Products > Test Equipment
bench multimeter for someone learning
rhb:
--- Quote from: nctnico on March 24, 2023, 06:03:10 pm ---
--- Quote from: rhb on March 24, 2023, 05:24:34 pm ---At $100-120 for a 3478A on ebay I find that hard to beat. The age makes the LM399 very stable over time.
--- End quote ---
With an utterly horrible, non-backlit LCD display? No thanks! Feature and comfort wise, these old meters can't hold a candle compared to the low cost, modern bench DMMs you can buy nowadays. When I went looking for a bench DMM a decade ago, even the VC8145 came out on top compared to the old junk -which didn't get any younger-.
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May I ask what 5.5 digit sub-$150 meter you would recommend? I'm not aware of any current products in that price range except perhaps a *very* lucky ebay buy. There's a current ebay 3478A listing with a $38 bid. I have 3 and never paid more than $120 + $10-15 shipping.
I normally use the pair of 34401As next to the pair of 3478As. I have the latter for logging PSU V & A via GPIB using an AR488. If bling is important a newer DMM design is obviously better. But if you want 5.5 digit accuracy and high reliability on a budget, I'd like to know of something that will beat the price/accuracy of a 3478A. Adding a backlight today is pretty simple. The work is all in taking it apart and putting it back together.
Full service data is available, as is OSSW to control them via GPIB, and a member of the 3478A design team has been sighted on the HPAK list. So user support is a non-issue.
Old high quality DMMs are more stable over time than a new one using the same voltage reference. Generally speaking old voltage references are superior because they have *years* of burn-in rather than days.
If all you want is 4.5 digits, there are a lot of choices. All depends on what you want in bench meter. I frequently use "Free with any purchase" Harbor Freight 3.5 digit handheld DMMs. Probably more often than any other DMM. But I've got slew of them scattered all over in various drawers (e.g. where I store dry cells), toolboxes and other places I often want one.
Perhaps you could educate us about the "better" alternatives.
Reg
tggzzz:
--- Quote from: mastershake on March 24, 2023, 03:56:02 pm ---... he is an excellent student so far and this is something he is highly interested in. he is trying to complete his bench setup and pf course has a budget.
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The best thing he can learn - because it will last a lifetime and be useful in all situations - is to understand the strengths and limitations of whatever equipment he has available.
Once he does that, he will know how to push his equipment capabilities to the limit, and where those limits are. Then, if the available equipment can't do the next job, he will be able to state what is needed and why.
Examples: how can you measure voltages to 0.1%, if you only have a 2% meter, a length of wire, a battery, and one voltage accurate to 0.1%. That's what we learned to do as kids at school.
Or if your objective is to create the world's fastest oscilloscope, what scope do you use to verify its performance? Ditto most accurate voltmeter?
Or if you are stuck on-site trying to fix a problem with inadequate test gear, how can you infer the problem with whatever test equipment is available.
Summary: sometimes adversity breeds excellent outcomes, whereas money allows lazy thinking.
BeBuLamar:
I have the old Fluke 8050a. It's dirt cheap nowaday. It's fully manual and is basically Volt, Ohms and Milliamp meter no fancy function but I like it a lot.
alm:
--- Quote from: rhb on March 24, 2023, 09:51:59 pm ---May I ask what 5.5 digit sub-$150 meter you would recommend? I'm not aware of any current products in that price range except perhaps a *very* lucky ebay buy. There's a current ebay 3478A listing with a $38 bid. I have 3 and never paid more than $120 + $10-15 shipping.
--- End quote ---
I already mentioned two other used models. I see two completed listings for Keithley 199 meters that finished at $80, and one parts only but mostly functional for $95. In my opinion the Keithley 199 has the best display I've seen in any meter. Huge LED digits that are readable from across the room with a huge viewing angle. Looking at completed Fluke 8840A listings, I see quite a few below $150. For the Fluke 8840A you have to be careful if the AC option is installed.
nctnico:
--- Quote from: rhb on March 24, 2023, 09:51:59 pm ---
--- Quote from: nctnico on March 24, 2023, 06:03:10 pm ---
--- Quote from: rhb on March 24, 2023, 05:24:34 pm ---At $100-120 for a 3478A on ebay I find that hard to beat. The age makes the LM399 very stable over time.
--- End quote ---
With an utterly horrible, non-backlit LCD display? No thanks! Feature and comfort wise, these old meters can't hold a candle compared to the low cost, modern bench DMMs you can buy nowadays. When I went looking for a bench DMM a decade ago, even the VC8145 came out on top compared to the old junk -which didn't get any younger-.
--- End quote ---
May I ask what 5.5 digit sub-$150 meter you would recommend? I'm not aware of any current products in that price range except perhaps a *very* lucky ebay buy. There's a current ebay 3478A listing with a $38 bid. I have 3 and never paid more than $120 + $10-15 shipping.
If all you want is 4.5 digits, there are a lot of choices. All depends on what you want in bench meter. I frequently use "Free with any purchase" Harbor Freight 3.5 digit handheld DMMs. Probably more often than any other DMM. But I've got slew of them scattered all over in various drawers (e.g. where I store dry cells), toolboxes and other places I often want one.
--- End quote ---
All you need for daily use is 3.5 or 4.5 digits. For making quick measurements, see what kind of voltage is there, quick continiuty, check a resistor, check a capacitance value. All this doesn't need great precission but it needs a big, easy to read display and snappy operation. As I wrote before I use a VC8145 bench DMM myself for about a decade. I bought this after looking at a couple of dozen bench DMMs (including used ones) so this is not a device I ended up 'by luck'. It is a carefully made selection to cater for my everyday use. I wanted a bench DMM primarily because it doesn't need batteries and is stackable. I have 3 bench DMMs and only have 1 handheld DMM (a good one which I use very rarely). Going price for a VC8145 is around $150 (IIRC) but there are cheaper (sub US $100) options from Uni-T and others nowadays. You may find the 3478A a good meter but I have stepped into that trap before and ended up with old, outdated test equipment. It is old technology from the previous millenium missing a lot of feature (capacitance measurement on a DMM is extremely handy for example).
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