Fluke 87V successor from Fluke?

[BravoV]

Other than proven LCD technology, even though still quite limiting, the other factor is temperature range which the DMM is designed to work at.

If I'm not mistaken, I read is somewhere, the LCD at 28X is designed to work at extreme temperature either cold and warm.

[BMack]

I personally don't want a OLED or TFT display, I want a dual display and I want it in the same size or smaller...or the same specs and robustness but smaller(with the same size screen).

[Muxr]

some modern technology would be nice,
given the fact that the chinese are producing small OLED and TFT colour displays for peanuts now, there is no reason not to use them on a meter.

keysite does offer OLED on a few models - but it really needs a much wider adoption.
maybe chinese company's like UNI-T should start the ball rolling to force the hand of the more expensive manufacturers.

as someone who often uses a meter while laying on the floor behind or under something, i really am sick of using monochrome lcd displays!
i almost wish i still had an oldschool meter with a red led display!!!

Personally I prefer LCD. 87V battery power consumption is ridiculously low as a result. OLED also suffers from burn in issues.

One of my favourite things about 87V is the fact that it's always ready to go.. I can seemingly go years without replacing batteries on it.

[james_s]

I agree, LCD is ideal for a meter, it's low power, easy to read, reliable, what possible benefit is there to color? Why use a power hungry and unreliable OLED to display numbers? I can think of no benefit of moving away from a simple backlit LCD.

[Testing123]

I've not used OLED, but have heard that they can be more difficult to read (see, view, etc.) outside in sunlight as opposed to LCD.

[stj]

that may be true, but a lot of us dont see much sunlight - or even much light at all while working!

[Fungus]

I agree, LCD is ideal for a meter, it's low power, easy to read, reliable, what possible benefit is there to color? Why use a power hungry and unreliable OLED to display numbers?

Because they're pretty!

[mzacharias]

Hows the Fluke 28II compared to this ? i know its same meter but is it a good idea to have these two metres ?

It is the same meter in terms of most of its functionality and specs, but pcb layout wise, the 28 II is clearly more cleanly laid out. If the same price, I would choose the Fluke 28 II myself.

I had a 28II for a while. On mine at least - the continuity beeper was barely audible compared to the 87V. Probably because of the IP67 case.

[stj]

I agree, LCD is ideal for a meter, it's low power, easy to read, reliable, what possible benefit is there to color? Why use a power hungry and unreliable OLED to display numbers?

Because they're pretty!

they give better contrast and because most are a matrix instead of a bunch of segments and symbols, the size of the numbers can be changed for readability - if it's written into the firmware of course.

[james_s]

If you want pretty, buy a flashy bling bling Chinese meter. Fluke is a serious tool, a meter for people who value function over form. I frequently use mine out in direct sunlight where TFT and even OLED would be useless. I also use it in dark spaces, which the backlight enables. 

I love my 87-III, the only thing I wish it had was a diode test beep like my old 73 had. If they redesigned it around some stupid flashy new display I would not buy it. The reflective LCD is ideal for the task at hand, it provides a very clear display that is readable under a very wide range of conditions. Zero complaints about the display.

[slurry]

I'm happy with my two 289's, i use it quite a lot and does not really agree with the battery consumption being a problem, but my specimen may be a good one and i use them for a fairly short time everytime i use them.

Being a bit of a brick, it demands some space in my servicebag, but, nowadays i dont have to haul a benchtop multimeter with me to get the precision and resolution and dB over 600 that i need, it's all there in the 289 
Also i'm satisfied with the flukeview forms work 

At a quick comparison with my two Agilent/Keysight meters... they suck and is left on the shelf for most of the time.

[MiroS]

We have now 2017 therefore I thing 87V is missing several features:
- It seems not a robust metter , prtection circuit seems to be outdated, even comparing to 101 -> see Joe tests
- Lacking good connectivity, really attaching separate devices to have BT ... this is almost free those days for other 'free/cheap' metters
- Frequency counter - do I really need a cope to check if quartz is doing well, no really , even  some of 10usd metter are doing this better, almost all in now  populating microcontroller
- Simple serial monitor  - not a rich functionalty , simple serial montor, why I need to have a scope for a basic check ?
- Look at component tester for 10usd , it is doing better for several measurements/tests than 87v, why it is so ...
- 5 counts would be nice addition
- Dual display (sic!) amd  better display , some of cheap metters offer are doing this better than 87V
etc. etc. etc.
I think it is  time to release a new modern universal metter, good  V/I/R/C may be not enaught thse days, see  Brymen.

[Muxr]

We have now 2017 therefore I thing 87V is missing several features:
- It seems not a robust metter , prtection circuit seems to be outdated, even comparing to 101 -> see Joe tests
- Lacking good connectivity, really attaching separate devices to have BT ... this is almost free those days for other 'free/cheap' metters
- Frequency counter - do I really need a cope to check if quartz is doing well, no really , even  some of 10usd metter are doing this better, almost all in now  populating microcontroller
- Simple serial monitor  - not a rich functionalty , simple serial montor, why I need to have a scope for a basic check ?
- Look at component tester for 10usd , it is doing better for several measurements/tests than 87v, why it is so ...
- 5 counts would be nice addition
- Dual display (sic!) amd  better display , some of cheap metters offer are doing this better than 87V
etc. etc. etc.
I think it is  time to release a new modern universal metter, good  V/I/R/C may be not enaught thse days, see  Brymen.

Good list, but it's missing the point of what 87V is. As james_s said 87V is not supposed to be a flashy meter.. it's supposed to be no frills streamlined and dependable.

Maybe Fluke needs to make something between 87V and 289 that has the features you mentioned. My only complaint with 87V is that it's too expensive. It really shouldn't cost more than $250-$300 in my opinion.

Like I don't know what happened but the price has gone up by like $100-$200 in the last two years:



Other than that I think it implements every feature perfectly well for a general purpose meter.

[james_s]

Also the 87 does have a frequency counter, at least my series III does. A 4 digit counter is only marginally useful but it is handy. Most of the other proposed features are just frills and gimmicks, there are already plenty of meters with that stuff on the market. The beauty of the Fluke 87 is that it's a tough industrial meter, made in the USA that does all the basic stuff and does it very well. That's been Fluke's philosophy for decades and it has worked well for them. Even some 30 years ago the ads were comparing dependable and safe Fluke meters to cheaper meters loaded with bells & whistles of dubious usefulness.

[Electro Detective]

For me the 87V paired up with my original 87-1 are both no frills 'get in and get out' work meters 

The 189 takes it to the next level with straight up no brainer controls

The 289 takes it to ANY level as long as you spend some 'new toy' time playing with the menu system (weird at first but not rocket science)
and don't mind a few seconds of boot up time which apparently is a deal breaker for some ?!!     

Both 189 and 289 should be opened ocassionally to check and clean the infernal internal superCrapacitor, in case of leakage or beard stubble 

(Don't hold your breath waiting for Fluke to do anything about it if the meter is second hand or the receipt has gone MIA)    

I don't favor the 28-11 because of lame diode function and something else I can't remember   


EDIT: here is the post re 28-11 issues 
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/fluke-28-ii-battery-life/?all

[james_s]

What does the supercap do in those? Supercaps are notoriously unreliable, they are a very common failure item in Davis weather stations.

[Electro Detective]

What does the supercap do in those? Supercaps are notoriously unreliable, they are a very common failure item in Davis weather stations.

These infernal pieces of capacitor HELL, get a LOT of cash strapped users (loyal CUSTOMERS) ticked off with apathetic Fluke about it   

Read all about it:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/fluke-189-with-leaking-surface-mount-coin-cell/?all

[james_s]

It'd be nice if they just used a standard CR2032 coin cell instead, or dispense with the RTC entirely. I've never looked at my multimeter and wished it had a clock.

[Electro Detective]

It'd be nice if they just used a standard CR2032 coin cell instead, or dispense with the RTC entirely. I've never looked at my multimeter and wished it had a clock.

The clock biz is part of the logging function.

Then again, you just reset the dead crapacitor charged clock when putting in a fresh set of batteries which keep the RTC alive anyway



It's a DUMBASS design flaw come oversight and Fluke should drop the BS corporate excuses

and FIX ALL OF THEM FOR FREE  >>> UNCONDITIONALLY ! <<<



Someone had to say it, right ? 

[Fungus]

What does the supercap do in those? Supercaps are notoriously unreliable, they are a very common failure item in Davis weather stations.

Keeping RTC running when main battery is being changed.

Why does it need RTC? Data logging? Surely the device that's recording the values can have the clock.

A Bluetooth chip inside the meter would enable all sorts of things. Data logging, display of output on mobile phone (for all those people who think they need OLED), etc.

If Fluke wants to sell everybody a new meter then a simple, open, Bluetooth interface would be the way to go. Nothing fancy, just transmit the value on screen and type of reading (volts, ohms...) to whoever wants to listen.

Why use a power hungry and unreliable OLED to display numbers?

Because they're pretty!

they give better contrast

I'm sure I can find many lighting conditions where they give worse contrast.

and because most are a matrix instead of a bunch of segments and symbols, the size of the numbers can be changed for readability - if it's written into the firmware of course.

A good e-ink display would be better then OLED, and readable in bright light.

[Fungus]

My U1461A refreshes 20 times per second. Good luck finding an eink to do that.

Most e-ink can do that these days, especially for black/white images (ie. no greyscale).

https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=e-ink+refresh+speed

nb. I'm not advocating e-ink for the Fluke 87 I'm just saying it would make more sense than OLED. I'm happy with LCD.

[timb]

A Sharp Memory LCD would be the way to go. Even less current consumption than an equivalent sized GLCD, high update rate and higher DPI. They're also sunlight visible, like eInk.

[Muxr]

A Sharp Memory LCD would be the way to go. Even less current consumption than an equivalent sized GLCD, high update rate and higher DPI. They're also sunlight visible, like eInk.

Those are really nice, but they seem expensive. I know just getting one is really pricey, not sure what the price would be for a large bulk order.

[james_s]

I just don't see the problem with the existing display, I have zero complaints about mine. Why reinvent the wheel? As the old saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." If you want flashy bells & whistles there are plenty of other brands out there that will cater to that.

[Electro Detective]

An eye candy display    will quickly lose its appeal if the 'new model' meter's performance and durability heads south in the middle of a hands full job   

Since when did serious techs and EEs gas about equipment looks and curves anyway?   

(I reserve that for the ladies)