Fluke 101 Multimeter Teardown / Quick Review - My First - Inspired by Dave!!

[aryasridhar]

Hey Guys,

So I was inspired by Dave's Teardown videos and decided to do a Teardown video of my Fluke 101 Digital Multimeter. More so since I did not find proper reviews or tear down videos of this particular DMM.

Fluke 101 is probably the most inexpensive DMM among the Fluke line of meters. I bought this for about 45 bucks USD if i remember right, does not have current measurement capabilities.

Though this is a basic multimeter, I still thought it would be great to know what's inside and the build quality etc.

So here is an attempt to go through the meter inside out.

Please do let me know of any shortcomings this video may have, it will certainly help me work on my future videos, if any.

[Lightages]

That was not bad for you first attempt. The two things you could do to improve things greatly are sound and better cuts. I assume you were using a DSLR to make the video. Get a lavalier microphone so you have much better sound without the ambient noise and echo. You cuts were very abrupt. You need to make sure the viewer has time to adjust to the change of image before you continue talking, maybe 1/2 second. Also if you point out a detail, you need to give the viewer a bit of time to see it before you cut away. If you are cutting because the next word needs to be edited out, freeze the image for a second or two, then move on.

BTW, there is a Fluke 87V for sale in the Buy and Sell section for $200 plus shipping from the US.

[aryasridhar]

That was not bad for you first attempt. The two things you could do to improve things greatly are sound and better cuts. I assume you were using a DSLR to make the video. Get a lavalier microphone so you have much better sound without the ambient noise and echo. You cuts were very abrupt. You need to make sure the viewer has time to adjust to the change of image before you continue talking, maybe 1/2 second. Also if you point out a detail, you need to give the viewer a bit of time to see it before you cut away. If you are cutting because the next word needs to be edited out, freeze the image for a second or two, then move on.

BTW, there is a Fluke 87V for sale in the Buy and Sell section for $200 plus shipping from the US.

You are absolutely right, editing definitely needs a lot more work, so does my confidence and getting the cuts right, I shall work on it in my future videos...Yes I am using a Nikon D5100, I am also a sound engineer, I have some really nice gear for recording stuff, but then was too lazy to hook up things, your idea of a Lavalier microphone sounds great, since I do not have to sync audio and video in that case, unlike if i use my pro recording setup, i will more likely have to sync audio etc, but then the results will be certainly far better....

Hey and thanks, I am going to check out the 87V right away...

[aryasridhar]

errrrr....that guy isn't shipping anywhere other than US.

[Grapsus]

Fluke is using a Chip On Board for the microcontroller? euurk

[aryasridhar]

Fluke is using a Chip On Board for the microcontroller? euurk

Yes, but then that really does not matter a lot, the meter works really nice and the readings are near perfect too.

[retiredcaps]

Some comments regarding your video.

1) Thanks for sharing and taking the time to make the video.

2) The audio is difficult to hear.  Your English is 100% understandable, but sometimes it is hard to hear what you are saying.

3) I would prefer if you left the board on the table and use the camera to zoom in.  When holding the pcb, there is a lot of shakiness and camera focus in/out adjustment problems.

4) Regarding your comment that input protection is "decent at best" (8:06m),  the 101 components are similar or identical to the other high end Flukes like the 87V and 179.  The 87V and 179 has an extra MOV, but otherwise the 101 is on par with its bigger brothers in terms of input protection. 

For example, on the 101, R20 is 1k ohm fusible resistor (likely 2W), RT1 your PTC, (likely 1.1kohm 1000V rated) and the two blue MOVs (RV1 and RV2) are probably 575V rated serially connected.

5) The lack of current measurement in the 101 is a safety feature for some.   Those users are likely to have a clamp meter for current measurement.

6) Those two poor looking solder joints at 11:42 look like they are the buzzer.  Maybe you can post a picture of it here so we can judge?

7) Martin did a review of the Fluke 107

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/review-first-impression-of-the-fluke-107-multimeter/

In Martin's video, the buzzer solder joints do look big, but they don't look too bad (part 2 around the 8:15m mark).

8] Regarding a stand, did yours come with black magnetic strap?  You can use the magnetic strap as a stand.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/teardown-of-fluke-101-kit/

9) Regarding the 101 continuity beeper, in Martin's 107 video, his 107 is latched (see 22:17m - part 1) using the stock TL75 probes.  Perhaps your tips are dirty?  Maybe try cleaning them with IPA.

10) The Fluke 179 continuity beeper is latched and instaneous.  You can see and hear this on Martin's Fluke 177 video at 11:23m.  Of course, you can verify and test this yourself from the Fluke 179 seller.

[aryasridhar]

Some comments regarding your video.

1) Thanks for sharing and taking the time to make the video.

2) The audio is difficult to hear.  Your English is 100% understandable, but sometimes it is hard to hear what you are saying.

3) I would prefer if you left the board on the table and use the camera to zoom in.  When holding the pcb, there is a lot of shakiness and camera focus in/out adjustment problems.

4) Regarding your comment that input protection is "decent at best" (8:06m),  the 101 components are similar or identical to the other high end Flukes like the 87V and 179.  The 87V and 179 has an extra MOV, but otherwise the 101 is on par with its bigger brothers in terms of input protection. 

For example, on the 101, R20 is 1k ohm fusible resistor (likely 2W), RT1 your PTC, (likely 1.1kohm 1000V rated) and the two blue MOVs (RV1 and RV2) are probably 575V rated serially connected.

5) The lack of current measurement in the 101 is a safety feature for some.   Those users are likely to have a clamp meter for current measurement.

6) Those two poor looking solder joints at 11:42 look like they are the buzzer.  Maybe you can post a picture of it here so we can judge?

7) Martin did a review of the Fluke 107

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/review-first-impression-of-the-fluke-107-multimeter/

In Martin's video, the buzzer solder joints do look big, but they don't look too bad (part 2 around the 8:15m mark).

8] Regarding a stand, did yours come with black magnetic strap?  You can use the magnetic strap as a stand.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/teardown-of-fluke-101-kit/

9) Regarding the 101 continuity beeper, in Martin's 107 video, his 107 is latched (see 22:17m - part 1) using the stock TL75 probes.  Perhaps your tips are dirty?  Maybe try cleaning them with IPA.

10) The Fluke 179 continuity beeper is latched and instaneous.  You can see and hear this on Martin's Fluke 177 video at 11:23m.  Of course, you can verify and test this yourself from the Fluke 179 seller.

Thank You much for the detailed feedback, this certainly helps!!!

For points 2 and 3, I shall ensure any future videos do not have the issues mentioned in there.

Point 4, as i had mentioned in the video too, I am no multimeter expert so the info provided by you is certainly a good lesson for me to remember and work on to gain more knowledge on that. Thank you for that

Point 5 - Yes, that certainly is an option to use a clamp meter.

Point 6 - I shall post a high res picture of the soldering joint, it felt to me like a cold joint.

Point 7 - I haven't checked that video yet, I shall do so.

Point 8 - No, mine did not come with the magnetic strap, it is a combo kit that comes with the strap and mine wasn't a combo kit. for now I am using the meter in a small cardboard stand that I made for it, but once i have the Fluke 179 or the 87V, I should not face that problem anymore, and will keep the 101 as a backup unit.

Point 9 and 10 - Yes, my lead tips are clean, I do that pretty often to keep them clean, the continuity is not very good on this unit. Have tried with different leads too, and yeah I have seen the 179's review by Martin, that is a really nice unit.

I am just waiting for a response from the guy on ebay who is selling the 87V for 200 bucks, and also from the guy locally here selling the 179, infact the 179 is a lot more cheaper to buy, since it is locally available for 88 bucks. Fingers crossed on the 179, if i can get it from here by looking at the unit and trying it out, i would prefer than over ebay.

I generally like to check the stuff I am buying before biting the bullet.

[aryasridhar]

So that local 179 is gone, only option is to either get a 87v or 179 new, the other meters are not interesting to me really, but these are very expensive here, damn, not sure what to do now.

[EEVblog]

your idea of a Lavalier microphone sounds great, since I do not have to sync audio and video in that case, unlike if i use my pro recording setup, i will more likely have to sync audio etc, but then the results will be certainly far better....

For video blogging, never record sound separately, do it all in-camera. It's an unnecessary world of hurt otherwise.
Also get the sound level right in-camera, about 6-9dB below peak for normal speech.
If your camera does not have a proper VU level meter then get one that does. Or use an external mic with a VU level meter on it, like say a Zoom H1. Or at least the lavalier and experiment to get the right level in-camera.
If you set it right there should be no need to edit any audio at all, just edit the video and upload to youtube.
If behind the camera and close enough to the mic there should be no need for a lavalier which can have issues when you tilt and turn your head, that can end up being worse than using an in-camera mic.
I record all of my behind camera stuff using the built in mic.

[aryasridhar]

your idea of a Lavalier microphone sounds great, since I do not have to sync audio and video in that case, unlike if i use my pro recording setup, i will more likely have to sync audio etc, but then the results will be certainly far better....

For video blogging, never record sound separatey, do it all in-camera. It's an unnecessary world of hurt otherwise.

True Dave, I can run my Pro sound output straight into my DSLR's mic input and once I have all the levels set, that should feed in a very high quality sound into my videos...but that again makes the videos very large...

[EEVblog]

True Dave, I can run my Pro sound output straight into my DSLR's mic input and once I have all the levels set, that should feed in a very high quality sound into my videos

Nope, that's doing it wrong.
Cables hanging from your camera is just a PITA and an impediment to shooting. Just stick a Zoom H1 on top of the camera.
It's common for pro people to over-do video blogging, and end up using a setup that gives them a lot more hassle for 1% improvement in quality.

[EEVblog]

The other mistake to watch out for is to take your eyes off the screen. I record the majority of my behind the camera stuff looking through the camcorder screen, not the thing I'm playing with. This lets me continually monitor the framing, the focus, the exposure, the sound level etc. Turns me into a one-man-band video recording crew rather than just press record and hope I got a shot. I practically never have to review a clip until edit time, I know I got the shot because I'm monitoring it all as a record. Hence why my brain is often not engaged or I miss obvious stuff because I'm too busy monitoring the shot and talking. But the pros outweigh the cons there.

[aryasridhar]

The other mistake to watch out for is to take your eyes off the screen. I record the majority of my behind the camera stuff looking through the camcorder screen, not the thing I'm playing with. This lets me continually monitor the framing, the focus, the exposure, the sound level etc. Turns me into a one-man-band video recording crew rather than just press record and hope I got a shot. I practically never have to review a clip until edit time, I know I got the shot because I'm monitoring it all as a record. Hence why my brain is often not engaged or I miss obvious stuff because I'm too busy monitoring the shot and talking. But the pros outweigh the cons there.

You are right about having the raw footage in good shape for less post production work, I did this video with me behind the camera, but since you said you use a camcorder, that I assume follows the object and focuses, in my case I use a DLSR for all my videos and it needs me point and focus, it does not track the object I am trying to point at, which is why there were so many out of focus moments in my clip ...still learning

[aryasridhar]

True Dave, I can run my Pro sound output straight into my DSLR's mic input and once I have all the levels set, that should feed in a very high quality sound into my videos

Nope, that's doing it wrong.
Cables hanging from your camera is just a PITA and an impediment to shooting. Just stick a Zoom H1 on top of the camera.
It's common for pro people to over-do video blogging, and end up using a setup that gives them a lot more hassle for 1% improvement in quality.

Here's the sound quality that I can get onto the videos with my small setup, this is a sound sample of a pedal that I had built recently...

Just thought would share.....

https://soundcloud.com/aryasridhar/plexi-drive-orange-or-15-les-paul-new