A Fluke 8050A bought on ebay (another sad story)

[Rick]

I have recently purchased a used Fluke 8050A on ebay from USA.
It looked almost physically perfect on the ebay page as you can see.
But when it arrived I noticed it has a damaged LCD. The item was well packed, the front panel and the LCD screen were well protected with bubble nylon, however as you can see below, it has dark points which stay dark even when the dmm is off.
What I can think of is he changed the good LCD with a bad one prior to shipping or photoshopped the pics. But this is a guy with a good record... how come? Otherwise the readings are perfect. I checked with a voltage standard and the "dmmcheck" circuit.
Can anybody tell me where I can find a spare LCD for this multimeter? I have found an old thread (of the former member Kiriakos) but when I sent an email to the company he mentions, I got no answer.

[Spawn]

Did you mail the seller, just mail him with eBay mailing system you can also send pictures from there and ask how to solve this problem on his side.

[Rick]

Yes I am trying to solve the problem through ebay. But I find this strange. It must be photoshop... because the slight marks on the LCD on the bottom left also exist on my dmm's LCD so it is apparently the same LCD but the image inside was changed to show as if it was perfect.

[nixxon]

Contact the seller. Take some new photos with the display in focus 

[kripton2035]

also if he has more than 1 to sell, he can take a picture of one and send you another ?

[retiredcaps]

I haven't bought anything from

http://stores.ebay.ca/funkyjunquetech

but I did email him about shipping costs and he took time to send a lengthy response back to me.

He does list his phone number (which very few ebay sellers do) and seems to be a honest with 6000 transactions.  If you let him know the lcd isn't as pictured in the auction, he will probably respond and hopefully offer you a satisfactory solution.

[Rick]

also if he has more than 1 to sell, he can take a picture of one and send you another ?

Actually he was selling only one: it looked perfect to me:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261145551034?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I still cannot believe it...
I think I shall stop buying stuff from USA especially that I have recently found an excellent seller in Europe who sells quality stuff for cheap, but he has not everything at any time of course...

Contact the seller. Take some new photos with the display in focus 

Right:) I may need to buy a digital camera soon! It will be a good pretext.

[Rick]

I haven't bought anything from

http://stores.ebay.ca/funkyjunquetech

but I did email him about shipping costs and he took time to send a lengthy response back to me.

He does list his phone number (which very few ebay sellers do) and seems to be a honest with 6000 transactions.  If you let him know the lcd isn't as pictured in the auction, he will probably respond and hopefully offer you a satisfactory solution.

That's what I thought too.
But remember I am very far and sellers may think the buyer will probably not return an item from such a distance.
He looks honest with 100% positive feedback, that's why I don't understand.
I have contacted him.

[nctnico]

also if he has more than 1 to sell, he can take a picture of one and send you another ?

Actually he was selling only one: it looked perfect to me:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261145551034?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I still cannot believe it...
I think I shall stop buying stuff from USA especially that I have recently found an excellent seller in Europe who sells quality stuff for cheap, but he has not everything at any time of course...

Which seller in Europe? Anyway, it seems you got the wrong item. Maybe the seller has more than one and send you the wrong item. Or did you forget to change the line voltage?

[Spawn]

I am not sure if 8050A has a option to change from 110V but I am 100% sure my 8010A from US didn’t have that, I ended up getting a  el chepo 220V to 110V transformer, added a cable and molded the front holes with a plastic.

This is what I made:

[nctnico]

My HP3466A DMM needed changing some wires on the PCB to make it work on 220V. Maybe its the same for this Fluke DMM.

[Rick]

also if he has more than 1 to sell, he can take a picture of one and send you another ?

Actually he was selling only one: it looked perfect to me:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/261145551034?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
I still cannot believe it...
I think I shall stop buying stuff from USA especially that I have recently found an excellent seller in Europe who sells quality stuff for cheap, but he has not everything at any time of course...

Which seller in Europe? Anyway, it seems you got the wrong item. Maybe the seller has more than one and send you the wrong item. Or did you forget to change the line voltage?

I PM you his email;)
No it was a 120V 47-440Hz item so I connected to my step down transformer otherwise there would have been smoke and it would not work properly. It measures fine except that the LCD is bad.
By the way out of the box it showed that dark spot on the LCD so before even connecting to the 110V I knew it was bad.

[Rick]

I am not sure if 8050A has a option to change from 110V but I am 100% sure my 8010A from US didn’t have that, I ended up getting a  el chepo 220V to 110V transformer, added a cable and molded the front holes with a plastic.

I have 2 step down transformers, at least one of them being an autotransformer.
By the way I have chosen especially that one because it works with 47-440 Hz.

[Fraser]

This is a very well known problem with these fluke multimeter's.

Before you judge the seller harshly consider this:

The Fluke 8050 and its sister multimeter's used a organic LCD module that aged very badly and would often suffer very strange failures such as the whole display going dark even when off and of course the common LCD failure of the black death spot that changes shape and grows ! LCD displays of this vintage are on borrowed time. For a period, Fluke were supplying free replacement displays to my employer as it was an acknowledged premature component failure.

I have seen LCD displays fail in the same way after transport, especially where a flight is involved. I am advised that air pressure change and very high or low temperatures can initiate an LCD panel failure on these units. It is my belief that the seller is likely as surprised as you. He/she probably shipped a good meter and the LCD failed in transit. Its more common than you may think. The seller will likely offer you a refund on return but in truth it isn't their fault.

This is why I have avoided the 8050 series like the plague...decent meter, Cr*p LCD. Of the 10 I had use of, every one required a new LCD during its life. we ditched them as scrap in the end as Fluke stopped supplying LCDs for free.

Likely not what you want to hear but please consider my comments before getting cross with the seller.

Fraser

[Rick]

This is a very well known problem with these fluke multimeter's.

Before you judge the seller harshly consider this:

The Fluke 8050 and its sister multimeter's used a organic LCD module that aged very badly and would often suffer very strange failures such as the whole display going dark even when off and of course the common LCD failure of the black death spot that changes shape and grows ! LCD displays of this vintage are on borrowed time. For a period, Fluke were supplying free replacement displays to my employer as it was an acknowledged premature component failure.

I have seen LCD displays fail in the same way after transport, especially where a flight is involved. I am advised that air pressure change and very high or low temperatures can initiate an LCD panel failure on these units. It is my belief that the seller is likely as surprised as you. He/she probably shipped a good meter and the LCD failed in transit. Its more common than you may think. The seller will likely offer you a refund on return but in truth it isn't their fault.

This is why I have avoided the 8050 series like the plague...decent meter, Cr*p LCD. Of the 10 I had use of, every one required a new LCD during its life. we ditched them as scrap in the end as Fluke stopped supplying LCDs for free.

Likely not what you want to hear but please consider my comments before getting cross with the seller.

Fraser

I see, in this case those dmm's should not be shipped by air mail.
Thank you anyway. That enlightens. I have asked for a partial refund or a new LCD to be shipped for free (what if that LCD also turns bad?).
But previously Kiriakos had some LCD shipped without problem apparently...
I have also three 8010A's in wreckage state (1 good in full , one good for volts and ohms, one only good as far as ohms are concerned) but the display of the 8010A is not a problem because any 3 1/2 digit LCD with an "LB" sign can be used (in my case there is no battery actually so even one without that LB sign would be suitable). Whereas this thing has 4 1/2 digits and has also "REL" "HV" "dB" signs so it is not easy to replace it with any 4 1/2 digit LCD. Otherwise it would have been fun. I am not eager to use LED's either. I know some people on this forum have done it but.

[rr100]

I wanted to post basically the same as Aurora but was too busy at the time; LCDs indeed might have problems in transit.

Of course it's not "all LCDs", some sorts are prone to problems while others not, and even from the ones with problems only now and then something happens. To bad it happened to you...

[SeanB]

The problem is not the air post, but that it must go in pressurised cargo. If not then it could go unpressurised and be exposed to the 45000 foot altitude. That can cause issues with plasma displays and other LCD displays as well.

Best is to ship and mark as pressurised cargo only. Send as that and you have no problems, though it costs more to send as it then goes in a Hazarous Goods pallet in pressurised holds.

[Rick]

Best is to ship and mark as pressurised cargo only. Send as that and you have no problems, though it costs more to send as it then goes in a Hazarous Goods pallet in pressurised holds.

Thank you for the advice, I shall do that in the future if I shop again for LCDs.
Actually I would have avoided buying that DMM if I was aware of the problem.

[Rick]

A better image which shows what happened.
For your info the seller is willing to compensate somehow and send a new LCD for no cost if he finds one.
He also  provided the following info:
"Here is a quote from kyocera (manufacturer of LCDs) site:
'The liquid crystal material can be permanently damaged by very low temperatures. Bubbles can form. Molecules can aggregate into solid crystals. Either of these will disrupt the carefully twisted order of liquid crystal molecules when they are transmitting light, resulting in a permanent optical defect.' "
May be the real solution to this would be a surface shipping option, right? Well, it may be very cold on the surface of the earth too:)
The best solution is to have in mind that the LCD can go bad during shipment and bid accordingly or not to buy such stuff.

[alm]

Best is to ship and mark as pressurised cargo only. Send as that and you have no problems, though it costs more to send as it then goes in a Hazarous Goods pallet in pressurised holds.

How do you do this for your $5-$15 small packet?

[SeanB]

You declare that it contains a glass bottle inside, then they will mark it as breakable, glass and fragile.  Mark it as Pressurised cargo only and hope that the final packers will do accordingly.

Unfortunately the only way to make it go pressurised is to have it declared as hazardous cargo, which costs a lot more to send.

Surface mail will always work, though it will take up to 3 months to arrive. Workable for heavy stuff, as the rates are much cheaper, though you will have to send as a well packed parcel with a lot of protective packaging.

[Rick]

You declare that it contains a glass bottle inside, then they will mark it as breakable, glass and fragile.  Mark it as Pressurised cargo only and hope that the final packers will do accordingly.

Unfortunately the only way to make it go pressurised is to have it declared as hazardous cargo, which costs a lot more to send.

Surface mail will always work, though it will take up to 3 months to arrive. Workable for heavy stuff, as the rates are much cheaper, though you will have to send as a well packed parcel with a lot of protective packaging.

I shall probably go for surface mail and ask him to ship in summer.

[Fraser]

I have had electronics fitted with LCD displays shipped from all over the world without incident. In my experience the LCD panel fitted in these particular Fluke meters was just VERY fragile and failed even when left in the relatively constant temperature and air pressure of a lab ! I have no hesitation in receiving or shipping LCD displays by airmail.

Fraser

[Rick]

I have had electronics fitted with LCD displays shipped from all over the world without incident. In my experience the LCD panel fitted in these particular Fluke meters was just VERY fragile and failed even when left in the relatively constant temperature and air pressure of a lab ! I have no hesitation in receiving or shipping LCD displays by airmail.

Fraser

Then do you know any good 4,5 digit display LCD available on internet with a few extra segments for things such as db REL HV (even with different signs or names)?
There are lots of options for 3,5 digit LCDs but not as many for 4,5 digit ones. The new one will be shipped but if it turns bad I need to find a solution. Because the meter is in excellent condition. It is as accurate as my 87V for example and even more accurate for resistance measurement... I don't know if this is just a coincidence.

[mamalala]

Then do you know any good 4,5 digit display LCD available on internet with a few extra segments for things such as db REL HV (even with different signs or names)?

What about ripping one out of a broken handheld DMM? There are plenty of cheap 4.5 digit DMM out there, there must be a lot of broken ones as well.

Greetings,

Chris