Anyone tried a Chauvin Arnoux/Multimetrix DMM230 multimeter?

[Zeta]

I'm about to buy a new DMM and it seems like the DMM230 http://www.chauvin-arnoux.us/pdfs_aemc/US_DMM210-20-30-40.pdf is one of the best DMMs for its price range. Its spects seem good. But I'm not sure about the build quality or if it lives up to its specs.

I'm currently using a Fluke 79 I borrowed from my father and use it at home and university but I would like to buy me a new DMM. I've considered a fluke 115 but it lacks uA range and its capacitance range is almost useless for me. What do you think? Should I take the risk and buy a DMM230 or rather buy a more trusty fluke 115.

[david77]

I can't really comment on Chauvin-Arnoux, they used to be a good brand. Don't know about today though.

At least now I know what these chinese meters are knock-offs of: http://www.cem-instruments.com/en/pro/pro-469.html, or are they  ?

These are obviously also sold as PeakTech branded meters: http://www.peaktech.de/productdetail/kategorie/digital---handmultimeter/produkt/p-3360.html

I'm not saying the Chauvin-Arnioux meters are rebaged chinese c**p, but I'd be suspicious and try to find out for sure. I bet the Chauvins aren't going too cheap.

[retiredcaps]

I'm about to buy a new DMM and it seems like the DMM230 http://www.chauvin-arnoux.us/pdfs_aemc/US_DMM210-20-30-40.pdf is one of the best DMMs for its price range.

It would help to know

a) your budget
b) your requirements (microamps, capacitance range)
c) your country

[Zeta]

thanks david. I have taken a look at its manual and it seems like the Peaktech and the Multimetrix are the same rebranded stuff.

my bugget for a dmm is around £140.00 and I have to buy it from farnell. I would rather like it to cost less than 140 so I can include something else on my order. But my budget can also go as high as £170 at the expense of a Freescale kwikstik kit and a flux siringe.

I would like to have meaninful readings in the uA range so a 0,1uA resolution would be great but I guess I can live with 1uA resolution.  A bit less important is the capacitance measurement. I would love to have a 10pF resolution, and I guess 1nf resolution is okish. Anything bigger will probably end up not being used.

Continuity test speed is really, really important for me. That's why I'm considering the fluke 115 even when it does not have uA or nF.

[IanB]

my bugget for a dmm is around £140.00

£140.00 is incredibly expensive for a multimeter. Do you really need to spend so much money on a meter with such ordinary features?

Unless you have highly demanding needs and professional requirements that seems excessively wasteful of money to me. If I were a student I would be looking much more in the £30-£50 price bracket myself.

[PetrosA]

I have an MX26, so I started opening it up. It looks very well made and solid. I saw that the CPU has METRIX on it, but I would have to desolder the shielding to get it all apart. It has a copper shield sandwiched between two layers of plastic that wraps from the front to the back and there are screws holding the PCB in place that you can't get to without taking the shield off.

[david77]

I thought they would be the same.

Ian's right, do you really need to spend that much money on a meter?
The caps range on most meters is just a gimmick in my opinion, at least I wouldn't trust most meters I've used at resolutions below about 100pf.
Only a proper test shows you the speed of the continuity tester, I've found many cheap meters have a faster response than more expensive ones.

I've had a quick look at what multimeters Farnell offer and the two that caught my eye were the Agilent U1232 or the Amprobe 33XR-A for about the same money as that Multimetrix.
I think Dave has done a review on the Amprobe some time ago.

I've bought a new BK Precision 2709 yesterday, which is in the same category as the others I mentinoed. I decided to get that meter because of Dave's review. The continuity mode on that one is instantaneous, that's one of the criteria I was looking for. The caps range works OKish but at low values has it's weaknesses. I've not had time to test it properly.

@PetroSA: I think Metrix and Multimetrix are two different companies.

[PetrosA]

@PetroSA: I think Metrix and Multimetrix are two different companies.

I'm not sure about that. The link to the pdf was to AEMC, which is where I got my Metrix, and is the US version of Chauvin-Arnoux.

[LEECH666]

I have a Metrix MX24 and the build quality is rather mediocre. Huge bodge wire on the ampere jacks. Looks like they completely missed to run traces to the jacks on the PCB.
Or were too restricted by the shape to run any traces to the jacks. Wimpy input protection (MOVs). I wish I could get back my 165 Euros and buy a good present time meter for that money. Hell even a UNI-T 61D or E seems to be better (except the HRC-Fuses, those are quite nice on the MX24).

Florian

//EDIT:

MX24B actually.

I made a gallery. Uploading ...

[LEECH666]

Done Uploading.

Check it out.

Not a botch at all.

More pictures here (<-- click).

[Zeta]

£140.00 is incredibly expensive for a multimeter. Do you really need to spend so much money on a meter with such ordinary features?

Unless you have highly demanding needs and professional requirements that seems excessively wasteful of money to me. If I were a student I would be looking much more in the £30-£50 price bracket myself.

I have a metter that cost close to £35 but I found I can't really trust its readings, so I use it mostly for continuity test (its fast) and when I don't need to know the real value of a measurement.

I do need something I can trust. In summer I help a friend who works dealing with cell phone stations and althought they have great equipment it's helpful to have your own trusty metter. Also during the year I take small jobs dealing with mains.


I have seen the agilent Agilent U1232, I dont remember why I discarded it but I'll take another look thanks. If there is other cheaper DMMs that I can trust I'm open to sugestions.

[T4P]

£140.00 is incredibly expensive for a multimeter. Do you really need to spend so much money on a meter with such ordinary features?

Unless you have highly demanding needs and professional requirements that seems excessively wasteful of money to me. If I were a student I would be looking much more in the £30-£50 price bracket myself.

I have a metter that cost close to £35 but I found I can't really trust its readings, so I use it mostly for continuity test (its fast) and when I don't need to know the real value of a measurement.

I do need something I can trust. In summer I help a friend who works dealing with cell phone stations and althought they have great equipment it's helpful to have your own trusty metter. Also during the year I take small jobs dealing with mains.


I have seen the agilent Agilent U1232, I dont remember why I discarded it but I'll take another look thanks. If there is other cheaper DMMs that I can trust I'm open to sugestions.

UT61E . I said that twice .

[retiredcaps]

I have a metter that cost close to £35 but I found I can't really trust its readings, so I use it mostly for continuity test (its fast) and when I don't need to know the real value of a measurement.

What do you have currently other than the Fluke loaner from your father?  Maybe all it needs is some calibration?