Products > Test Equipment
A dream came true Today34401A Digital Multimeter, 6½ Digit DMM
deepfryed:
I made myself a usbgpib adapter (https://github.com/xyphro/UsbGpib) and use the python-usbtmc library to read remotely. I can write something quickly to graph in realtime if necessary.
1000 readings/s is more than enough for my hobby needs.
rhb:
The AR488 will take care of logging. For hobby cal, join the USA cal club round 3. I logged both my 34401As for several days in round 2 against the excellent voltage references that @TiN designed and built.
The most heavily used unit had been calibrated about a dozen times. The new looking unit had never been cal'd. Extensive checks with limited kit showed them in spec for everything I could test.
Going price for a 34401A in NA is $325-$350. 3478A is $125. That's both ebay and the test equipment lists on groups.io. The 34401A may lack some convenience features, but the price-performance of the 34401A and 3478A can't be beat for reliability, accuracy and ease of repair or replacement.
Have Fun!
Reg
Veteran68:
I have an Agilent 34401A (newer generation of the HP with black+red probe connectors) purchased from a member here on eevBlog for $250 just a few years back. Excellent condition and per my hobbyist references is still well within spec and plenty accurate for me. If I had a local cal lab I'd like to get it calibrated, but calibration will cost more than I paid for meter, especially if I have to ship it somewhere. I consider it probably my greatest bargain find in this hobby. While I do plan to pick up a Siglent SDM3065 to have the newer features, I will keep this one. It's fast, has a nostalgia factor and there's just something sexy about a VFD! Plus you know what they say: two is one, and one is none.
And do I *NEED* 6.5 digits for my hobby use? Not really, but I have a compulsion to get the best I can reasonably afford. I consider a good DMM to be the heart of any electronics bench and it's nice to know I have the extra precision should I ever need it. And I also have over a dozen handhelds ranging from higher end Fluke, Brymen, and Hioki to Uni-T, Aneng/Zotec, and Kaiweets (yes, I have a problem, I can't stop buying meters!). I've cut corners on a cheaper scope (not going to spend thousands for one when I seldom use it) and SigGen/AWG, but not my main DMM.
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