Author Topic: Heads Up : Cheap Multimeter : Lidl UK (08/02/18) (Read 41308 times)

kcbrown · « **Reply #75 on:** February 09, 2018, 09:38:54 pm »

No transistor tester? Worthless.

bd139 · « **Reply #76 on:** February 09, 2018, 10:11:55 pm »

Quote from: kcbrown on February 09, 2018, 09:38:54 pm

No transistor tester? Worthless.

You laugh but those are bloody useful

Measure 2n3904 hFe ... ooh 190.
Stick in circuit ... fuck screwed something up and it got a bit hot.
Measure 2n3904 hFe ... boo 12 ... chuck in bin.

Specmaster · « **Reply #77 on:** February 09, 2018, 10:15:24 pm »

Quote from: bd139 on February 09, 2018, 10:11:55 pm

Quote from: kcbrown on February 09, 2018, 09:38:54 pm
No transistor tester? Worthless.

You laugh but those are bloody useful

Measure 2n3904 hFe ... ooh 190.
Stick in circuit ... fuck screwed something up and it got a bit hot.
Measure 2n3904 hFe ... boo 12 ... chuck in bin.

I know Dave doesn't like them but before I got separate testers for transistors, they have got me out of shit. I'm thinking about getting an IC tester as well.

JonM · « **Reply #78 on:** February 10, 2018, 04:23:23 am »

I was at my local Lidl a few days ago (yes, we have them in the US now). I got sour cream, #10 50mm Torx drive wood screws (that don't seem to exist anywhere else), and some nice Belgian beer. I did not see any DMMs...

donkey77 · « **Reply #79 on:** February 10, 2018, 10:31:14 am »

For your amusement.

bd139 · « **Reply #80 on:** February 10, 2018, 11:32:17 am »

Why oh why do they always use shitty pressed strips for the terminals. They wear out and break in no time at all.

Specmaster · « **Reply #81 on:** February 10, 2018, 12:19:32 pm »

Only a single point of contact on each tube to the PCB, input protection is also very basic but on the plus side it does seem to have decent isolation/clearance around the 10A current shunt. I wonder if the socket tubes are enclosed on the base half of the casing to try and minimise and flash and debris exiting the case in the event of anything happening?

HKJ · « **Reply #82 on:** February 10, 2018, 12:56:15 pm »

A simple meter, but the input do not look bad:
One 10Mohm input distributed on 4 resistors
One 1Mohm input distributed on 5 resistors
Current output protected by PTC and a dual transistor clamp
mAuA shunts protected by fuse and diodes.

It will not survive long if Joe gets his hands on it, but may last forever around the house.

markce · « **Reply #83 on:** February 10, 2018, 01:27:33 pm »

Ok, it is clearly cheap build, but better than I expected. They actually have 300V labelled fuses. Is there a brand on them?
A picture of the other side of the board would be nice.

donkey77 · « **Reply #84 on:** February 10, 2018, 01:33:14 pm »

I picked it up to take and leave at a holiday home. I've not paid too much attention to duty cycles on other meters (I've got a couple of original fluke 87's for work) but the Lidl one is rated at 10a, 10 seconds max every 15 mins. Guess that shunt gets pretty hot !

Specmaster · « **Reply #85 on:** February 10, 2018, 01:49:07 pm »

Yes it is a cheap build but I had no doubt that would be better than most people expected it to be because generally speaking items sold by Lidl are pretty good in the quality stakes otherwise they would not be able to give a 3 year warranty on them. Go into most of our electrical shop/sheds and buy anything and they try their hardest to get you to also buy an extended warranty to provide a 3 warranty which is generally the 1 year manufacturers warranty followed on by 2 warranty by an insurance company.

I had my hands on one of these meters yesterday (still in its blister pack) and I can tell you that it is very lightweight, but then I have been used to far larger and chunkier meters but still I doubt that it would stand up to being used professionally day in, day out but hobbyist use yes it would survive that ok.

I think that Fungus is in the process of doing a review on this meter and I think it will be interesting and I have no doubts that it will be tested to destruction but should come out pretty well against similarly priced meters in the market.

Specmaster · « **Reply #86 on:** February 10, 2018, 01:55:53 pm »

Quote from: donkey77 on February 10, 2018, 01:33:14 pm

I picked it up to take and leave at a holiday home. I've not paid too much attention to duty cycles on other meters (I've got a couple of original fluke 87's for work) but the Lidl one is rated at 10a, 10 seconds max every 15 mins. Guess that shunt gets pretty hot !

I don't think its the shunt, as it looks reasonably sized in the photo in post #79 so I'm not sure for the time limit unless the trace is the issue and then again, how often are you going to be using the current range at anything near its maximum capacity, It would more then likely carry a few amps almost indefinitely.

HKJ · « **Reply #87 on:** February 10, 2018, 01:59:26 pm »

Quote from: Specmaster on February 10, 2018, 01:55:53 pm

I don't think its the shunt, as it looks reasonably sized

It will get fairly warm with 1 watt in it (0.01ohm and 10A).

Monkeh · « **Reply #88 on:** February 10, 2018, 02:08:13 pm »

I'm surprised, it's actually not an ICL71x6. I guess they're finally abandoning them.

bd139 · « **Reply #89 on:** February 10, 2018, 02:29:52 pm »

It probably is one of those Chinese clones of one still. They aren’t going away any time soon.

Monkeh · « **Reply #90 on:** February 10, 2018, 02:30:46 pm »

Quote from: bd139 on February 10, 2018, 02:29:52 pm

It probably is one of those Chinese clones of one still. They aren’t going away any time soon.

Except it has digital calibration - that's not a feature of those chips.

Specmaster · « **Reply #91 on:** February 16, 2018, 09:53:17 pm »

Quote from: Fungus on February 09, 2018, 12:43:24 pm

OK, I did it. I'm now the proud owner of my very own "multimetro digital" from LIDL. 12.99 Euros.

And, yep, it's TUV and GS certified (on the packaging and the meter) so it's not playing games in the safety department.

Review to follow.

How is the review working out?

bd139 · « **Reply #92 on:** February 16, 2018, 09:57:41 pm »

He's dead

Specmaster · « **Reply #93 on:** February 17, 2018, 12:20:17 am »

Should have tested a Fluke 25 then

markce · « **Reply #94 on:** February 17, 2018, 11:08:55 pm »

Been looking for this announced review of Fungus for 10 days now....
Still no 'Pro' meter advertisement from Lidl here in NL.
Who'll be fist: Lidl or Fungus.

Specmaster · « **Reply #95 on:** February 17, 2018, 11:18:55 pm »

Quote from: markce on February 17, 2018, 11:08:55 pm

Been looking for this announced review of Fungus for 10 days now....
Still no 'Pro' meter advertisement from Lidl here in NL.
Who'll be fist: Lidl or Fungus.

Maybe its either killed him (joking of course) or he is having trouble killing it, no doubt we will find out in due course, my local Lidl still has a few left but they do appear to have been selling really well.

Monkeh · « **Reply #96 on:** February 17, 2018, 11:49:21 pm »

Perhaps he got so bored he didn't finish.

markce · « **Reply #97 on:** February 17, 2018, 11:55:27 pm »

I already have a Fluke and others for electronics work, but still have an old analog meter in my DIY tools box. Just out of curiosity, I've had a look art what DIY stores are offering here. At the price point, the Lidle meter seems quite a good offering.
I would certainly like an 'inside' review.

Specmaster · « **Reply #98 on:** February 17, 2018, 11:57:31 pm »

I doubt that, I would say that he was already working on other reviews so the Lidl meter was simply added to end of that list and we will have to wait a while

Specmaster · « **Reply #99 on:** February 18, 2018, 12:02:41 am »

Quote from: markce on February 17, 2018, 11:55:27 pm

I already have a Fluke and others for electronics work, but still have a M1015b in my DIY tools box. Just out of curiosity, I've had a look art what DIY stores are offering here. At the price point, the Lidle meter seems quite a good offering.
I would certainly like an 'inside' review.

I too have Flukes, currently I'm sitting with up to 14 Flukes at my disposal along with a few other makes. I too would love to know more about the Lidl meter as I like Lidl's a lot and I find that in general there tools are excellent value for money and I'm expecting a pretty reasonable performance from this meter as well, not that I have one or will be getting anytime soon as I think I currently have enough.


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Author Topic: Heads Up : Cheap Multimeter : Lidl UK (08/02/18) (Read 41308 times)

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