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FLUKE soft cases & Parts ...

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Kiriakos-GR:
1) Does those  Fluke soft cases worth the cash  ?

I am looking one for the 87V (5)  ..

Looks that some Fluke cases , works for many models ..

Do you have any experience or favor , any specific bag model ?



2) In order to use my own K type external probe , on the Fluke 87V .
Looks that there is one dual banana adapter...
Found it to be priced at extremely crazy prices ...
Found an equal , from China , just for few $$$  ( 4 EUR ) and got it ..



I think that I acted smart ...   If you have different opinion .. speak freely ..  :)
  
 

alm:
I own Fluke C12A and C125 soft cases. I got the C12A in a set with a 112 DMM and some other stuff. It's a little bit tight for the 112, I wouldn't have bought it myself. I got the C125 used for €17.50, I think it's worth the price. It's mainly designed for Scopemeters, so it's a bit large for my 189, but I do like the large pouch on the front for test leads and accessories. A separate, zippered pouch for accessories would be an important feature for me, otherwise I'd lose those use little accessories like crocodile clips.

The quality is fine, but I didn't abuse them either. If you're buying retail, there are probably plenty other cases for half that price that work just as well, without the Fluke logo. I'd look in the direction of portable electronics cases (eg. external hard drive cases), these often have space for cables and accessories. The Fluke logo probably does make it more vulnerable to theft.

I don't see why a thermocouple plug adapter should cost €30 or so either, I bought the original for about €10 on Ebay. A generic one could work just as well, if designed properly. The issue with thermocouples is that every junction between two metals forms a thermocouple, and adds to the error. A combination like nickel-copper-nickel should have a net voltage of zero, as long as both junctions have the same temperature. The OEM one does probably have something other than nickel-plated copper for the contacts, and probably a low thermal resistance between the parts to minimize temperature gradients. No clue about the cheap clones, but it wouldn't surprise me if it was built with standard banana plugs. The accuracy of the thermometer in most DMM's isn't that good (even in expensive meters), so this effect might not be large enough to make a difference. If you're mainly doing relative measurements and the temperature of the meter is fairly constant, it probably won't matter.

For typical electronics use, I usually just want to know if the temperature is increasing (didn't reach an equilibrium yet), and if it's close to the max. It's not like I'd run semiconductors with a max. operating temp of 125C at 124C, so a few degrees offset is insignificant.

Kiriakos-GR:
Hello alm ..

I was looking for the C90 and the C50 .
The C90 its like " store it when not in use"  
The C50 its what I call as " flip flap"  , like an open book .

Both are impractical , as you have always to pay attention , on the instrument and the soft case,
so to not loosing it .
But the C50 looks less " impractical "  it has some inner belt , that keeps the meter in place.

I will use it mostly in my shop , on my bench , still my needs are to be covered ,
with something , that will protect the display mostly , from little accidents ,
like accidental small impacts , and dust .  

An mixed case design, with  having at front, a clear soft nylon , with openings for the selector and plugs , and as rear cover ,  black padded material , would be the one that I would buy , no matter the cost.

I agree , the yellow Fluke logo , its an eye catcher  ;D   and  it can become an target for stealing.

So far , only the flip-flap  C50 looks to come close , but not enough , in what I am seeking.
If I do not find anything better , I will probably get it.

Soft cases from other brands ... Yes  if I found what I am looking for , why not .

And about the K probe ,  I totally agree that K Probes are good enough for generic use .
So, there is no reason to worry about the highest accuracy .

The Fluke K probe , looks alike with any K probe that costs no more than 3$ .
Just a wire with a round end .

I was not aware if the Fluke plug ( dual bananas ) haves anything in it , other than the plug it self ,
like a hidden component.

If not ... its a straight forward task , to add any K probe to it .    

    
    

Simon:
are those temperature probes for use with a specific meter/setting or are they general purpose that turn say a volts DC range into a thermometer ?

I have the VC99 meter but the temp sensinf has an error of +5 C ! hopefully it is a consistent error

Kiriakos-GR:
I like to believe that is an industry standard , and probably very very old ... ( K type Thermocouple )  

My basic multimeter even at 1992 that I got it , has an build in temperature sensor, and in the box was the external K type one too .

As you can see in picture ... I can have knowledge of what happens , just by comparing the inner with the external sensor .
http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/2895/probetest.jpg

When ever my Fluke arrives, I will do similar test .
When ever my adapter arrives , I will check it with both meters .    

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