EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Test Equipment => Topic started by: zenoid on February 22, 2014, 11:20:11 pm
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hi - further to a recent post i have decided take some of the burden off my trusty old AVO 8 MK6 analogue & obtain a new DMM.
this will be my first ever DMM. i am considering either the UNI- T 61E or the Brymen BM257.
the Brymen is about £30 more expensive (& i can only get from hong kong) but the UNI looks like real good value & i can get UK.
can anyone advise regarding?
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There's a huge discussion on the UT61E in another thread.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/uni-t-ut61e-multimeter-teardown-photos/ (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/uni-t-ut61e-multimeter-teardown-photos/)
I have one myself and am pretty happy with it. Main concerns people have is lack of input protection but for the price it's pretty good.
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Based on what you've mentioned thus far, if it were me, I'd go for the Brymen (primary meter). Skipping the details between specs (easy to do a side by side yourself), it's better built inside IMHO, and it has decent protections, should you ever encounter something that they end up being necessary.
Probably going to see quite a few from both camps, so further details might be helpful, such as if you know for certain you'll never be working with high voltages or currents for example. ;)
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Probably going to see quite a few from both camps, so further details might be helpful, such as if you know for certain you'll never be working with high voltages or currents for example. ;)
cheers - definety no high voltages - mostly model railway DCC work.
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UT61E wins only on resolution and it has high impedance input on mV scale.
Accuracy is almost the same 0,1% (UT-61E) vs 0,2% (BM257) but UT-61E seems to drift a lot more than Brymen.
For input protection and safety BM257 wins hands down.
BM has auto power off, backlight, temperature (with one probe), lowZ.
Consider also that if you need datalogging UT-61E has IR 2 rs232 adapter included, for BM you will need extra 30£ to get one.
If you carefully search "brymen 257" on www.ebay.it (http://www.ebay.it) you will found someone selling it (that's me).
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Probably going to see quite a few from both camps, so further details might be helpful, such as if you know for certain you'll never be working with high voltages or currents for example. ;)
cheers - definety no high voltages - mostly model railway DCC work.
Either would work for this.
If you might have the occasion to need to check AC voltages (mains) or say over 10A (iirc Brymen can do 20A for up to 30 seconds), the Brymen would have an advantage (safety). Otherwise, just do a side-by-side and see if one or the other has any features you really need/want over the other (higher resolution due to the 22k counts is tempting).
FWIW, there's a a member here, iloveelectronics, (aka Franky) that has an eBay store (his store (http://stores.ebay.com/99centHobbies?_trksid=p2047675.l2563)). He sells both, and IIRC, the UNI-T 61E isn't but ~$60USD vs. ~$135USD for the Brymen.
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Franky also sells the newer and cheaper UT139, which has more features than the 61E, except for resolution.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Uni-T-UT139C-True-RMS-Digital-Multimeter-with-Temperature-NCV-Backlight-/171213085325 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Uni-T-UT139C-True-RMS-Digital-Multimeter-with-Temperature-NCV-Backlight-/171213085325)
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Franky also sells the newer and cheaper UT139, which has more features than the 61E, except for resolution.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Uni-T-UT139C-True-RMS-Digital-Multimeter-with-Temperature-NCV-Backlight-/171213085325 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Uni-T-UT139C-True-RMS-Digital-Multimeter-with-Temperature-NCV-Backlight-/171213085325)
Also missing datalogging and it's not fast like UT61E, UT139C is more comparable to UT61D (in my opinion, your mileage may vary). However UT139C is amazing meter for it's price. I just wish Uni-t actually took all the good features from their cheap meters (they could also take features from more expensive meters I wouldn't complain) and made one cheap meter to rule them all.
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IMHO, you can never go wrong spending the bit extra to get quality. The Uni-T offerings are OK but after owning a UT61E and a Brymen BM257 I would recommend the extra cost. I have no experience with the UT139C and it looks good except, as has already been mentioned, for its speed. The UT61E lacks a back light, reds only AC TRMS, is slow, and lacks temperature measurement. Sure it has 22,000 count and a PC data connection included but I bet most people here don't have a real use for data logging.
For low voltage work you can also get the Digitek DT2843R from Franky and it is a very good meter for the price. Well it does have one let down and that is its slow continuity tester. I have two and they get used regularly.
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I just wish Uni-t actually took all the good features from their cheap meters (they could also take features from more expensive meters I wouldn't complain) and made one cheap meter to rule them all.
They nearly got it right with the UT71, but it pushed the price up past 100$. They used good components, but unfortunately, skimped on the input protection.
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does anyone know if the Brymen BM257 is branded under another name - its about £83 (GBP) from hong kong but i might get hit with additinal import duty + vat (22%) - can't find any uk sellers where i might get a decent price - from hong kong the price could end up at £105
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TME have the BM257 for £85 inc VAT (note you need to create an account to see prices inc VAT). Not sure what the shipping will be, but they're in Europe so there won't be any extra charges on delivery.
http://www.tme.eu/en/details/bm257/portable-digital-multimeters/brymen/ (http://www.tme.eu/en/details/bm257/portable-digital-multimeters/brymen/)
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Germany has this rebranded Elma for 140 Euros:
http://www.ebay.de/itm/Elma-BM-257-Digitales-Multimeter-mit-Echteffektivwertmessung-True-RMS-6398910398-/130827301494?pt=Mess_Pr%C3%BCftechnik&hash=item1e75ea3276 (http://www.ebay.de/itm/Elma-BM-257-Digitales-Multimeter-mit-Echteffektivwertmessung-True-RMS-6398910398-/130827301494?pt=Mess_Pr%C3%BCftechnik&hash=item1e75ea3276)
(http://www.deluxebuy.de/ebay/ELMA/BM257-mR.jpg)
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Wow, that's quite the markup for adding an ugly green rubber boot and sticking their name on it.
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It's only 20 Euros more than TME (assuming VAT at 20%) and the reseller is open to some discount.
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I purchased a DMM a little over 1yr ago. I am sharing my decision points with you and hope it will help you decide on the right one for you. My needs are as merely a hobbyist. I dig around small circuits, mostly small power supplies, voltage monitors, and Arduino things like a clock for it, an led display, etc. (5x7 inch pcb. Circuits that wont fit on a 5x7 prototyping board is too complex for me and not as fun. I did only one of those.)
I decided on the UT61e for the reasons below:
1. The amount of info I found on the web was and is plentiful.
(a) The mods some has done were simply beyond my imagination. To me, that means many knowledgeable folks like it and found it worth the time. (Flip side, too many found the UT61e not adequate and needs extra work to make it work.)
(b) It also means I can find solutions a lot easier than other DMM's.
(c) And, it also means I the short comings of the UT61e are well known and from many perspectives. The short comings I found on the web were ones that (in my case) I considered "I can live with."
2. The data logging was and is important to me. I must say it worked very well for me.
3. The resolution is good. While it is not "accurate" (0.1% means error in the forth digit, so 5th digit is outside accuracy range even at 0.1%), the extra digit helps me determine differences. x.xxx1 is less than x.xxx9. It also helps me determine "direction" (falling or rising).
I found the UT61e served me well as a hobbyist. I will itch for "a better meter" every now and again, but I know even if I get a 6.5 digit DMM, I would be itching for one with 8.5 digit. You have your own needs. I am not sure which if any of my reasoning applies to you, but I hope they are helpful to you.
Rick