Just got my "new" multimeter ... the family become larger ..

[alm]

NMRR (rejection of mains interference on top of a DC signal in DC/ohms mode).

So in simple Greek     I have one small downsize (effect)  only at True-RMS measurements on DC.
Sounds as no Biggy  

It will be more susceptible to 50Hz interference in DC/ohms mode, not that a big deal, I agree. You can work around it by shielding or adding a low-pass filter if it's a problem.

I tried to locate the 2300 kHz crystal locally with No luck ..  so far ..
If some one haves one , just contact me by PM ..  

Some crystal manufacturers will do one-offs, but you will need to know the specs (eg. load capacitance, resonance mode), and the price will probably be close to the price of the meter.

[Kiriakos-GR]

Well I have found the crystal on ebay ... in lots of 10  and cheaply , but I am not aware of it capacitance.

If the 8050A, that is on the way, has an similar issue  (that I do not believe that it will had )..
I will be forced to call Fluke and sort it out .

Still, speaking about accuracy of design about crystals , Fluke looks to have an deferent point of view !!
And I am a bit  skeptic here ,  just look that design ... total difference in quality and size ..

The large ones looks to was made in US , the small one it has other parents 100% ..

8012A-01  VS the same board called as 8010A ..

  

[Kiriakos-GR]

- I already referred this to my friend.

Regards

Mitchell

Hello Mitchell , is it a secret your reference ?   
about ?? 

[Kiriakos-GR]

Another Party time, at the Greek camp ..    

The 8050A  arrived , tested and all , its another  good to go rocket ..  

Yes the Mains compatibility confirmed again ..  
I have just to change  one wire ..

( The extra LCD display arrived too ..8012A)

So there is allot work , for me this afternoon ..

Yes I am ultra happy, thank you !!  

[Kiriakos-GR]

Good news and " Bad luck "  ..

The " Bad luck " have to do with the seller ,
he send me one meter that looks like " 01 version with Batteries "
But this one inside  has " Missing parts " so to be called 01 ..
I notified the Seller , he told me that probably he send this by mistake.
Any way , I did make the change at the transformer input ,
and all turned well ,  the 8050A  transformer has an single output of 12V AC .  

About the 8050A, and the crystal ,  this meter its another animal ,
it has an wide range at True-RMS , and with a single crystal it does it all.
 

The 8012A came in life , with the " New " healthy LCD .

And with lots of cables looping around   .. I got this historical picture..
(total accuracy does not count , I use lots of deferent cables , types - lengths ) 
.

[Kiriakos-GR]

Hi Larry .

Technically  there is no lot to tell about those specific meters , as devices ,
I had check them - inspect them ... from top to bottom , they are now perfect..

I had even discover and one half damaged component at the 8050A ,
the R26 resistor , was causing issues , with result the meter to not power up successfully,
its and every time .
I Replace it with modern Film metals  2x18R  1% in parallel (9.1R)  , and I did gave a permanent Fix .

Something that it did cause to me , an positive feeling about the construction of those dinosaurs 
Are that Fluke had use very expensive parts inside , many resistors are from Vishay Dale ,
the " precision " ones ...  looks that this is the only explanation of why, such meters are still alive.

By looking today all three ,  I can say , that I do favor most the 8050A , the " relative function"  its an must have,
second best the  8012A ,  the  special low resistors board ,  its has an manual " relative function" .
( So the 8012A comes closer to the 8050A - minus one digit )
And third the 8010A  , that it is armed with the  10A measurement ability.

If the modern technology had added something valuable , are that the few expensive modern meters ,
had all the strong points combined .   
But what an single can not do , are multiple measurements , as you can do with three meters ..

With all my adventures on ebay , those three meters cost to me as 125 Euros ,  not the average ebay value , its just me ... with two partial refunds included ( 8050A 20$ not an true "battery model" )
( 8012A  refunded at 90% as it came with damaged LCD - poor packaging )

At the same time I could had one old  Fluke 87 , but I prefer those three .. 
( combined and divided - power ) 


 

 

 
   

 

[gib0r]

What a fantastic little adventure.

The 8010A was my main bench meter until I acquired an 8840A/AF by chance. They're great.

[MrPlacid]

Kiriakos-GR, you are very skill in restoring the looks of those old flukes. Keep taking pictures, I love checking this thread out.

[domm123]

Hi, I have just received my fluke 8050A from ebay, real cheap.. which is mark as repair or parts. And i need your help!!!

The first thing i notice is that the LCD in the meter is not for 8050A, but it's for 802X series...  

As the lcd is not working, i decided to follow this mod to use 7-segment led for display.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~lous/fluke/Fluke8050Asite.html

The first thing I do is to on the power, set the multimeter into DB mode(V and mA button depress) and 20V button depress.

And hook up an led with a 1k resistor in series, positive to pin 16 of U15, negative to pin 3 of U11, according to the diagram below. But the led did not light up



Can you help me to check what is the voltage across your pin 16 of U15 and pin 3 of U11 of your 8050a multimeter display board?


Thanks

[Kiriakos-GR]

Hi, I have just received my fluke 8050A from ebay, real cheap.. which is mark as repair or parts. And i need your help!!!

Well , first of all .... and I say first of all ...  you must know if the meter does function ..
If the display are damaged ,  in some part of it , it should at list show some signs of life .
Some digits should work , at minimum ..

If you do not have such proofs of health , do not do anything further ..
Thats my first advice ..

[domm123]

Hi, the display does flicker and it's upside down(as it is not 8050A lcd, but a 802X lcd)...
Have check that U24(6v voltage regulator) have  6v output and U25(7905) have -5v output when the unit is turn on.

Can i know the voltage across your pin 16 of U15 and pin 3 of U11 of  display board when the meter is in DB mode?

[Kiriakos-GR]

Hi, the display does flicker and it's upside down(as it is not 8050A lcd, but a 802X lcd)...

Thats sounds as sign of life , about the display , I think that Fluke plays games on us .
The  display that I got for my 8012A ,  it had also an different code on it ,
and I was more exited to test it , than taking a picture of it .
And it did worked  !!

it's upside down

Well you must be right on this ,  all those bench top , have the board upside down,
so only an true compatible display will have the correct orientation .

About the voltages , I will had to open it apart ,  so you need to give me some time.
I will help you ..   

[Kiriakos-GR]

Ok  got it ...  
Pin 16  U15 = ground
Pin 3   U 11 = - 2.90  

Ground point of my DMM the center screw at the center of the PCB .

U15  all  Pins ..  
Pin 1=  -5.80
Pin 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 =  10mv ( about)
Pin 6 =  -2.89
Pin 7+8  - 5.88
Pin 9 to 15 =  - 2.90
16 = Ground

U11  all  Pins ..  
Pin 1 =  - 5.80
Pin 2 to 6 = - 2.90
Pin 7+8 =   - 5.80
Pin 9 = 10mv ( about)
Pin 10  =  - 5.80
Pin 11  = 10mv ( about)
Pin 12 =   - 5.80
Pin 13  = 10mv ( about)
Pin 14  =   - 5.80
Pin 15  = 10mv ( about)
Pin 16 Ground ..  


Check those and report back .  

( meter was in DB mode  20V ) and I had an visual on LCD like :
Min DB (20V)  - 58
Max DB ( 200)  -38
(no leads connected )



 
 

[Kiriakos-GR]

One last useful tip  ..

The 8050A can use modern shrouded test leads , and its totally compatible,
with the test leads of the Fluke 87 ..

An nice economical Set  leads and crocks , are the one below ,
check pictures ..

The 8010A & 8012A uses old type bananas ( Less uncommon & easy to find )

[DavidDLC]

There is no just a product behind it.
Its an process .
First I remove any stickers with pure alcohol .
With Brasso ... I remove  any contamination , nicotine - yellowish spots .
Them wash them with common shampoo " Glass and dishes " and a very hard plastic brush.

After the first inspection ,  if its clean , I go further ...

Like erasing all scratches with 800 grade sand paper ,
and restore the shinny look with the Herapol cream,
that I had write a special topic about.

I managed to restore completely , the face panels and the black stand , both looks as new and shinny.
  

Kiriakos, from where did you get the Herapol cream ? I was searching for it on the internet and I was not able to find anything.

[Kiriakos-GR]

Here I have one link for you.  

http://shop.ebay.com/bikingear1/m.html?_nkw=XERAPOL+&_sacat=0&_odkw=&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3911.c0.m270.l1313

Or cheapest quick find ...  http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/XERAPOL-Plastic-Glass-Scratch-Remover-Acrylic-Repair-/260323421485?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3c9c7c2d2d

The actual name are Xerapol , but in Greece we spell it as  " h " .. sorry for the confusion  

[DavidDLC]

Thanks a lot !

[Kiriakos-GR]

The joy after one good calibration ...

Well I worked hard to build or buy everything called as Calibration assist gear ,
I had even find and print all the Fluke manuals , but still I was feel a bit nervous about actually doing it.

The drop that float the glass , was the AC readings of the 8012A it was very off , something that I had not notice from the start , as I was testing only DC , and there was ok.

I will not get in details , I will just say that the 801X ones , haves an very easy way to be calibrated.
There is two pots for AC
1) setting the 00.0  (low AC)
2) setting the (Max AC)
And for DC its just another pot ...

I opened both  801X ones, and adjusted their AC & DC .
By the use of one transformer 220/110 , tested and the 110V .

In the pictures you can see the  0.888 volt , Fluke recommends 1.888 but my mini- cal calibrator does not offer such setting at meters with such high impedance . ( technical quirk )  

As alternative source I had use the reference 10V of my decade box.
All cables are very high quality  ( very low resistance ) , speaking about the blue orange ones ( mil specs 00.05  Ohm its one .) with Hirschmann connectors .

Pictures direct from the camera ... no editing  

It feels good to have your knifes sharpened ..  


.

    

[Kiriakos-GR]

By the way , currently found this D-811 on ebay ...  ( no I have no plans about getting it ) 

I do not know if there is any deference's in specs, from the 801X series,
but this dark brown looks nice .
So here it is ... 

[MrPlacid]

Kiriakos-GR , at this rate your family is gonna be bigger than dave's. I can't believe how many meter you own. Are you aiming for an all fluke family?

[Kiriakos-GR]

Kiriakos-GR , at this rate your family is gonna be bigger than dave's. I can't believe how many meter you own. Are you aiming for an all fluke family?

Sort question , but I can speak for hours as reply ..  

I have admit repeatedly that Dave's influence , hooked me up at the Fluke hook ,
with the video review about the 87-5 .
At that time I had an real need to get an reliable True-RMS DMM.

Another " Dave's influence " was the idea that you must have at list two DMM,
so to compare its other against accuracy issues ( very logical idea ).
So the 8050A joined in the party as  87-5 alternative.

The 3+1/4 bench meters , was something like an hidden wish list to me, translating to  " I like to have them " but I can live and with out them  ( Got them cheaply - my own technical skills helped this eBay opportunity ) ,  to become an true opportunity , that erases ( from my inner hidden wish list) the need for bench type multimeter s .
 
The specific analog Metrawatt , has so special characteristics , that its the true "Sex in a box "   .
An multimeter that does not lie - ultimate quality - protections for Industrial environment (active relay on leads ) -  RF interference and EMI does not touch it -  with some ranges useful also for repairs on  bench, and modern electronics ..
( This one was an 100% my choice as selection )  
And found Dave and the forum because of it .

The other portables , are old companions to me , I respect them both , their good services are bringing food on my table for years.

And now back in your question ,  " How this cycle will close " ? ,
it will close  with one (very - very)  expensive UNI-T with the ability to act as an mini oscilloscope.  

There is new UNI-T models hidden currently from the public view , at the Chinese web site ,
even the descriptions about them, are only in Chinese .  
I expect UNI-T to release them ( availability ) at this Christmas or Spring .. or in the 2011 anyway.

Personally I am locally, an Top class freelancer repairman , that the need pushed me , so to get involved with so many and different  areas ( directions ) as electronics repairs , and so I found useful all my multimeter 's ,
because its one, has an specific  task or role in my life as serviceman.

And so, even if I look as an collector , the reality are , that I am not.  


  

    
  

[Kiriakos-GR]

why are you aiming at lots of these oldies? why dont concentrate on one latest version of this bench meter?

Good question ..

My above reply offers lots of explanations, up to the practical part about my choices.

There is also and the emotional part ... my own experiences and personal   DO or DO NOT ..
Decisions made by me , that nothing in earth can change them.
Among them are rules like :

1) Stay away of SMT made devices .( if possible )    

2) Never get something absolutely serviced , by an foreign single source ( Never loose the Freedom of choice ) OR  stay way from anything that its made in a way,  that excludes even an expert repairman, of the process, of repairing it .  

3) Never get something, that the maker has full control over the spare parts !! ( availability or coded parts)
 
4) Stay away of complicate devices with out past ..  ( Industry does errors too - imperfect devices that you are getting married with , and you regret later on  )  

5) Always test your gear before you get involved in real action !!  
(They are your weapons at your daily battles , they should do  "damage" , and accept damage with out to fall apart)

The incident with the 87-5 , its a terrible find .... I could had travel from my base in to a near Island ,
so to repair something at an Hotel, or servicing the "Fire station" ( Fireman's ) UHF transmitter on the Island ,
an bricked meter so many kilometers away of my base , its an true destruction of my reputation.
That matters above anything in my life ..    

That's why I am fearless testing anything , no matter how much it costs ...

[alm]

1) Stay away of SMT made devices .( if possible )    
2) Never get something absolutely serviced , by an foreign single source ( Never loose the Freedom of choice ) OR  stay way from anything that its made in a way,  that excludes even an expert repairman, of the process, of repairing it .  
3) Never get something, that the maker has full control over the spare parts !! ( availability or coded parts)

This excludes almost anything made in the last twenty years or so.

The incident with the 87-5 , its a terrible find .... I could had travel from my base in to a near Island ,
so to repair something at an Hotel, or servicing the "Fire station" ( Fireman's ) UHF transmitter on the Island ,
an bricked meter so many kilometers away of my base , its an true destruction of my reputation.
That matters above anything in my life ..    

Which would be quite deserved, if you go to a job like that without backups and backups for backups. I agree that it's an unacceptable failure, but you should always plan for things breaking down at the worst possible moment.

[Kiriakos-GR]

This excludes almost anything made in the last twenty years or so.

I do not care ,  industry and marketing forces their rules , with out asking anyone.
I have my ..  

Which would be quite deserved, if you go to a job like that without backups and backups for backups. I agree that it's an unacceptable failure, but you should always plan for things breaking down at the worst possible moment.

I am not aware many who has an such backup , for an such type of multimeter (cost involved ),
and I will accept that, as an logical advice that it is so.

If so , at this point I had to ask this question at my self  ..   I would end up carrying double amount of gear or aluminum suitcase's ?
And Imagine that I move with me and the parts for installation, could be antennas - cables - or heavy parts ..

My current tactics about gear testing , had offered to me an 100% success on every " Mission impossible " away from my base , so I get back to the generic rule " If an tactic works do not change it "  




  

[MrPlacid]

Kiriakos-GR , I think I got the "hidden wish list too" when it comes to bench meters. Though I don't need them, it's nice to see LED display & electric cord. I know if I don't get them bench meters, I will still be yearning for them for a very long time. So I make it a habit to just get it and get it out of my system.

Luckily for both of us, these oldies stuffs are cheap

I agree with dave's idea of 2 dmm. I perfer 3