Finally 7.5 Digit - My "new" Keithley DMM7510

[Scottjd]

And who refund me this fee if it’s broken and I have to return it?

As of fees, I'd push back. I think we, as consumers, deserve to be provided with accurate information about total costs. The amount is also not insignificant, I assume.

From what I was just researching on the web, and ChatGPT (why not) the baseline is 10%, with up to 35%. ChatGPT estimated $500 to $600, thats 25% of the total cost after tax that I already paid at the checkout. That’s not what I paid, but I am more concerned about the UPS statement of the price not being a final number and more could be owed. Either that or it was covered, but just not all of it and I ended up paying the difference?
It will also be interesting to see the cost value on the paper work because I am assuming most of that percentage is based off of what the seller put down as the cost.

Based on the percentage from the EU (Germany) I am figuring $75 more for the PDVS 2 Mini v2, but I wont find out for another day or two on that one.

For now I don't want to rock the boat until I get these items and make sure the total extra cost is finalized before I make Indy inquiries with eBay.

[Martin72]

After being turned down by five calibration laboratories (“We can't do 7.5”), I now have one last option before I actually have to go to Tektronix.
Namely, “our” external calibration lab, which will soon be coming to us to calibrate our scopes and meters for a week.
I'll ask them if they can also calibrate 7.5 digits.

They can do it, even 8.5 digits...

[KungFuJosh]

After being turned down by five calibration laboratories (“We can't do 7.5”), I now have one last option before I actually have to go to Tektronix.
Namely, “our” external calibration lab, which will soon be coming to us to calibrate our scopes and meters for a week.
I'll ask them if they can also calibrate 7.5 digits.

They can do it, even 8.5 digits...

Nice! But the question remains: How much $$$?

[Martin72]

I will soon know that they want to look at their lists.
I know that we pay €90..100 for a multimeter like the Fluke87V, and between €150 and €200 for a 6.5-digit bench meter.

[BillyO]

They can do it, even 8.5...

So they must have 9.5!!  They could be porn stars!     

[Martin72]

They can also calibrate higher, according to the outcome of today's discussion.
They have the appropriate measurement standards, they can certainly compete with them:

https://www.ptb.de/cms/en.html

At least that's what they said.

[BillyO]

Cool!

I didn't even know they were working on a new international system of units!

 

[Scottjd]

Quick update: The estimated cost for the $499 PDVS 2 Mini v2 was almost correct. So the chart I found seems to be updated as well. It was another $90 because of the $15 UPS Customs Brokerage Fee. Still PDVS 2 Mini v2 total cost $680, well another $20 for the Li-Ion 9V batteries so $700 I’m so glad those fees are being converged by the manufacturers and sellers 

So it does look like the charge on the DMM7510 was an overage difference and most of it was paid in the original sale.

I thought I was being smart with buying the PDVS 2 Mini v2 and DMMCheck to check the DMM7510 when I get it. As a hobby the  “close enough” standard is good for me.
But I also called around this morning and found a local place that will do an accredited calibration (not NIST) for $299 USD +Sales Tax, no shipping since I can dive it in and pick it up.  I should have called around first, the money spent on those other items might have been better to just get the unit calibrated even if it seems in spec when I test it.

On the bright side, I guess I can check everything else in the lab like the Fluke 289 and HP 34401 now with the other devices and determine if the DMM7510 even needs a calibration. 

[Martin72]

I thought I was being smart with buying the PDVS 2 Mini v2 and DMMCheck to check the DMM7510 when I get it.

With the DM7510, you can calibrate these references rather than the other way around.

[Scottjd]

With the DM7510, you can calibrate these references rather than the other way around.

Yea I thought of that after I posted. I should get mine in a few days. I think I will let hit ambient temp followed by a 90 minute warm up and check to see where it stands. Maybe even run its own internal cal and see how that changes it. After all I think the last official cal was done at a 2 to 3 degree Celsius difference from the temp I keep my house at.

Have you tried the self calibration on yours?
If so, did you notice a difference?

[exe]

Meanwhile I haven't heard from my seller anything meaningful ever since. Given how shady the reviews are and how little feedback they have (16 reviews past 12 months, all positive and all items are "private") despite having 17k items on sale in their store, I start to suspect something. I give myself 30% chance to get the DMM, and 70% that I will cancel my order by Friday.

I wonder how this scam works. Do they count on me making an order and then forget to open the case on time?

[Martin72]

I will soon know that they want to look at their lists.

The price is still under €500, which is significantly less than what Tektronix wants.
Therefore, I will accept it and have it calibrated at the lab.

Have you tried the self calibration on yours?
If so, did you notice a difference?

Yes, I did, but unfortunately I didn't notice whether it made any difference.

[exe]

My seller sent the DMM something, but didn't share any pictures as he promised  . What can I say, I wanted a small adventure, I got it. Hope customs won't charge me an arm and a leg.

Thank you guys for your moral support 🤗

[nomead]

Ebay.de has 139 listings at the moment. New or "95%" new, almost all from China.
Is this some sort of subplot of trade wars? Insane.

[Hydron]

Yeah I'm pretty tempted to get one given other's success in getting nice units, but all the listings seem super sketch, ripping off each other's photos etc. Are all the real ones gone and it's just scammers left?

[voltsandjolts]

Yeah I'm pretty tempted to get one given other's success in getting nice units, but all the listings seem super sketch, ripping off each other's photos etc. Are all the real ones gone and it's just scammers left?

Are you trying to make exe even more nervous?

[exe]

Are all the real ones gone and it's just scammers left?

I had the same concern. My best guess is that most of "sellers" don't have stock. Once they secure a deal on ebay, they go to taobao/whatever and actually buy the unit. Evidence to support this theory:
- they take a week to ship it (up to 10 days on ebay)
- they indirectly admitted they don't have a unit
- they have thousands of items listed, but very few deals closed
- very few reviews, don't look legit
- largely ignore my communication after I paid
- photos do not represent actual units

If you consider buying, I suggest contact seller before hand and ask for actual photos, before you pay anything. Also you can check the listings, some have more buyers protection than other, as suggested by @Scottjd and @Martin72 . Also, you can ask them for seller suggestions).  TBH, I only decided to buy when I was mentally ready to lose money. Ofc a few days later I changed my mind, but too late). I'm 100% relying on ebay protection.

BTW, small update from me: the tax/vat/whatever was 320euro, delivery estimated to take 1 week, by EOD of 28 October, by DHL Express. My postal code there is incorrect due to, perhaps problem on DHL system (they strip letters from the code), so I'm gonna bug to change that. The reason I don't change delivery address is because the website says if I change delivery address, then they are not responsible for damage and loss  (see the attached screenshot).

Are you trying to make exe even more nervous?

Ha-ha, I'm glad you guys having fun 

[KungFuJosh]

The other option is that they're all the same sellers. Even in the US, there are a lot of companies that have multiple accounts selling under them. Could be separate employees, or ways to hide issues with products.

I've purchased TE from at least 3 "different" companies that all shipped from the same business in Ohio.

[Scottjd]

Ok, let me put some of that worry to rest. I can’t guarantee the seller you go with is in a scam, but I can say some are for sure real.
Mine arrived today. Will be a 4 year old unit in November. Auto-cal went well, it was never ran before and showed factory auto cal date. It had to cal cert stickers on top, so best guest is they had a 3rd party certify it to calibrate and all tests pass, so they didn’t change a thing. Everything seems to check out. Pictures show before the auto cal and as I just realized running and old firmware so thats next. The DMMCheck Plus is only 2 days old, I put the cal cert for reference on the temperature change.

[Scottjd]

As for the source, well mine had a bunch of stickers still on it. A little translation and research and it look like this is a hardware refresh from a large battery company. I will say that might explain the bit of black dust on the inside of the meter.
It’s really not that back, only reason I know it was black is because I wiped it off with a white cloth.

Inside the meter was not bad at all, just the metal inside cover, the fan for sure and the outfacing PCB sheet that the fan is connected to. I would say theirs no need to remove that PCB and the fan can be cleaned from the top with a a-tip.
Maybe hit it with some air from the sides to blow anything out if you want, I know I did.
No hum on the transformer, buttons are not sticky, touch screen seemed like it wasn’t touched and still had the cover on the screen. I think it was ran mostly remote and had custom network settings with a static IP address.

I think I have functioned checked everything at this point over the last 6 hours and I am please with it.

Google Translate says:
宁德时代新能源科技股份有限公司
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Ltd.

Apple translate says:
宁德时代新能源科技股份有限公司
Ningde Times New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.

ChatGPT says:
“宁德时代新能源科技股份有限公司” translates to:
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited — commonly known as CATL.

“宁德时代新能源科技股份有限公司”
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL)
It specializes in the design, manufacture and marketing of batteries and energy-storage systems — especially lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), energy storage systems (ESS), battery management systems (BMS) and related technologies.CATL is widely regarded as the world’s largest EV battery maker, capturing a large share of the global market.

Key Technologies & Innovation
CATL has developed advanced battery technologies including cell-to-pack (CTP) integration, which optimises battery energy density and reduces inactive components. 
It also works on next-generation battery chemistries (for instance sodium-ion batteries) and systems for energy storage beyond automotive.

In May 2025, CATL had a major listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, raising several billion dollars and signalling its ambition to expand globally.

Calibration sticker:
Instrument Code:
Calibrator: 74MVE02173
Calibration Unit: STIEE
Calibration Date: June 18, 2024
Recommended Next Calibration Date: June 17, 2025
Calibrator: Chen Guanghua

[Scottjd]

I finally get the joke about downgrading (upgrading) your firmware on these things.

[Scottjd]

If you consider buying, I suggest contact seller before hand and ask for actual photos, before you pay anything. Also you can check the listings, some have more buyers protection than other, as suggested by @Scottjd and @Martin72 . Also, you can ask them for seller suggestions). 

I just had a chance to read this. If someone is interested feel free to DM me. I know the seller I went with answered my message that same day I bought it, provided pictures and a small video along with it. And it’s the exact one I received, same serial number. So I am pretty sure they had some on hand.

I’m about to see if I am ignored now since it’s delivered. It was missing the rear bumper, looks like who ever packed it and placed the warranty stickers on it forgot to put the rear bumper back on. Instead of one warranty void sticker over the screw on the bottom they put one in the back and one on the LCD lid to the metal case. The rear one covered the serial number and LAN reset button 
Needless to say they were both removed so I guess I gave up my one year eBay seller warranty.

[Hydron]

BTW, small update from me: the tax/vat/whatever was 320euro, delivery estimated to take 1 week, by EOD of 28 October, by DHL Express. My postal code there is incorrect due to, perhaps problem on DHL system (they strip letters from the code), so I'm gonna bug to change that. The reason I don't change delivery address is because the website says if I change delivery address, then they are not responsible for damage and loss  (see the attached screenshot).

Are you trying to make exe even more nervous?

Ha-ha, I'm glad you guys having fun 

Sorry not trying to do anything to exe!

RE the DHL thing, I read that as releasing them from liability from anything that happens AFTER they have delivered, as long as it's delivered as per your instructions (e.g. if you ask them to deliver to the wrong location it's not their problem). That said, IANAL and just ringing them up might be the way to go (TNT/Fedex UK were surprisingly helpful and responsive when I called them recently, though refused to answer emails, no idea about DHL).

[exe]

I finally got pictures from the seller, and there are no bumpers, and no handle(. I think I can live with that, tbh, it's just may reduce reselling value, but, again, not the end of the world for me. I also don't have confidence that pictures are of my unit, but we'll see soon.

PS I think the more we post in the thread the more people will be hooked to buy one. We are spreading addiction(.

[Scottjd]

I finally got pictures from the seller, and there are no bumpers, and no handle

I know they sell a kit for converting DMM7510-RACK and DMM7510-NFP-RACK version to ones with handles and bumpers.
It’s called the:
“2450-BenchKit Benchtop Kit”.
Part Number: 071315803

I haven’t been able to find it for sale so I am guessing this is a special request item directly from Keithley. I was looking into this since I am missing the rear bumper and the front one is beat up.