Oh no , just another one, fishing for info about multimeters ...
I am not going to debate with any one , but its silly to ask for an recommendation ,
with out having knowledge of what you need ..
No one could tell you what " you need " ... simple as that.
Oh no , just another one, fishing for info about multimeters ...
I am not going to debate with any one , but its silly to ask for an recommendation ,
with out having knowledge of what you need ..
No one could tell you what " you need " ... simple as that.
Okay smart ass. I DID say what I was gonna do with it. I said I was going to use it for "hobby electronics". If that's too vague for you consider this: I said it had to fulfill Dave's parameters. I even narrowed it down to one brand. If Dave chooses not to point out the particular Fluke's that meet his parameters-- that's fine. It might be a lot of work sifting through them. But-- for all I know, he may know precisely which one's do. On every forum there's a shit-ass like you looking to flame someone for asking a question.
Oh no , just another one, fishing for info about multimeters ...
I am not going to debate with any one , but its silly to ask for an recommendation ,
with out having knowledge of what you need ..
No one could tell you what " you need " ... simple as that.
Okay smart ass. I DID say what I was gonna do with it. I said I was going to use it for "hobby electronics". If that's too vague for you consider this: I said it had to fulfill Dave's parameters. I even narrowed it down to one brand. If Dave chooses not to point out the particular Fluke's that meet his parameters-- that's fine. It might be a lot of work sifting through them. But-- for all I know, he may know precisely which one's do. On every forum there's a shit-ass like you looking to flame someone for asking a question.
whoa whoa, I don't think he was trying to "flame" you. Calm down! He was just trying to be helpful and sincere. I don't think he meant anything ill at all.
Kiriakos does have a "unique" way expressing his opinion, and that can unfortunately be easily taken the wrong way sometimes!
Dave.
The problem is that IMO, the Fluke 80 series is the cheapest Fluke that I'd consider suitable for "electronics" use because it has uA current ranges. The Fluke 80 however is one of Fluke more expensive top-shelf meters, and that's the down side.
The 110 series are electricians meters, and the famous Fluke 170 series are very nice, but also lack uA ranges, so more suited to "electrical" use than electronics.
There is the Fluke 17 of course that meets all the spec requirements, but that's made in China, sold only in the Asian market, and doesn't have the usual Fluke Lifetime warranty. It's built down to a price. But I'm sure it's a good enough meter and a lot of the Fluke quality would rub off on it. At least I'd hope so after the Fluke 19 fiasco of may years back.
Dave.
If there was one model to recommend, its the 87V. Its been around for over 20 years attesting to its usability, dependability and good enough accuracy. Any of the prior versions, 1 though 4, are just as good, if they are working well and it can be found via eBay, buying with caution as with all used items, for as low as $100.
Dave, can you explain the Fluke 19 fiasco? I'm not sure that model was marketed outside of Asia.
I wonder if it would be better value for people on a limited budget to buy a meter without (low) current ranges and use an external shunt or two? It seems you pay a pretty large premium (assuming you're buying retail) for an 80 series meter compared to a 110 or 170 series meter, just for the microamps range (I'm aware that they have other advantages, but none are critical for basic electronics work). If you accept a burden voltage of 0.5-2V or so, you don't need something like a uCurrent. Something like a 1 kohm 1% resistor (or a few with switches) plus HRC fuse (the uCurrent does have HRC fuses, right?) would do for 2000uA full scale with 1uA/mV sensitivity, most of them (at least the older 112 I use for portable use) do go down to 1mV AC/DC. Add a switch and some lower resistors (100/10/1 ohm, the latter have to be higher power) for other ranges. Building this would cost far less than the $100+ premium that you pay Fluke, and wouldn't be very hard. Sure, you don't have everything in a nice package, but you have to change connections around for measuring current anyway, so it wouldn't be that inconvenient.
"...the Fluke 80 series is the cheapest Fluke that I'd consider suitable for "electronics" use because it has uA current ranges."
Dave.
"...the Fluke 80 series is the cheapest Fluke that I'd consider suitable for "electronics" use because it has uA current ranges."
Dave.
That's precisely what I was asking. Simple as that. Thank you. Consultation fee (donation) is on the way. However, I learned about the 17b after asking the question. So I might go with it. My rationale is this: Fluke thinks enough of it to let them use the name and the look. As you know- many companies offer cheapies but only under a different name and look. And it'll be new, not an unknown quantity, from ebay.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.28659
Kiriakos-GR:
I apologize. I was tired and frustrated.
"...the Fluke 80 series is the cheapest Fluke that I'd consider suitable for "electronics" use because it has uA current ranges."
Dave.
That's precisely what I was asking. Simple as that. Thank you. Consultation fee (donation) is on the way. However, I learned about the 17b after asking the question. So I might go with it. My rationale is this: Fluke thinks enough of it to let them use the name and the look. As you know- many companies offer cheapies but only under a different name and look. And it'll be new, not an unknown quantity, from ebay.
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.28659
I am really curious what your take is on the Fluke 15/17 only being CAT I 1000V/ CAT II 600V. I personally wouldn't buy either one because of that. Maybe that is what Fluke marketing requested as I would think it would discourage some customers. I do understand that a lot of people would only be using it for low voltage electronics work but every now and then most guys end up checking something on the mains.
Oh no , just another one, fishing for info about multimeters ...
I am not going to debate with any one , but its silly to ask for an recommendation ,
with out having knowledge of what you need ..
No one could tell you what " you need " ... simple as that.
Okay smart ass. I DID say what I was gonna do with it. I said I was going to use it for "hobby electronics". If that's too vague for you consider this: I said it had to fulfill Dave's parameters. I even narrowed it down to one brand. If Dave chooses not to point out the particular Fluke's that meet his parameters-- that's fine. It might be a lot of work sifting through them. But-- for all I know, he may know precisely which one's do. On every forum there's a shit-ass like you looking to flame someone for asking a question.
I am really curious what your take is on the Fluke 15/17 only being CAT I 1000V/ CAT II 600V. I personally wouldn't buy either one because of that. Maybe that is what Fluke marketing requested as I would think it would discourage some customers. I do understand that a lot of people would only be using it for low voltage electronics work but every now and then most guys end up checking something on the mains.
In all honesty it doesn't really matter in this case. As much as a I harp on about CAT ratings, it's horses for courses. If you only have that sort of money to spend then the Fluke 17 looks like a great meter. It would be perfectly suitable for hobby mains use. CAT-II is technically all you need to measure a typical household mains outlet safely anyway, but I do prefer to tell people to opt for a CAT-III meter.
The inside photos of the 17B show it well laid out, with the classic big HRC fuses and MOV's, so it's certainly not skimping on protection.
I should have included it in my $100 shootout I guess, but technically it's not for sale outside of Asia.
And personally I'd trust a CAT-II Fluke more than I'd trust a CAT-III one-hung-low brand.
Dave.
I am really curious what your take is on the Fluke 15/17 only being CAT I 1000V/ CAT II 600V. I personally wouldn't buy either one because of that. Maybe that is what Fluke marketing requested as I would think it would discourage some customers. I do understand that a lot of people would only be using it for low voltage electronics work but every now and then most guys end up checking something on the mains.
In all honesty it doesn't really matter in this case. As much as a I harp on about CAT ratings, it's horses for courses. If you only have that sort of money to spend then the Fluke 17 looks like a great meter. It would be perfectly suitable for hobby mains use. CAT-II is technically all you need to measure a typical household mains outlet safely anyway, but I do prefer to tell people to opt for a CAT-III meter.
The inside photos of the 17B show it well laid out, with the classic big HRC fuses and MOV's, so it's certainly not skimping on protection.
I should have included it in my $100 shootout I guess, but technically it's not for sale outside of Asia.
And personally I'd trust a CAT-II Fluke more than I'd trust a CAT-III one-hung-low brand.
Dave.
--edit--
Kiriakos-GR, I love owning at least 3 of the exact same multimeters wether they are cheapie or a name brand one. I play mix and match the probes