Author Topic: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....  (Read 25007 times)

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Offline FungusTopic starter

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #25 on: February 11, 2015, 12:41:59 pm »
Cyberlink PowerDirector can do it with a single click. It also seems to do this type of editing much more easily then Premiere Pro. I'll give it more of a test tomorrow.

Could you try something like exporting the audio, running it through something like the Levelator, and then reimporting it?

I've been looking into PowerDirector because it seems much easier to use for this sort of work (ie. take a load of video clips, trim start/end of each one, put them in a sequence, single-click to match the audio levels across all the clips).

Looks like I still have compress it as a separate step to get it really loud but that's quite easy to do as well.

Plus it's only 80 bucks.

Edit: If you search google for "cyberlink coupon" it comes up with "10POFF" for a 10% discount at their store.

So...what happens if you type "20POFF" instead? Yep, 20% discount...  :-DD

(I tried other numbers but nothing else seems to work :-( )

Edit 2: Plus... it encodes video over six times faster than Premiere Pro. No doubt about it, I'm switching to PowerDirector.

That was the way I used to normalize the audio in Sony Vegas.

So Sony Vegas can't do this either?  :palm:

Is it just me? This seems like a very basic requirement....   :-//

« Last Edit: February 11, 2015, 02:38:06 pm by Fungus »
 

Offline mrgregs

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #26 on: February 12, 2015, 08:03:01 am »


That was the way I used to normalize the audio in Sony Vegas.

So Sony Vegas can't do this either?  :palm:

Is it just me? This seems like a very basic requirement....   :-//
Oh, it can do it, but I was never happy with the result - Levelator seemed to do it in a more intelligent manner.
 

Offline necessaryevil

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #27 on: February 13, 2015, 10:33:07 am »
Thank you for this video! I liked it.

Since I sense that you want some feedback: next time put a link and the type in the video title or description.

//edit:
I just bought the sparkfun VC830L meter from ebay, so that's some proof of my appreciation for the video! Well, it's actually branded Victor. Seems like it is changed a little bit, the version I bought has a hold-button and a backlight-button; there are more slightly different versions of this type.

 I 'll probably open my VC830L as soon as I get it so I can see if there are any other changes. I have had a few multimeters which looked similar to the ones your 4 dollar meter - those look the same but are all different internally. And usually crap.

//edit 2
Could those glass fuses really meet a CATIII rating? I'd imagine they would destroy themselves on a serious overload. I've had glass fuses explode on me when used in mains power supplies that fail, and that's just on a normal 32A breaker UK ring mains... not particularly high energy compared to what else is out there.
Is that normal in the UK? In the Netherlands you usually have a few 16A "groups" and a 32A fuse for all groups together - the latter can only be replaced by the power company, it is sealed. Isn't UK equipment supposed to have an additional fuse in the plug?

Voltage in the UK and the Netherlands are both 230v~
« Last Edit: February 13, 2015, 11:34:37 am by necessaryevil »
 

Offline wraper

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #28 on: February 13, 2015, 11:16:46 am »
HRC fuses aren't expensive or hard to get (it's basically the same construction as the glass fuse but filled with sand). I don't know why all multimeters don't have them.
They ARE expensive. One 1000V HRC fuse costs more than some cheap multimeters.
 

Offline necessaryevil

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #29 on: February 13, 2015, 12:07:18 pm »
Quote
They ARE expensive. One 1000V HRC fuse costs more than some cheap multimeters.
Off course it depends on what you call expensive. And on which HRC fuse: I recently discovered that the price ranges from <1 to >40 euro's. This makes me wonder, who defines if a fuse is a HRC type, is this a claim from the manufacturer or is this an official label?  What are the other requirements for a multimeter fuse? (besides rupture capacity, speed and rated current?)

check this:
http://nl.rs-online.com/web/c/fuses-sockets-circuit-breakers/fuses/cartridge-fuses/?applied-dimensions=4294583799,4294851536&esid=cl_4294967294,cl_4294959321,cl_4294583985&m=1&aaaExp=Y
http://nl.rs-online.com/web/p/cartridge-fuses/7833267/

Makes one wonder: Is anyone fooling us? I guess both the cheapest and the most expensive are foolery.


side note: for a multimeter with 40 euro fuses  I wouldn't say a seperate fuse compartiment is always an advantage... It would make it way to easy to steal those things.
 

Offline tom66

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #30 on: February 13, 2015, 12:13:22 pm »
I do wonder how can a "simple" fuse cost so much to make?

Has anyone torn down one of the Fluke's fuses to see what lies within... is there a complicated multi-fuse mechanism (as seen on some industrial fuses, a smaller fuse blows first, which triggers a charge and blows the whole fuse) or is it simply a fusible wire inside a sand and ceramic package?
 

Offline electr_peter

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #31 on: February 13, 2015, 12:14:17 pm »
HRC fuses aren't expensive or hard to get (it's basically the same construction as the glass fuse but filled with sand). I don't know why all multimeters don't have them.
They ARE expensive. One 1000V HRC fuse costs more than some cheap multimeters.
HRC are expensive, bigger and not so common (=hard to source). Cheapest glass and ceramic fuses are used in mains powered devices, HRC fuses are for DMMs and specialised equipment only.

There is a category of fuses that are more expensive than HRC fuses. Audio fuses for audiophools (the cheapest glass/ceramic fuses with fancy color or sticker)
http://sklep.fusic.pl/category/akcesoria-zasilanie 273 PLN ~ 74 USD for 5 x 20mm fuse with a sticker
« Last Edit: February 13, 2015, 12:17:46 pm by electr_peter »
 

Offline ModemHead

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #32 on: February 13, 2015, 12:57:05 pm »
Has anyone torn down one of the Fluke's fuses to see what lies within...

This is what the inside of a Bussmann DMM-B-11A fuse looks like after a 120VAC mains incident:

 

Offline FungusTopic starter

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #33 on: February 13, 2015, 03:33:11 pm »
Thank you for this video! I liked it.

Thanks! 

I just re-edited it using different software to try and fix the sound (it wasn't very equalized and some people complained it was too low). There's a new version here:



Since I sense that you want some feedback: next time put a link and the type in the video title or description.

Will do.

//edit:
I just bought the sparkfun VC830L meter from ebay, so that's some proof of my appreciation for the video! Well, it's actually branded Victor. Seems like it is changed a little bit, the version I bought has a hold-button and a backlight-button; there are more slightly different versions of this type.

 I 'll probably open my VC830L as soon as I get it so I can see if there are any other changes. I have had a few multimeters which looked similar to the ones your 4 dollar meter - those look the same but are all different internally. And usually crap.

It will be interesting to see if it's the same internal build quality as my Sparkfun version. There are a lot of clones of that meter on eBay.

 

Offline FungusTopic starter

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #34 on: February 13, 2015, 03:39:59 pm »
is it simply a fusible wire inside a sand and ceramic package?

As far as I know it's just the same basic construction but with added sand. There's places on earth with trillions of tons of it lying on the floor so I don't see why it makes fuses so expensive.

For higher voltages you'll obviously need a physically longer fuse to avoid sparks jumping across. Still no reason for them to cost $10 each though (IMHO).

 

Offline retiredcaps

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #35 on: February 13, 2015, 11:11:16 pm »
This is what the inside of a Bussmann DMM-B-11A fuse looks like after a 120VAC mains incident:
In ModemHead's link below, there is another link to another fuse teardown in the comment section.

http://mrmodemhead.com/blog/inside-a-multimeter-fuse/
 

Offline necessaryevil

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #36 on: February 28, 2015, 07:31:42 am »
Quote
It will be interesting to see if it's the same internal build quality as my Sparkfun version. There are a lot of clones of that meter on eBay.
That is the plan!
 

Offline rollatorwieltje

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #37 on: March 05, 2015, 08:13:50 pm »
I just read somewhere that this thing doesn't accept fully shrouded banana jacks, is this true? Would be quite an epic fail if it wouldn't accept most test leads.
 

Offline necessaryevil

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #38 on: March 17, 2015, 01:20:48 pm »
Quote
It will be interesting to see if it's the same internal build quality as my Sparkfun version. There are a lot of clones of that meter on eBay.

I just got mine and I did a quick teardown. It is different on the inside!  Clearance/creepage is worse, and there is only one glass fuse, which is smaller than a 5x20mm fuse. Weird!

I might post  a picture later.
 

Offline necessaryevil

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #39 on: March 17, 2015, 07:06:25 pm »
OK, here are the pictures. This version is sold as a Sheng DE VC830L.

Look at the weird-ass fuse! Never seen one like that before. There is only one fuse, on the front of the multimeter it says that it has two. Them liars! It seems that the 10A range does not work - I don't know which of the empty holes are for the 10A fuse.

By the way, there are also two empty footprints for two diodes.
« Last Edit: March 17, 2015, 07:11:07 pm by necessaryevil »
 

Offline paulie

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #40 on: March 17, 2015, 11:45:03 pm »
That is the "Excel" type meter and while 2nd most popular DMM in the world after cheaper $5 "Centech" it bears little resemblance internally, externally, or functionally. I do favor it though over some in my collection costing 20x to 100x more. Small, cheap, accurate, and most of all unlike Centech, has a beeper. That last feature accounts for 99% of my meter use. Also based on a different ADC than the Centech which uses the generic mainstay ICL7106 chip.

ps. For anybody interested attached is the harder to come by than hens teeth schematic for the $5 one in the video:



« Last Edit: March 18, 2015, 12:01:18 am by paulie »
 

Offline necessaryevil

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #41 on: March 19, 2015, 05:01:07 pm »
Quote
That is the "Excel" type meter"
Is it both the multimeter in the video and the multimeter I took apart which you call the "Excel type"? Or only the one I took apart?
 

Offline paulie

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #42 on: March 22, 2015, 05:53:26 pm »
Yours I call "Excel" because thats the most popular branding from chinese sites. It's beeper makes it much more useful than the cheaper ones in the video which are given away free by the millions at Harbor Freight and often only $3 (shipped) on Ebay. The internals are quite different from the 2nd pair in Fungus video.

The latter have a new cost reduced design which, as he hinted, are getting even cheaper by the minute. They were a big favorite of mine and I scattered them all over the place until the on/off switch disappeared. Now they are too cheap even for me. That switch was it's major redeeming feature. Fortunately still there on the HF ones but who knows for how long.
 

Offline FungusTopic starter

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #43 on: March 22, 2015, 06:33:04 pm »
OK, here are the pictures.

Ew!

That's a lot worse than the Sparkfun meter.

(mythbusters voice)
"Myth confirmed!"

The model number on the front really tells you nothing about the insides.

(/mythbusters voice)

(as I suspected after I took the two same-numbered cheapo meters apart).

Can I ask how much you paid for it?

« Last Edit: March 22, 2015, 06:47:12 pm by Fungus »
 

Offline grythumn

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #44 on: March 23, 2015, 04:09:19 pm »
Looks like it...

All that would do is find the loudest sound in the video and normalize everything to that - not at all what I wanted.

I've just googled a bit and seen several pages saying there's no way to do what I need automatically (ie. some sort of automatic gain control).

The best thing I could find so far is to go through the video manually looking for loud sounds, chop the video either side of the sound, then do "Normalize all peaks" (which normalizes each individual clip to the level of the loudest sound in it).  :-//

(Maybe I'm just using the wrong editing software...)

I think you're looking for an audio level compressor. Premiere is bound to have one... http://www.larryjordan.biz/premiere-pro-cc-boost-and-smooth-audio-levels/. It sounds a lot better than letting the audio clip.

-R C
 

Offline jgalak

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #45 on: December 09, 2017, 06:04:16 pm »
I just read somewhere that this thing doesn't accept fully shrouded banana jacks, is this true? Would be quite an epic fail if it wouldn't accept most test leads.

Very old post, but since I found it while looking for info on this topic, I figured I'd add this info, for posterity:

The meter does not, in fact, accept fully shrouded banana jacks.  The cords it comes with have a bit of a sleeve, which locks into a sleeve on the meter (so better than nothing).  However, it will not work with fully shrouded jacks like on the Fluke.  See photos attached.  The Fluke leads will physically fit the sleeve, but no electrical contact is made.


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Offline FungusTopic starter

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #46 on: December 09, 2017, 07:24:12 pm »
Yep.

PS: My Sparkfun meter is languishing in a drawer since I got my ANENG AN860B+.

 

Offline jgalak

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Re: Sparkfun multimeter video teardown....
« Reply #47 on: December 09, 2017, 08:42:21 pm »
Yep.

PS: My Sparkfun meter is languishing in a drawer since I got my ANENG AN860B+.

It's my second meter, for when I need to measure both V and I.  My primary is a Fluke 87 V that I found damn cheap on ebay years ago.  I've been wanting a second decent meter, but waffling on what to get - so I just put money down on the kickstarter for the new eevblog meter.
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