Products > Test Equipment
Choosing a multimeter - decisions.... decisions....
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kayasaman:
Hi guys,

first post here but a few topics I read were really informative and then there was this video from David which was just, well.... fun lol

https://youtu.be/gh1n_ELmpFI


https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/choosing-between-fluke-179177-vs-keysight-u1242c-vs-fluke-87v/?all


So basically it's as the topic says.... :)


I think the biggest issue that I'm having is which brand / model / price point should I even be looking at.

It's really crazy but I haven't used any form of electrical/electronic test equipment since my uni days now 20 or so years ago :(

Back then we had had a few simple benchtop meters but most of the stuff we did relied on using CRO's.... yep the old Ray Tubes ;) - actually we had a newer Techtronix LCD scope too but we had to share that one out. We also got to play with HP Spectrum Analyzers which were awesome and I still have images of that to this day. It was a big beast with Ray Tube and dot matrix printer attached... I loved it!! :D


Reminiscing aside, I'm trying to find a decent multimeter. After my uni days I switched over to computer server and enterprise network stuff so that's why I've been out of touch for eons.

Really what prompted this was a few years we renovated our house so the aspiring engineer and kid in me decided to redesign the building electrical layout and add some form of intelligence to the place. Well.. it ended up with a 200 page manual and me having to teach the certified electrician about electro physics 101 lol  :-DD - he was crying as he didn't understand anything and especially as I went and grabbed a whole bunch of industrial components and enclosures to rig up what ended up being a 6ft / 2 meter high electrical distribution/automation panel that virtually now runs the whole house  :palm:


Anyway, designing and building the whole thing was a lot of fun but now when it comes down to testing things, without a DMM I am both blind and deaf figuratively speaking of course.

It definitely would have helped somewhat during my Pine64 project which clocks the house to NTP via GPS and was basically a crapshoot trying to get the RS232 signal down to UART based TTL levels. I ended up going through multiple converter boards till I got the system to behave properly. Having a scope would have definitely been a benefit here!!

Here is that project by the way:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/q1wduvvc1ci2aly/AADMHIIauoIPVNXNoC9BLX-ja?dl=0


Ramblings and musing over history aside, what I'm looking for is a high quality DMM that will be an 'all rounder'.... good for Low Voltage (as in not 3-phase or KV levels in power generation) mains measurements so at the minimum CAT III compliant and ULV (ultra low voltage) AC/DC stuff. Mainly DC though at levels of around 5,12,24V.

Not sure if I need anything more sophisticated then the basic measurements of voltage, current and resistance, though continuity is a must - a 9V battery and bulb that they use to teach kids how electricity works is as David would say "a PITA"  :).


I can definitely say that it's not worth me paying for high end features that I'm not gona use, though at this stage I'm not really sure what I will use. From what I have read and David explained in the video, the Sample and Hold function is pretty useful and it seems that Fluke have the best version of this feature.

The models that lead me here were the following:

* Keysight U1233A
* Fluke 11x series
* Greenlee DM-860A

Of course the Fluke 87V is highly praised by many people as a great all-rounder and it might just be the one to go for, but my question is really do I need it??

I know Greenlee products well as I own several tools from them for network cabling and testing and I really like them. On the other hand the DMM I mentioned is 1KV CAT II  but does have the HBC fuses mentioned in David's video.

Another option which was mentioned in the forum thread I posted above was the Bryman VM869s which is CAT IV rated for 1KV and seems to be a favorite among many, though others say Fluke 87V.

There are so many brands and so many models it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack right now.


I would really appreciate any ones input on which direction to go in here....


I guess my preference would be something solid and built well over features that at this stage I won't use however attractive the looks and display of the meter are lol <- I mean the Fluke 287 and 289 are really gorgeous but I probably won't ever need the data logging functions
Equally I like the looks of the Keysight U1250 models but they are probably way overkill for what I need


Thanks in advance :)
Martin72:
Hi and welcome to the forum...

Lots of text but the main thing you seem to have somehow forgotten:


--- Quote ---....are probably way overkill for what I need
--- End quote ---

And what are your needs ?  ;)
kayasaman:
Hi, thank you for the response... sorry if I wasn't clear... I thought I did say??

Basically I want something to be able to measure voltage, current, resistance, and continuity with; hence DMM.

The voltage rating should be able to work at mains AC levels as well as lower voltage levels at DC.

That's basically it. Mainly the most use will probably be to identify volt drops in wiring and finding out if there is a closed or open circuit between connections.


Forgive me if I'm not explaining very well... I tend to get brainlocked easily :(


If there is still something I am leaving out or more specific information that I need to provide but am not, please let me know ;)
nctnico:
Don't expect to find a combination of a good electronics DMM and a good mains DMM. For electronics a good option is to get a cheap 4.5 digits bench DMM like the Vici VC8145. No more changing batteries and you can put it in a stack with other equipment that is stationary on your bench. I have a 6.5 digit Keysight DMM as well but the VC8145 is my daily driver DMM; it is just more convenient to use.

For mains work, buy something simple from Fluke, Tektronix, Hioki or Keysight; a brand that you can trust to back the safety ratings.
Brumby:
I also welcome you to the forum!


--- Quote from: kayasaman on November 12, 2022, 11:58:42 pm ---Really what prompted this was a few years we renovated our house so the aspiring engineer and kid in me decided to redesign the building electrical layout and add some form of intelligence to the place. Well.. it ended up with a 200 page manual and me having to teach the certified electrician about electro physics 101 lol  :-DD - he was crying as he didn't understand anything and especially as I went and grabbed a whole bunch of industrial components and enclosures to rig up what ended up being a 6ft / 2 meter high electrical distribution/automation panel that virtually now runs the whole house  :palm:

--- End quote ---
Oh - you SO belong here!!!!   :-+
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