Recommended Multimeters for Circuit Tracing?

[Chris56000]

Hi!

Can anyone recommend a multimeter that's good for circuit Tracing & Drawing please?

I'm looking for all the usual safety features, as it's to be used with oscilloscopes, true RMS for checking CRT heater supplies, reasonable capacitor measurement for SMD caps, and a fast continuity range and a backlit display pref!

(Ideally, one with a schematic would be ideal in case of accidents!)

My Christmas Bonus will only be a small one, so the Fluke 287 FVF kit is out of my reach this year – used will do and I'm looking at a budget of £200!

I did have a UT61E but it's gone missing somewhere!

I'm trying to trace out circuits with a TTI 1604 but it's continuity buzzer is far too slow!

Chris Williams

[Fungus]

Have a browse of this site:

https://brymen.eu/product-category/multimetry/?orderby=price-desc

[tautech]

If you watch Defpom vids, he uses one of Dave's BM235's a lot and you can get it from moderator Simon's shop:
https://simonselectronics.co.uk/product/97/

[Chris56000]

Hi!

I've got technical misgivings about Brymen's meters because of their use of "house coded" DVM Chipsets, there have been tales on here of several chaps running into bother with autorange and reading faults on BM235s due to chipset faults, and that does NOT appeal!

The 121GW appears to be far too slow in operation for circuit–tracing needs, so could the Members suggest alternative models to do my homework on please?

Chris Williams

PS!

There's a chap did a good write-up and summary review in great detail on both new & used multi-meters on another site somewhere - can anybody provide me a link to it?

[tggzzz]

I use two multimeters for general purpose use, including Tek/HP scopes...

I rather like Fluke 25s - built like a brick (can be used in explosive atmospheres!) and pleasingly accurate.

I also rather like Metrix MX67s, simply because they are so different and ergonomic when noodling around a circuit - the display is right in your hand, not somewhere off to the side. N.B. no current measurements. The ergonomics are obviously subjective, for example I don't like the pen-style handheld multimeters since the display digits are at the wrong angle.

Neither are new, both were widely used by the military, both can be found on fleabay at <<£200. Neither are true RMS but I would have thought that a CRT heater supply would be a sine wave in which case true RMS would offer no advantage.

I have a spare pristine (probably never used except for recent calibration) working Metrix MX67 that I can sell  for £30. See below for a (somewhat contrived!) picture of the one I keep on my bench.

[rsjsouza]

A failure may be an isolated case, but since I don't have a BM235 I can only speculate. I have another Brymen (BM857) and it is excellent for circuit tracing. Also, my U1273A has a very low voltage ohms measurements that help avoid activating PN junctions while measuring the circuit.

One think is certain: the chipset is the least of my concerns. The products work very well above the average among the offers in the marketplace.

Apart from that, lots of other meters have lightning fast continuity test and are perfectly suitable for this task.

The site you are probably thinking is
https://lygte-info.dk/info/DMMReviewsGood.html

[Fungus]

I've got technical misgivings about Brymen's meters because of their use of "house coded" DVM Chipsets, there have been tales on here of several chaps running into bother with autorange and reading faults on BM235s due to chipset faults, and that does NOT appeal!

IIRC that was a firmware issue on the EEVBLOG version that was resolved.

There's a chap did a good write-up and summary review in great detail on both new & used multi-meters on another site somewhere - can anybody provide me a link to it?

This thread tests many meters to destruction, it has a list of continuity test response times in the spreadsheet in the first post:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/hear-kitty-kitty-kitty-nope-not-that-kind-of-cat/

joe (the guy responsible for that thread) will find faults in any meter but I don't recall him finding a single issue with the Brymen 869s, it's one of his favorite meters. My Brymen 857s works perfectly.

[Gregg]

I am partial to my Hioki DT4282 along with probe master gold plated probes for circuit tracing.

[maxwell3e10]

For circuit tracing its nice to have an adjustable continuity beeper threshold down to 1 Ohm. There are a few meters that have that feature, but I don't know if there is an inexpensive one that does.

[Fungus]

For £200 it's really between a Brymen or a $25 Chinese meter. There's not much in between.

[2N3055]

For  £200 you can buy BM869S..  BM257 is half that and is great meter.... Can't really go wrong with either..

[alpher]

Tenma 72-13620 : https://canada.newark.com/tenma/72-13620/digital-multimeter-true-rms-20a/dp/56AC4685
Has excellent continuity check, quick and loud.

[joeqsmith]

The UNI-T UT90A has an unlatched continuity test that is fairly fast....

[Fungus]

The fastest continuity test I know is the Fluke 8060A. It's latching and has a 10 microsecond average response time - an order of magnitude faster than even the fastest meter on joe's chart (the Bymen BM869).

You should be able to pick one up second hand with your budget.

[EEVblog]

I've got technical misgivings about Brymen's meters because of their use of "house coded" DVM Chipsets, there have been tales on here of several chaps running into bother with autorange and reading faults on BM235s due to chipset faults, and that does NOT appeal!

First I've heard of that 
The Brymen meters have a superb reputation, and the visible continuity feature is great as it has both fast audible and visual indications.

[EEVblog]

I've got technical misgivings about Brymen's meters because of their use of "house coded" DVM Chipsets, there have been tales on here of several chaps running into bother with autorange and reading faults on BM235s due to chipset faults, and that does NOT appeal!

IIRC that was a firmware issue on the EEVBLOG version that was resolved.

There is no such thing as an "EEVBlog version" of the BM235 (apart form the blue holster and the label).
Given that I was the first to sell it and I think I'm the biggest retailer of that model, the EEVblog audience are the ones who have have found and reported all the bugs in the firmware, but that same firmware is on every BM235 sold.