EEVBlog 121GW Discussion thread

[Timz]

Yeah, just received 121GW 2 days ago, and the firmware reads 2.05,  no idea if that's actually from Welectron, but I ordered it directly from EEVBlog shop online.  Delivered to UK by DHL courier and it originated from Australia.

Happy with this product so far.  Thank you so much.

[dzenbo]

Hi, I have not read all thread trough so maybe this note will be not a new. But in my opinion AutoHold mod is slightly raw, especially in resistance measurement - it takes all my time to get value of a single res. In the same time in a basic mode I see that the value jumps in a least significant digit only. And it is very disapoint that I cant check 5% resistors over the board as fast as I have expected 
I understand that design and consumer satisfaction it is all about trade-offs. But my vision of this process is to give user freedom to select between A) more digits, sometimes more noise and more time to get a value, and B) less digits - faster response.

We have a "1 kHz" mode which enables filter. So maybe it is reasonable to make it available for other modes?

One more. Looks that the AutoHold mode does not depends of Auto range or particular range is selected. I thought the overall time to get hold the value is a sum of the time required to find the range and the time required to ensure that the value is stable. But looks that it is not. Very strange

If required I will make a video report later.

[EEVblog]

Yeah, just received 121GW 2 days ago, and the firmware reads 2.05,  no idea if that's actually from Welectron, but I ordered it directly from EEVBlog shop online.  Delivered to UK by DHL courier and it originated from Australia.

Correct, all my units in stock are the latest 2.05. Welectron were just the first to get it.

[Timz]

Thanks Dave for your reply.  Can I ask what is the changelog for 2.05, please?

[firewalker]

Thanks Dave for your reply.  Can I ask what is the changelog for 2.05, please?

From Dave.

I now have v2.05
They changed the low pass filter curve to better match the performance of the Fluke 289, which I guess they are using as a sort of reference.

[SeoulBigChris]

Got my 121 finally, on a circuitous path through a buddy in New Zealand because they can’t shop from Australia to South Korea for some reason.

Been working great! I was testing a board where I can program resistance (like a digipot) and I had the 121 connected for some time. A few times during the day I heard this loud alarm beep. The first couple of times I thought it was some alert from my aircon or electric fan. On the third time I finally realized it was the 121 telling me that it was about to auto-shutdown. That’s one loud beeper!

[Neo2199]

Yeah, this multimeter is great. I have upgraded my leads to Pomona, good stuff

[sirtet]

Hi all. I have two questions:

Firmware 2.05:
Where is it? on
https://www.eevblog.com/product/121gw/
i still see 2.04 as the latest...

Shim:
I don't know the full Story with the shim that some revisions needed because of a wrong pcb thickness, so:
Do i have to check if my meter needs the shim, or were no meters sold without that fix?

PS:
@dave, there's an issue with reporting an issue (not that i had one, just saw this:)

[J-R]

Dave posted the 2.05 firmware one page back.  Here's a link to it: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/eevblog-121gw-discussion-thread/?action=dlattach;attach=1213626

I'm sure there are units out there where they are "supposed" to have the shim but don't.  Personally I think the shim is not always needed.  I have two that came with the shim but removed it because I thought the switch felt better without it.  Zero issues so far.  If I need it after the contacts wear, I'll re-install.

[EEVblog]

I don't know the full Story with the shim that some revisions needed because of a wrong pcb thickness, so:
Do i have to check if my meter needs the shim, or were no meters sold without that fix?

IIRC no meters were sold without the shim. It was limited to the Kickstarter shipped units.

[Ecogeek]

Stick to good brands, like Littelfuse, Cooper Bussmann or Siba if you can, otherwise examine the datasheet carefully for compliance.

Beware of fakes on ebay and other places. Because of the very high potential margins on these, the market is awash with fakes.

Yes I ordered a pack of "Bussman" fuses from China, strangely arrived same day as my order from EEVBlog Australian shop, the labels were identical to the blown 11A fuse Busman fuse I removed, but the fuse end caps did not have "Bussman" stamped and the cap crimping was not the same. The cap plating was also slightly dull and difficult to get a good low resistance contact with my meter leads, when I did a low ohms resistance check they all measured higher resistance than the fuses supply by the EEVBlog shop. 
Thanks Dave for the much cheaper quality fuses.

[AVGresponding]

Stick to good brands, like Littelfuse, Cooper Bussmann or Siba if you can, otherwise examine the datasheet carefully for compliance.

Beware of fakes on ebay and other places. Because of the very high potential margins on these, the market is awash with fakes.

Yes I ordered a pack of "Bussman" fuses from China, strangely arrived same day as my order from EEVBlog Australian shop, the labels were identical to the blown 11A fuse Busman fuse I removed, but the fuse end caps did not have "Bussman" stamped and the cap crimping was not the same. The cap plating was also slightly dull and difficult to get a good low resistance contact with my meter leads, when I did a low ohms resistance check they all measured higher resistance than the fuses supply by the EEVBlog shop. 
Thanks Dave for the much cheaper quality fuses.

Did you weigh them to see if they are lighter? (no sand inside) Or smash one open to see if it had any?

[Ecogeek]

Further information on Bussman DMM-B-11A and ASTM 11A fuses.
As you can see by the photo the plating is duller, the fuses do appear to be OEM (the labels were identical) but possibly old stock or at least different end cap assembly with no OEM cap branding to the Bussman I removed from my meter.

I did some 4 wire resistance measurements (as opposed to multimeter ohms with test probes) with 1A of current flowing.
Results of resistance measurements of six Bussman fuses from Alibaba in mohms.
Bussman DMM-B-11A; 7.446,6.997,7.636,7.298,7.132, 7.306     Average 7.302mohm
weighed in at about 8 grams (on my kitchen scales)

ASTM HV110;  9.255mohm
weighed in at 9 grams

Little Fuse FLU-11A; 8.265mohm

I also did the 4wire resistance measurements of three mulitmeters 10A shunt including fuses (at meter terminals);
Fluke 87  with ASTM HV110 fuse              25.6mohm   (fuse 36% of total)
Agilent U1233A with ASTM HV110 fuse     22.06 mohm (fuse 42% of total)
EEVBlog 121GW with Little Fuse FLU-11A  32.3mohm   (fuse 25.6% of  total)

Conclusion: The spread of 11A fuse resistances was close to 2mohms with the Bussman DMM-B-11A being the lowest, ASTM HV110 the highest with the Little fuse in the middle. The Bussman fuses do appear to be OEM but of unknown age.

PS When I was doing the multimeter 10A resistance measurements I noticed the fluke was "unstable" i.e. seemed to vary which the other two meters did not.  Long story short; the soldering of the fuse holders was causing the problem, the fuse holders only had the fuse tabs soldered and after close to two decades the solder connections were failing. I removed and resoldered including the full base of the fuse holders this time and also replaced the input jack assembly while I was doing the repair work. Hopefully good for another couple of decades.

[J-R]

Did a quick run through on some of my fuses and got 9.1mOhm and 9.2mOhm on two of Dave's ASTMs and 8.4mOhm on my only loose Bussmann labelled with C17 and made in Mexico.  I bought it from Welectron in late 2019 with a DMM.  Weight was 8.1 grams.

Found one document from 2018 that says B04 is 4th week of 2018, but C wasn't specifically listed.  I'm quite confident C17 is 17th week of 2019 though.

https://www.eaton.com/content/dam/eaton/products/electrical-circuit-protection/fuses/solution-center/bus-ele-faq-10464-date-codes.pdf

[TheFire8472]

Just got my meter. I plan to use it as the backup to my Fluke that I can keep at my other place. Seems great so far - well-made, durable, the measurements I made were quite precise. Great deal overall!

[cmumford]

What does everybody think about unpinning the 121GW discussion threads? I love mine, but I think the topics have quieted down enough that maybe we don't need three (or even one) of them pinned anymore. Just a thought...

[joeqsmith]

What does everybody think about unpinning the 121GW discussion threads? I love mine, but I think the topics have quieted down enough that maybe we don't need three (or even one) of them pinned anymore. Just a thought...

I've thought that for a while as well.  I'm actually surprised that Dave didn't consider it when announcing the new Brymen meter.  Then I thought it's a Brymen and is going to work....   

The TE thread is popular enough it stays on top so it also makes little sense to me. 

Others threads also seem old and unmaintained and I wonder the same thing.  What makes them worth being sticky?  Seems like it would be reserved.   Info for beginners and rules all make sense to me.    Even a single sticky thread for each of the products Dave markets makes some sense to me, just for the advertisement.   

Not a big deal to leave it.  Dave's site anyway and I enjoy the free use of it.  So, good job Dave!

[tautech]

What does everybody think about unpinning the 121GW discussion threads? I love mine, but I think the topics have quieted down enough that maybe we don't need three (or even one) of them pinned anymore. Just a thought...

I've thought that for a while as well.  I'm actually surprised that Dave didn't consider it when announcing the new Brymen meter.  Then I thought it's a Brymen and is going to work....   

The TE thread is popular enough it stays on top so it also makes little sense to me. 

Others threads also seem old and unmaintained and I wonder the same thing.  What makes them worth being sticky?  Seems like it would be reserved.   Info for beginners and rules all make sense to me.    Even a single sticky thread for each of the products Dave markets makes some sense to me, just for the advertisement.   

Not a big deal to leave it.  Dave's site anyway and I enjoy the free use of it.  So, good job Dave!

Dave could easily create another board of EEVblog Products and shift all the threads there and sticky them or whatever.

[Brumby]

"Could" - Yes.

"Should" - I would think not.  It's TE gear, so let's not fragment a subject unnecessarily.  Besides, it hardly impacts the use of the TE board.

[e0ne199]

What does everybody think about unpinning the 121GW discussion threads? I love mine, but I think the topics have quieted down enough that maybe we don't need three (or even one) of them pinned anymore. Just a thought...

why?
where will you get the info about new firmware if this thread is unpinned?
and who knows if suddenly Dave and the manufacturer are generous enough to share 121GW's source code, right?

[EEVblog]

What does everybody think about unpinning the 121GW discussion threads? I love mine, but I think the topics have quieted down enough that maybe we don't need three (or even one) of them pinned anymore. Just a thought...

Yeah, fair enough, never thought about it.
Seemed important at the time of the Kickstarter when it was the go-to place for updated info, but now, meh, it's just another meter.
Have unstickied them.

[EEVblog]

What does everybody think about unpinning the 121GW discussion threads? I love mine, but I think the topics have quieted down enough that maybe we don't need three (or even one) of them pinned anymore. Just a thought...

I've thought that for a while as well.  I'm actually surprised that Dave didn't consider it when announcing the new Brymen meter.  Then I thought it's a Brymen and is going to work....   

The TE thread is popular enough it stays on top so it also makes little sense to me. 

Others threads also seem old and unmaintained and I wonder the same thing.  What makes them worth being sticky?  Seems like it would be reserved.   Info for beginners and rules all make sense to me.    Even a single sticky thread for each of the products Dave markets makes some sense to me, just for the advertisement.   

Not a big deal to leave it.  Dave's site anyway and I enjoy the free use of it.  So, good job Dave!

Dave could easily create another board of EEVblog Products and shift all the threads there and sticky them or whatever.

Well that just lit up an idea. What if there was a Specific Instruments test equipment section where each instrument of note (say several pages is the trigger) got it's own thread and they are all stickied.
It could be an easy go-to section for specific much talked about instruments?
If an ok idea I could make this a specific poll test to see what the general response is?
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/poll-specific-instruments-forum-section/

[tautech]

What does everybody think about unpinning the 121GW discussion threads? I love mine, but I think the topics have quieted down enough that maybe we don't need three (or even one) of them pinned anymore. Just a thought...

I've thought that for a while as well.  I'm actually surprised that Dave didn't consider it when announcing the new Brymen meter.  Then I thought it's a Brymen and is going to work....   

The TE thread is popular enough it stays on top so it also makes little sense to me. 

Others threads also seem old and unmaintained and I wonder the same thing.  What makes them worth being sticky?  Seems like it would be reserved.   Info for beginners and rules all make sense to me.    Even a single sticky thread for each of the products Dave markets makes some sense to me, just for the advertisement.   

Not a big deal to leave it.  Dave's site anyway and I enjoy the free use of it.  So, good job Dave!

Dave could easily create another board of EEVblog Products and shift all the threads there and sticky them or whatever.

Well that just lit up an idea. What if there was a Specific Instruments test equipment section where each instrument of note (say several pages is the trigger) got it's own thread and they are all stickied.
It could be an easy go-to section for specific much talked about instruments?
If an ok idea I could make this a specific poll test to see what the general response is?

Yeah well if you examine the current Products board structure there are a few options if you must move stuff around and stir up grumbles where certainly you could add a Specific Instruments board where you could also further divide it into brands.....EEVblog brand instruments too of course.

Maybe a Products> TE Brands> by Brand sub board, each with stickys of certain popular models.
Too much work ?

[arekm]

I now have v2.05

Any reason it's not on https://www.eevblog.com/product/121gw/ ?

[cmumford]

I wish that site management of eevblog.com could somehow be delegated. I'm sure that trustworthy volunteers would step up and maintain the 121GW section (I would), but I'm guessing that the site probably isn't setup for that.