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| Greenlee DM-820 DMM (rebranded Brymen) teardown |
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| Mephitus:
I recently made an eBay score of this Greenlee DM-820 for $31USD :-DMM. Which from my research is just a rebranded Brymen BM859 [Thanks nanofrog]. Now, this is my first multimeter (which feels kinda silly since im 31 and all...) so keep that in mind for this review. I also do not have any testing standards to use yet, so performance testing/review will have to wait. It did come with some CAT IV test leads that are silicone coated with reasonably sharp tips. The first thing you notice about it in hand, is that it has a healthy heft to it and that the rubber case is firm with an extremely snug fitting to the meter itself. The selector switch feels very solid with no wiggle/play and a satisfying *click* with each change. As per the similar Brymen 800 series DMM that Dave reviewed, the backlight is completely laughable. Even in pitch black you can barely see it. As you can see in the pic below, its just 4 SMD LED's. This will need to be modded later. The LCD panel itself is large and very easy to read with a very respectable viewing angle. While I did buy this used, and as such it might be missing something, but when I popped the case there was one design flaw that stood out to me in that the battery compartment was NOT sealed with rubber like everything else. The screws are all captive with machine thread into metal inserts and a rubber o-ring. There seem to be a few changes from the similar model that Dave reviewed. For instance, this unit has RS232 connectivity with a send and receive capability. The shielding around the HRC fuses is removable to allow easier access for replacement. All of the lead jacks are solid metal with more o-ring seals. Oddly enough they decided to make the buttons onto a seperate board with board to board connectors. Overall, it feels very well built and designed (except where noted). I think I should get many years of good use out of this thing! :-+ Edit to add specs: Display: 3-5/6-digit, 5000-count Voltage Measurement 50.00, 500.0mV; 5.000, 50.00, 500.0, 1000V Amperage Measurement 500.0, 5000?A; 50.00, 500.0mA; 5.000, 10.00A Resistance 50.00, 500.0?; 5.000, 50.00, 500.0k?; 5.000, 50.00M? Capacitance 50.00, 500.0nF; 5.000, 50.00, 500.0, 9999?F Frequency 10Hz-125kHz Temperature K type, -58 to 1832 Degrees F (-50 to 1000 Degrees C) Measurement Category CAT IV, 600V; CAT III 1000V |
| Mephitus:
Some more pics that didnt fit in the first post limits. |
| Lightages:
That looks like a pretty fair assessment of the construction. Yes, it is surprising that the battery door is not sealed. The newer models are sealed so they have corrected this shortcoming. For the price you paid, you got a steal. |
| nanofrog:
--- Quote from: Mephitus on July 17, 2015, 06:53:15 pm ---I recently made an eBay score of this Greenlee DM-820 for $31USD :-DMM. Which from my research is just a rebranded Brymen BM857. --- End quote --- It's a BM859, so you did even better than you thought (temperature is the giveaway). :-+ |
| bitseeker:
--- Quote from: Mephitus on July 17, 2015, 06:53:15 pm ---I recently made an eBay score of this Greenlee DM-820 --- End quote --- I recently scored similarly, Mephitus. Yours looks a lot better, though, than the photos of the one that's on its way to me. It'll be interesting to see how it ends up after a good cleaning. Regarding the temperature function, does anyone have recommendations for temp probes? Something that's comparable to the capabilities of this meter. |
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