Testing my meters

[M0BSW]

After getting bored I thought I'd test my multimeters, not a serious test , but just an excercise of curosity,
1/ Aidetek.com VC99+, have no idea what the "+" means , maybe just a bit odd remarketing of the VC99
2/Alphatek 61-322
3/Test-Lab TL34
4/ Farnell  TM2 bench meter.
Supply Watson 30amp 15 volt supply, which is calibrated proffessionally.
results.
power supply 13.8volts
1/VC 99+   13.76/77
2/Alphatek 13.79/80
3/test-lab TL 34 13.76
4 /Farnell TM2 13.8
Just a simple test here in my radio room, Dave may call all these lame arsed, cheap meters but I think for a hobbyist the just great, plus I can't afford Fluke.

[c4757p]

For what it's worth I'd call them lame-assed (I am American ) cheap meters as well. I think I'd prefer to have half as many, twice as expensive meters for the same overall cost. Perhaps something like the EX430. I have quite a collection of multimeters - didn't pay any more than $60 each, with one exception - and with a basic test like that, none of them differ even in the least significant digit. (Well, OK, the analog ones don't have least significant digits...) I just set my power supply to roughly 13 volts, and my used Fluke 8050A that I got for $30 agreed with my brand-new BK 2712 all the way out to 13.035V.

There's a lot of ground in between "VC99" and "top-of-the-line Fluke".

[M0BSW]

For what it's worth I'd call them lame-assed (I am American ) cheap meters as well. I think I'd prefer to have half as many, twice as expensive meters for the same overall cost. Perhaps something like the EX430. I have quite a collection of multimeters - didn't pay any more than $60 each, with one exception - and with a basic test like that, none of them differ even in the least significant digit. (Well, OK, the analog ones don't have least significant digits...) I just set my power supply to roughly 13 volts, and my used Fluke 8050A that I got for $30 agreed with my brand-new BK 2712 all the way out to 13.035V.

There's a lot of ground in between "VC99" and "top-of-the-line Fluke".

I've never seen a Fluke on sale in the UK for $60 which is about £40 uk pounds or one for $30 which is around £20 uk of course we then have tax on that , so ever so sorry I'm not clearly in your league , fluke over here are any where from £150 upwards,with a limited budget and a family I have to feed,I have to go for the cheap lame arsed stuff, and do the best I can.

[M0BSW]

Why would you have ten or twenty , for something basic, you even don't need more then three meters for some really big project. Can someone tell me what is the point of all this buying a lot of extremely expensive  ?

I have no idea, I thought it was a hobby, I just did a simple test with 4 meters I have two i bought and 2 that were given to me as presents,my test were out of curosity.

[T4P]

Why would you have ten or twenty , for something basic, you even don't need more then three meters for some really big project. Can someone tell me what is the point of all this buying a lot of extremely expensive  ?

Come on ... it's fun to buy meters for "evaluation"

[Mr Smiley]

With one, your never sure, 

With two, you can be confused, 

With three, you can have a weighted average, 

With ten, well, it's a bigger average and confidence can smile 

Or you can just be addicted to collecting meters, how many of you give them a little stroke after you turn them off, go on, be honest 

 

[T4P]

Yes, but electronics and collecting  is a totally different hobby.

Collecting  IS a electronics hobby.

[c4757p]

I think you misunderstood me (my fault I'm sure, sorry for the rambling post). I meant to make two separate points: 1) Good accuracy is not as expensive as Dave's latest favorite supermeter - my 8050A as an example. 2) My personal recommendation of the $50-ish EX430. It is more expensive but you don't really need four. You could spend the same money on fewer, better meters. No need to be a pathological test gear hoarder like I am.

A third point: Everyone's needs are different. If those are good enough for you, so be it. I got by with a cheap-ass RadioShack analog meter for years. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone, though. I do a lot of work with power supplies and such now, so it's nice to have many. Most of mine aren't all that great.

[M0BSW]

With one, your never sure, 

With two, you can be confused, 

With three, you can have a weighted average, 

With ten, well, it's a bigger average and confidence can smile 

Or you can just be addicted to collecting meters, how many of you give them a little stroke after you turn them off, go on, be honest 

 

Never , well except for my Farnell TM2 Bench meter, I do have a soft spot for that one,and it was the first one I bought.

[Monkeh]

you even don't need more then three meters for some really big project.

I need to see input voltage, input current, output voltage, and output current. Rats, I guess that means I need four meters.

[Mr Smiley]

I'm sure somewhere Dave says you need at least 4, current in / out -- voltage in / out. 

Plus you need a few spares for, well because 

 

[c4757p]

I'm sure somewhere Dave says you need at least 4, current in / out -- voltage in / out. 

In a pinch one will do even for that. That's what the flying probes are for. If you need to make current measurements, you can always include a small shunt resistor in series - 1 Ohm for low currents, 0.1 for higher currents - and probe the voltage across it. (Back when I couldn't afford to have more than one, my current meter had a 2-bit ADC: 00 = it's at room temperature, 01 = it's warm, 10 = I can't touch it, 11 = I can smell it. The real measurements came out only when necessary, or when Ohm's law made them more convenient.)

Of course, I'd probably be near tears if someone came and took all but one of my meters, but still, you can do it.

[Excavatoree]

With one, your never sure, 

With two, you can be confused, 

With three, you can have a weighted average, 

With ten, well, it's a bigger average and confidence can smile 

Or you can just be addicted to collecting meters, how many of you give them a little stroke after you turn them off, go on, be honest 

 

I have no idea what you are talking about.

Why would you have ten or twenty , for something basic, you even don't need more then three meters for some really big project. Can someone tell me what is the point of all this buying a lot of extremely expensive  ?

I don't know - whats the point of any hobby, anyway?  Some people collect things that aren't useful at all, and they spend more money on them.  Most of mine were 40 dollars or less, many were 20 dollars or less.  I did pay more for a bench meter, and then there was the famous Grainger sale - I got a bit carried away. (ordered 2 of the OLED display meters.)   I paid a bit more for some re-branded Fluke meters, just a collector's items.  Hey, it makes no less sense than paying hundreds of dollars in green fees/club dues to hit a white ball at a hole or drive a car in circles.  Why do people collect coins, stamps, firearms, cars, thimbles, teacups, tennis balls or any other item?  Because it's our money and we buy what we want.

[M0BSW]

Any way getting back to why I started this thread , it just the curosity that the meters are  I suppose are all within  the tolerances and if two different people took a measurement, with two different meters they would both be convinced they were right even though they could be .002 volts apart, and I wondered how many could test the same power source before two go the same reading, and having a pie & a pint at the pub last night with a friend of mine who is a professional calibrator, at a service centre here said ,even the big brand name can vary, so I'm taking all mine down to his shop today and try them out on his test equipment, and another point he raised was that he believed that my Farnell TM2 it would take a lot to beat its accuracy,even though it's analogue, I asked about fluke, his response " Big brand name lots of money thrown at avertising the brand name , your always going to spend more even just for the name, good but not the elite".

[saturation]

Its always good to test your gear to insure you'll have faith in them.  You don't have to get a Fluke to get  accuracy, but its the toughness and years of repuation that can't be beat, so you buy once and ne'er again.  You can find this model easily on eBay for under $100.  Its a stock model but  Fluke's are built to milspec, so its ready for extremes out of the box.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-249-agilent-u1272a-multimeter-review/





http://www.fluke.com/fluke/usen/community/fluke-news-plus/ArticleCategories/Temperature/Antarctica.htm

http://www.fluke.com/fluke/usen/community/fluke-news-plus/ArticleCategories/DMMs/Fluke+in+Iraq.htm

[G7PSK]

Do Fluke give the meters to people and organizations as shown in their publicity shots in order to get the bragging rights or are the meters genuinely chosen by the end users. After all what is the cost of a few meters to Fluke when theire main market is the tens of thousands electricians in the world which is their main market. https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiliey_dmm.gif

[M0BSW]

I've often wondered are they that good or is it youv'e given me a free one so there the best ever, that happens at work a sales rep comes in and then all of a sudden it's the best products made.

[saturation]

A bit of both during the 1980s, but if the meters malfunction, it will also be bad publicity.  Fluke's reputation is so large today, they no longer give away promo meters, AFAIK. Also, the military market is very large, that it would not be possible to give them free, cost wise.  All the industrial meters are made to US military specs, so it can be purchased OTS, no special models are made for them like the early days with the 27FM.  FWIW, that shuttle DMM, the 8020 series, was also OTS, not specially made.



BTW, f you really want a good basic DMM, the 25?? or 27 FM can be eBay for typically under $50, and they are as tough as the 28II, although not officially IP rated or CAT rated.

I've personally taken Flukes on ships for weeks, exposed to salt spray, extreme heat and humidity, the usual drops and spills, and the basic 77 and 80 series hold up, and never need adjustment. 

Its a reason you see only Fluke's as a common site on USN fleet maintenance, shipboard.



FWIW, I tested an Agilent 1272a for over a year, and while its a tough competitor to the Fluke 87V, most of what's I need  is what the 87V already delivers, and the Agilent 1272a is just less ergonomic. 

Agilent is a better DMM for your money if price is the same, but when it comes to usability, the 87V wins due to its simplicity; OTAH, I've  been using it for decades, so it could also be just comfort knowing were all the controls are.

Do Fluke give the meters to people and organizations as shown in their publicity shots in order to get the bragging rights or are the meters genuinely chosen by the end users. After all what is the cost of a few meters to Fluke when theire main market is the tens of thousands electricians in the world which is their main market. https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiliey_dmm.gif

[M0BSW]

I must say I could be tempted by the FM27, that looks quality, I'll be scouring E-Bay

[M0BSW]

Just saw a couple on E-Bay £260.00 uk approw $350, and one for £160 $approx $200.      $50 I wish

[grenert]

Just saw a couple on E-Bay £260.00 uk approw $350, and one for £160 $approx $200.      $50 I wish

Here's one from a seller who will ship to UK for $20.  The last one he had sold for $56.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FLUKE-27FM-DIGITAL-MULTIMETER-/321037106295?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4abf4d7c77

So about $76 shipped 

[M0BSW]

That interesting thank you

[Mr Smiley]

I can vouch for that guy 

I got one a few months ago, total including shipping and CUSTOMS:(  to UK was £50.

It was absolutely mint, there built like bricks and you really could build a house with them.

The packaging was excellent 

He puts one up every month, he must have loads of them, so if you don't get one, keep going back and one will appear, not always in a general search, but keep checking his for sale items ( ps keep below £20 and you'll eventually get one )

And there the true rms version

Mr Smiley 

[M0BSW]

Thank you I'll put him as a favourite seller then I can go back , you gave me some good advice there, thank you again
Paul

[Simon]

Yes, but electronics and collecting  is a totally different hobby.

and you an expert i guess !

[Simon]

Do Fluke give the meters to people and organizations as shown in their publicity shots in order to get the bragging rights or are the meters genuinely chosen by the end users. After all what is the cost of a few meters to Fluke when theire main market is the tens of thousands electricians in the world which is their main market. https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/smiliey_dmm.gif

I remember getting an email from Rapid to tell me that the BBC was using one of their meters in a documentary, All it amounted to was a few second demonstration that needed a basic voltage readout or something, nothing special, they clearly just grabbed any meter going for the job but rapid tried to make out that their re-branded Chinese crap had been specifically chosen..........
Most PR excesizes and company promotions are so pathetic

[syncytial]

Here's one from a seller who will ship to UK for $20.  The last one he had sold for $56.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/FLUKE-27FM-DIGITAL-MULTIMETER-/321037106295?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4abf4d7c77

So about $76 shipped 

Yes, it went for $56.00, to me. The ex-military 27/FM is a good solid old-school True RMS meter. I have two, and as is typical with Flukes, if they haven't been abused, they'll easily meet spec 20+ years later. Both of mine are essentially spot-on based on comparison with the rest of my Fluke fleet and my simple references.

Since these are ex-military, physical condition varies. Both of mine are "well-used". Some may be "as-new".

Remember that the yellow 27, including the ones with 27/FM on a label on the back, are NOT True RMS, though they are more recent production and there are substantial circuit differences in the generations.

These meters were packaged in a case with an RF probe and a 6KV HV probe. Often sellers will split them and sell individual bits.

I was toying with bidding on his current offerings - a 27/FM (above) and a 27 ($70.00) but I may hold off given that M0BSW is interested. I've got too many Flukes already.

The seller is a good bloke. He's reasonable and willing to accommodate oddball requests.


-  Syncytial.

P.S.  -  Occasionally, an unusual variant will show up and be largely ignored. That's how I got a Fluke/Philips F87M "Circuit Tester" for $28.75. It's a Fluke 87.     A spot of cleaning and it meets spec handily.   (eBay item 160899425010)

[retiredcaps]

P.S.  -  Occasionally, an unusual variant will show up and be largely ignored. That's how I got a Fluke/Philips F87M "Circuit Tester" for $28.75. It's a Fluke 87.     A spot of cleaning and it meets spec handily.   (eBay item 160899425010)

I remember seeing that auction and thinking someone got themselves a good deal.

[ptricks]

Digital meters and the tech involved have improved enough that for most work you don't need to spend a lot of money. Even the very cheap $10 meters now are accurate enough for most. Reading 4.95 for 5V will be okay for most people.  A lot of the meters have single chip solutions which make it hard to not have an okay meter. The biggest issue with cheap meters is safety and durability.

[M0BSW]

Digital meters and the tech involved have improved enough that for most work you don't need to spend a lot of money. Even the very cheap $10 meters now are accurate enough for most. Reading 4.95 for 5V will be okay for most people.  A lot of the meters have single chip solutions which make it hard to not have an okay meter. The biggest issue with cheap meters is safety and durability.

Having watch the review Dave gave on the under $50 meter, and as he gave the Vichy V99 a panning , that was enough for me to buy one, mine is a rebranded one of the same meter mine is Aide Tek VC99+, got it home and on my calibrated power supply it was spot on,then I put it on the DMM checker , every test a winner. so today I took ,my power standard to the service /calibration centre  for calibration & asked them if they would test the VC99+, guess what it passed everything, including NO over shoot on voltage, they said it was even a higher spec that the manual stated, they asked me how much it cost £23.50p UK, which floored them.Then we watch Dave's review, where the vichy VC 99, went through all Dave's test seemed to come out OK, unlike the branded ones  who's case split open, which he passed over  a bit quickly, branded meter over shot the power every time where the Vichy kept on going, he also mention the bar graph similar to flukes which he dismissed quickly to as a gimmick,sorry mine is acurate ,sorry to disapoint as is the whole meter, with is calibration sticker, certificate. what bothers me is why pan a meter that is acurate and cheap for the hobbyist, when the branded ones were crap. I'm pleased that I bought this meter, really good for a hobbyist, shame some hobbyist were probably put off by the review. mine hadn't been tampered or opened, from China to my home to calibration centre. I'll will continue to watch the reviews with a large pinch of salt, and if something is disliked i'll take a closer look as it has every chance of been OK, Service centre wonder by the style and seemly hate of unbranded meters, was he a Fluke/Ampro employed, as on the drop test he looked dissapointed that it survived, and maintained the branded ones were a good buy , "I don't think so" Rant OVER

[Simon]

I think maybe VC99 is a name given to many incarnations of that meter, mine was awful, maybe they realized that they had change or ditch it. I'd never buy one after my experience particularly if I can buy something like the AM220 that costs the same but is more reliable.

[saturation]

.. or it could be their quality control.  As ptricks mentions, safety and durability are more a concern than accuracy as even a $3 cheapo in the US can measure easily to 1% and stay there, when relatively new. 

But a bigger concern is safety.  IIRC VC99 is a CAT II 1000V DMM and has the measuring capability to do so, but it not certified by anyone for safety to do so, other than CE.

The safety regulations say a DMM should be able to measure at its highest ranges safely.  Looking at the stock photos on google and scanning Dave's old video, the VC99 has glass fuses inside?  Also the chassis is at least pseudo-double insulated but not like a Fluke 17b, which has a true double hull like nearly all modern Fluke DMMs.  So, just by visual appearance, if not fuses alone, its raises serious CAT II safety concerns.

I think maybe VC99 is a name given to many incarnations of that meter, mine was awful, maybe they realized that they had change or ditch it. I'd never buy one after my experience particularly if I can buy something like the AM220 that costs the same but is more reliable.

[M0BSW]

I think maybe VC99 is a name given to many incarnations of that meter, mine was awful, maybe they realized that they had change or ditch it. I'd never buy one after my experience particularly if I can buy something like the AM220 that costs the same but is more reliable.

Hi simone I can only go on what I see infront of me and the Calibration sheet in front of me, and maybe Aide Tek calling it VC99+ they may have made some changes, although it looks the same as the reviewed one, it seems to end there. anyway time will tell I'm sure,I don't really have any preference to meters brands. I've got to say I like this one. I have at the moment got a interest in a fluke 27 FM, which I think is a reasonable meter although there old , which doesn't bother me

[Lightages]

I don't think anyone is disputing that a VC99 can be accurate. The question is for how long? Is it reliable enough to be trusted a year from now when you pick it up to do a critical measurement? Will it die an early death if connected incorrectly to a high voltage or high energy circuit? Will it cause you harm if it fails at this point in a dramatic way?

Read these:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/a-list-of-multimeters-that-do-not-appear-to-meet-their-claimed-safety-specs/

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/cat-ratings-and-interpretation/

This will give you an idea why people are not generally happy to recommend a VC99. There are many multimeters ranging from the bombs waiting to off in your hand to those that are built to keep running even if you connected them the wrong way to the wires coming from a distribution transformer on the pole outside.

So you can pick up a VC99, and because of oxidized selector switch it may show that you live circuit is actually dead and you might have some unforeseen consequences when working with the unknown live circuit. Maybe you are trimming the cutoff voltage of a lithium battery charger and again because of a bad reading you now have a battery waiting to explode or start a fire. Maybe you have you VC99 set to read voltage and you don't notice that the leads are actually on the high amp measurement connection and the meter arcs over inside and you have a nasty burn or worse yet a piece of plastic gets launched into your eye.

You don't think this can happen? Just ask anyone who has been making measurements all their adult life and ask anyone of them if they have ever connected a meter incorrectly. I am sure many would be able to say that they have had some small explosions go off inside their meters. I have met many electricians with burns on the fingers, and some with skin grafts on their faces. It is not a joke. Just because there are thousands of people who have "gotten away with it" does not negate that many have not.

So the end point of all of this is that you need to be familiar with what can happen, how your equipment behaves and how likely is it to behave correctly when used correctly or not.

[M0BSW]

That's very interesting , all my electronics is low powered usually 6~12 volts very low amps, so would this be ok, I generally repair  battery powered transistor radio or I build receivers filters for my ham radio nothing with huge power, my HV linear amps are repaired/serviced by pro's, so in my world do you think this VC99+ would survived.

[T4P]

I blew up a VC99 from mains in current mode up in my hands before (simply because somebody dared me to) Significantly burnt my fingers there (first-degree burn) but luckily i recovered in a week
Once it happens to you, you start to hate glass fuses and crap meters ALOT that's why i knock the UT70 + 71 as well as the VC86 so much

[Lightages]

so in my world do you think this VC99+ would survived.

Maybe you are trimming the cutoff voltage of a lithium battery charger and again because of a bad reading you now have a battery waiting to explode or start a fire.

[Monkeh]

I blew up a VC99 from mains in current mode up in my hands before (simply because somebody dared me to) Significantly burnt my fingers there (first-degree burn) but luckily i recovered in a week

I'm sure they knew you were a dumbass beforehand, you didn't have to prove it.

[Simon]

I think maybe VC99 is a name given to many incarnations of that meter, mine was awful, maybe they realized that they had change or ditch it. I'd never buy one after my experience particularly if I can buy something like the AM220 that costs the same but is more reliable.

Hi simone I can only go on what I see infront of me and the Calibration sheet in front of me, and maybe Aide Tek calling it VC99+ they may have made some changes, although it looks the same as the reviewed one, it seems to end there. anyway time will tell I'm sure,I don't really have any preference to meters brands. I've got to say I like this one. I have at the moment got a interest in a fluke 27 FM, which I think is a reasonable meter although there old , which doesn't bother me

I bet your testing house never tried dropping it. A light drop of mine and it never worked the same again

[Simon]

I blew up a VC99 from mains in current mode up in my hands before (simply because somebody dared me to) Significantly burnt my fingers there (first-degree burn) but luckily i recovered in a week

I'm sure they knew you were a dumbass beforehand, you didn't have to prove it.

Ditto

[M0BSW]

I think maybe VC99 is a name given to many incarnations of that meter, mine was awful, maybe they realized that they had change or ditch it. I'd never buy one after my experience particularly if I can buy something like the AM220 that costs the same but is more reliable.

Hi simone I can only go on what I see infront of me and the Calibration sheet in front of me, and maybe Aide Tek calling it VC99+ they may have made some changes, although it looks the same as the reviewed one, it seems to end there. anyway time will tell I'm sure,I don't really have any preference to meters brands. I've got to say I like this one. I have at the moment got a interest in a fluke 27 FM, which I think is a reasonable meter although there old , which doesn't bother me

I bet your testing house never tried dropping it. A light drop of mine and it never worked the same again

No they didn't that's no way to treat a meter is it, really you are bad boy lol

[Simon]

Well I didn't intend to and any meter should take one drop from 2 ft 

[Monkeh]

Well I didn't intend to and any meter should take one drop from 2 ft 

Please don't try that with my Avo.

[M0BSW]

Well I didn't intend to and any meter should take one drop from 2 ft 

Please don't try that with my Avo.

I've recently just bought an AVO, what a beautiful piece of equipment it is, I don't have to use it ,I can just look at it   .

[T4P]

I blew up a VC99 from mains in current mode up in my hands before (simply because somebody dared me to) Significantly burnt my fingers there (first-degree burn) but luckily i recovered in a week

I'm sure they knew you were a dumbass beforehand, you didn't have to prove it.

Dumbass? I don't do such things. I just had to prove to stupid graduates that a cheap meter of such = dangerous, I undertake safety somewhat but i do advocate the UT61E as the one which is much safer by a far shot at 50$, unlike the greek dude on other forum who thinks you must have a 300$ meter to do anything

[M0BSW]

 I know there cheap but for my interest which is from 3volts to 12 volts in amateur radio,and for testing transistor radio's there fine I don't poke around in the mains, don't have any high amp stuff, so guess it will work well for me, I have other meters, should I want to venture on the wild side, very unlikey I enjoy living 

[Monkeh]

I blew up a VC99 from mains in current mode up in my hands before (simply because somebody dared me to) Significantly burnt my fingers there (first-degree burn) but luckily i recovered in a week

I'm sure they knew you were a dumbass beforehand, you didn't have to prove it.

Dumbass? I don't do such things.

But you did do it. Stop trying to wriggle out of it.

[Achilles]

I blew up a VC99 from mains in current mode up in my hands before (simply because somebody dared me to) Significantly burnt my fingers there (first-degree burn) but luckily i recovered in a week

I'm sure they knew you were a dumbass beforehand, you didn't have to prove it.

Dumbass? I don't do such things. I just had to prove to stupid graduates that a cheap meter of such = dangerous, I undertake safety somewhat but i do advocate the UT61E as the one which is much safer by a far shot at 50$, unlike the greek dude on other forum who thinks you must have a 300$ meter to do anything

well...honestly T4P. If you would have just plugged it in standing on the ground, it would have been impressive enough I guess. You didn't need to burn your hands....even if it's just a minor burn (maybe you just had luck).

You could do your own safety tests I guess. Please inform us before which model you intend to misuse... if we don't hear anything in a while from you  we know which models to stay away from :-D.

[PA4TIM]

I blew up a VC meter too. A 200 euro scopemeter.  In the voltage range. I was glad I did not had it in my hand. I measured a powersupply that should give around 600 to 700 VDC but it turned out the tranformer value was given per tap, and not for the whole. So it was over 1000V. That killed the meter in a flash. Not only the voltrange but also voltage regulators, display and driver, opamps in the resistance range, ect.

This was my last cheap brand meter. I allready had two Flukes ( a 20 year old 77-III that is still spot on, a 25 yearscold 8022 ( always forget the number but that ugly beige thing with knobs at the side)
And they survived all stupid mistakes I made. I wanted a modern fast hand multimeter too, so i bought a Agilent 1252U . But I was in doubt between Agilent and Fluke. Agilent won because the functions I wanted. I am still happy with it but I still have a little voice in the back of my head nagging to me why not the Fluke  ( i have a lotvof other Fluke stuff too, like 332, 720,750,760,535,532, 8050, 8000, 845ect)

( one other reason was the stinking support department. I needed parts for a Fluke 720. I asked then three times, no answer. Then I mailed them some questions , because I was in doubt between a Fluke and a Agilent (1252U), and again only an automated mail replay, the question is received by the support department and I will get an answer soon. So i do not like Fluke, to bad their meters are so good.

[saturation]

Some years ago I was repairing an adjustable high voltage SMPS with erratic output.  My Fluke was showing wild numbers, bobbing from 0V to 200V, and the bar graph constantly jumping.  It was set at 0 volts output, so what was wrong?

I take my cheapo Velleman scope, put it on roll mode to catch a minute worth of output.  Every now and then, a spike of 800-900VDC would appear from a baseline -400VDC offset, of only ms duration, I posted this photo in the archives to show what this cheap scope can do.  I could have done it with the Fluke in peak mode, but not sure it would capture the transient, or the nature of it, so the scope was more helpful. 

One can't assume high voltages aren't there.  After all, the DUT was damaged, and being repaired, anything goes, and it was also a PSU.  Its mains powered, so its a CAT 1 device which is suitable for the scope. So its always best that the  measuring device protect you as thoroughly as it can, even if its CAT 1.

[T4P]

well...honestly T4P. If you would have just plugged it in standing on the ground, it would have been impressive enough I guess. You didn't need to burn your hands....even if it's just a minor burn (maybe you just had luck).

You could do your own safety tests I guess. Please inform us before which model you intend to misuse... if we don't hear anything in a while from you  we know which models to stay away from :-D.

You know what i have up in line, I have to test the UT61E but i'm not afraid of that one, it would definitely blow the fuse in current and nothing else will happen on the mains.
Guess i should look for a equally crap victor DMM (VC97, but not the VC99 looking like one, that one's been discontinued for a long time) and misuse it

I blew up a VC meter too. A 200 euro scopemeter.

Did they have a 200 euro scopemeter? 

[Wytnucls]

You know what i have up in line, I have to test the UT61E but i'm not afraid of that one, it would definitely blow the fuse in current and nothing else will happen on the mains.
Guess i should look for a equally crap victor DMM (VC97, but not the VC99 looking like one, that one's been discontinued for a long time) and misuse it

You're such a brave man, taking so much risk in the name of science. Benjamin Franklin would be proud of you.

[PA4TIM]

Maybe there is a mix up, over here VC is VoltCraft, a brand Conrad uses. They have  meters from  6 to 360 euro. The scopemeter was a 1 MHz version and that was about 7 years ago, before the chinese toyscopes became afortable. But it seems you are talking about Victor.

[Achilles]

Maybe there is a mix up, over here VC is VoltCraft, a brand Conrad uses. They have  meters from  6 to 360 euro. The scopemeter was a 1 MHz version and that was about 7 years ago, before the chinese toyscopes became afortable. But it seems you are talking about Victor.

Probably a mixup..... Well, I do have a pretty old Voltcraft which I purchased at the end of 1990's. Not that bad and served my quite well in school. They normally label their stuff. As far as I remeber, a lot of the Voltcraft meters were Metex models at that time.

http://www.tequipment.net/MetexOscilloscopes.html

I think the Victor stuff can only be bought online (ebay and so on).....

I am curious how often T4P will burn his hands in the next months. Still don't get it why he had to hold the meter which will probably blow in his hands, but ok......his choice......Maybe wear welding gloves, buddy?!

[T4P]

It was worse actually, i was wearing my thickest welding gloves i had 
Just wanted to show it to them, i am a bit eccentric at times so yeah 

[M0BSW]

I see vichy also do a bench multimeter, on E-Bay, now youve all managed to put the wind up me , I stopped looking at them, and my Vc99+ is only for low voltage, see what youv'e done, I'm scared of it now

[T4P]

I'm not scared of the bench multimeter but anyway it's somewhere in singapore already

I see vichy also do a bench multimeter, on E-Bay, now youve all managed to put the wind up me , I stopped looking at them, and my Vc99+ is only for low voltage, see what youv'e done, I'm scared of it now

Don't worry Paul, it's okay for LVDC when it comes to electronics

[Achilles]

It was worse actually, i was wearing my thickest welding gloves i had 
Just wanted to show it to them, i am a bit eccentric at times so yeah 

wooow.....ok.......that would have been a serious injury for somebody careless who makes that mistake........ probably without any gloves....just quickly measure how many current is on the mains socket .........ouch, don't want to think about that


M0BSW: well.....there's no problem. Just don't use it in high energy circuits .....for electronics, I don't think you'd be handling more than maybe 20V and 1A.......if you're playing with some amplifier or so. You'll probably stay much lower.......
So, if you have it,....use it and it's fine. Maybe not that accurate, but who cares ....

[M0BSW]

It was worse actually, i was wearing my thickest welding gloves i had 
Just wanted to show it to them, i am a bit eccentric at times so yeah 

wooow.....ok.......that would have been a serious injury for somebody careless who makes that mistake........ probably without any gloves....just quickly measure how many current is on the mains socket .........ouch, don't want to think about that


M0BSW: well.....there's no problem. Just don't use it in high energy circuits .....for electronics, I don't think you'd be handling more than maybe 20V and 1A.......if you're playing with some amplifier or so. You'll probably stay much lower.......
So, if you have it,....use it and it's fine. Maybe not that accurate, but who cares ....

Oh it's acurate alright, I let the calibration centre play with it when they did my power standard for calibration, and have got a certificate for it . I use it for my amateur radio projects, I currently working on a audio EQ for my amateur radio transceiver, so it's all low voltage maybe a max of 1 amp, dont do the high power electronics, I have the transceivers and linear amp service at Kenwood UK.