Repair Fluke 1587

[croolis]

I have a faulty Fluke 1587 ..
i'm pretty much at a loss so turning to you guys maybe someone can give a hint ..

when you turn it on it shows 1587 and then - - - -
In this state pressing buttons gets a double beep, except for backlight button - single beep and backlight switches on/off.
Turning on power with various buttons pressed gives diffferent feed back:
Range press shows 5---
Hold pressed flashes all segments of the LCD
Light button pressed shows Cal and then 1111/2222
Insulation test pressed shows 'beep'
C/F pressed shows 'PoFF'

It's too nice of a meter to just throw away .. and I've just been scammed a few days ago on an 87V so if I could manage to bring this one back from the dead ..

thanks in advance!

[J-R]

There are various power-on combinations listed in the owner's manual and calibration manual that may point to a button or selector switch issue.  Does it change behavior depending on which switch position you go to when you power it on?

Beyond that I think some typical suggestions are taking it apart and cleaning it carefully, and inspect for any damaged components.

[CapLeaker]

dunno about the 1587, but I can tell you that on a 289 if it shows ---- on the display after the boot up the supercap is shorted to nearby components. Open the 1587 up and look around. Maybe clean the board with 99% IPA. Maybe post some pictures... Good Luck!

[croolis]

turning the selector switch seems to have no effect at all (beyond turning power on and off)

[croolis]

that is a good suggestion .. I will have a look.
is the supercap something repairable? and any idea what it looks like?

[Ugur]

Disassemble the device and verify that the tap switch is inserted correctly and check that the rsobs are intact.

[CapLeaker]

My 289 has one, I don’t think the 1587 has. Thing is, maybe there is something shorted, open, or some low voltage missing. There are a few instances why —— is displayed. Google something like fluke dashes in display.

[retiredcaps]

For ----, see as a possibility/

http://mrmodemhead.com/blog/fluke-77-iv-copper-corrosion/

[croolis]

Taking apart..

[croolis]

.. needs cleaning firstly

[croolis]

Some little progress.. most ranges still show ---- but one came to life .. I'm thinking the rotary selector needs more cleaning.

[croolis]

Amazing ...it came back to life!
Seems to be happy and readings match my other meter (Metrahit Outdoor) quite closely.
For a $30 investment this was a real bargain the case is all bashed up with multiple cracks and the screws that put pressure on the LCD have their screwholes broken.
Still .. working

Thank you all for all the great help and pointing me in the right direction!

[croolis]

hello all,

thanks again for the help in getting my 1587 back to life .. I used it this morning to measure the voltage on my truck batteries (I have a bank of LTO cells).

So, the meter seems to be working fine except for ohms range not working .. on ohms, it goes to OL (which is OK) and then gives what appear to be random / drifting readings when touching the probes together. Switching to a different range and back seems to make a difference too .. My guess is there is something bad with the input protection or with the current source used to test ohms, but then everything else seems to work (though I have not tested the amps ranges).



Video showing the behaviour .. the reason I have to push on the screen at one point is that the screw holes that keep pressure on the screen are broken.

thanks again for any and all hints (and is there a service manual available for the 1587?)

[CapLeaker]

Look inside the jacks. Maybe they need to be cleaned. There are a couple of threads where some fluke we’re showing negative ohm readings and wandered around. Cleaning the lower 1/3 of the PCB with the jacks with 99% IPA got them going, if memory serves me right. Google fluke negative ohm reading or something along that line.