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| Logging multimeter that will not break the bank? |
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--- Quote from: vtwin@cox.net on February 20, 2022, 09:17:42 pm ---Now I'm in the market for another multimeter, and I'd like to get a unit with logging capacity and bluetooth connectivity. Does anyone have a recommendation on a portable unit which offers similar functionality but does not require forgoing a small mortgage payment to purchase? This is for home/hobby (e.g. ham radio) use, not industrial/development use. --- End quote --- I recently purchased a used Fluke 289 for about $330 on Mercado Libre--the Latin-American combination of Amazon and eBay. It looks "like new" and came in the Fluke box (not looking "like new") with the DVD and paperwork. It is a very good meter for professional work and the logging capability is particularly suited to unattended measurement of practically anything for up to 100 days. Volts, amps, temp, Hz, ohms and some combinations like DCV +AC, etc. and can document "events" that occurred during logging. Oh, and it makes a graphic display of the data with zoom and pan, if that helps. The key concept in the above description is "unattended" because you could literally start the logging and walk away. This is not the case with any of the cheap logging meters that have to be connected to a PC which does the actually logging. I have worked with a variety of DIY gadgets to capture and log--mostly to an SD card--and also with temperature logging devices; the only thing that offered unattended logging was the battery MooshiMeter (I have two of them) that will record and dump out over BT. The 'Moosh' does not look at all like a meter (this might be an advantage) and has to be setup by another device like an iPhone or PC. So now you have 'unattended' and 'built to industrial standards' in Fluke's favor. I use the Fluke IR to USB link to transfer data (eBay for $35) and there is also a Bluetooth device from Fluke to transfer data to a smart phone. (eBay $85) True, if you have to buy new and pay retail, you can spend over $1,000 and for that you could get a Keithley 6510, an excellent bench meter with logging and graphs out the wazoo. As a fellow ham (KF6OXI), I can understand the desire to economize; however I can also recall the less satisfactory results from going for the bargain gear. It's a tradeoff: if you are trying to monitor a 1kW transmitter's plate current for glitches, you will appreciate Fluke quality. |
| maxwell3e10:
Owon has a few cheap multimeters with Bluetooth, OW18B, B41, B35. The problem is that many of them use low-energy BLE and Windows doesn't have a good way to handle it. But there are a few programs on Github that work with Owon meters. Some of Owon models also have internal logging for 10k points. |
| tszaboo:
Uni-t UT61E has a serial port or USB based com port. It is dumb, one directional serial communication, till the battery lasts. Some people made bluetooth adapters for it. |
| rsjsouza:
--- Quote from: vtwin@cox.net on February 21, 2022, 11:16:27 am ---Thanks for all the suggestions. I also found this one after a while: https://www.flir.com/products/dm93/ the $300ish price-tag is much more reasonable than the $600-1000 price-range I was looking at. Now to spend some time evaluating each one and make a purchase tomorrow. --- End quote --- Sorry, late to the party. If you haven't yet purchased your meter and considering your price range, I would consider the U1271A/U1272A/U1273A family from Keysight. They have various types of triggers for datalogging and a very reasonably priced PC interface with free software. Some can be found used on eBay for less than the Flir, but considering you want a multimeter to last, any upfront cost will be well amortized over the years. Good luck in your purchase! |
| paul@yahrprobert.com:
--- Quote from: 2N3055 on February 21, 2022, 07:24:41 am ---Brymen BM525 logging is working really well, and has large internal capacity. No Bluetooth, just IR serial. But excellent meter in general. Not Aneng cheap though, it costs as much as BM789, but still a fraction of F289. --- End quote --- What's that BM525's protocol like? Can I write a python script on my linux machine to download the data? |
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