Old Fluke Multimeters

[idpromnut]

Hardly worth the trouble.
The only ones remotely interesting are the twelve 8060A and the 8062A, with no guarantee that they won't be DOA.
The rest will be near impossible to get rid of.
Rather buy a 8060A that has been refurbished and tested for less than 100$ on eBay, if you're after some measurement nostalgia.

Indeed, I have an IBM-branded 8060A that I probably paid a /bit/ too much for, but I "needed" one for my collection

[drtaylor]

Well, I couldn't resist a fairly low ball offer, and much to my chagrin, the seller accepted my offer. So I will have a little treasure trove of 8060s. I will fix them with new caps, and start selling them. I might have enough original User Guides for them too (signed if you want). Great first retirement project. Hopefully I can get my buying price back and a little extra. The other 3 1/2 digit devices I'll keep for parts unless they are really clean and in good shape.

I'm kind of mad at my self for this impulse buy. I hope my wife doesn't kill me. I really didn't think the seller would accept my offer. Anyway give me a few weeks and I'll get them refurb'd and cleaned up. However, I do not have a precision AC Calibrator, so other than comparison with my more recently calibrated DMMs, I have no way to trim the AC at frequencies. I have a friend at Fluke that might let me come in and use a high end calibrator.

I'm planning a trip to Europe in Fall or maybe spring, not sure yet. I'm thinking "gift" 8060s might be traded for lodging or tour guides or

[frozenfrogz]

Well, I couldn't resist a fairly low ball offer, and much to my chagrin, the seller accepted my offer.

Sounds like fun! 

I also saw the bulk offers by that seller on ebay some days ago and initially thought about making an offer for the fun of saving these meters, but the shipping cost and possible import taxes to Germany had me hold back.
Congrats on the future project!

[idpromnut]

@drtaylor: I had sent you a PM a while back, and again just recently regarding those user manuals. I would love one, signed and everything!  However, if I must also get a 8060A bundled with it, then I think you would find my arm easy to twist!

[bitseeker]

Well, I couldn't resist a fairly low ball offer, and much to my chagrin, the seller accepted my offer. So I will have a little treasure trove of 8060s. I will fix them with new caps, and start selling them. I might have enough original User Guides for them too (signed if you want). Great first retirement project. Hopefully I can get my buying price back and a little extra.

Congrats, Dr. T! Who better to save them from destruction? An 8060 rejuvenated by you with autographed User Guide will be right at home in my multimeter collection!

I'm kind of mad at my self for this impulse buy. I hope my wife doesn't kill me. I really didn't think the seller would accept my offer.

If death is imminent, call it a "retirement transition project". Surely that'll work for a first offense.

[idpromnut]

I'm kind of mad at my self for this impulse buy. I hope my wife doesn't kill me.

Just show her this thread   I think the number of people happy that you got them, and that are interested in helping you get "returns on your investment" will make her happy for you

[tautech]

Well, I couldn't resist a fairly low ball offer, and much to my chagrin, the seller accepted my offer. So I will have a little treasure trove of 8060s. I will fix them with new caps, and start selling them. I might have enough original User Guides for them too (signed if you want). Great first retirement project. Hopefully I can get my buying price back and a little extra. The other 3 1/2 digit devices I'll keep for parts unless they are really clean and in good shape.

I'm kind of mad at my self for this impulse buy. I hope my wife doesn't kill me. I really didn't think the seller would accept my offer. Anyway give me a few weeks and I'll get them refurb'd and cleaned up. However, I do not have a precision AC Calibrator, so other than comparison with my more recently calibrated DMMs, I have no way to trim the AC at frequencies. I have a friend at Fluke that might let me come in and use a high end calibrator.

I'm planning a trip to Europe in Fall or maybe spring, not sure yet. I'm thinking "gift" 8060s might be traded for lodging or tour guides or

Hat's off to you  and the best of luck with these, a very deserved path for them before being put to good use again. 

Keep just one back for free lodgings just out of Auckland if you ever venture to NZ.

[eugenenine]

My 8050 needs an 8060 to go with it

[Fungus]

Well, I couldn't resist a fairly low ball offer, and much to my chagrin, the seller accepted my offer. So I will have a little treasure trove of 8060s. I will fix them with new caps, and start selling them. I might have enough original User Guides for them too (signed if you want). Great first retirement project. Hopefully I can get my buying price back and a little extra.

Awesome!

I'm planning a trip to Europe in Fall or maybe spring, not sure yet. I'm thinking "gift" 8060s might be traded for lodging or tour guides or

Count me in if you want to come to Spain (with or without meter). Valencia in March is the place to be.

[switcher]

A question for Mr. Taylor: do you know why some 8800A bench meters have 2no. AA batts for the Ohms ranges pls ?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/anachrocomputer/28302909024

Discussed here:-

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/wtb-fluke-8800a8810a-ohms-converter-board-with-isolated-dc-dc-supply/

Many thanks !

[drtaylor]

If memory serves, I believe the 2 AA board was used instead of a DC-DC due to noise generation and as a way to float the current source. DC-DC converters back then were low frequency and noisy and it was difficult to keep noise out of the sensitive circuits. As techniques and circuits improved, these problems went away (at least if you knew what you were doing). Now days there are far better ways to make floating current sources. But I could be totally wrong about this. I think I have a schematic somewhere and I will try to remember or determine the reasons for that somewhat lame circuit. I'm sure the engineer who designed it (wasn't me) thought it was the bees knees of ohms conversion circuits.

Update on trove of 8060s and other meters. I have had a contract job that should be finished soon. Then my next project is to restore the 8060s. On initial examination, about half of them are somewhat functional. Physically they are in good shape, only one having a kind of ugly case. I have caps to order, but hopefully I will get these going and finished by the end of August.

[WastelandTek]

what

a

thread!

wow, just, wow

whelp, back to page 5, which is where I made it to before I could no longer contain myself

[switcher]

Thankyou for your reply, Mr. T. much appreciated; I felt sure there was a valid reason, and ofcourse...

And I'd sell my soul to the devil, for the chance of one of your 8060s pretty please

If memory serves, I believe the 2 AA board was used instead of a DC-DC due to noise generation and as a way to float the current source. DC-DC converters back then were low frequency and noisy and it was difficult to keep noise out of the sensitive circuits. As techniques and circuits improved, these problems went away (at least if you knew what you were doing). Now days there are far better ways to make floating current sources. But I could be totally wrong about this. I think I have a schematic somewhere and I will try to remember or determine the reasons for that somewhat lame circuit. I'm sure the engineer who designed it (wasn't me) thought it was the bees knees of ohms conversion circuits.

Update on trove of 8060s and other meters. I have had a contract job that should be finished soon. Then my next project is to restore the 8060s. On initial examination, about half of them are somewhat functional. Physically they are in good shape, only one having a kind of ugly case. I have caps to order, but hopefully I will get these going and finished by the end of August.

[Fungus]

And I'd sell my soul to the devil, for the chance of one of your 8060s pretty please

Join the queue... 

[Neomys Sapiens]

So you designed one world-class instrument - congratulations!
Let me tell you the story of MY 8060A! I was about 15 at that time and spent my summer holidays working at a small engineering company which did some pretty advenced stuff in automation and drive controls. I did intend to spend my earnings on a really good multimeter. There was a limited choice, those that I remember were the Keithley 139 and the analogue Unigor6e. I asked my boss, who was quite a grumpy guy, for his opinion. He dismissed the K130 outright, adding that the RMS function is not woth it and that I should keep away from the digital crap, where one doesn't see anything.
It was the year the 8060A came out in Germany. It was announced with a uncustomally flashy ad, showing a guy on a motor scooter loaded with all the instruments that the 8060A was supposed to replace. I showed the data sheet to my boss too. He grumbled to himself for an extended time while reading and then he stated that he doesn't believe it, but if it did what was advertised, then it would be probably the instrument to get.
And so I did. I ordered a 8060A at a whopping 14??.-DM, being so early in the european line, that I actually had to wait for it. It served me well for 20something years and even after aquiring a Fluke87, it was my preferred multimeter for anything communications related work, until it became the victim of an extended fall.
Thanks for the work that was obviously put into that great meter!

[JohnPi]

This is a wonderful thread -- my story on the 8020A is that I was in high school and had become interested in electronics as a hobby. I used some analog meters (including an affordable Russian 20 µA/V analog meter), set my eyes on a Fluke 8020A (must have been soon after it was released) I saw at a trade show -- I was amazed at the resolution, speed, and elegance of it. I spent all my savings and bought it directly at the show the next day.

I used to take it to school for our physics labs and amazed everyone with its features (including a hidden nS range that was sensitive to 100's of Mohm), high impedance (you could watch a capacitor discharge), and robustness.

It served me well, and understanding how it worked internally was one of the key drivers for getting me further interested in analog electronics (especially the CMOS switch capability, the dual slope ADC of the ICL7106, and the AD636 rms converter which I guessed was in the 8060A which I couldn't afford). I subsequently made a career of designing analog integrated circuits for a major semiconductor company (and its derivatives). The display broke a few years ago and I regrettably discarded it -- moving on to my Fluke 87 and 289.

[retiredcaps]

The display broke a few years ago and I regrettably discarded it -- moving on to my Fluke 87 and 289

Since you live in the USA, ebay usually has a lot of 8020A in various conditions that might help you relive your memories?

Like anything, if you are patient, you may find a good condition one for the price of a movie ticket today.

[Fungus]

This is a wonderful thread -- my story on the 8020A is ...

The display broke a few years ago and I regrettably discarded it -- moving on to my Fluke 87 and 289

8020As are unloved and go quite cheap on eBay. People are after the 8060As.

FWIW there's a very nice looking 8060A for sale right now:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/162600324612

[Octane]

Hi drtaylor,

Wonderful story. I appreciate you sharing this. I would like to join the queue for one of the 8060A's as well.
It would be a honor to get a signed one from you if there will be one left for me in the end.

Thanks,
Michael

[Fungus]

I just scored my first 8060A on eBay. It looks to be in perfect shape, seller says it only had one careful owner.

(nb. It hasn't arrived yet, it's in Germany at the moment...    )

Any advice on common problems to look for? eg. I heard all the electrolytic caps should be replaced, what do people recommend as a replacement?

[Fungus]

You can use tantalum caps in the 7660 circuit. At the time, 100uF 16V tantalums were larger than the aluminum caps and very expensive. With the lower ESR of a Tantalum you may be able to lower the values some, say to 68uF/16V. However, Aluminums are so much better today. If you buy a high temp 125 deg 5000 hour aluminum cap you would probably last another 30 years with no problems (and cost way less than tants). Just stay away from 85deg 1000 hr crapcaps. A low ESR cap would perform better than the originals. When I have time, I'll make some recommendations for replacement caps. The caps aren't under much stress in the 8060, so it was just a temperature and aging thing that has caused so many 8060s to get contaminated by the caps spewing. I looked at my five 8060s yesterday and saw no evidence of cap failure. That might change when I try to get them operating, but they have had a very easy life in my cool temp garage and not being powered up very often.

This is the post I was looking for earlier. Is Dr.T still around? I haven't seen him for a while. 

[bitseeker]

That's a great looking specimen, Fungus. Congrats!

Leaking caps are the primary issue I recall. Some have dying LCD screens, but you're OK there.

Dr. T. is around. I saw a few posts from him recently. IIRC he's in the middle of a job/project.

[tautech]

This is the post I was looking for earlier. Is Dr.T still around? I haven't seen him for a while. 

You haven't been looking hard enough. 

From his profile:
Last Active: Today at 11:13:07 AM (NZ time)

[Fungus]

That's a great looking specimen, Fungus. Congrats!

No manuals or paperwork but the meter looked too good to pass up. 

(I'm working on that other stuff)

Leaking caps are the primary issue I recall. Some have dying LCD screens, but you're OK there.

I'm just enjoying the AMP hour podcast with Dr T. telling stories about making these meters.

He says the screen problems are mostly with the 8020A which used American made screens for political reasons. The 8060A screens were made by Sharp and hardly ever die. 

Another tip: Don't touch the PCB. Fingerprints are bad.

Dr. T. is around. I saw a few posts from him recently. IIRC he's in the middle of a job/project.

From his profile:
Last Active: Today at 11:13:07 AM (NZ time)

So I'm just not in the right threads. 

[bitseeker]

Ah, I have not listened to that episode. I'll have to do that.

That's great news about the 8060A screens. I still look forward to buying one of Dr. T's 8060s in due course.