesome! And I really like the new test leads that came with the meter as they are quite thin and flexible and tend not to entangle themselves so easily.

I wonder how many units with the battery issue were sold and how many they had to replace.

[jerry_gao]

my 28ii-ex have the same issue, I am going to send it to fluke for repair.

[zoiasso]

I have a fluke 28ii with this same problem, i contacted Fluke Brazil in 2018 (sent a video), and they admitted its a known problem but they won't solve my problem cause i bought it used and i dont have the "invoice" (my english is bad, i dont know if it is the correct word).



This is so stupid, it's clearly a factory problem, i have a fluke 87-v, the current consumption of the meter is about 20mA with full backlight on + buzzer on. The fluke 28 ii goes over 130mA with full backlight + buzzer  and shut down. Seems like i will need to fix it my self by replacing the buzzer or limiting it's current.

[zoiasso]

Tried to replace the buzzer by a ps3 buzzer i had here, didn't work cause the ps3 need higher frequency to work. The frequency that the meter send to the buzzer is around 2.5khz.

So i placed a 100 ohms resistor to limit the current using the original buzzer in order to make the meter usable for now. It's working but soon i will look into some buzzer to replace it

[admiralmaggie]

I was having the same problem and as it was suggested here, adding a resistor in series to the speaker fixes the issue. I cut off the "+" trace, scratched off solder mask and soldered a 120 resistor. I have attached a picture. The volume is lower but good enough for me. No more BATT prompt..

[BeBuLamar]

I think all the 28 II are under warranty why not simply send it back for repair? In the case of the OP who already got it fixed did Fluke asked for proof of purchase like receipt or anything like that? I sent quite a few Fluke in for repair and they never asked me that so those who bought it on Ebay still can have Fluke repair it I think.