EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Test Equipment => Topic started by: Nermash on August 30, 2015, 04:40:25 pm
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Back in 2008 I bought a Fluke 115 from Ebay as my very first Fluke meter, and I was and still am pretty impressed with it, except for one very strange issue.
The current input jack, as it sits unconnected 99% of the time, has developed a nasty discoloration and started crumbling and chipping. I have noticed the discoloration some time ago, and I guess it may have to do with the fact that I kept the meter on my bench for one summer in a room with no curtains, and that enough UV radiation went through double glazed windows to cause discoloration and eventually complete breakdown of plastic.
Few days ago I inserted the probe to measure current and it started to chip away.
I kinda didn't expected a rugged industrial meter to be so sensitive to solar radiation... Then again, I still remember Fluke 287 also didn't like the sunshine when logging.
(http://i58.tinypic.com/2co5z6h.jpg)
Any other Fluke 115 long term owners, have you had any similar experiences?
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/sarcasm mode on/
Nerds are not equipped to be in the sun, so why should nerdy equipment be suitable to be in the sun? :D
/sarcasm mode off/
Such discolouration and disintegration of plastics is quite unexpected for a Fluke DMM (if it is caused by exposure to UV radiation). I used many high and low end DMMs, but I have never seen such direct damage to a plastic. Maybe some plastic experts on the forum can comment more, I am not a chemist.
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I recently bought a Fluke 101 which appears to be made in the same facility in China. The input jacks color caps are not molded into the jack, they are just slip on covers and are fairly soft material. I do not expect it to last, it will probably crack and fall off, leaving only the steel jacket exposed.
Luckily its cosmetic and non-functional electrically.
You could complain to Fluke and say its a safety hazard and see what they do.
If your 115 is part of the recall you can get a new meter, maybe they have improved the jack caps too.
http://en-us.fluke.com/customer-service/safety-notices/Fluke-11X-DMM-Recall.html (http://en-us.fluke.com/customer-service/safety-notices/Fluke-11X-DMM-Recall.html)
(http://bbs.38hot.net/data/attachment/forum/201309/19/234041c7inn7ery9nfbbr7.jpg.thumb.jpg)
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Glass blocks almost all the harmful UV...I doubt that's the explanation.
Did you buy it new?
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If your 115 is part of the recall you can get a new meter, maybe they have improved the jack caps too.
http://en-us.fluke.com/customer-service/safety-notices/Fluke-11X-DMM-Recall.html (http://en-us.fluke.com/customer-service/safety-notices/Fluke-11X-DMM-Recall.html)
He's had it since 2008 and the recall was for meters made in 2013/2014, so...
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Can't hurt to double check, if right = new meter, if wrong status quo. As for UV I agree, and again why only is the amps jack affected? Com and V are made of the same material, and V jack is identical to the amp jack. The likely explanation is that it was contaminated with something such as a solvent, or its an isolated defect.
If your 115 is part of the recall you can get a new meter, maybe they have improved the jack caps too.
http://en-us.fluke.com/customer-service/safety-notices/Fluke-11X-DMM-Recall.html (http://en-us.fluke.com/customer-service/safety-notices/Fluke-11X-DMM-Recall.html)
He's had it since 2008 and the recall was for meters made in 2013/2014, so...
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I have bought it brand new in original packaging and no solvent or anything agressive ever touched it during this time.
I am also aware that glass blocks most of UV, but I can not come up with any other reasonable explanation except that some wavelengths of UV went through. Maybe UVA...
And V and Common jacks are fine because I keep probes connected all the time.
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I am also aware that glass blocks most of UV, but I can not come up with any other reasonable explanation except that some wavelengths of UV went through.
Fluorescent lighting. :-//
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There are a number of things that can generate ozone including electrostatic precipitators, ion generators and the universal electric motors. In some cases that has cause rapid deterioration of rubber and some types of plastic. Don't know if that might apply to you, but it gives you something other than UV to think about.
Lots of plastic items (cheap raincoats, toys, cushions etc.) exude plasticizer and other stuff. So there is another possibility.
And a defective product is also possible. After seven plus years you might not get much of a hearing from Fluke, but you won't know until you ask.
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Window glass blocks UV-B and shorter wavelengths, but not UV-A. This blocks most of the ionizing UV, but can still damage UV sensitive materials.
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I've looked at the 115 I use at work, but I don't see deteriorated jacks. Excuse the banding on the image, I had to use a LED desk light that badly interfered with the camera. I even pushed the probe tip in them (see the small indent in the bottom of the common jack), they seem to be a soft plastic, not brittle at all.
Not sure how old this model is, but it was last calibrated in 2012. It was used in a workshop, but is now retired to the office (probably since the calibration expired in 2013).
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Thanks for the picture, this is what I would expect it to look like, even in a industrial environment.
I have contacted Fluke regarding this, I don't expect they will do anything since warranty expired long time ago.
UVA is still my main suspect for this disintegration, since unit was not exposed to any other aggressive agents other members mentioned in their posts.
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UVA is still my main suspect for this disintegration, since unit was not exposed to any other aggressive agents other members mentioned in their posts.
I thought it was mainly UV-B that affected plastics.
What about infra-red? Did the meter get hot when it was exposed?
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IIRC the meter sat on a bench some 1.5 m from the window, and that part of the room is only in direct sunlight path during morning hours. Temperature inside this room during hottest days maybe reaches 35 deg C...
After first year or two, I noticed that current jack plastic have become white-ish/washed out, and I moved it to another place.