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EEVblog 121GW Multimeter Issues

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tszaboo:

--- Quote from: Antonov225 on November 01, 2018, 09:25:12 am ---Hello EEVBlog!
I feel honored to now be a part of this awesome community. What makes me very sad is that my first post has to be a negative one.

I purchased my 121GW meter on July 26th 2018, during a small batch at official EEVBlog store, after being informed about its availability by the newsletter. Soon I discovered how big mistake I have made.

After receiving the meter and unboxing it, few things immediately stood out. The meter was scratched in many places (especially the knob and in the area around lead sockets) - see attachment. Scratches on two flat sides of the knob clearly came from someone's else fingernails. Part of the knob you grab by your fingers was noticably shinier than other areas. Batteries have also already been put inside the meter - From what I've seen on unboxing videos, these should be included seperately in the pouch.  Conclusion is simple - I recieved a used meter. I thought - "Ok, fine. This is not that bad. I can use this meter nevertheless." And I could - for a month. After that strange things started to happen.

Before making the purchase I did some research online (mainly this forum) and discovered that at some point a common problem with 121GW meters was the knob itself. Apparently there was a recall done at some point regarding the contact issues (knob replacement and addition of a shim). This took place months earlier. Common sense suggested that my meter should have already been free of this issue. This couldn't be farther from the truth.

After a month of very, very light use the meter is basically unusable. The knob wipers stopped making a good contact with the PCB (i think) and the meter reboots constantly while switching modes. Resistance mode cannot be turned on at all. The meter just turns off when I select it. The issue is present for every single knob position.
I made a short video where the issue is clearly visible:



As you can see, this is clearly not a 121GW revision with a fixed knob. I must have received an older, flawed version. This is absolutely unforgivable for a meter this expensive (and every other for that matter). What I find the most frustrating is that the recall was done some time before I bought my meter from the EEVBlog store. At that point I should expect this issue to be already resolved but in the end I recieved a meter with this exact defect still present.

I've sent Dave an email describing these issues on 5th October. He replied a week later and promised to send me a new meter. I was really happy about that. So why am I even writing this post, you may ask? Well, because the new meter has never been shipped and Dave has not replied to any of my emails since then :palm:. I've been trying many times to contact him through at least 3 EEVBlog email adresses and sending him PMs on the forum, asking why the new meter hasn't been shipped. Three weeks have passed and I have not recieved any reply. I have no idea why.

I can only hope that this post will grab Dave's attention and that my meter will get replaced eventually. Do you know if there is any other way to contact Dave or to fix the meter? I just want to be able to use the product i paid for.

Thank you for your help in advance,
A VERY frustrated customer.

--- End quote ---
So the meter I have developed an issue very similar to this video. Only in the resistance range, moving the knob will reset it, it's fiddly. Seems to be a physical issue. Is this something which is fixable by user?

J-R:
When/where did you purchase the DMM?  Some of the early units needed a shim added to the selector switch.

It's also possible there is some damage or contamination.

You could disassemble it to visually inspect the internals.  Be careful not to break the small plastic clip that holds the two halves together near the bottom corner.  (Although honestly if you break it it's not a massive issue.)

EEVblog:

--- Quote from: tszaboo on June 17, 2024, 08:25:17 pm ---So the meter I have developed an issue very similar to this video. Only in the resistance range, moving the knob will reset it, it's fiddly. Seems to be a physical issue. Is this something which is fixable by user?

--- End quote ---

As J-R mentioned, could be an older unit, what's the serial number?
I can send a replacement knob with shim if needed.

tszaboo:

--- Quote from: EEVblog on June 18, 2024, 12:49:44 am ---
--- Quote from: tszaboo on June 17, 2024, 08:25:17 pm ---So the meter I have developed an issue very similar to this video. Only in the resistance range, moving the knob will reset it, it's fiddly. Seems to be a physical issue. Is this something which is fixable by user?

--- End quote ---

As J-R mentioned, could be an older unit, what's the serial number?
I can send a replacement knob with shim if needed.

--- End quote ---
It was purchased a few months ago.
SN: 230102474
When I switch it to ohms range, it is off, until I wiggle the knob a bit.
Let me know what I (or you) can do, I don't want to RMA it, because it's a PITA to do at work, plus I don't want to cause unnecessary expense to you.

jeslaughter:
Need email address to order replacement jacks for my GW121.  Thanks in advance.

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