Fluke 83 repair - no tension for elastomerics

[mzacharias]

I have a Fluke 83 series 1, which has the common issue of broken plastic bits which provide the tension for the elastomers for the LCD. The "top shield" had broken clips for the circuit board edges, AND the "top case" screw posts (turrets) are broken as well, so no screw tension is available either.

If it were only the edge-clips to the circuit board, several thicknesses of electrical tape on the rear of the bottom shield would provide the necessary tension as soon as the screws tighten, but that option is not available.

Any ideas how to repair on the cheap? This 83 was itself a "parts unit", so I am resisting buying another for parts.

Thanks in advance!

edit:  zip-ties to the rescue. Not pretty but serviceable.

[ModemHead]

Gonzo repairs are my specialty.  This one had two broken clips on opposite corners.  I drilled a couple of tiny holes to line up with existing vias, and used some 30ga Kynar as a wire tie.  Obviously, the wire insulation needs to remain intact.

For the screw posts, that's an exercise in materials, adhesives, and ingenuity.  For the 80 series, I'd be inclined to just use the yellow holster to keep it together.

[mzacharias]

Wow. Nice. The twisted side could hide under the LCD, yes? I've been obsessively buying "parts-repair" units. Had good luck so far. Got a 27FM coming next week. We'll see how that goes.

Twice now lately I've found S1, the function selector on the 80 series 1, reversed 180 degrees, on an 87 a couple weeks back and again on this 83.

I guess people screw up that way fairly often.

[mzacharias]

Here's my crude solution. Makes battery or fuse changes a problem, so I'm sure I'll employ some version of your solution. Thanks!

edit: Of course, the rear cover cannot be secured with screws, so it does need to be retained somehow. Maybe stick with the zip-ties for this one.

[ModemHead]

Wow. Nice. The twisted side could hide under the LCD, yes?

Yes.

I've been obsessively buying "parts-repair" units. Had good luck so far. Got a 27FM coming next week. We'll see how that goes.

It's like an addiction.  I'm always looking for another one to fix the last one.

[Electro Detective]

The wire ties are an awesome Jerry Rigatoni fix 

FWIW, double or triple layered black or grey good quality (non goo) Duct/Duck tape (Bear or 3M brands?) around the sides of nuked post Fluke meters works well to keep them together

With the yellow holster on, you don't even see it 

The taped up meter would/should stay together better on a severe fall too,

and handle internal HV BANGS! up to a point,
still a better deal than lab or field prayer... because a LOT of Flukes have cracked posts which will give way easily to a severe internal flash/zap/blunder

[mzacharias]

The wire ties are an awesome Jerry Rigatoni fix 

FWIW, double or triple layered black or grey good quality (non goo) Duct/Duck tape (Bear or 3M brands?) around the sides of nuked post Fluke meters works well to keep them together

With the yellow holster on, you don't even see it 

The taped up meter would/should stay together better on a severe fall too,

and handle internal HV BANGS! up to a point,
still a better deal than lab or field prayer... because a LOT of Flukes have cracked posts which will give way easily to a severe internal flash/zap/blunder

Yes... I have some really strong black Gorilla duct tape. Hmmm.

[Electro Detective]

I lay a foot of flexible duct tape or more on a clean flat bench, then carefully overlay a second piece on top and repeatedly 'palm over' to roll out and minimize any bubbles,
it doesn't have to be perfect but hey, doesn't hurt to try and you might get lucky...

Then I cut to size these 'double strength' pieces for the top, bottom and sides of the meter, and done 

To keep the math easy, cut 6 equal sized pieces per meter, using the top or bottom as the initial measurement,
so you end up with top, bottom, and two pieces on each side (6)

Recommended Options:

trim or round off the corners of the rectangular pieces so they don't fray or lift at the corners

wipe the meter sides with isopropyl alcohol beforehand to remove any oils, and to provide a good clean base for the tape to grip

and then wipe the edges/sides of placed tape, in case of slight adhesive bleed or oozing (use a magnifier)

heat up the yellow holster with a hair dryer (or any heat source set to NON-MELT!)    to make it behave, so the taped up meter slides in nicely without nicking at the tape


If done right with good quality tape, you can remove and re-use these 'patches' for fuse or battery changes,

and or make up a second batch for future use and possible Fluke GAS additions...

It has worked for me for ages, till I get around the week before never to sorting out my fair share of Fluke 'great meter'    'lame cracked posts'    humble inventory

[mzacharias]

I really think I need a YouTube video. I can see using duct tape but I don't visualize all that you said. Sorry if I'm being dense.

[Electro Detective]

Ignore the drawn out directions above and rough it 

Cut up 6 pieces of -good/best quality- duct tape (black or dull grey/gray) each 60mm in length

fit them to the top, bottom, and sides, as per 2 minute rush job photos below   

fit the holster back on carefully so it will totally cover/hide the tape,
both coupled together should keep the meter intact a wee bit better than sheared, cracked or brittle posts production dumbassery going strong for... 30 years?   

back in business    AND most important... looking good again     

[mzacharias]

Perfect. Thanks!

[mzacharias]

The 27FM from eBay arrived. Needed a battery. Everything works. I'm a little disappointed not to have anything to repair. The fuses are even good.

Voltage and current ranges work fine. Resistance is spot on.

Could stand to be adjusted a tiny bit - 5.00 volts reads 4.99, dc ranges all seem to be just that teensie bit low. That's about it.

Not bad for 29.95 freight included. Score!

 

[Electro Detective]

Score +      27FM is on my Wanted List but rarely see them on Ebay here,

either not many around or techs won't part with them

or boxes of them marooned in some limbo status company storage warehouse, awaiting auction or dumpster      

[mzacharias]

Score +      27FM is on my Wanted List but rarely see them on Ebay here,

either not many around or techs won't part with them

or boxes of them marooned in some limbo status company storage warehouse, awaiting auction or dumpster      

I had one a few years back. Sold it at a loss. It's not something I needed - I prefer at least 4000 counts.

Before I really knew much about multimeters I bought a Fluke 85III to replace a dead Beckman. I lucked out, since this was an almost perfect model for an audio technician. Ever since then, I've been a fan of the 80 series, but I'm up to my gills in other models.

I have almost the complete 80 series, except the 83 type - only have the one, and the 87-4, which doesn't quite count for me. Have a 77 and a "Square D" 23, which is a re-badged Fluke 23, an 8840A with a very cool NASA cal sticker on the front, a Keithley 2015 THD model, and various others, including a slew of analog models.

I'm hopeless...   

[Electro Detective]

Hopeless is my middle name, but I reckon there are quite a few TEA members here that leave us in the GAS dust      

I like the 27FM vibe for the top and bottom OFF settings,

with DC range to the left of OFF and AC on the right, which would save me a lot of thinking on some rough field jobs


For audio work the original Fluke 87 and 87V are pretty good for AC audio signals up to about 14khz, and then they gradually roll off to meet their spec for 20khz 

The 8060A was/is THE meter for audio, rated up to 100khz, so you can be sure of a nice flat no BS response to 30 khz or more.

189 and 289 are awesome for audio work if you can afford them, the on board logging comes in handy for tracking issues


AVOmeter 8 mk5 responds well up to about 15khz IIRC, great analogue meter with retro factor

and of course an analogue storage oscilloscope and a 4 channel DSO (affordable model) lets you see and capture the audio in question

and an old school pulse/function generator is a must have, you can't start the party without one of those 

and...   




oh yeah, grab this 27FM manual if you haven't got it already

http://radionerds.com/images/5/58/TM_11-6625-3199-14.PDF

[mzacharias]

Yup - have that Fluke manual and a bunch of others. I do notice the III manual no longer includes a schematic (if it ever did).

And of course the 87V manual contains NO real service info. Sign of the times I guess.

I went to finish up the 83 and discovered upon replacing the fuses that the milli-amp and micro-amp ranges were inoperative. Turns out S1 was bad. On the underside. A piece that was supposed to short out pins 8 and 9 (if I recall correctly) actually FELL OUT while I was working on the thing. Oh, well.

The meter is now the functional equivalent of a Fluke 73 on steroids.

And yes, I have an AVO 8 mk5 also, a beauty I bought from some guy in Germany (way overpaid). Don't really ever use it though.

My favorite analog is my Bach-Simpson 635. You can see pictures of it over at

http://www.simpson260.com/635/bach-simpson_635.htm

on the Simpson260.com site.

It's dead-on accurate on all ranges and functions, the movement responds quick and to full value without lag or overshoot.

The only issue really is that it's not the most intuitive meter ever. But it does AC and DC current to 12 amps.

[tggzzz]

Score +      27FM is on my Wanted List but rarely see them on Ebay here,

If you could tolerate a Fluke 27, then you could make one out of a Fluke 25. The only difference is that the Fluke 27 has a couple of elastomeric keys for min/max and rel/delta. Internally the PCB tracks/pads are there, and it would be simple to solder thin wires to adjacent PTHs.

The calibration and service manual is at  http://assets.fluke.com/manuals/25_27___smeng0000.pdf

Vac spec: 40Hz-2kHz +-(0.5%+3), 2kHz-10kHz +-(2%+3), 10-30kHz +-(4%+10)