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| artag:
I know there are lots of bench DMMs like the 34401A with VFDs. But was there ever a handheld, or at least a battery-powered one ? It's far from impossible: calculators often had VFDs. I know of a handheld VFD thermometer. And there are even battery-operated Nixie meters though they're not so small. But I haven't seen a VFD. |
| BeBuLamar:
Calculators with VFD have short battery life. Some only a few hours. I wouldn't want a battery operated DMM with VFD. The Fluke 45 which isn't hand held but it has battery option and has VFD. |
| alm:
VFDs came after LCDs, at least in DMMs. LCDs have been used since the seventies, while VFDs only appeared in the late eighties. And LCD by far superior in terms of battery life. There might have been a bench meter with VFD and a battery option, but I can't recall any. By the time VFDs appeared, bench meter with battery option had mostly been replaced by high end hand helds like the Fluke 8060A/8062A. Before LCD there were (optionally) battery powered meters with LED display like the Fluke 8000A and Keithley 168. |
| tautech:
--- Quote from: alm on April 06, 2023, 11:44:33 pm ---VFDs came after LCDs, at least in DMMs. LCDs have been used since the seventies, while VFDs only appeared in the late eighties. And LCD by far superior in terms of battery life. There might have been a bench meter with VFD and a battery option, but I can't recall any. By the time VFDs appeared, bench meter with battery option had mostly been replaced by high end hand helds like the Fluke 8060A/8062A. Before LCD there were (optionally) battery powered meters with LED display like the Fluke 8000A and Keithley 168. --- End quote --- Dates don't seem right. Mom&Pop gave me a Casio calculator ~72 with a VFD which used up 4 AA cells pretty quick however it did have a DC jack and wallwart too. :phew: LCD DMM's were quite rare back then IIRC most being moving coils meters, AVO and such. |
| bdunham7:
--- Quote from: tautech on April 07, 2023, 02:22:21 am ---Mom&Pop gave me a Casio calculator ~72 with a VFD which used up 4 AA cells pretty quick however it did have a DC jack and wallwart too. :phew: LCD DMM's were quite rare back then IIRC most being moving coils meters, AVO and such. --- End quote --- Yes, VFDs appeared earlier than LCD in commercial products, but didn't last very long in battery-operated things like calculators--only a few years IIRC. In watches and calculators and such, those little bubble-digit 7-segment LEDs were next and then LCDs showed up and promptly took over the market. I don't recall ever seeing a DMM with the bubble displays. The whole timespan of what I'm referring to was probably less than 7 years, from ~1971 to 1977. By 1977 LCDs were more common and I think that is when the first handheld DMMs showed up, at least the ones that resemble modern ones. |
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