bench multimeter for someone learning

[nctnico]

Aneng AN888S, for example, which has a much better display and the same convenience features.

Dang it! Looks kind of interesting to try for kicks. I'm wondering whether the Chinese got wind of improving the WAF of products by integrating things like a Bluetooth speaker and a clock into a DMM. Chauvin-arnoux didn't even got such a bold idea...

[donlisms]

I'm glad I have a good sense of what's important to me, and it helps me in the face of vigorous debates on beeping and such.  To each his own, indeed!

I have a 34401a I got within the budget that's been presented, used, from an auction site.  It's pretty terrific.  (The meter, not the auction site.). It has all the things. 

For secondary measurements, I have four 3478a's, also surprisingly not expensive, from an auction site. Three of them work great; one display failed when I left it on continuously, but for what they cost, that's okay with me.  I have never (ever, ever, ever!) whined about not having backlight, and my eyes are not so great.   I honestly don't understand why that's A Thing, unless it's just someone competing to build the longest list of complaints.  I have occasionally wanted continuity or diode test, but I have a hand-held meter that can easily and conveniently serve those purposes if the 34401a is already engaged in some other function.  So I wouldn't want the 3478a as my only meter, but two or three of them and a nice hand-held would be fine.

I've also seen 3456's for nice prices.  Yes, old, but could be a nice meter.

At some point I realized I wanted to partake of a hobby that's all about digging into how things work, and making and/or fixing them, but I was avoiding doing that on the path to acquiring some rather cool, premium test gear from the past.  A willingness to do the work opened doors, especially to learning a lot along the way -- though overall, I haven't had to mess with these things all that much.  So... buy a yesterday-premium instrument worth many thousands in its day, for a few hundred, or a new plastic device worth a few hundred. I rarely use my Siglent scope, but I LOVE my 485.  That's my world.

[Fungus]

The scratchiness of unlatched continuity is good for detecting scratchy things (where it’s making and breaking contact many times in a split second)

Also for this:

[tooki]

Well you tested very cheap meter for reference and compared it to superb Fluke latched implementation (yes Fluke did it right on F87V).

Well, um, yeah. That was the point of the test: to compare an unlatched continuity tester to the best out there.

An unlatched continuity tester is the same regardless of what price of meter it’s in, so it is nonetheless representative. (The resistance threshold might vary, but the principle remains exactly the same.) But very few meters that aren’t “very cheap” have unlatched continuity. All of my other meters are latched, so I used what I had since the price doesn’t matter in this case.

On my BM869S, 1 ms pulse creates clear click, and also clearly audible "dropout click" on 1 ms interruption. Same with BM525S.
If I go over 10 ms you start hearing it as a short tone burst. With some experience you can relatively judge intervals by ear...

Of course.

On MTX3293 (that has some kind of fast latching type), 1ms pulse is less audible, but dropout is nicely heard. I find it very usable but prefer Brymen type. Mind you, I used F87V for years. I can do job with it's beeper and find it well done. But latching beeper and diode beep is something I never really found really important.. To each its own...

Well I already explained why it might be crucial in a loud industrial environment.

To be clear, I’m not categorically opposed to non-latching continuity, and I recognize it has uses for things that I guess I wouldn’t consider “classic” continuity testing. I just much prefer latching for everyday use.

[tooki]

The scratchiness of unlatched continuity is good for detecting scratchy things (where it’s making and breaking contact many times in a split second)

Also for this:

I think I’ll stick to my hi-fi systems.

[tggzzz]

... but I LOVE my 485.  That's my world.

A world of good taste

I seem to have a bit of a fetish for 485s and 1502s.

[Fungus]

Well I already explained why it might be crucial in a loud industrial environment.

Any beeper can be lost in a loud environment.

A flashing backlight should be on the "must-have" feature list if that's where you work.

(and that rules out Flukes - I don't understand how people can claim Flukes are safe for industrial environments without it)

[BillyO]

We are talking bench meters here, right?

[Fungus]

We are talking bench meters here, right?

[bdunham7]

A flashing backlight should be on the "must-have" feature list if that's where you work.

(and that rules out Flukes - I don't understand how people can claim Flukes are safe for industrial environments without it)

You don't comprehend that people might disagree with your opinion? 

[Fungus]

A flashing backlight should be on the "must-have" feature list if that's where you work.

(and that rules out Flukes - I don't understand how people can claim Flukes are safe for industrial environments without it)

You don't comprehend that people might disagree with your opinion? 

I don't comprehend that people would say it's unnecessary or that Fluke shouldn't add it.

[tooki]

A flashing backlight should be on the "must-have" feature list if that's where you work.

(and that rules out Flukes - I don't understand how people can claim Flukes are safe for industrial environments without it)

You don't comprehend that people might disagree with your opinion? 

I don't comprehend that people would say it's unnecessary or that Fluke shouldn't add it.

I don’t see anyone here (or anywhere else) saying that.

[bdunham7]

I don't comprehend that people would say it's unnecessary or that Fluke shouldn't add it.

OK, when do you want the backlight to flash and how does not having it do so make the meter 'unsafe'?

[Fungus]

I don't comprehend that people would say it's unnecessary or that Fluke shouldn't add it.

OK, when do you want the backlight to flash and how does not having it do so make the meter 'unsafe'?

Simple: The backlight should come on whenever the continuity beeper is beeping.

Not having it doesn't make the meter unsafe per se but there's a lot of circumstances where the meter would be safer if it did this. As a company which builds its brand around "safety!" I don't comprehend why they wouldn't add it. Brymen, Hioki, etc., all do it.

Me? I think there's plenty of room for a Fluke 87 VI with features like this, CAT IV 1000V rating, etc., ie. Catch up with the competition.

[bdunham7]

Simple: The backlight should come on whenever the continuity beeper is beeping.

Not having it doesn't make the meter unsafe per se

I'm glad you concede that point.  As a feature it might be handy, but hardly the huge deal you seem to imply it is.  All of the meters in question have backlights and will clearly indicate continuity.  So if you can see the screen, you can see the indication.  Perhaps in a few edge cases where you are twisted around and can just barely see the meter out of the corner of your eye, your pet feature would be nice to have.  Deaf persons in particular might appreciate it.  But I doubt Fluke is going to lose market share over it.

[BillyO]

how does not having it do so make the meter 'unsafe'?

I have worked in many noisy environments where the feeble squeak from a Fluke (or other DMM) would not be heard unless it was strapped to my ear instead of the ear-plugs that would need to be worn there.  Having a big flashy display would be handy in those cases.  So maybe not a whole lot safer, but definitely useful and convenient which could translate into a bit safer in some cases.

[shapirus]

But I doubt Fluke is going to lose market share over it.

They won't lose their market share regardless of what they sell, provided that they still offer their warranty, support and don't deprecate the products in the following 30 years.

[shapirus]

Most of people don't know how to select the best multimeter for bench testing if you also want to know, then here is the magic https://multimeterworld.com/best-dc-clamp-meter-for-automotive/

At first, this post looked like an AI-generated to me, but then, it is so out of context that I'm unsure.

[tggzzz]

Most of people don't know how to select the best multimeter for bench testing if you also want to know, then here is the magic https://multimeterworld.com/best-dc-clamp-meter-for-automotive/

At first, this post looked like an AI-generated to me, but then, it is so out of context that I'm unsure.

All his posts are to a single website.

The "How to test lithium battery with multimeter? An Ultimate Guide" page contains

Once you have prepared the battery for testing, you can connect the multimeter to the battery. Then you have to do this:
    Turn off the multimeter and set it to measure voltage (V).
    Connect the negative (-) lead of the multimeter to the negative (-) terminal of the battery.
    Connect the positive (+) lead of the multimeter to the positive (+) terminal of the battery.
    Turn on the multimeter and set it to measure voltage (V). [tggzzz: you need to set voltage before connecting, to avoid the accidentally setting it to current]

Set the Multimeter Readings for Lithium Batteries

When testing a lithium battery with a multimeter, you must set the readings accordingly. For most lithium batteries, the following settings should be used:

Voltage (V): 12.8V – 13.2V
Current (A): 0.1A – 5A
Resistance (Ω): 0Ω to infinity
[tggzzz: all bollocks, of course]

So yes, dangerous ChatGPT rubbish.

Reported to moderator.

[alm]

So yes, dangerous ChatGPT rubbish.

Link farms containing nonsensical electronics related texts that would show up in Google searches existed long before ChatGPT.

[shapirus]

Link farms containing nonsensical electronics related texts that would show up in Google searches existed long before ChatGPT.

Yeah, that's what I meant: ChatGPT would have actually followed the context.

[AndyC_772]

I'm not sure which is funner; either that:

a) ChatGPT produces plausible sounding garbage, or

b) the fact that it produces plausible sounding garbage is held up as a weakness that's somehow unique to the AI as compared to an ordinary (non-expert) human.

[tggzzz]

I'm not sure which is funner; either that:
a) ChatGPT produces plausible sounding garbage, or
b) the fact that it produces plausible sounding garbage is held up as a weakness that's somehow unique to the AI as compared to an ordinary (non-expert) human.

I don't find either funny. I'd prefer that neither existed.

[tggzzz]

So yes, dangerous ChatGPT rubbish.

Link farms containing nonsensical electronics related texts that would show up in Google searches existed long before ChatGPT.

Agreed. So what?

[alm]

Agreed. So what?

Both ChatGPT and people are quite capable of producing rubbish. So let's just call it spam