Cleaning and maintains of DMM’s and accessories

[Kiriakos-GR]

Well I got the idea to start an such a topic , by having in the back of my head ,
One common problem in many industrial sites or factory’s .

The dirt!!  

Dust , burned oils , metallic particles , smoke , particles of carbon ,
Or even fumes of  toxic liquids , mostly found in facilities , that they do massive paint job.

The common practice about cleaning, usually are :
“Quick clean” =  we just wipe it with a industrial  rag  = one mass of mixed cotton fibers much larger in diameter , than of what you see in clothing.
If it is covered with oils ,  your only quick solution is to put on the rag some  Antirust spray.
Not because it’s the best practice for the job, but mostly because it is all that you have with you, most of the times.

Any sensitive plastic, it will get discoloration, if you do that very often.
Also we do not touch the clear plastic of the display, with other than dry rags,
But some times it gets also affected by the Antirust spray, and starts to get blurry.

Few years back , anything that had the label “ Industrial “ on it ,
was had an true glass at the front of the display ( analog ).
That it was impossible to get damaged, from any fluid factor.
The DMM body was not absorbing liquids.
And all the functions had engraved letters around them !! 

Personally I like the true glass more than any plastic ,
And I would like to had this in all of my DMM ‘s too,
Especially today that we have the technology to make even unbreakable glass ( bullet proof )

‘Slow cleaning “   Usually glass cleaning fluids, and clean cotton,
The one that is commonly found at every medic kit box.
Take your time and rub it as much you like.

And if the DMM has an removable holster , you just wash it alone ,
Usually with the shampoo, that you also use so to wash your dishes.

The DMM  makers , usually add three lines in the manual about cleaning and maintenance.
Example :   
Periodically wipe the case with a damp cloth and mild
detergent.
 Do not use abrasives or solvents.


And now I will ask from all of you, that you are facing similar problems,
to share with me your own practices.

a)   DMM body
b)   Display
c)   Accessories – cables.

[saturation]

I use soap and water, but I rarely clean any DMM.  Just a damp rag at most.

For the Fluke 80 series, the unit is dark colored, and it hides dirt very well.  Its the yellow sleave that shows its getting grimy.

I clean them only when if I start a test with clean hands, and before I even touch the DUT, I'm already dirty from the dirty meter, then I clean it.

For the Fluke style removable yellow rubber sleave, just throw the whole thing into the dishwasher, and presto!  Instantly clean. 

[Richard W.]

I use either glass-cleaner or isopropanol.
Tektronix recommends a solution of 70% isopropanol and 30% water to clean their oscilloscopes.
So it should be OK.

If the rubber holster is really dirty, i would clean it with washing-up liquid.

But i don't have to remove such "indurstrial dirt"   

[Kiriakos-GR]

About the industrial dirt , I work always with provided tools. ( large facility )
My own DMM's and hand tools, are mostly for private work.
  
And only few times I got my own DMM on the industrial site, for advanced diagnostics.
Not even the factories buys worthy gear this days ..  

Even so there is internal logistics , you ask for the DMM , you sign that you took it ( date hour ) ,
and you have to give it back , clean and usable .
Or else you pay the full price about it , if it gets lost or damaged.

[PetrosA]

One of the best things I've found for cleaning a lot of different things (tools, DMMs, tool cases, vehicle etc.) are the disposable, pre-wetted surface disinfectant towelettes. Some brands seem to work better than others, but they all contain some strong alcohols that will cut a lot of different types of grime. I think the material they are made of is also designed to trap dirt so they work well when cleaning thick grime since they don't smear it around but remove it.

[Tony R]

Personally, i use my DMM in more of a lab environment and thus it seldom gets dirty. But when it does get dirty just a dish soap and water mix, Fluke also makes cleaning wipes for their DMM... never used them though.

[Wartex]

I had several fluke DMMs that had very soiled yellow shell and I find that FastOrange (soap+pumice) clean them very well. Of course, don't rub it into the screen. My wife has superfine nail polishing pads and they are capable of sanding out scratches out of plastic screen glass and returning them to near-factory shine.

DMMs should be made with Gorilla Glass

[gobblegobble]

For the Fluke style removable yellow rubber sleave, just throw the whole thing into the dishwasher, and presto!  Instantly clean.

Wow. I wouldn't have dared to try that myself as the dishwasher chemicals and heat are pretty hostile for a rubber. Nice to know it can survive that though!

DMMs should be made with aluminosilicate glass enhanced with wank words and marketing

No, please, for the sake of pete, no. Polycarb might be bad in terms of scatch resistance but last thing we need are glass shrapnel out of DMMs. Glass has it's uses on high-res touchscreen cellphones but it's not a thing to put on a DMM despite the do-all marketing claims they put out.



As for the cleaning, I personally often just use a moist rag: I'm usually the dirtier one of us when it comes to terms of who's picking up grime out of who.

[saturation]

hi gobble^2.

Many subcomponents of diswashers are made of rubber to maintain water tightness: gaskets, o rings, hoses; what could be harsh is the detergent and the hot water, but most rubber are made to take such high temperatures.  There are a lot of cooking utensils that use artificial rubber in the handles and other parts, and many are 'dishwasher' safe.  So, feel free to save some labor when your rubber needs cleaning.

For the Fluke style removable yellow rubber sleave, just throw the whole thing into the dishwasher, and presto!  Instantly clean.

Wow. I wouldn't have dared to try that myself as the dishwasher chemicals and heat are pretty hostile for a rubber. Nice to know it can survive that though!

[dayve]

For the display, why not just use screen protectors?

You can get a pretty big one for under $2USD.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/screen-protector-guards-cleaning-cloth-for-amazon-kindle-3-50654

That should be plenty big to cut up so you would have several for your meter.  If they are clear enough, you could stick on several at once and use them like "tear-offs" like dirt bike riders do.

[Kiriakos-GR]

For the display, why not just use screen protectors?

I am big fun of screen protectors , but they do only what they are made for = protection against impact .
Even them self's, are sensitive to chemicals like WD-40 .

"tear-offs" like dirt bike riders do

That's an smart and prototype idea , that you can even start a business with it .  :-)
 
 

[saturation]

If you really need a screen protector on DMMs, consider wide clear packing tape. The issue is its very gummy to remove, but you can add as many layers as you like for protection, if you can tolerate the blurriness with each layer.

To remove it just use isopropyl or ethyl alcohol to wipe off the gum.

[metalphreak]

You can get those disposable "lint free" type cloths from automotive accessory stores that you usually use for polishing etc. Combine with a bit of isopropyl alcohol and you have a decent cleaning option. Better than going to KFC all the time to steal their moist towelettes

[PetrosA]

You can get those disposable "lint free" type cloths from automotive accessory stores that you usually use for polishing etc. Combine with a bit of isopropyl alcohol and you have a decent cleaning option. Better than going to KFC all the time to steal their moist towelettes

I keep a container of commercial grade disinfectant wipes on my truck - rodent shit, mold, dirt, grease - you never know what you'll have to touch in my line of work and you don't always have water to wash up with

[Zad]

No engineer should be without Servisol Foam Cleaner 30



It is amazing stuff. Many years ago when my dad repaired TVs etc, they always gave the cabinet a clean with this stuff if they had been in the workshop for repair. They would regularly get customers who insisted that they had got the wrong TV back because it was so much newer. This was back in the days of coal fires and heavy cigarette smoking, so it really was horrible ingrained dirt.

[firewalker]

The instrument I use to clean my equipment!

[Kiriakos-GR]

The instrument I use to clean my equipment!

I bet that all your equipment , has an terrific smile ... LOL 


About the cleaning Foam , it does miracles only if the dirt is very dry and hard to come out .
( PC keyboards .. )   

[firewalker]

The instrument I use to clean my equipment!

I bet that all your equipment , has an terrific smile ... LOL 

LOLOLOLOLOL !!!!!

 

[Excavatoree]

I had several fluke DMMs that had very soiled yellow shell and I find that FastOrange (soap+pumice) clean them very well. Of course, don't rub it into the screen. My wife has superfine nail polishing pads and they are capable of sanding out scratches out of plastic screen glass and returning them to near-factory shine.

DMMs should be made with Gorilla Glass

I've had good luck with "Goop" brand hand cleaner (no pumice) for cleaning plastic without scratching. (Not sure about availability outside of the US)  It takes some time: apply, rub in, let set, wash off, repeat.  This is more for meters that are marked with permanent marking pens, etc. or that are really nasty, eg. e-bay specials.

I have two Fluke 25's that some fool marked all over - not just a name in one or two places but his name on all 6 sides, plus wave lines all over, and other strange marks.  I got them cheap because they looked terrible, but they cleand up nicely.

(my meters have great smiles, too.)

[gobblegobble]

hi gobble^2.

Many subcomponents of diswashers are made of rubber to maintain water tightness: gaskets, o rings, hoses; what could be harsh is the detergent and the hot water, but most rubber are made to take such high temperatures.  There are a lot of cooking utensils that use artificial rubber in the handles and other parts, and many are 'dishwasher' safe.

Long time no see?

And while you're right on the dishwasher safe rubber, they're more or less designed to withstand the heat and chemicals. Hence my reluctance to put valuable stuff in the machine to just try it out.

[saturation]

It could be bad if you put the whole meter in, but its just the all rubber protective sleeve.

hi gobble^2.

Many subcomponents of diswashers are made of rubber to maintain water tightness: gaskets, o rings, hoses; what could be harsh is the detergent and the hot water, but most rubber are made to take such high temperatures.  There are a lot of cooking utensils that use artificial rubber in the handles and other parts, and many are 'dishwasher' safe.

Long time no see?

And while you're right on the dishwasher safe rubber, they're more or less designed to withstand the heat and chemicals. Hence my reluctance to put valuable stuff in the machine to just try it out.

[gobblegobble]

It could be bad if you put the whole meter in, but its just the all rubber protective sleeve.

It's not "just a rubber sleeve" but a relevant part of a $400 multimeter! I'd be seriously upset if I had one and managed to damage it to a point of needing replacement. Sure the multimeter would work without and you could get a new one for reasonable cost but still...

Not all plastics and rubbers can withstand the conditions in a dishwasher and I'm not willing to try it on expensive gear I've paid for with my own hard work unless someone else has confirmed it to be safe beforehand (let alone even considering putting anything with electronic components in there).

[Kiriakos-GR]

It's not "just a rubber sleeve" but a relevant part of a $400 multimeter!......

I'd be seriously upset if I had one and managed to damage it to a point of needing replacement....

I've paid for with my own hard work ....

I will share one of my thoughts with you , because it looks that you respect and love the tools,
at the same level as I do too.

Actually I will share some personal strange thoughts and feelings ,
that they got born in my head, the first time when I watched the video of Dave,
about the crash test that he did on the Fluke 28II  ( EEVblog #66) . ( I have a copy of it on my hard drive ).    

What I did was that I turned my head to my DMM , and I speak to it by saying,
do not worry you will never end up with the same look , as the one in the video.
(And had a good laugh after doing that.)    

It was the first time that I had speak in to a DMM ..
So far I had speak only to my Honda motorcycle , and to my Olympus Digital camera.. LOL  


About Dave ( our EEV Dave ) , he had injured the screen protector of the 87V ,
and he was actually use the meter, even by looking as scratched , in many video blog episodes.

Every time that I was watching those videos , my eyes was always nailed on the scratched screen protector.

Bottom line ... the people who loves and appreciate their tools , they do build feelings about them.
And thanks God that Dave finally removed the damaged screen protector,
because I was ready to travel to Australia , and remove it by my self ...  
  

[Kiriakos-GR]

Today I did the unthinkable ..

I washed with soap and water the  Fluke TL71 leads.

I was repairing one small TV, and from the carbon deposits on the parts,
my hands turn to black, and the leads that was a bit dirty, they turned black too.

And so all the set got under the tab ( tab water ).
I had use liquid soap for the dishes.
They look as new now, I had dry them out.

I just hope that they do have some sort of waterproofing in them,
because they can not be repaired , as we do with the tips of the plastic ones.
( By direct soldering of the cable on the tip )