HP 3478A $40 BIN USA

[Jwalling]

Crap. So I guess the battery has already gone flat. Are you able to do a proper cal?

[GreyWoolfe]

Crap. So I guess the battery has already gone flat. Are you able to do a proper cal?

 
Unfortunately, I do not.  There is a company, express test, on eBay that will do a calibration for $75 plus shipping.  After I replace the battery and any caps that might need replacing, I will probably save some coin and get it done so I have at least 1 accurate meter.

[Jwalling]

Crap. So I guess the battery has already gone flat. Are you able to do a proper cal?

 
Unfortunately, I do not.  There is a company, express test, on eBay that will do a calibration for $75 plus shipping.  After I replace the battery and any caps that might need replacing, I will probably save some coin and get it done so I have at least 1 accurate meter.

That sucks, more than the meter costs. I wish you had had a better outcome, sorry.
Might want to check TMI and get a quote from them:
https://www.tmicalibration.com/services/calibration/

They're in FL so it may save you some on shipping... They're in Palm Harbor, is that close enough to drop it off?

[GreyWoolfe]

Crap. So I guess the battery has already gone flat. Are you able to do a proper cal?

 
Unfortunately, I do not.  There is a company, express test, on eBay that will do a calibration for $75 plus shipping.  After I replace the battery and any caps that might need replacing, I will probably save some coin and get it done so I have at least 1 accurate meter.

That sucks, more than the meter costs. I wish you had had a better outcome, sorry.
Might want to check TMI and get a quote from them:
https://www.tmicalibration.com/services/calibration/

They're in FL so it may save you some on shipping... They're in Palm Harbor, is that close enough to drop it off?

No, they aren't.  They are on the other side of the state, a couple of hours drive.  One thing at a time, I will get the battery replaced first.

[Jwalling]

You want to send it back to the seller?
They should have disclosed that it powers up with "uncalibrated" 

[xrunner]

You want to send it back to the seller?
They should have disclosed that it powers up with "uncalibrated" 

Absolutely. If it's "used" it is expected to work as a new one, but that it's just already used. Send it back for a refund.

[GreyWoolfe]

You want to send it back to the seller?
They should have disclosed that it powers up with "uncalibrated" 

Absolutely. If it's "used" it is expected to work as a new one, but that it's just already used. Send it back for a refund.

Sending it back is probably for the best.  It was not represented properly and at the end of the day, I do not have the extra money to spend on calibration. Jay, which one of us needs to initiate the return?  You bought it but had it sent to me.  Who knows, maybe the seller will refund the $40 and say keep the meter.

[xrunner]

Who knows, maybe the seller will refund the $40 and say keep the meter.

It's too bad about the meter GreyWoolfe, but yes in many cases I've had the seller will just say keep it. I've had that happen for items up to about $10, might happen in this case.

[bitseeker]

Since it was purchased by Jay, the return has to be initiated from his account, AFAIK. If they want the item back, they'll send him a return label (usually via eBay), which he can then email to you (print to PDF), and you can print and affix to the package to send the item back. Some vendors don't want the added expense of return shipping and might opt to forgo the return and simply issue a refund (Amazon often does that, too, on inexpensive items).

[GreyWoolfe]

Who knows, maybe the seller will refund the $40 and say keep the meter.

It's too bad about the meter GreyWoolfe, but yes in many cases I've had the seller will just say keep it. I've had that happen for items up to about $10, might happen in this case.

If I can get the $40 back and keep the meter, that money can go into the cookie jar toward getting the meter calibrated.  If I get to keep it, I may ask in the voltnuttery section if someone could do a basic cal for fewer shekels than a NIST calibration.  I certainly don't need that level.  If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out.  Let's see if Jay can work some magic on a misrepresented meter.

[xrunner]

If I can get the $40 back and keep the meter, that money can go into the cookie jar toward getting the meter calibrated.  If I get to keep it, I may ask in the voltnuttery section if someone could do a basic cal for fewer shekels than a NIST calibration.  I certainly don't need that level.  If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out.  Let's see if Jay can work some magic on a misrepresented meter.

Well as you are probably aware, you can get into the cal procedure easily enough per the service maual. If you keep it and replace the battery, go ahead and play with the cal. You can get some modes calibrated well enough by referencing it to your best meter for the time being. You can probably get quite a few useful parameters calibrated good enough to use, until you decide who to send it to. 

[SirAlucard]

Here is one on auction in Vancouver, BC, Canada, right now $1!

https://maxsold.maxsold.com/auction/12204/item/multimeter-and-function-generator-a-1114465/

Yea but look how crusty that looks compared to how nice the one he received looks.

Who knows, maybe the seller will refund the $40 and say keep the meter.

It's too bad about the meter GreyWoolfe, but yes in many cases I've had the seller will just say keep it. I've had that happen for items up to about $10, might happen in this case.

If I can get the $40 back and keep the meter, that money can go into the cookie jar toward getting the meter calibrated.  If I get to keep it, I may ask in the voltnuttery section if someone could do a basic cal for fewer shekels than a NIST calibration.  I certainly don't need that level.  If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out.  Let's see if Jay can work some magic on a misrepresented meter.

Also I see no reason to return the meter, sure its not calibrated, but at that price even a self calibration is worth it. Eventually when I get a proper bench meter I pretty much expect it to not be correctly calibrated (cause I'll likely end up finding a cheap one that hasn't been used in a while). Where on the east side of FL are you? I myself am in Palm Beach County.

[coromonadalix]

Here is one on auction in Vancouver, BC, Canada, right now $1!

https://maxsold.maxsold.com/auction/12204/item/multimeter-and-function-generator-a-1114465/

Pick up only  lolll 

[Jwalling]

You want to send it back to the seller?
They should have disclosed that it powers up with "uncalibrated" 

Absolutely. If it's "used" it is expected to work as a new one, but that it's just already used. Send it back for a refund.

Sending it back is probably for the best.  It was not represented properly and at the end of the day, I do not have the extra money to spend on calibration. Jay, which one of us needs to initiate the return?  You bought it but had it sent to me.  Who knows, maybe the seller will refund the $40 and say keep the meter.

I'll initiate the return. I'll let you know when I hear something.
Sorry about this... If there had been a picture with the meter showing "uncalibrated" I wouldn't have started this thread.

[GreyWoolfe]

You want to send it back to the seller?
They should have disclosed that it powers up with "uncalibrated" 

Absolutely. If it's "used" it is expected to work as a new one, but that it's just already used. Send it back for a refund.

Sending it back is probably for the best.  It was not represented properly and at the end of the day, I do not have the extra money to spend on calibration. Jay, which one of us needs to initiate the return?  You bought it but had it sent to me.  Who knows, maybe the seller will refund the $40 and say keep the meter.

I'll initiate the return. I'll let you know when I hear something.
Sorry about this... If there had been a picture with the meter showing "uncalibrated" I wouldn't have started this thread.

Jay, no need for you to apologize, this is on the seller, not you.  I'm glad that I hadn't thrown away the box yet.  Let's see what the seller will do.

[GreyWoolfe]

Here is an update.  Jay, don't worry about the return.  I just received a notice from someone who is blessing me with a DMM Check + with enclosure.  I'm sure that I can do a good enough calibration with it to get rid of the uncalibrated message.   I just need to get the battery and replace it.

If the seller is willing to do a refund without shipping the meter back for the misrepresentation, that's fine.  If he wants the meter back, let him know that I will keep it and cancel the refund.

Where on the east side of FL are you? I myself am in Palm Beach County.

Volusia County.

[Macbeth]

$40? No good deed goes unpunished.

[BradC]

Here is an update.  Jay, don't worry about the return.  I just received a notice from someone who is blessing me with a DMM Check + with enclosure.  I'm sure that I can do a good enough calibration with it to get rid of the uncalibrated message.   I just need to get the battery and replace it.

Sorry to burst your bubble but I'd be surprised if you could usefully calibrate any range on that meter with a DMM Check. The 3478a needs to calibrated at the top of each range to get close to any form of accuracy. In some cases it is required to even get it to attempt the calibration.

You could dump a config into it from someone else's meter. That would make the uncalibrated message go away and it'd probably be just as accurate (ie not at all).

It really does require a calibrator of some kind with the right voltages and resistances to get it vaguely within spec.

[Jwalling]

Here is an update.  Jay, don't worry about the return.  I just received a notice from someone who is blessing me with a DMM Check + with enclosure.  I'm sure that I can do a good enough calibration with it to get rid of the uncalibrated message.   I just need to get the battery and replace it.

Sorry to burst your bubble but I'd be surprised if you could usefully calibrate any range on that meter with a DMM Check. The 3478a needs to calibrated at the top of each range to get close to any form of accuracy. In some cases it is required to even get it to attempt the calibration.

You could dump a config into it from someone else's meter. That would make the uncalibrated message go away and it'd probably be just as accurate (ie not at all).

It really does require a calibrator of some kind with the right voltages and resistances to get it vaguely within spec.

I agree with Brad. I've calibrated a few a number of years ago, and I have a EDC 521 and a Fluke 5200A (which is getting a bit flaky). For the R I used a decade box and a Keithley 2015 for accurate readings.
I don't think you'll be able to get into the ranges that the meter needs. Have a look at the service manual for the calibration process.

If I were you, I'd bite the bullet and have it calibrated right, or send it back. Please let me know...

[bitseeker]

Here is an update.  Jay, don't worry about the return.  I just received a notice from someone who is blessing me with a DMM Check + with enclosure.  I'm sure that I can do a good enough calibration with it to get rid of the uncalibrated message.   I just need to get the battery and replace it.

Unfortunately, that won't be enough to fully calibrate the DMM. It's OK for doing a sanity check of a few values to know that a meter isn't completely out of whack. At most, you might be able to calibrate a minority of ranges with it, but it'll be at less than the meter's full resolution (it'd be OK for a 3.5- or 4.5-digit DMM).

Unless you already have a DMM that's an order of magnitude better than this 3478A or has recently been calibrated, I'd recommend either (1) get it properly calibrated to become your lab "reference" meter or (2) return it.

If you do get it calibrated, most lab-grade DMMs will be stable enough that you won't have to calibrate it again for years, depending on conditions and your particular requirements.

[coromonadalix]

For 40$   i would gladly pay 75$ to get it calibrated, if the meter is clean, not damaged on the electronics, not tampered  etc ... and need only a new battery   

Go for it


Even other 3478A on Ebay who sell higher priced, you don't have any certitude it will 100% on specs ?? even if they write working in the description ...

[bitseeker]

Yes, $115 for a calibrated 3478A with certificate is still a great deal.

[Old Printer]

As a sometimes buyer of very inexpensive ebay deals I have a question. After putting in the battery, would you be likely to know if there are any other faults that would make calibration impossible without repair? If you send it off to the cal lab and they tell you this is the case after getting into it, are you still liable for the $75 fee? I am curious if this is a situation where you just keep getting in deeper dollar wise and still wind up without a working meter. Thanks, your neighbor to the south

[coromonadalix]

Maybe ask Lmester for the software, it read and write calibration

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/free-hp3478a-multimeter-control-program/

If we could take an backup of an already calibrated 3478a  and push it to yours,  you could do some checks if it seem working on all ranges, sure you would have some values discrepancies but it should make it work, and clear the uncalibrated warning

[coromonadalix]

As a sometimes buyer of very inexpensive ebay deals I have a question. After putting in the battery, would you be likely to know if there are any other faults that would make calibration impossible without repair? If you send it off to the cal lab and they tell you this is the case after getting into it, are you still liable for the $75 fee? I am curious if this is a situation where you just keep getting in deeper dollar wise and still wind up without a working meter. Thanks, your neighbor to the south

I have an Fluke calibration facility near me, they will charge minimum 75$ cad, the price will depend of the type of meter scope etc etc ...

They will try to calibrate the meter,  if they cant do an full calibration, they will put an NFC (not fully calibrated) with an tracking sticker on it. You'll know what doesn't work with the report ... 

But you wont get an refund since they will work on it ...