EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Test Equipment => Topic started by: Locator on June 10, 2014, 01:41:49 am
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Can someone tell me the differences between these two multimeters? Is the 829 more accurate? More features?
I believe the 829 is also physically larger?
Thanks.
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As already given to you in your other thread, here is the the link to the Brymen spec sheets:
http://brymen.com/product-html/index.html#Digital-Multimeter (http://brymen.com/product-html/index.html#Digital-Multimeter)
Yes, the 829 is bigger, has higher counts, more segments to the bar graph, dual temperature, higher accuracy, AC+DC TRMS, dBm, and probably a couple of other things I forget. It is worth the extra money if any of these things matter to you. If not, then the BM257 is a great meter that does almost everything most people would need.
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I'm also hoping to get some feedback, such as some accuracy comparison, maybe comments on continuity testing speed, any quirks in one over the other, etc.
I'm a novice with multimeters at this point and have only used them for some basic uses. I'm not sure I'm understanding all the specs listed on some of those spec sheets. Would love some of it distilled in an explanation while I'm figuring this out.
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I'm also hoping to get some feedback, such as some accuracy comparison, maybe comments on continuity testing speed, any quirks in one over the other, etc.
I'm a novice with multimeters at this point and have only used them for some basic uses. I'm not sure I'm understanding all the specs listed on some of those spec sheets. Would love some of it distilled in an explanation while I'm figuring this out.
Too broad IMHO.
If you've questions, ask. Just be more specific. ;) Members will be better able to help. There are also threads on both of the meters you're interested in. So searching and giving them a read might speed things up, and the effort tends to be appreciated (helps with the "instant gratification for the lazy" complaint).
BTW, PM sent.
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The 829 is a more expensive meter and thus will have better specs and more features then the 257.
The meters are listed in this spreadsheet, for easy comparison:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/multimeter-spreadsheet/ (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/multimeter-spreadsheet/)
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If you can't decide based on the specs and your level of knowledge, then get the 829 if you can/want to spend $200 or get the 257 if you can't/don't want to spend that much. It is that simple. With the other information provided it really is that simple.
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A little more info on what I plan to use the MM for - I left all of this out, since I figured it would be a bit laborious to go into the details. They are needed, so I should have included them. In addition to general, around-the-house uses, I would like to buy various electronic kits to build with my daughter. Things like radios, transmitter, etc. I would need to be able to test circuits, components and of course, batteries.
The thermocouple would be used for various things, but would also be used to test brew temperatures for coffee machines.
The AC testing I would need would not be real high voltage, nor anything complex. Just house current, possibly 220 at times, test sockets, switches, outlets, etc.
I have no plans to test multiphase industrial AC motors, generators or other commercial applications.
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The 829 is a more expensive meter and thus will have better specs and more features then the 257.
The meters are listed in this spreadsheet, for easy comparison:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/multimeter-spreadsheet/ (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/multimeter-spreadsheet/)
Wytnucls,
By the way, I meant to say earlier, that's a fantastic workup you did. It's very generous of you to take the time to create that for others.
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The BM257 should be more than adequate for your intended use. Being smaller, it will also be less intimidating for your daughter. Now, if only Brymen had a pink version...
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Having both the BM257 and the 867 I find them both excellent. BUT one thing is really like having a pebble in the shoe, BM257 do not have its OFF at the end of turning the dial... this really irritates me :( |O
I see the 829 has this "feature" too
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I think I'll go with the 257 and then get something like an 869 or Fluke 87V, later.
Mr. Simpleton - I noticed that, too and it bothered me, as well. Seems odd that they would put the off position in an illogical position.
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Agilent has done the same on their flagship meter (U1272A). Probably to avoid confusion with the other voltage selections.
(http://www.conrad.de/medias/global/ce/1000_1999/1200/1280/1280/128025_BB_00_FB.EPS_1000.jpg)
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Differences?
Guy:
let's analyse specs, tolerances, ranges, functions, reaction time, accuracy, temperature drift,
and after careful comparison, and evaluating the most likely uses, we'll make a well thought out decision.
Girls:
Mmmm... Colors, words, LCD display, casing, switches, contact points / connectors, packaging, instruction manual, owners.
Let's pick the prettiest !
|O
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I think I'll go with the 257 and then get something like an 869 or Fluke 87V, later.
You can't go wrong with the BM257 nor the BM829, nor the BM52X nor BM86X for that matter. I believe that once you have one, one will not be enough! >:D
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I just bought a Greenlee DM-860A which seems to be the Brymen 869.
I wrote to Brymen to ask for their distributors in North America and they sent me to Greenlee.
They mark up the price, but they give a good warranty (lifetime? can't remember) and they offer the calibrated or uncalibrated version.
http://www.greenlee.com/products/DMM-500K-COUNTS-%28DM%2540d860A%29.html?product_id=19551 (http://www.greenlee.com/products/DMM-500K-COUNTS-%28DM%2540d860A%29.html?product_id=19551)
I paid $425 CND; it was horrendously marked-up compared to the South-East Asian prices (around $280 USD / $310 CND).
However, I figured that the Greenlee name might provide me with better (and local) service if ever it goes bonkers.
BTW, have you seen the video of the guy who tests a Brymen
DM869 at 5,000 overload voltage? That critter seems to indicate voltages up to 1.8kV !
2500V vs a UT61E, guess who wins? Bonus: 5000V vs a Brymen BM869
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhBbvIf3E0s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhBbvIf3E0s)
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BTW, have you seen the video of the guy who tests a Brymen
DM869 at 5,000 overload voltage? That critter seems to indicate voltages up to 1.8kV !
2500V vs a UT61E, guess who wins? Bonus: 5000V vs a Brymen BM869
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhBbvIf3E0s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhBbvIf3E0s)
"The guy" is our very own Lightages, one post right above yours ;)
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Small world ! :-+
The more I surf this forum, the more I am amazed by the people.
Dave really attracted an amazing bunch !
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This thread is a few months old but I was searching for BM-829 and came upon it. I had just bought the Greenlee DM-830A which is the same as the BM-829S from an ebay seller. I could not pass up the deal for the low price I saw it for plus he accepted my lower price offer. Just got it, brand spankin' new and from what I can tell it is the latest revision as the BM-829 "S" model. I got it for total of $152.88 USD with shipping cost!!! Is that a good price or what? Everywhere else I look for the BM-829 the prices are higher. So I figured, I will throw this info out there for anyone still looking for a great BM-829S but in the Greenlee branded name. It is all new and original from what I got. There was about 4 left in stock last time I looked. I took a few pics of it, inside and outside for y'all to see and evaluate:
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Here's a picture of the Greenlee DM-830A which is a rebadged Brymen BM-829S showing it is the same size as the high end Brymen BM-869S multimeter.
It is a large meter! I just bought these two new and so have them to compare side by side to show the size. They are both the same shape and same casing it seems.
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Differences?
Guy:
let's analyse specs, tolerances, ranges, functions, reaction time, accuracy, temperature drift,
and after careful comparison, and evaluating the most likely uses, we'll make a well thought out decision.
Girls:
Mmmm... Colors, words, LCD display, casing, switches, contact points / connectors, packaging, instruction manual, owners.
Let's pick the prettiest !
|O
I know some young ladies more nerdy than most here. Yes they may want it pink, but they can read and use the specs as well as any nerds here. One young lady was doing her multiplication table when she was at 4. She just graduated from MIT this past summer.
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This thread is a few months old but I was searching for BM-829 and came upon it. I had just bought the Greenlee DM-830A which is the same as the BM-829S from an ebay seller. I could not pass up the deal for the low price I saw it for plus he accepted my lower price offer. Just got it, brand spankin' new and from what I can tell it is the latest revision as the BM-829 "S" model. I got it for total of $152.88 USD with shipping cost!!! Is that a good price or what? Everywhere else I look for the BM-829 the prices are higher. So I figured, I will throw this info out there for anyone still looking for a great BM-829S but in the Greenlee branded name. It is all new and original from what I got. There was about 4 left in stock last time I looked. I took a few pics of it, inside and outside for y'all to see and evaluate:
Anyone looking for a really good multimeter in the $150 price range who doesn't buy one of these before they are gone is crazy. Such a good buy, except the seller has only 4 feedback so far. I would buy one if I didn't already have more meters than I need.
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This thread is a few months old but I was searching for BM-829 and came upon it. I had just bought the Greenlee DM-830A which is the same as the BM-829S from an ebay seller. I could not pass up the deal for the low price I saw it for plus he accepted my lower price offer. Just got it, brand spankin' new and from what I can tell it is the latest revision as the BM-829 "S" model. I got it for total of $152.88 USD with shipping cost!!! Is that a good price or what? Everywhere else I look for the BM-829 the prices are higher. So I figured, I will throw this info out there for anyone still looking for a great BM-829S but in the Greenlee branded name. It is all new and original from what I got. There was about 4 left in stock last time I looked. I took a few pics of it, inside and outside for y'all to see and evaluate:
Anyone looking for a really good multimeter in the $150 price range who doesn't buy one of these before their gone is crazy. Such a good buy, except the seller has only 4 feedback so far. I would buy one if I didn't already have more meters than I need.
I'm considering buying one, but the low seller feedback... :(
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Well, I took the chance and bought it from them. I later now found out that the dealer is called AmericaTools which also shows up on amazon.com. But their price on amazon.com is higher! I can say that I left them positive feedback because they sent the meter as described, new with all the kit parts, probes, temp sensor, and nice carrying bag! For the price, I could not find anywhere lower for this meter. It is brand new.
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I need another multimeter like I need a hole in my side (can one have too many multimeters?), so it's deciding between this Greenlee 830 or an Amprobe AM270 from amazon...
:-//
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Without a doubt, the Greenlee 830 is the better meter and the better buy.
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Hmmmj, my new Greenlee DM-830A seems to work perfectly fine on all selections, except the NCV "EF" function. The EF function when I activate it to try and detect voltages around my house seems to be unreliable. It gives false beeps even when held in mid air at times and it beeps when I put my hand in front of it. It beeps on areas where there are no voltage sources too. It seems to be set to be overly sensistive. But what gets me too is that if I rest it on some house light AC switches it sometimes beeps to detect it and at other times it does not detect the voltage source at all. So bottom line... the EF function on my Greenlee DM-830A is not useful.
I either got a defective EF function or all of these models are unreliable for EF dectection. Maybe that's why that eBay seller is selling them for $150 each or best price offer. I don't know for sure but I don't care as I don't need nor plan to use the "EF" function of the meter. The rest of the functions on the meter are just fine. So still happy about it. Dang good meter for the price.
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Yes, that sounds defective. My BM257 works as it should. Maybe you should use your warranty.
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Yes, that sounds defective. My BM257 works as it should. Maybe you should use your warranty.
I am not worried over it. The meter works fine really. The EF mode does detect AC line voltages but I think it is just a wee bit over-sensistive. It seems that when it really detects a strong field it beeps louder continuously and the field strength meter shows more bars. On false triggers, it just beeps once or twice and stops beeping.
So maybe I just need to learn its characteristic behavour. Nevertheless, I will not use it and trust it for determining any live wire conditions.
fyi, I pulled the metere totally apart to see if I could maybe spot something like poor or loose solder joints or defective looking parts or areas. I combed through with a magnifying glass and could not see anything wrong. The build and soldering is excellent. All things in place as far as I could see. No broken or shorted traces, nothing bad to the eye. The build of these meters is excellent overall.
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Hmmmj, my new Greenlee DM-830A seems to work perfectly fine on all selections, except the NCV "EF" function. The EF function when I activate it to try and detect voltages around my house seems to be unreliable. It gives false beeps even when held in mid air at times and it beeps when I put my hand in front of it. It beeps on areas where there are no voltage sources too. It seems to be set to be overly sensistive. But what gets me too is that if I rest it on some house light AC switches it sometimes beeps to detect it and at other times it does not detect the voltage source at all. So bottom line... the EF function on my Greenlee DM-830A is not useful.
I either got a defective EF function or all of these models are unreliable for EF dectection. Maybe that's why that eBay seller is selling them for $150 each or best price offer. I don't know for sure but I don't care as I don't need nor plan to use the "EF" function of the meter. The rest of the functions on the meter are just fine. So still happy about it. Dang good meter for the price.
Perhaps you're just full of energy... :-DD
I ordered one too from this seller, so I'll have to check it once I receive it, and report back. Hopefully it's not screwed, as that would probably explain the lower price... :-DMM
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I ordered one too from this seller, so I'll have to check it once I receive it, and report back. Hopefully it's not screwed, as that would probably explain the lower price... :-DMM
Yes, please do report back on how your experience goes with the meter. I see that he only lists 2 left now on ebay. So that means he sold 3 of the original 5 listed since I bought mine.
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I ordered one too from this seller, so I'll have to check it once I receive it, and report back. Hopefully it's not screwed, as that would probably explain the lower price... :-DMM
Yes, please do report back on how your experience goes with the meter. I see that he only lists 2 left now on ebay. So that means he sold 3 of the original 5 listed since I bought mine.
I bought one of them, too. I'm also interested to see if the EF function works properly. (I'm assuming this is non-contact voltage detection?)
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I bought one of them, too. I'm also interested to see if the EF function works properly. (I'm assuming this is non-contact voltage detection?)
Yes, the "EF" function on the Brymen and Greenlee meters is the same thing as "Non Contact Voltage" or NCV.
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I wouldn't get too excited about those non contact voltage detectors anyway. I have a few various fluke and other NCV sticks, and they sometimes beep in my bag, or when pulling them out of my pocket. Heck, you can swipe your hand quickly in front of them and make them beep.
capacitive coupling :blah:
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I wouldn't get too excited about those non contact voltage detectors anyway. I have a few various fluke and other NCV sticks, and they sometimes beep in my bag, or when pulling them out of my pocket. Heck, you can swipe your hand quickly in front of them and make them beep.
capacitive coupling :blah:
Agreed. Mine go off all the time with static, being jostled, bumped, etc.
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I wouldn't get too excited about those non contact voltage detectors anyway. I have a few various fluke and other NCV sticks, and they sometimes beep in my bag, or when pulling them out of my pocket. Heck, you can swipe your hand quickly in front of them and make them beep.
capacitive coupling :blah:
Agreed. Mine go off all the time with static, being jostled, bumped, etc.
and they get confused around 3phase 208v, I have the burned pliers to prove it... :-DD
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I ordered one too from this seller, so I'll have to check it once I receive it, and report back. Hopefully it's not screwed, as that would probably explain the lower price... :-DMM
Yes, please do report back on how your experience goes with the meter. I see that he only lists 2 left now on ebay. So that means he sold 3 of the original 5 listed since I bought mine.
I bought one of them, too. I'm also interested to see if the EF function works properly. (I'm assuming this is non-contact voltage detection?)
Received multimeter today. As I suspected, EF function is finicky, works OK if you hold it up to 120v wire, but waving your hand in front of the meter makes it go bonkers.
Other quick observations, autoranging is slow, as compered to other meters. Plastic quality / tilting bail cheap compared to Fluke 87, but that's expected. Nice large display. Selector switch could be a bit larger. All in all OK for price.
Also it is old stock from 2009, probably why they were somewhat cheaply priced.
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P90,
How can you tell it is from 2009? Is there a date code on the MM?
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P90,
How can you tell it is from 2009? Is there a date code on the MM?
The manual and package is dated 2009, and there is a date code inside the meter that reads 0947, which I'm quit certain means 47th week of 2009.
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Received multimeter today. As I suspected, EF function is finicky, works OK if you hold it up to 120v wire, but waving your hand in front of the meter makes it go bonkers.
Other quick observations, autoranging is slow, as compered to other meters. Plastic quality / tilting bail cheap compared to Fluke 87, but that's expected. Nice large display. Selector switch could be a bit larger. All in all OK for price.
Also it is old stock from 2009, probably why they were somewhat cheaply priced.
I have the same date code 0947 on my meter's circuit boards. I guess these are older meters from 2009 then, but I don't think anything is wrong with them other than the flaky EF behavour. My manual also has year 2009 marked on it. So I wonder if this is equivalent to the Brymen BM-829 "S" revision or is it just the older BM-829 multimeter? I don't know when they revised to "S" versions so I cannot be sure now. Nevertheless still a great deal on a real nice rugged multimeter.
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Received multimeter today. As I suspected, EF function is finicky, works OK if you hold it up to 120v wire, but waving your hand in front of the meter makes it go bonkers.
Other quick observations, autoranging is slow, as compered to other meters. Plastic quality / tilting bail cheap compared to Fluke 87, but that's expected. Nice large display. Selector switch could be a bit larger. All in all OK for price.
Also it is old stock from 2009, probably why they were somewhat cheaply priced.
I have the same date code 0947 on my meter's circuit boards. I guess these are older meters from 2009 then, but I don't think anything is wrong with them other than the flaky EF behavour. My manual also has year 2009 marked on it. So I wonder if this is equivalent to the Brymen BM-829 "S" revision or is it just the older BM-829 multimeter? I don't know when they revised to "S" versions so I cannot be sure now. Nevertheless still a great deal on a real nice rugged multimeter.
What is different about the "S" version? Was it introduced recently?
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There S version was released to address changes in requirements to meet certification standards for CAT ratings and others. There are some layout revisions and some component changes. The old non-S versions are still as safe as they were before, but the new version should be safer. I have no problems using my older non-S versions and IMHO there is nothing to worry about with the older version. By law, in some countries, the new S versions are the only ones allowed to be sold once the older versions that were produced up to a certain date have been sold off.
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There S version was released to address changes in requirements to meet certification standards for CAT ratings and others. There are some layout revisions and some component changes. The old non-S versions are still as safe as they were before, but the new version should be safer. I have no problems using my older non-S versions and IMHO there is nothing to worry about with the older version. By law, in some countries, the new S versions are the only ones allowed to be sold once the older versions that were produced up to a certain date have been sold off.
Right, I thought I read somewhere within these threads (I cannot seem to find it right now)... that the component change was with those input protection power resistors you see by the input jacks. I kind of remember reading some other post about the "S" revision versus the old was that the old meter boards layout had 3 power resistors configuration whereas after the "S" update, they changed it back to having 4 separate power resistors in that same spot. So I showed photos of this Greenlee DM-830A earlier, and it shows it has 4 power resistors by the input jacks. Thus, I concluded that this must be an updated "S" version. But I have no idea if that conclusion is correct now. I hope someone else knowledgeable about the revision mods can confirm this or not.
Update: I found the thread which mentions something about the "S" revision with respect to the BM-867 model... I think it would be similar for all the model ranges. They mention that the fuses were upgraded to 1000 VDC fuses too... which my Greenlee DM-830A also seems to have installed. So it might be that Greenlee branded meters were already upgraded like this back in 2009 before Brymen branded equivilents? I don't know.
Here is the thread that discusses and shows pictures comparing "S" with non-"S" models of the Brymen BM-687.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/a-list-of-multimeters-that-do-not-appear-to-meet-their-claimed-safety-specs/msg428290/#msg428290 (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/a-list-of-multimeters-that-do-not-appear-to-meet-their-claimed-safety-specs/msg428290/#msg428290)
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So it might be that Greenlee branded meters were already upgraded like this back in 2009 before Brymen branded equivilents? I don't know.
Brymen does a lot of rebranding for other companies. They even offer options within a particular model range regarding input protections and probes (i.e. PCB is laid out to fit both 3AG and 5AG dimensional fuses, and other spots filled/left empty between the different protection levels).
So it's quite possible that Greenlee ordered them with the increased protections (I assume they would actually).
Whether or not it's identical to the current S models is unknown without a comparison, but there's no need for concern IMHO. Worst case, even Brymen's basic protections are very good (relative to the CAT ratings it's manufactured to), and a lot better than what you're likely to get from other manufacturers in the same price range (particularly with anything made before the latest regulations went into effect).
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Is the auto ranging this slow on all the Brymen meters, or is it just this series? :-//
I like my Flukes.
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I don't know about your particular meter, but my meter seems to be quite quick auto ranging. At least on the DCV and ohms range settings I just tried. The readings zip right there, no long hunting or waiting. I don't have a new current era fluke to compare it with, but my meter is excellent. I am very happy with it.
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Is the auto ranging this slow on all the Brymen meters, or is it just this series? :-//
I like my Flukes.
my 869 seems comparable to my 87v.
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Is the auto ranging this slow on all the Brymen meters, or is it just this series? :-//
I like my Flukes.
With BM-829 (or the BM-521/525 series), if you have it on dual display modes the autoranging and screen update rate is a bit slow. But it should be rather speedy when in single display mode.
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Is the auto ranging this slow on all the Brymen meters, or is it just this series? :-//
I like my Flukes.
With BM-829 (or the BM-521/525 series), if you have it on dual display modes the autoranging and screen update rate is a bit slow. But it should be rather speedy when in single display mode.
That's what I thought, but it's slow even in the single display ohms scale.
Another thing, this thing is off-gassing that nasty Chinese plastic smell, it filled up the room! :rant:
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With BM-829 (or the BM-521/525 series), if you have it on dual display modes the autoranging and screen update rate is a bit slow. But it should be rather speedy when in single display mode.
That's what I thought, but it's slow even in the single display ohms scale.
Another thing, this thing is off-gassing that nasty Chinese plastic smell, it filled up the room! :rant:
How "slow" is slow? Maybe there is more difference than just the colour of the holsters between these 2009 Greenlee's and the Brymen BM-829.
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With BM-829 (or the BM-521/525 series), if you have it on dual display modes the autoranging and screen update rate is a bit slow. But it should be rather speedy when in single display mode.
That's what I thought, but it's slow even in the single display ohms scale.
Another thing, this thing is off-gassing that nasty Chinese plastic smell, it filled up the room! :rant:
How "slow" is slow? Maybe there is more difference than just the colour of the holsters between these 2009 Greenlee's and the Brymen BM-829.
It's hard to say with accuracy, but I just checked a 330ohm resistor and it is a little over 2 seconds, that's twice as long as a couple other meters I checked. The single display DC volts seems quick enough.
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And just for the record, I'm not complying, just stating my observations. I realize that most multimeters aren't going to measure up (haha, measure, LOL pun) to a Fluke, and I accept that. :-DMM
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I don't find the autoranging that slow, as Franky has pointed out. I think this is down to personal taste. This is with my BM525.
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I don't find the autoranging that slow, as Franky has pointed out. I think this is down to personal taste. This is with my BM525.
I understand. Lets just say it's not my slowest meter, but not the fastest. I guess my expectations were higher after reading all the rave reviews for Brymen multimeters. Perhaps most reviewers are moving up from cheaper meters, and are not Fluke meter owners, so they are not used to performance.
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Is there any particular range or value that you are checking?
Just checked Volts with 1.4v cell and settle time was about 1 sec (BM857S).
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Is there any particular range or value that you are checking?
Just checked Volts with 1.4v cell and settle time was about 1 sec (BM857S).
Check a resistor on auto range...
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About 1.5 seconds with 120Ohm resistor.
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How "slow" is slow? Maybe there is more difference than just the colour of the holsters between these 2009 Greenlee's and the Brymen BM-829.
Here are some pictures of the insides of my Greenlee DM-830A that I bought. Maybe someone can show the insides of the Brymen BM-829 (or BM-829S) to compare. Since the max upload filesize for pictures is limited, I have to post the pics in separate posts. Here is the first set of pics:
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Here are some pictures of the insides of my Greenlee DM-830A that I bought. Maybe someone can show the insides of the Brymen BM-829 (or BM-829S) to compare. Since the max upload filesize for pictures is limited, I have to post the pics in separate posts. Here is the 2nd set of pics:
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About 1.5 seconds with 120Ohm resistor.
I just checked again with a 220ohm resister, and it's definitely closer to 2.5 seconds - seems like an eternity... :-//
Oh well, it is what it is...
Again, I wasn't expecting Fluke quality from an Asian import...
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Here are some pictures of the insides of my Greenlee DM-830A that I bought. Maybe someone can show the insides of the Brymen BM-829 (or BM-829S) to compare. Since the max upload filesize for pictures is limited, I have to post the pics in separate posts. Here is the last of the 5 total pics:
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About 1.5 seconds with 120Ohm resistor.
I just checked again with a 220ohm resister, and it's definitely closer to 2.5 seconds - seems like an eternity... :-//
Oh well, it is what it is...
Again, I wasn't expecting Fluke quality from an Asian import...
I just tried measuring resistors on the ohms auto-range on my DM-830A and it is quick at about 1 second average to show the value of a 50 ohm resistor.
It seems just as fast or faster when measuring a 3.6K resistor.
Did you try checking to make sure your maybe the 9v battery that came with it is old and weak? Otherwise, maybe you got a bum meter. I don't find it that slow. It seems to me that it is a top notch quality meter easily equal to the flukes and especially at the price we got it for ($150.00 USD)!
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I also just checked my Brymen BM-869S meter and the ohms auto range mode measuring 50, 3.6K and 4.7M ohm resisters is also pretty quick at just a bit under 1 second to 1 second. It is fast enough for me.
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I also just checked my Brymen BM-869S meter and the ohms auto range mode measuring 50, 3.6K and 4.7M ohm resisters is also pretty quick at just a bit under 1 second to 1 second. It is fast enough for me.
I replaced the battery first thing. Not that that should make a difference. The 869 is faster.
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Here are some pictures of the insides of my Greenlee DM-830A that I bought. Maybe someone can show the insides of the Brymen BM-829 (or BM-829S) to compare. Since the max upload filesize for pictures is limited, I have to post the pics in separate posts. Here is the 2nd set of pics:
One thing I notice on this DM-830A daughter board is that it has two infrared LED's installed on it instead of just one like many other meters. I take that to mean that it has a two way communications interface for when you use the USB attachment for running the PC software...?
You can see the two LED's mounted on the previous picture I posted in this thread above.
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I also just checked my Brymen BM-869S meter and the ohms auto range mode measuring 50, 3.6K and 4.7M ohm resisters is also pretty quick at just a bit under 1 second to 1 second. It is fast enough for me.
I replaced the battery first thing. Not that that should make a difference. The 869 is faster.
The 857 is dissimilar too (50,000/500,000 count), perhaps not comparable.
Never looked at Brymen being a Fluke killer, just the price and features make them a very attractive alternative to the big "F" (in UK).
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I'd like to know, if BM257 is a foolproof.
I mean, is it survive if i'll put probes into mains with ohm measurement selected. Or switch selector during probes in mains, or something like this.
Thanks!
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No meter is foolproof. If you stick the probes in the wall socket on ohms range it will survive. If you do this with the probes in the current jacks the you will at least blow a fuse.
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Well, for me, most common measurements is voltage and resistance. Current is very rare.
So, most the time probes will be connected to voltage/resistance jack and only thing can go wrong - bad selector position.
In case BM257 it will be in Autocheck all the time.
And one more question - what is a "JACK" label above current jacks mean? Some beep warnings ?
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In case BM257 it will be in Autocheck all the time.
Be aware that when you are in Autocheck all the time, the input impedance is around 2.5k ohm at low voltage. This means you may get incorrect readings.
As I wrote in a badcaps thread regarding the Fluke 113 and 12, they both have low impedance mode and how they can fool you into thinking there is no voltage.
http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpost.php?p=315198&postcount=60 (http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpost.php?p=315198&postcount=60)
And one more question - what is a "JACK" label above current jacks mean? Some beep warnings ?
Yes to warn you have the probes in the incorrect input jacks.
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I know that this is an old thread. Anyway if interesting somebody; Just now (until 15th March) is the BM829 on sale in Norway, and it is even cheaper than the BM257.
BM829 = NOK 1618,75
BM257 = NOK 1668,75
https://elma-instruments.no/nyheter-tilbud/tilbud/elma-bm-829s-sann-rms-multimeter-kat-iv-1000v.aspx (https://elma-instruments.no/nyheter-tilbud/tilbud/elma-bm-829s-sann-rms-multimeter-kat-iv-1000v.aspx)
https://elma-instruments.no/produkter/elma-bm-257s-sann-rms-multimeter-kat-iii-600v-nrf-986123.aspx (https://elma-instruments.no/produkter/elma-bm-257s-sann-rms-multimeter-kat-iii-600v-nrf-986123.aspx)
(https://shop.cie-group.com/media/prod_images_nodel/elmaBM829__img1.jpg)