New Siglent SDM4000A series Multimeter

[nctnico]

How do you measure the time in ms in such a test?
Do you have a trigger in your ear that triggers it?

Why would anyone need that? It's an audible cue. If it stops giving a beep each second, it's not giving a beep. It's not a precision measurement because it's not a precision function.

The time in ms is given by the SDG1062X. When the pulse according to the AWG is too narrow for the meter to give an audible beep, I dial it to be wider, with ms resolution, unless lower than a millisecond.

In that case you are not really measuring response time (time between detection and giving a beep) but the minimum detection time. While the minimum detection time is useful, it is only 1 part of the big picture. A better test would be to use a microphone and measure the time between the short and the tone being produced by the beeper.

[Antonio90]

How do you measure the time in ms in such a test?
Do you have a trigger in your ear that triggers it?

Why would anyone need that? It's an audible cue. If it stops giving a beep each second, it's not giving a beep. It's not a precision measurement because it's not a precision function.

The time in ms is given by the SDG1062X. When the pulse according to the AWG is too narrow for the meter to give an audible beep, I dial it to be wider, with ms resolution, unless lower than a millisecond.

That's only halve of the story, there still could be a noticeable delay/latency between when the continuity is detected until the beeper beeps.
I'd rate that at least as important.

That is true. I can try and test that although I'm not sure how.

[KungFuJosh]

I think these tests are all useless unless they're conducted in an agreed upon and repeatable way. If variables aren't consistent, then comparison results are meaningless.

How is the the AWG set? Share a screenshot.

What is the threshold on the DMM?

I can set my AWG Period to 1ms, 1Vrms, and raise the threshold on the SDM3045X to 1kΩ, and that gives a constant beep.

For everything I tried, the main thing that stopped the SDM3045X from beeping faster is if the threshold is too low compared to the signal from the AWG.

[bateau020]

About the  KS34465A: mine is on the latest FW, and also by hand testing, it is unusably slow. Maybe I got a hidden (read: SCPI) setting wrong. Found nothing related on the KS itself: one can only set beep on/off, no thresholds, nothing. Maybe another owner can confirm?

But hey, this topic is getting out of hand, it is supposed to be about the SDM4000A. And I'm partly guilty. This beep thing is more a subject for the DMM excel sheet.

[skander36]

...

But hey, this topic is getting out of hand, it is supposed to be about the SDM4000A. And I'm partly guilty. This beep thing is more a subject for the DMM excel sheet.

Maybe we need a separate thread on this subject.
About SDM4000 I think his meaning is to offer a a real challenge to the market players while SDM3065X make competition only by price.
I hope we will see soon if 4000 will succeed.

[tautech]

Hello all,

Any idea when this will be available in EU?

Q4 IIRC.

Will hopefully get a little time with one next week while visiting Siglent HQ.

And I did. 

Release is postponed a little and reasons for such will be obvious in time. 

Nice DMM it is and I spent some time investigating UI usage with Touch and front panel controls and made some suggestions for improvements that were readily accepted.

Unfortunately with many new and new to me instruments to inspect, the chance to use for real measurements did not arise.

However, as these are to use a color and touch display, would the ability to define a readout color benefit those users with color vision restraints/issues ?

We discussed such and need feedback.....
 

[Martin72]

Hmmm, that doesn't look so bad after all...

[Furna]

Indeed it looks good to me.

Release is postponed a little and reasons for such will be obvious in time. 

You know the public of this forum: we like numbers 

Unfortunately with many new and new to me instruments to inspect, the chance to use for real measurements did not arise.

You know the public of this forum: we like lists

However, as these are to use a color and touch display, would the ability to define a readout color benefit those users with color vision restraints/issues ?

I prefer possibility to use a mouse (attached to a rear USB port) to a touch display ... colors IMHO are always usefull (and I have color vision issues).

Anyway thank you for the nice photo.

[tautech]

However, as these are to use a color and touch display, would the ability to define a readout color benefit those users with color vision restraints/issues ?

I prefer possibility to use a mouse (attached to a rear USB port) to a touch display ... colors IMHO are always useful (and I have color vision issues).

It has rear USB A port and while I did not test, all the existing touch instruments support mouse usage so expect these SDM4000A to have this too as webserver capability is offered also.

[skander36]

Why is showing such a high value on DC Volt auto scale? It was set on High impedance?

[coromonadalix]

i would love they get rid of the leading zeroes  ..... on any ranges

[hpw]

i would love they get rid of the leading zeroes  ..... on any ranges

Same ugly behavior as on SDM3065...

so they can for shure tell it is a 6.5 digit gear O;)

[electr_peter]

i would love they get rid of the leading zeroes  ..... on any ranges

Yes, no leading zeros please. And make sure that number font is such, that digits positions do not change even by one pixel across ranges, +/- input (like on LCD segment display). Otherwise displayed numbers will be "jittery".

However, as these are to use a color and touch display, would the ability to define a readout color benefit those users with color vision restraints/issues ?
We discussed such and need feedback.....
 

Different colors are useful. There are immediate applications - 1) better visibility due to customization, 2) different colors for current/voltage (user set, off course), 3) different colors when using multiple DMMs at once.

[Antonio90]

Hello all,

Any idea when this will be available in EU?

Q4 IIRC.

Will hopefully get a little time with one next week while visiting Siglent HQ.

And I did. 

Release is postponed a little and reasons for such will be obvious in time. 

Nice DMM it is and I spent some time investigating UI usage with Touch and front panel controls and made some suggestions for improvements that were readily accepted.

Unfortunately with many new and new to me instruments to inspect, the chance to use for real measurements did not arise.

However, as these are to use a color and touch display, would the ability to define a readout color benefit those users with color vision restraints/issues ?

We discussed such and need feedback.....
 

Please, at least no dull yellow with bright green as in SDS800X-HD's traces. Just google "deuteranopy" and look at the images, you will understand our pain 

The leading zeros tell you the range and limitations of the measurement from a mile away. Won't bitch if they are removed, but they are ugly and useful.

[coromonadalix]

i've seen in some software 

the leading digits before the decimal point / separator had some pale blue"ish" color, and after the dot = white ??

the digits don't look like the most ugliest ones in the dm858 ... to mimic  nixies grid tubes,   man this sucks, give me one, i'll toss it right away


this meter does look like an keithley DM7500 serie  loll  only miss the left right arrows buttons, and the front back switch

[Furna]

Hello all,

Any idea when this will be available in EU?

Q4 IIRC.

Will hopefully get a little time with one next week while visiting Siglent HQ.

[...]

Release is postponed a little and reasons for such will be obvious in time. 

[...]

Any news regarding the release date in EU?
Thank you.

[tautech]

Any news regarding the release date in EU?

A few months yet and reason for the delay will be apparent in time. 

Nice DMM.
I played with one for maybe 30 minutes while at HQ a few weeks back and suggested a couple of minor improvements to the UI they could make.

[mawyatt]

Would be interesting to experience how well this new SDM4000 compares to our KS34465As and DMM6500, the SDM3065X we have is Ok but doesn't get used very often as we prefer the KS or DMM6500 for most use cases.

Nothing generally "wrong" with the SDM3065X but it's compared to the KS and DMM which have decades of refinement and in actual use this shows!!

Best,

[tautech]

Would be interesting to experience how well this new SDM4000 compares to our KS34465As and DMM6500, the SDM3065X we have is Ok but doesn't get used very often as we prefer the KS or DMM6500 for most use cases.

Nothing generally "wrong" with the SDM3065X but it's compared to the KS and DMM which have decades of refinement and in actual use this shows!!

I can say the UI is very different and will require some small learning curve for those used to the 3000 models.

SDM4000A has physical, touch/mouse and webserver control, although I didn't get a chance to have it connected to a PC.
I was mainly interested in UI usability using the touch or physical controls in turn and mixing them up a little.
It worked well and IMO just some minor tweaks were needed, mainly for better visibility/highlighting of user selections made.
The option to change the readout digit color was also suggested but not sure if that might be implemented or not, I hope it does.....

[mawyatt]

Would be interesting to experience how well this new SDM4000 compares to our KS34465As and DMM6500, the SDM3065X we have is Ok but doesn't get used very often as we prefer the KS or DMM6500 for most use cases.

Nothing generally "wrong" with the SDM3065X but it's compared to the KS and DMM which have decades of refinement and in actual use this shows!!

I can say the UI is very different and will require some small learning curve for those used to the 3000 models.

SDM4000A has physical, touch/mouse and webserver control, although I didn't get a chance to have it connected to a PC.
I was mainly interested in UI usability using the touch or physical controls in turn and mixing them up a little.
It worked well and IMO just some minor tweaks were needed, mainly for better visibility/highlighting of user selections made.
The option to change the readout digit color was also suggested but not sure if that might be implemented or not, I hope it does.....

We never quite got used to the UI on the 3465X coming from the KS34465A and DMM6500, so maybe the 4000 will behave different/better in this respect. Touch Screen and Webserver should be welcome improvements IMO.

Best,

[InductorX]

Hi everyone, new member, long time lurker. I was wondering if anyone has any more good resources on the Siglent SDM4065A/SDM4065A-SC? I have received information it should be available in Europe in the (early) second quarter, I'm in the market for a new DMM and might hold out for this one if it seems worth it.

[KungFuJosh]

It does seem like a good meter. I have absolutely no need for another DMM, but I want one anyway. It will look pretty next to my Keithley/Keysight meters. 😉

[TAMHAN]

Hello,
was at EmbeddedWorld and got my hands onto it.

Short but thorough video at
https://youtu.be/3N_oN7XVDCc

To be short: I like it. Handles well, the touchscreen is responsive, and there will be a scanner option also.

[KungFuJosh]

To be short: I like it. Handles well, the touchscreen is responsive, and there will be a scanner option also.

It's the same scanner card that the 3000 series uses.

From your video, it's pretty clear Siglent bought a Keithley to study before designing this. Kinda like how they clearly had a Keysight for the 3000 series. 😉

[tautech]

Main thread for these models to be released before not too much longer:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/new-siglent-multimeter/