Uni-T launches the UT117C multimeter

[Veteran68]

with Fluke 117 

I was planning to pass up the 117C. I obviously don't need another handheld multimeter. But between Darren's review and the size comparison to the Fluke 117, I'm greatly tempted. The ergonomics of the 117 are great, it fits my hand perfectly, and is a pleasure to handle. While not a great bench meter, the 117 is my go-to general purpose household meter. Not too small and fiddly like a pocket meter, and not too bulky like my Brymans and 87V. It's pretty clear the 117C was intended as a clone of the Fluke 117. The only real gripe is same as for the Fluke 117 -- no mA range. The Fluke 117 is intended as an electrician's meter so it kinda makes sense for such a 6K count meter to have no mA range, so putting 60K counts in a clone of said electrician's meter but still with no mA range doesn't make much sense to me. So really the extra counts are a gimmick, but otherwise it does look like a great meter for the money. I may just have to add it to my collection...

[sonpul]

If you have the opportunity, time and desire, or someone else from the owners, please do a TrueRMS test on a non-sinusoidal signal. Earlier (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/uni-t-launches-the-ut117c-multimeter/msg4969246/#msg4969246)  we saw a courtesy result on sine. 117C is not bad at all. The measurement was even at different limits. But it looks like it was only a sine.

[gamalot]

I did a simple test of the frequency response of UT117C, all my meters have not been calibrated, it is for reference only.

[gamalot]

Pictures of PCBA, high resolution pictures can be found here:

https://github.com/gamalot/UT117C-Pictures

[gamalot]

Some other pictures.

[myf]

Hello everyone !

This DMM ut-117c has a BlueTooth driver. I like the USB interface of the ut-61e (and ut-71).

Does this ut-117c have a usb interface?

Thanks you !

[wasedadoc]

Hello everyone !

This DMM ut-117c has a BlueTooth driver. I like the USB interface of the ut-61e (and ut-71).

Does this ut-117c have a usb interface?

Thanks you !

1.  Do any of UNIT-T blurbs about this meter make any mention of USB?

2.  Do any of the photos a few posts above show any signs of a USB connector?

Answer those questions and you have the answer to your question.

[BILLPOD]

Not to beat a dead horse, but on the subject of milliamps....granted, the UT117C does not have a dedicated mA selection, but I have been making accurate measurements down into the single digit mA range, using the A setting on the dial.

[EEVblog]

Not to beat a dead horse, but on the subject of milliamps....granted, the UT117C does not have a dedicated mA selection, but I have been making accurate measurements down into the single digit mA range, using the A setting on the dial.

It's just a copy of the Fluke 117 which is the same, it's an electricians meter, not an electronics meter.
The Fluke 17B is the electronics version with mA and uA.

[EEVblog]

The Fluke 117 is intended as an electrician's meter so it kinda makes sense for such a 6K count meter to have no mA range, so putting 60K counts in a clone of said electrician's meter but still with no mA range doesn't make much sense to me. So really the extra counts are a gimmick

Yes, it's a gimmick, with Uni-T not really understanding the market. They were better off with a bigger fatter 6000 count display.

[tautech]

The Fluke 17B is the electronics version with mA and uA.

Yep, hugs his old 15B close.

[Veteran68]

The Fluke 117 is intended as an electrician's meter so it kinda makes sense for such a 6K count meter to have no mA range, so putting 60K counts in a clone of said electrician's meter but still with no mA range doesn't make much sense to me. So really the extra counts are a gimmick

Yes, it's a gimmick, with Uni-T not really understanding the market. They were better off with a bigger fatter 6000 count display.

Agreed. I've decided since I have a 117 for electrical work, I'd favor the 17B Max over the Uni-T 117C for a similar sized meter. In fact I just ordered one. 

[EEVblog]

Agreed. I've decided since I have a 117 for electrical work, I'd favor the 17B Max over the Uni-T 117C for a similar sized meter. In fact I just ordered one. 

The 17B MAX looks like a really nice general purpose meter. I've only got the old 17B, it's been through thre 17B+ and now MAX version.

[ilkinandr92]

Doesn't the following function technically mean it does have mA just not uA?

[wasedadoc]

Doesn't the following function technically mean it does have mA just not uA?

Technically yes but think about the accuracy spec.

[geb]

I understand Dave's point about the marketing of this meter, but I think UNI-T wanted something they could differentiate from Fluke's 117C, and wanted to grab some of the "I NEED a lot of counts" market. Some non-electrician might see the 60000 counts and grab it.

This meter has felt like it has a lot of potential to be my daily grab-and-go DMM, which lately has been a calibrated B41T+. The LCD is more readable than my other cheap meters. The input protection seems good enough that I could loan it to a non-technical friend and get it back in one piece. It's cheap enough that I don't mind abusing it.

I'm starting to compare it to UT181A, having seen N8FDY's review. I saw his AD584KH readings. When you pay USD350 for a UNI-T 60000 count meter, apparently they remember to calibrate it to within a digit. 

I could get interested in hacking the MCU and adding a mA (and possibly uA?) mode. I didn't try reading out the firmware. I have limited time for playing with it at the moment.

I'd like to see more samples of dumped EEPROMs from other UT117C owners. I'll note that my EEPROM contents don't look like DreamTech's usual work (DTM0660 and whatever modified stuff is in my RM303). A bit of side-trivia, partially unconfirmed: DTM0660 seems to store a master voltage value, referenced to 500mV, at offsets 22H-23H in EEPROM. I changed a shunt voltage reference in a meter, recalibrated only its millivolt level, and the rest of the modes became as accurate as they'd been before the change. It would be nice if such a thing existed in UT117C. I could recalibrate one setting and all of my 5-digit-off readings might fall into line. One can dream, right? 

[Edited to remove quickly-typed sloppy wording that might have been construed as insults.]

[gamalot]

I just tested the power consumption of UT117C.

---

Update: Turning on the backlight will increase the current consumption by about 2mA.

[gamalot]

can someone upload a dump of EEPROM P24C02A?

Here is mine.

[ilkinandr92]

I was thinking of getting a new multimeter. Would you recommend ut117c or Brymen BM789

[Veteran68]

I was thinking of getting a new multimeter. Would you recommend ut117c or Brymen BM789

I'd say that's a no-brainer. Brymen BM789 for nearly any use case I can think of. Especially if your use case if primarily bench electronics work.

You might also consider Dave's eevBlog branded BM786, which you can get from Amazon in the US. Otherwise you're looking to import from an EU dealer since Brymen doesn't authorize their branded meters to be sold directly in the US. Greenlee is the main US seller of rebranded Brymen meters with good US warranty & support, but at a premium cost compared to the OEM Brymen models. I can recommend the German retailer Welectron if you choose to buy other Brymen models. They have great prices, low cost & fast shipping to US, and no sales tax. But you'll get no warranty or support from Brymen.

[sonpul]

I was thinking of getting a new multimeter. Would you recommend ut117c or Brymen BM789

If you are immersed in choosing a DMM, then of course choose BM789.

[BILLPOD]

Doesn't the following function technically mean it does have mA just not uA?

That setting on the dial is for the amp- clamp accessory, which utilizes mV.
The clamp works well with most of my DMMs on the mV range.  But it won't work on DC.   Also, I couldn't get a reading below 1.5 Amps AC/

[geb]

Pricing on Aliexpress had previously decreased to about USD64 for the base UT117C without the clamp. Now it's USD105. What happened? What did I miss?

[wasedadoc]

Pricing on Aliexpress had previously decreased to about USD64 for the base UT117C without the clamp. Now it's USD105. What happened? What did I miss?

Aiexpress noticed the jump in numbers being ordered.

[Veteran68]

Pricing on Aliexpress had previously decreased to about USD64 for the base UT117C without the clamp. Now it's USD105. What happened? What did I miss?

Demand increased, I expect. I may have still bought one had it not shot up $40 since it came out, but the full kit price is now just a few dollars shy of a Fluke 17B Max which is a much better electronics meter even at only 6K counts. And a few bucks more than that will get you a BM786, which is arguably one of if not the best electronics DMM for the money. So IMO they've priced themselves out of competition.