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Need a solid 3-4 channel DMM

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Phaedrus:
Hi y'all!

My company is upgrading its lab and I'm looking for a DMM with specific requirements. We do a lot of testing of multi-output (ATX) SMPS. Currently this is all done by hand. We have a few DC loads, a power analyzer, a quad channel Tek scope, a Fluke, and a custom break-out board. I want to replace the Fluke with a bench DMM with at least 3 (preferably 4) inputs, which is reasonably accurate and is LabView compatible. I don't need crazy resolution or anything, 4.5 digit would be more than adequate for our needs, but extra wouldn't hurt. Also it would be nice if it had a touch-hold measurement scheme similar to the 34461A that Dave reviewed, as that would make manual testing a heluva lot less hassle as well.

I'm looking at a budget of $1500-$2500, since I'm fairly confident I can swing that with management. I could go a bit higher if I really had to, up to $3500 say? But that would be eating into my budget for other instruments, and I really want a function generator and another scope for prototyping.

The end goal is to have a fully automated test rack where I just plug in the PSU, enter the min/max ratings of the PSU into a laptop, then let a LabView program handle the rest with regulation, ripple, and efficiency measurements at every possible load condition.

So to reiterate:

* Bench Multimeter (rack mount compatible)
* 4.5 digit or better
* 3 or 4 simultaneous inputs
* LabView compatible
* Nice touch-hold functionality? Optional
* Budget: $2500, absolute max $3500



If this doesn't exist I suppose I could just get a 34461A and build a multiplexer board of some sort to switch the input voltages to the probes. But that'd be a hassle; I'd rather just have an instrument that does what I need out of the box.


Anyway, thanks for your advice!

EEVblog:
The usual no-fuss solution is to use multiple system meters with a single channel each, all networked.
Or a bunch of National Instruments multimeter cards:
http://www.ni.com/digitalmultimeters/
The Agilent meters are cheaper than the National Instruments cards!

Phaedrus:
Multiple DMMs are nice in theory--but at that point we'd practically need two racks I think! At a previous job we had a similar rack setup with just one DMM (manual regulation test only) and the rack was just about full. Floor (and desk) space here is at a premium.

The NI cards are a bit rich for us, yes. ;)

ve7xen:
If you don't need simultaneous or high speed sampling, I think the Keithley 2700 with a single 7700 module satisfies all your needs. 6.5 digit, half-rack and a 20-way mux for around about $2k. For a couple hundred more the 2701 has Ethernet which might save you the cost of GPIB stuff etc.

EEVblog:

--- Quote from: Phaedrus on July 12, 2013, 02:34:48 am ---Multiple DMMs are nice in theory--but at that point we'd practically need two racks I think! At a previous job we had a similar rack setup with just one DMM (manual regulation test only) and the rack was just about full. Floor (and desk) space here is at a premium.

--- End quote ---

4 Agilent meters does not take up much room.
Less than 500mm x 200mm x 300mm deep.

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