ANENG goes crazy with new meters

[floobydust]

I have two 8008s and two colleagues of mine have them, too. All the meters have problems with rotary switches. I's got to the point where it switches on and off randomly

My 8008 does that, too.

I also find their rotary switch is a true piece of shit   The "copper" piece can't get along with the pcb ENIG. I think recycled pop can would be a better metal. Taiwan had better plating/materials 40 years ago.
So I can't use their products until they FIX THIS. Phospor coated bronze? Better contact shapes? Rocket science.

[xavier60]

My AN8008 worked fine today after sitting idle for a year. When I pulled it apart to grease the contacts, I found them already well greased. I might have done it when I first got it, can't remember.
I'm going to put the meter back into service with AAA NiMh cells.

[floobydust]

What, you live in the desert or maybe you have the Outback edition lol. Humidity really aggravates it.
My AN8008 switch is some copperish coloured metal that is probably anodized aluminium they way it oxidized. I've tried three different contact cleaners and lubes, and after a couple weeks it's always making bad connections. I wonder if ANENG has changed to something better.

[xavier60]

What, you live in the desert or maybe you have the Outback edition lol. Humidity really aggravates it.
My AN8008 switch is some copperish coloured metal that is probably anodized aluminium they way it oxidized. I've tried three different contact cleaners and lubes, and after a couple weeks it's always making bad connections. I wonder if ANENG has changed to something better.

I'm on the East coast of Australia, it becomes very humid at times.
If I had greased it myself when it was new, it would have been with PAO based Super Lube, which is a clear grease, which is what I found on the PCB switch contacts today. Are they normally greased from factory?

[Fungus]

I found them already well greased. I might have done it when I fist got it, can't remember.

That must have been you. They don't normally have grease.

[rsjsouza]

That’s the sort of thing that would piss me right off and result in it being returned 

Agreed. I'am looking at the new UT61E+ / UT161E but by the looks of things Uni-T has cursed these models with those fake bargraphs but I could be wrong. For me it's a showstopper.

I saw a promotional video for the UT161E and the bargraph seems really terrible. The UT61E bargraph is very nice and has a bit of dampening that is just right.

The point of the bar graph is that it should update much faster than the main display and show you when the signal is unstable.

If it moves in steps of 2? No biggie (IMHO). If it updates at the same rate as the main display? Worthless.

I know this, but I suspect I should have said "smoothness" instead of "dampening". The UT61E bargraph has a fluidity that looks really good and does not detract from its functionality IMO.

[floobydust]

I'm probably wrong complaining about the rotary switch "copper" leafs, as the thermal EMF (Seebeck coefficient) with Cu+Au is quite low and might be the intent - not cheapness.
I took the AN8008 apart, cleaned the rotary switch contacts and gave them a coating of PPE. Then the battery holder was cutting out, so I put some there and all is well. No other gear I own has issues like this with oxidation in low humidity, it's strange.

Making Precision Low Voltage and Low Resistance Measurements  Keithley

[Stinger]

Hello,

I hope newer AN8008 with min/max, Rel and classics fuses size.

[Gandalf_Sr]

I just ordered an Orange Aneng Q10 just for the halibut.

[Fungus]

I hope newer AN8008 with min/max, Rel and classics fuses size.

I think that's what the Q10 is.

[Fungus]

I just ordered an Orange Aneng Q10 just for the halibut.

 

Be sure to report back on diode test voltage (would it kill them to put that number in the info??) and how loud the beeper is. 

[xavier60]

It's unlikely that a meter power by 2 cells will forward bias a white LED.
The exception is the Fluke 18B+ which has a dedicated LED test range which outputs auto polarity 12V.

[Fungus]

It's unlikely that a meter power by 2 cells will forward bias a white LED.

It has white LEDs in the fancy screen... how does that work??   

[HKJ]

It's unlikely that a meter power by 2 cells will forward bias a white LED.

Why? Many DMM chips has a build in capacitive boost converter.

[xavier60]

How they power the back light LEDs, didn't occur to me. Maybe some sort of capacitive boost converter.
I have just checked my AN8008 with a fresh pair of alkaline cells.
Oddly it outputs slightly more voltage on the Diode test range, 3.2V, than what I measure at the battery, 3.18V.
And it does light a white power LED at "2.451V".
It might even work with the NiMh cells when they arrrive.

[Gandalf_Sr]

Be sure to report back on diode test voltage (would it kill them to put that number in the info??) and how loud the beeper is. 

I will but it will take 7 - 10 days to get to me.

[Gandalf_Sr]

So I ordered from Banggood.com, if you go to their site, search for the Q10, and then scroll down to the detail pictures you will see:

1. It uses 3 x AAA batteries
2. There's a picture showing what looks like a white LED under diode test showing a forward voltage of 2.523V
3. Resistance goes up to 99.99 Meg 

[xavier60]

How does the white on black display work? Is the back light always on?

[rsjsouza]

I just ordered an Orange Aneng Q10 just for the halibut.

Against my better judgment, I ordered its close cousin - the SZ18. It'll take a while to get it here

[Fungus]

How does the white on black display work? Is the back light always on?

Yes.

[Fungus]

1. It uses 3 x AAA batteries
2. There's a picture showing what looks like a white LED under diode test showing a forward voltage of 2.523V

Aha! So it does at least 2.5V!

Against my better judgment, I ordered its close cousin - the SZ18. It'll take a while to get it here

That's the one I'd get... but I'm fighting back the GAS.  I just got an Aneng 870 (last week!) and I already had a Micsig earlier this month.

[Gandalf_Sr]

Hmmm, I didn't see the SZ18 before you guys mentioned it but I just ran a side-by-side comparison on the specs and they appear to be identical.  Both Banggood pages (for the Q10 and SZ18) say in the spec table that they take 3 x AA but then, further down in the graphics, they both say 3 x AAA - I guess we'll find out soon.

Obviously the SZ18 has the color variants in the legend around the rotary selector dial but I can't see any other differences?  I prefer the color scheme on the Q10, at least you can more easily see what the default function is with the de facto standard that the orange/yellow functions are auxillary.

Oh and I checked, yes they both have an LED flashlight.

[EDIT] The SZ18 is $1 more on Banggood but they charge $6.34 shipping for the SZ18 vs $4.02 for the Q10 so the Q10 works out $1.32 cheaper.  Also there are reviews for the SZ18 but none for the Q10 so it looks like the Q10 is a newer model (just guessing here).

[Fungus]

Hmmm, I didn't see the SZ18 before you guys mentioned it but I just ran a side-by-side comparison on the specs and they appear to be identical.  Both Banggood pages (for the Q10 and SZ18) say in the spec table that they take 3 x AA but then, further down in the graphics, they both say 3 x AAA - I guess we'll find out soon.

Yes, they seem identical. 

Looking at the dimensions I'd put my money on 3xAAA. I don't think that 3xAA will fit.

Battery life will probably be a weak point with AAA and that always-on screen.

[Gandalf_Sr]

Hi Fungus

I found the SZ18 user manual here.  It says 3 x AAA so I think you're right.  Also, the manual says that diode test goes up to 3.0V which I know you were interested in.

[tszaboo]

I'm struggling to think of a reason why you would want it to link to your phone via Bluetooth when it doesn't do data logging

There is a good reason for it, I've used it in the past. So you have a large prototype boards, lots of testpoints, and you are supposed to verify that all the resistors are good on it. There was an excel sheet, with the testpoints listed on it, and I've just used a Keysight 1242 with it's bluetooth connected to the laptop, and connected to excel. So I read the testpoints to be a measured, found them on the board, placed the probes, touch-hold, and it beep-booped the data into excel. Quite convenient, the test was done in minutes, instead of writing anything down by hand.
And this required an enormous amount of software work on their side, including makros for excel. And this is something that a chinese company will not understand why you would need it. They just place bluetooth, because other have it, and completely won't do the research on how you actually use it.