Products > Test Equipment
Fault tracing meter with novel displays - Mechanic Sherlock V2.
Fraser:
I have not seen this unit previously mentioned on the forum so I thought I would create a thread for it.
I have been looking for a meter that will sit on my bench and provide an easily viewed, clear, display of voltage measurements as I delve into equipment under repair. My usual multimeter of choice is my trusty Fluke 87 MkIII but it is sometimes inconvenient to position and view. I stumbled upon the Mechanic Sherlock 2.0 meter the other day and it’s novel display system caught my eye. The unit has three separate displays ! There is an OLED display on each probe plus an LED display on the main unit. The displays appear easy to read and the probe displays may be reorientated as desired for ease of viewing. What a novel unit I thought.
Further investigation of the a Sherlock 2.0 revealed that it is NOT truly a multimeter as we know such equipment. It is a specialist diagnostic tool that provides ‘only’ accurate voltage, diode forward voltage drop and continuity tests. These are common tests when diagnosing many hardware faults on phones, laptops etc. Sadly there is no resistance measurement capability :palm: .Update: June 2023 - Resistance mode has now been added to the Sherlock V2.0 :-+ This is almost like someone’s specialist solution to PCB diagnostics that has been adopted by Mechanic and marketed by them. The unit does not have a high profile on the internet since it’s release in December 2022. There are a few YouTube videos that I have watched to better understand the units true capabilities. It should be noted that the maximum recommended voltage that should be applied to the the probes is only 24V. It is a specialist diagnostic tool and not really so much a general purpose meter.
I will link to a you tube video that details the Sherlock 2.0 and shows the functionality better than I can describe.
I was suitably impressed with this specialist tool and it does meet my needs for PCB diagnostics, so I have ordered one at a cost of £36 plus postage to the UK from Aliexpress.
Strangely I could not find a user manual or specifications on line which is unhelpful ! Mechanic really need to get their act together on that front.
What I can report in terms of functionality is as follows (I will add to this once my unit arrives)
1. Display: Three 4.5 digit displays (2 OLED and 1 LED)
2. Power supply : Lithium Polymer rechargeable cell - 8 hours run time.
3. Controls : Two buttons. Power and mode. (Voltage, Diode Test/continuity and probe display orientation)
4. Charger input : Type C and may be permanently powered on the bench via this connector
5. Voltage output : 3.3V available on 4mm sockets (max current not known) Unconfirmed function Since proven incorrect
6. Probes: 2 handheld probes with displays plus Qty2 2mm plug terminated crocodile clip leads for one handed probing
7. Voltage test : Maximum safe test voltage stated as 24V. No further details known at this time. No AC capability. Accuracy stated as 0.1%.
8. Continuity test : fast response sounder to continuity - threshold resistance not known at this time
9. Diode test : Displays the voltage drop across a semiconductor PN junction or “OPEN” for O/C
10. Casing material : All aluminium - no safety earth and no claim of suitability for testing high voltages. USER CAUTION advised.
11. Update - Resistance mode is now included and it can measure up to 99.99K Ohms
Videos:
Mechanic advert :
https://youtu.be/DWZnhKj72qg
https://youtu.be/ciAsqiZI25Q
https://youtu.be/vXCR8hEHH60
User Reviews:
British reviewer :
https://youtu.be/noaF8D-frAs
Fraser:
The following YouTube review has a test of the continuity threshold. It can be a little hard to understand the commentary but it is shown that below 40 Ohms the meter considers there to be continuity between the probes. There is no ohms reading. This should be considered when carrying out continuity tests on PCB’s as some circuits are low impedance and are below 40 Ohms if tested.
https://youtu.be/10PFKI4dHKk
Fraser
Fraser:
The store that I bought my Sherlock 2.0 unit from…..
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005117374639.html
I have no connection to Mechanic or HZY Technology Limited and there are other sellers on Aliexpress.
Fraser
Fraser:
The Mechanic supplied artists images of the PCB’s. The main unit contains two PCB’s.
Fraser
Kean:
Cute device! Can you take a photo with the probes to compare size against a common multimeter probe or two?
I'm tempted to buy one or two. I'm not sure I'd find it useful as-is, but I could hack the red probe into something of my own design. I'd have to assume there are 5 wires to the red probe, unlike the black probe which could share the display GND connection with the probe tip.
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