What instead of Fluke 88V

[seppo14]

Hello,

My topic is very near of what meter to by or what you think of this meter, but still not quite. Please don't shoot me  .

So, let's open my case. I'm looking for DMM that fulfills my maybe advanced hobbyist needs to say so. I'm working with some basic diy electronics, arduinos, simple diy pcbs etc. not anything fancy. I also do quite often automotive diagnostics somewhere advanced level.

My current hardware is
https://mastech-group.com/eu/en/MS8360C and
https://fi.farnell.com/pico-technology/picoscope-2204a/oscilloscope-pc-10mhz-with-awg/dp/2365425

I would like to level up my dmm so I don't have to dig my scope to measure simple injector pulses or iac dc%. I have used Fluke 88v at my former job and i loved it. Altougth its quite heavy on price, especially here in Finland. Used eBay devices starts from 600€++. I allmost fell in love with Brymen 869s but then realized that it is not capable to measure mS-pulse.

Here is my wishlist:
that freaking mS-pulse length capability which seems to be anomaly.
Autorange
Bar display
Min/max
Hold
Backlight
Auto power off
Hanger, option is enough
Maybe true rms
Price max somewhere ~300€

Brymen 319s could be one candidate. Then there are some AliEx automotive meters, but hard to find any reviews etc.

So please, am I looking for unicorn? 

-Pete

[HKJ]

A Chauvin Arnoux 5293 (or Metrix similar model) would more than fulfill most of your requirements.
It breaks the price limit, probably in a very serious way (Depends on where you are in the world), but it is basically the most advanced multimeter around.
I would not call it the best, it uses batteries fairly fast, but in any other metric it is the best.

[Sensorcat]

Brymen is a very good choice. They have high quality, very good safety standards, attractive price. They are sometimes underestimated, because they do not sell much under their own brand, at least not in Europe. But many multimeters from other brands are actually made by Brymen.

I'm very happy with my Brymen multimeter.

The automotive functions of the 319s are not standard for multimeters. If you need this, simply take it. For your budget, you can buy this and a 829s! The 869s is also great, but 500,000 counts is a bit overkill for a handheld multimeter. Does not add much value IMHO.

[RunnerOne]

Hi Pete,

I have similar field. I do some arduino builds, sometimes some machine repairs and car diagnostics. I own two devices from Pico:

• https://www.elfadistrelec.pl/en/pc-oscilloscope-2x-10mhz-100msps-pico-technology-picoscope-2204a/p/11071704 and
• https://oscyloskopypico.pl/pl/p/Oscyloskop-Pico-4425A-4-kanaly-PQ174/432 ( way over budget, so lets keep it just for reference)

The software from PicoScope have a lot of capabilities and it will give you what you are looking for ( do not know what you mean by "Backlight"). It works really well. You can download and play with it for free.

So the 2204 is fine for some quick testing although it is actually not that precise. So quick testing, some general tests, some general testing for digital signals - you will be ok.
For more precise jobs (car diagnostics or more details signal analysis) i work on 4425A. 4425A does magic with car diagnostics since the software version for automotive has reference waveforms and preconfigured tests. It helps and saves ton of time.

I compared them lately to check the difference in details ( i was increasing sampling for both to check the resolutions hor/ver difference).

BUT...

I use USB scopes only because i need mobility. If i would work only on my desk i would go for external scope (maybe with connection to PC for saving data).

[Fungus]

If you want to see "pulses" then a DMM is the wrong tool for the job, that's why you're having trouble finding one that does it.

There's pocket, battery powered oscilloscopes that will destroy any DMM for this job, eg.: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004986731615.html

Brymen is a very good choice. They have high quality, very good safety standards, attractive price. They are sometimes underestimated, because they do not sell much under their own brand, at least not in Europe.

I think you mean in the USA, they're very easy to find/buy in Europe.

https://brymen.eu/

And yeah, they're the best for non-corporations.

[Sensorcat]

Brymen is a very good choice. They have high quality, very good safety standards, attractive price. They are sometimes underestimated, because they do not sell much under their own brand, at least not in Europe.

I think you mean in the USA, they're very easy to find/buy in Europe.

https://brymen.eu/

I meant what I wrote. I don't know the market in the U.S., but in Europe, despite of being available, their market share and visibility is low. Brymen is a brand for insiders, not available from the large retailers. And when you search for it on Amazon (without a specific model number), most results on the first page are 'Benning', because the stupid search algorithm tries to be smarter than the user. But I have heard/read that they are a big player in handheld DMMs, if the rebranded stuff is accounted for. I'm not sure about the source of this information. It could be Dave, when introducing his cooperation with them, but that's only a guess.