Fluke 732C

[manganin]

10V main output plus 1V and 100mV divided outputs. Release 2018.

Anyone else heard the rumor?

[dr.diesel]

I have not heard that, but hears to hoping!

[TiN]

I found that unlikely, but wouldn't bet last penny . Maybe the align new standard for the SI volt redefinition, but the uncertainty difference is much smaller than any room-temperature solid-state reference can realize, no?

P.S. hope they don't put the flashy LEDs all over it..

[CalMachine]

More info!

 

[Edwin G. Pettis]

Sorry guys but Fluke hasn't put out any such mention of a 'new' 732.....the question is why would they, there is no necessity for it.  And no, any slight change in the 'definition' of the volt isn't going to affect any of the 10 volt references, they are all adjustable.

[CalMachine]

.....the question is why would they, there is no necessity for it.  And no, any slight change in the 'definition' of the volt isn't going to affect any of the 10 volt references, they are all adjustable.

Why would they??  Easy.

$$$$$$

I agree, that any redefinition of the volt won't bring a need for a new reference...  but, I think it's about time they updated their tried+true reference.  All of their calibrators got a face lift... I don't see any particular reason to leave out the 732B?

[chuckb]

Maybe they will bring some of the Wavetek / Datron 7000 series features to the 732 series.
1. High isolation power supply, so you don't have to disconnect the 732b from power to calibrate it
2. What else?

[CalMachine]

Maybe they will bring some of the Wavetek / Datron 7000 series features to the 732 series.
1. High isolation power supply, so you don't have to disconnect the 732b from power to calibrate it
2. What else?

What Manganin mentioned would be fantastic.  The 1V and 100 mV out??  Yes plz.   Perhaps some kind of 10x amplifier after the 7=>10V boost to give 100V?  Or even implement a PWM topology instead?  I know there are improvements to be made on the 4910.

[Jay_Diddy_B]

[humour]

I understand the improved performance will come from the special construction:




Especially the 'Special Needs Soldering'.

[/humour]

Jay_Diddy_B

[CalMachine]

[humour]

I understand the improved performance will come from the special construction:




Especially the 'Special Needs Soldering'.

[/humour]

Jay_Diddy_B

You're looking at ppb stability with this quality of craftsmanship!   

[Edwin G. Pettis]

Hilarious, I laughed out loud when I seen it.....yeah, PPB, in a pig's valise!

[dr.diesel]

I might be out of touch with today's needs, but given how good the 732B already is, is there a market for a higher class unit?  < Too bad a pile of NDAs prevent a very interesting discussion here.

Or is the demand for the 732B still enough to consider a cost cutt/refined (uh hum cheapened probably) unit? 

And well Danaher, which I just realized changed their name to Fortive.   

[HighVoltage]

You're looking at ppb stability with this quality of craftsmanship!   

Wow, memories of the funny past with that guy.
LOL, may be Fluke hired him for the 732C

Well more seriously ... I would like to see a 732C.... Finally we would see hopefully more 732B on the secondary market and I could get one for a reasonable price.

[Jay_Diddy_B]

Hi,

I looked at 732B teardown. I don't know if it is late production, I suspect that it isn't. The teardown showed a thru-hole board. This is a target for redesign because the thru-hole parts will be getting hard to get.

The battery chemistry may be another target. VRLA or SLA is still a good for this application, but Li-ion may be considered sexier.

The reference section may be a target for value engineering. It may be that 732B are much better than the specification.

Regards,

Jay_Diddy_B

[TiN]

Li-ion may be considered sexier.

And welcome to all the shipping regulations/limitations/restrictions.
From my experience "sexier" and "prettyier" are next to the last priority items in metrology field.

[manganin]

the question is why would they, there is no necessity for it.

I might be out of touch with today's needs, but given how good the 732B already is, is there a market for a higher class unit?

I was told that problems meeting the RoHS directive were the main reason. My source didn't know if it is going to be a 732B based redesign or something totally new. Both approaces can be easily justified.

P.S. hope they don't put the flashy LEDs all over it..

So last season. Nowadays that would (unfortunately) be a color touchscreen.

[TiN]

color touchscreen.

Mhm, with linux running 4-core Cortex-A9. But I still believe in common sense of Fluke marketing given the battery power requirements?

[Kleinstein]

RoHS and the option to use a different battery chemistry would be good reasons for a new model. Li would be a problem to shipping, but could be a nice option in the lab or travel by car. Ideally one would have hot swap-able battery packs with Li / SLA / NiMH options.  I doubt they would redesign the oven part, excepts if they need to for RoHS or similar, but a more compact design here could make it work with lower power.

It would not make much sense to add more voltages (except 10 V and raw 7.xx V) - this is meant as a portable voltage standard only. So weight and power can be important.

It is unlikely to find a much higher class version, unless they get AD or someone else to design / make new ref. chips and get them tested over a few years. A pressure tight sealed version might be a crude idea but would be more like expensive / heavy.

[Edwin G. Pettis]

Updated news about 732 in the works.....coming to a theater not so soon.

[MisterDiodes]

To put the end to the rumor, I just called Fluke to get the story - and since I've got a 732a going thru cal cycle at their Everett facility right now I thought it was an appropriate time to get the facts - at least what little the product manager could tell me for sure:

732C (working name right now) is in development now, probably released for 2018 /19.  Redesign is focused on more efficient oven for longest possible battery life, they are looking at different battery pack chemistries that are still shippable without a hazmat certificate.  Main change is on the outputs:  There will be the usual 10V primary output (basically about same specs as 732a/b), and then a better quality 1V and 100mV secondary outputs, (possible built-in Hamon dividers 10:1 and 100:1, but exact specs unknown).  The old 1.018V output is replaced by the new 100mV output.  The specs on 1V and 100mV are unknown since the product is still in development and pricing is yet unknown, but these are planned to have better stability specs than the current secondary outputs.  Aside from the voltage outputs the box will use a "similar" architecture to 732b for Vref, as expected. 

So not a lot of exact specs at this time - they are still testing the new design - but the 732"c" is -not- a rumor and is in the certainly in pipeline for upcoming release, probably under the Fluke brand.  Or whatever company they've spun off to by then.

[CalMachine]

probably under the Fluke brand.  Or whatever company they've spun off to by then.

What else do you know?

 

[MisterDiodes]

Let's just say about the only thing consistent at Fluke is the brand logo and "change".

That being said it's nice they still cal 732a's, even if they don't repair them. 10V is 10V and a well aged, working 732a perfectly holds its own against a 732b with no issues and typically lower noise - but we're lucky enough to be able to drive our stuff in for cal.  Fluke will rent you a 732a shipping crate complete with 4ea battery packs installed for around $375, and then you pay freight shipping on 128Lbs total to send your unit in for cal.  That's the nice thing about 732b's if you're not within driving distance.

I was talking with the cal room manager at Fluke, and they still see a lot of in-service 732a's that come in for a cal cycle, probably still as many of those as 732b's, but eventually attrition will catch up at some point.  I know several of the cal facilities in Portland, Oregon typically use 732a's, but again they are only a a few hour's drive from Everett.

We use a 752a with the 732's for 1V and 100mV anyway (we never really use the secondary outputs on the 732's), so no advantage for us in "upgrading" to a 732C, but other labs would see an advantage in a lighter weight Vref for easier shipping.

[ManateeMafia]

Fluke's offerings have seemed to coincide with other products like the 5440A/B, 57x0A, and 3458A that have a need for that product. Unless they plan on releasing some other test gear that needs a different reference level, I wouldn't think there would be an advantage to a second or third output. If they wanted to improve battery life, then get rid of the 1.018 and be done with it.

[fcb]

Interesting (&refreshing) that Fluke have been so candid about the 732C. I don't imagine the Osborne Effect is that prevalent in metrology.

[VintageNut]

Fluke's offerings have seemed to coincide with other products like the 5440A/B, 57x0A, and 3458A that have a need for that product. Unless they plan on releasing some other test gear that needs a different reference level, I wouldn't think there would be an advantage to a second or third output. If they wanted to improve battery life, then get rid of the 1.018 and be done with it.

The primary lab that I visit has a bunch of 732B,A and Wavetek units. They keep 10V  and the ohm for a next-door cal lab that has a Fluke 57XX. I think that the 1V and 100mV outputs are not needed by everyone.

This primary lab has more than 10 years of data for their gaggle of 10v boxes. The value of these 10V boxes is the history and ability to predict the values between calibrations. A new sexier 732C would have zero value for an established cal lab. Only after a number of calibration cycles would the new 732C have utility.