34461A vs 34465A

[Electro Fan]

Search around for a used 34465a, there are lots of them out there but almost impossible to find one used.  There is a reason for that.

The 6500 would be my choice for home experimentation and tinkering on a more advanced level.  The 34465a (my go to bench DMM) would be my choice for a reasonable higher end home precision DMM that you can count on with the best support and reasonable calibration costs.

The Siglents are good and have a definite place in the market, but I consider them more entry level that acts like a gateway drug leaving you wanting more.  They get your foot in the door and you longing for whats next.

I do think the 34465a is worth the premium over the 34461a for home metrology and experimentation, it seems to be the happy point between a really good meter and then going full TiN.

kj7e,

Thanks for the excellent summary.  There is a good reason for each of these models - just depends on the user and use case(s).

For a user that needs/wants to make the the budget go the furthest the 3055 is a no brainer.  Might not be quite the specs and amazing support of Keysight (tautech* does his best to fend off all of Keysight but it's not quite the same as calling 1-800-KS), but the 3055 offers excellent value.  Siglent has done a very good job with their DMMs, generators, scopes, and other TE.  I have no doubt that you could build a great bench with their products.

If I had more software skills and did a bunch of automated testing I could easily make a case that the 6500 is the way to fly.  It might be the test equipment architecture of the future.

But after reading all the posts I could find (some multiple times) and watching all the youtubes I could find (some multiple times), I've decided to go with the 34465A.

Thanks   to you and everyone for all the insights, advice, and encouragement. 


*if tautech ever went to work for Keysight or they made him a distributor Keysight would probably double in revenue in his region if not the world

[Electro Fan]

What you read is pretty old, the 3446DIGU option is no longer available, Keysight made it part of the standard firmware in Dec 2019.

Anyone have any insight as to how the Keysight promotions work?  In particular, any way to know if/when KS might offer their memory upgrade as a promotion for the 34465A?  Thx

Just my pragmatical way, observing this link from time to time, till the second checkbox "Mem Upgrade" has the hook within the checkbox with 0.00 € 251,71 €, the same as with the "Advanced Trigger" 0.00 € 380.48€ above it.

https://www.welectron.com/Keysight-34465A-Benchtop-Multimeter

When I am not mistaken, I have read in one Keysight thread, that it will be somewhere around September... In this case it was mentioned on the 2nd September in 2018 by a forum member - but who knows what Covid-19 evolves from another this time...

Yes, the digitizer option is now a standard built-in feature/function (I think maybe as of fw 3.0?) with the base 34465A product but the extra memory is still an option.  I'm in the midst of researching whether a USB stick or a USB/Ethernet computer connection might be a viable alternative to adding the internal memory.  Will report back as I learn more but maybe other users who are already down this path can share their experience.

Edit:  After doing more research I'm pretty sure (but not positive yet) that with the included BenchVue app and an ethernet connection the digitzer will run at the full 50k samples per second as long as the computer has disk storage to keep going.

[tautech]

...............................

*if tautech ever went to work for Keysight or they made him a distributor Keysight would probably double in revenue in his region if not the world

Nope, not interested.
KS have perfectly fine reps here with decades of relationship with the mothership and wouldn't be the slightest bit interested in small fry like me.......still I do enjoy beating them on class sets of equipment. 

[NoisyBoy]

There is no need to buy all up front unless you want your dealer to give you a deeper discount.  I bought my meter in Feb this year, I did not add the 2M memory feature until a month ago when I had a use case for it.

I hope you will be just as delighted with the meter as I am.  95+% of my test gear are Agilent/Keysight, they have always taken great care of my needs for 10+ years.  Whether it is calibration, product support, parts, or repair, they are absolutely superb, all these services make them cost more, but if you are not price sensitive and want professionalism, they are my #1 go-to brand

I also have a Siglent AWG, I agree with you that Tautech is a godsend to the Siglent brand.  He has been extra helpful in all instances, both for my questions, as well as question from other community members. 

For Keysight, we have Daniel. 

What you read is pretty old, the 3446DIGU option is no longer available, Keysight made it part of the standard firmware in Dec 2019.

Anyone have any insight as to how the Keysight promotions work?  In particular, any way to know if/when KS might offer their memory upgrade as a promotion for the 34465A?  Thx

Just my pragmatical way, observing this link from time to time, till the second checkbox "Mem Upgrade" has the hook within the checkbox with 0.00 € 251,71 €, the same as with the "Advanced Trigger" 0.00 € 380.48€ above it.

https://www.welectron.com/Keysight-34465A-Benchtop-Multimeter

When I am not mistaken, I have read in one Keysight thread, that it will be somewhere around September... In this case it was mentioned on the 2nd September in 2018 by a forum member - but who knows what Covid-19 evolves from another this time...

Yes, the digitizer option is now a standard built-in feature/function (I think maybe as of fw 3.0?) with the base 34465A product but the extra memory is still an option.  I'm in the midst of researching whether a USB stick or a USB/Ethernet computer connection might be a viable alternative to adding the internal memory.  Will report back as I learn more but maybe other users who are already down this path can share their experience.

Edit:  After doing more research I'm pretty sure (but not positive yet) that with the included BenchVue app and an ethernet connection the digitzer will run at the full 50k samples per second as long as the computer has disk storage to keep going.

[Electro Fan]

There is no need to buy all up front unless you want your dealer to give you a deeper discount.  I bought my meter in Feb this year, I did not add the 2M memory feature until a month ago when I had a use case for it.

I hope you will be just as delighted with the meter as I am.  95+% of my test gear are Agilent/Keysight, they have always taken great care of my needs for 10+ years.  Whether it is calibration, product support, parts, or repair, they are absolutely superb, all these services make them cost more, but if you are not price sensitive and want professionalism, they are my #1 go-to brand

I also have a Siglent AWG, I agree with you that Tautech is a godsend to the Siglent brand.  He has been extra helpful in all instances, both for my questions, as well as question from other community members. 

For Keysight, we have Daniel. 

What you read is pretty old, the 3446DIGU option is no longer available, Keysight made it part of the standard firmware in Dec 2019.

Anyone have any insight as to how the Keysight promotions work?  In particular, any way to know if/when KS might offer their memory upgrade as a promotion for the 34465A?  Thx

Just my pragmatical way, observing this link from time to time, till the second checkbox "Mem Upgrade" has the hook within the checkbox with 0.00 € 251,71 €, the same as with the "Advanced Trigger" 0.00 € 380.48€ above it.

https://www.welectron.com/Keysight-34465A-Benchtop-Multimeter

When I am not mistaken, I have read in one Keysight thread, that it will be somewhere around September... In this case it was mentioned on the 2nd September in 2018 by a forum member - but who knows what Covid-19 evolves from another this time...

Yes, the digitizer option is now a standard built-in feature/function (I think maybe as of fw 3.0?) with the base 34465A product but the extra memory is still an option.  I'm in the midst of researching whether a USB stick or a USB/Ethernet computer connection might be a viable alternative to adding the internal memory.  Will report back as I learn more but maybe other users who are already down this path can share their experience.

Edit:  After doing more research I'm pretty sure (but not positive yet) that with the included BenchVue app and an ethernet connection the digitzer will run at the full 50k samples per second as long as the computer has disk storage to keep going.

+1 on all that and Thanks!

[WastelandTek]

Hey guys, Sorry to bump an old thread, but I have been saving up and I am ready to pull the trigger on a 34465A finally.

My question, do folks think that the initial calibration is a worthwhile expense for a hobbyist, or would it make more sense to let the thing cook a couple years and then send it in?

The cal seems to cost about $200 at the moment, but availability is spotty compared to the "un-cal'd" units.

Also, the free memory upgrade is currently running till the end of the year.

Thanks in advance.

[HighVoltage]

Hey guys, Sorry to bump an old thread, but I have been saving up and I am ready to pull the trigger on a 34465A finally.

My question, do folks think that the initial calibration is a worthwhile expense for a hobbyist, or would it make more sense to let the thing cook a couple years and then send it in?

The cal seems to cost about $200 at the moment, but availability is spotty compared to the "un-cal'd" units.

Also, the free memory upgrade is currently running till the end of the year.

Thanks in advance.

When you buy the 34465A new, it is calibrated and comes with a certificate.
In my experience, the 34465A is very stable in its calibration and if you are a hobbyist, you should not need extra calibration for a long time.

[Kleinstein]

A new meter should come calibrated. In some cases one may have to pay extra for a special form of the certificate. For hobby use one usually does not need that extra paper work. The meter itself would usually not change.

[WastelandTek]

It seemed that should be the case.  I guess I'm overthinking it in my "big ticket purchase" anxiety.

Thanks guys.

[blackdog]

Hi,

I tested two 34465a measuring instruments , one of my own and a loaner instrument.

Mine measuring instrument in sent to the other side of the world, to the Factory in Malaysia, because i had problems with the autocal function.

The autocal function of the 34465a is a joke, don't buy a 34465a just because you need this function.
When you do an autocal, if the temperature remains the same, the correction that is done after performing the autocal function, disappears again after 10 to 20 minutes...

I have done extensive measurements on this problem and have many pictures of it.
The factory in  Malaysia has also found this behavior and dismisses it with "this falls within the drift that may occur within 1 day...

The loaner instrument was so stable that the autocal function was not needed at all and only made it worse.
Unfortunately my instrument was not as stable but well within specifications.
I no longer use the autocal and calculate the drift from the internal temperature when making precision measurements.

The service from Keysight Netherland was very good, they were very helpful.

The additional functions that the 34465a has such as for the temperature sensors and averaging the measured value are one of the functions that I use regularly.

I hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Bram