Ten years ago, I inherited a Fluke 77 series II, ordered new leads for it, and I'm still a happy man.
I also have a cheap ass 'Suki', which doesn't entirely suck.
i386 16 ⇒ i486 DX4 100 ⇒ Pentium MMX 200 ⇒ Athlon Orion 700 | TB 1000 ⇒ AthlonXP 1700+ ⇒ Opteron 165 ⇒ Dual Opteron 856
Even a Canadian Tire Mastercraft (store branded) one served me well for a few years. It was more of a volt meter + ohm meter. It's current range was extremely limited (to the point of being unsafe to even try using in most use cases, AFAICR), but it cost like 15$ in Canada in the late 90s and it did not kill or maim me the few times I used it on mains voltage (120v AC).
I gave it to a friend who still uses it, AFAIK. I should ask, actually.
EDIT: I bought a cheap King'sdun KS-9205A locally for some friends. I would no trust it with anything critical, but for things like testing batteries or the resistance of a heating element, it's fine.
And on the subject of safety and meters :
https://hackaday.com/2015/06/02/fail-of-the-w … est-multimeter/
https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/switchboard-e … -loss-of-1-life
whilst Fluke and other high end brands are ideal for high power stuff and where precision and responsiveness are important, i have used one of those cheap but ok vici ones for a few years and its ok
perhaps we shouldn't be surprised but collecting and using vintage meters is also a hobby 😀
gerry wrote on 2024-04-09, 07:38:whilst Fluke and other high end brands are ideal for high power stuff and where precision and responsiveness are important, i have used one of those cheap but ok vici ones for a few years and its ok
perhaps we shouldn't be surprised but collecting and using vintage meters is also a hobby 😀
😁 😁 😁
midicollector wrote on 2024-04-09, 00:21:Fluke is my recommendation.
Fluke's are nice, indeed.
However, I don't know if their price tag can be justified if one is going to use it only occasionally for a hobby. If anyone finds a used one for a decent/low price though, definitely grab it.
I totally get the price thing, but I did want to mention the way I always look at purchases like this even if it’s just a hobby:
Multimeters tend to last forever, let’s say you use whichever one you buy for the next 20 years: would you rather use a crappy one every time you need one for the next 20 years or a nice one? In 10 years you won’t even remember how much you paid, but it will still be a nicer experience every time you use it.
Things that last forever I tend to purchase the nice one just so that I don’t spend decades using something crappy every time I use it. I bought a cheap crappy tool set probably over 10 years ago now. I use it at least once a week and it kinda sucks. I’ve been using something that kinda sucks regularly for 10 years, and I’m kinda kicking myself for doing so. Whereas I shelled out for hakko soldering and desoldering irons and have no regrets.
If you’re going to have something forever, you probably don’t want to have it be crappy.
midicollector wrote on 2024-04-10, 15:16:I totally get the price thing, but I did want to mention the way I always look at purchases like this even if it’s just a hobby: […]
I totally get the price thing, but I did want to mention the way I always look at purchases like this even if it’s just a hobby:
Multimeters tend to last forever, let’s say you use whichever one you buy for the next 20 years: would you rather use a crappy one every time you need one for the next 20 years or a nice one? In 10 years you won’t even remember how much you paid, but it will still be a nicer experience every time you use it.
Things that last forever I tend to purchase the nice one just so that I don’t spend decades using something crappy every time I use it. I bought a cheap crappy tool set probably over 10 years ago now. I use it at least once a week and it kinda sucks. I’ve been using something that kinda sucks regularly for 10 years, and I’m kinda kicking myself for doing so. Whereas I shelled out for hakko soldering and desoldering irons and have no regrets.
If you’re going to have something forever, you probably don’t want to have it be crappy.
Agree. But in case I will be alive in 20 years 😁😁😁
I personally use an old 90's ITT Métrix DMM, I believe it's the MX20. It may not be a Fluke with all the desirable bells and whistles, but back in the day this was a very well regarded model.
It has autoranging but that can be overriden by the push of a button.
Proud owner of a Shuttle HOT-555A 430VX motherboard and two wonderful retro laptops, namely a Compaq Armada 1700 [nonfunctional] and a HP Omnibook XE3-GC [fully working :p]
Vynix wrote on 2024-04-10, 21:19:I personally use an old 90's ITT Métrix DMM, I believe it's the MX20. It may not be a Fluke with all the desirable bells and whistles, but back in the day this was a very well regarded model.
It has autoranging but that can be overriden by the push of a button.
like this : https://www.davidhaillant.com/itt-mx20-multim … -refurbishment/
that seems like a good one to have!
If on a tight budget, I'd say get a used, maybe even up to 30 years old, name brand meter with just basic Voltage and Amps for poking at the dangerous stuff with (check condition of leads) and a cheapie new one with all the bells and whistles, transistor tester, autoranging ohms, capacitance, and then don't use it on anything higher than about 30V DC.
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
https://www.amazon.com/Electrical-Auto-Rangin … y/dp/B09M6D5BDD (aka Meterk Digital Clamp Meter 4000)
Doom is what you want (c) MAZter
midicollector wrote on 2024-04-10, 15:16:If you’re going to have something forever, you probably don’t want to have it be crappy.
Well, I'm not sure there's anything that will last forever on this earth. 😁 😉
Jokes aside, I get what you mean and I also encourage people to always look out for deals on the better stuff.
Thing is, I also always try to be realistic with myself by asking: do I go straight to buying the expensive good stuff whenever I get into new hobbies or get ideas about trying new stuff, or do I wait a little to buy them only after I have a good idea that this is something I will be doing for a while. And I feel the same very much applies to electronics and computers as a hobby too - if it's something one will do for a while or longer, by all means get something better. And if not, then just go with the "good enough". I've had a lot of friends who started to dabble into electronics after they saw me do it and got inspired. For many of them though, it was a short-lived hobby. So probably a good thing they didn't "waste" money on good equipment that they have no use for after a bit.
BitWrangler wrote on 2024-04-11, 16:18:If on a tight budget, I'd say get a used, maybe even up to 30 years old, name brand meter with just basic Voltage and Amps for poking at the dangerous stuff with (check condition of leads) and a cheapie new one with all the bells and whistles, transistor tester, autoranging ohms, capacitance, and then don't use it on anything higher than about 30V DC.
Nothing wrong with using a newer "noname" meter on high voltage high current stuff, so long as it's of decent enough quality.
Again, there seems to be a pretty steep improvement (usually) in meter quality after you pass on all those $5-10 manual-ranging cheapies. The likes of the auto-ranging Vici meters I pointed to above are of decent enough quality and can be trusted fine even for high(er) voltage circuits. The only difference between those and the Fluke's is that the Flukes are just more durable with long-term use (and occasional unintentional abuse) and that they are harder to destroy should you do something silly, like poke at high-voltage circuit while on resistance test. The cheapies are the ones to beware of, because they are straight-up safety hazards if that happens. The more decent meter will just either blow a fuse or gracefully die without any danger to the user. Meanwhile, the Flukes will almost certainly survive, because they are just better built.
So all in all, old Chinese proverb still applies: you always get what you pay for... if you are lucky
gerry wrote on 2024-04-09, 07:38:whilst Fluke and other high end brands are ideal for high power stuff and where precision and responsiveness are important, i have used one of those cheap but ok vici ones for a few years and its ok
perhaps we shouldn't be surprised but collecting and using vintage meters is also a hobby 😀
Yeah, the expensive ones are a bit more responsive and work better for measurements in power systems. If there are tens or hundreds of meters of wire connected, there's gonna be some capacitance. The cheap ones are just as good for the stuff we do though.
When it comes to current measurements, I prefer a clamp ammeter. I mostly use the DMM current measuring function for quick jumping signals etc.
I still use my fluke purchased new in the 90's. Other than replacing batteries and probes a few times its very reliable. I did have to clean the LCD contacts once.
Honestly, I like the auto ranging not common in cheap units.
Collector of old computers, hardware, and software
This morning, I did not know I was buying another meter, but came across this one for a couple of bucks. Late 80s Micronta, made in Korea, clamshell digital autoranging unit, model 22-193 ... I liked how I could angle the display and it has that "stay the F there" kind of heft... if there's two things that really annoy me when fault chasing, it's how a minor kink in the wire will send the meter flying towards you, or to the floor, and that you can't read the damn display when you've got the probes in just the right spot... so this promises a cure of those frustrations for the bench. Needs a bit of cleaning up you may notice. Switches and knob still feel clicky/unworn. Fuses are in the hatch underneath.
Polytechnic of Gdansk got the manual for me... http://bee.mif.pg.gda.pl/ciasteczkowypotwor/M … onta/22-193.pdf (specs page 3 if you wanna look)
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
I miss the Fluke meter I had - it was a fancy one with an amp clamp, and I found it by the side of the road when out on a bicycle ride. I felt badly for whoever lost it, but I had no way of finding that out in order to return it. After the fire, I bought a a kit at Home Depot with an outlet tester and a Klein MM300. This meter has been good enough, and if I ever get a better one, this will still be a good one to have as a backup.
"I'd rather be rich than stupid" - Jack Handey
BitWrangler wrote on 2024-04-20, 21:39:This morning, I did not know I was buying another meter, but came across this one for a couple of bucks. Late 80s Micronta, made in Korea, clamshell digital autoranging unit, model 22-193 ... I liked how I could angle the display and it has that "stay the F there" kind of heft... if there's two things that really annoy me when fault chasing, it's how a minor kink in the wire will send the meter flying towards you, or to the floor, and that you can't read the damn display when you've got the probes in just the right spot... so this promises a cure of those frustrations for the bench. Needs a bit of cleaning up you may notice. Switches and knob still feel clicky/unworn. Fuses are in the hatch underneath.
Polytechnic of Gdansk got the manual for me... http://bee.mif.pg.gda.pl/ciasteczkowypotwor/M … onta/22-193.pdf (specs page 3 if you wanna look)
Coincidentally, it's the same model as mentioned here.
https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/switchboard-e … -loss-of-1-life
Hmmm, seems to have been user error though...
The explosion is considered to have been caused by a direct connection being made between two phases of the 660volt incoming sup […]
The explosion is considered to have been caused by a direct connection
being made between two phases of the 660volt incoming supply.
This is thought to have occurred when the electro-technical officer
chose to test the availability of the incoming voltage by applying a
voltmeter across two phases Unfortunately, the two leads in use, both
black, appear to have become entangled with each other with the result
that rather than having one end of each lead, with the meter in the
middle. the officer held both ends of the same lead
Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.
BitWrangler wrote on 2024-04-22, 04:10:Hmmm, seems to have been user error though...
The explosion is considered to have been caused by a direct connection being made between two phases of the 660volt incoming sup […]
The explosion is considered to have been caused by a direct connection
being made between two phases of the 660volt incoming supply.
This is thought to have occurred when the electro-technical officer
chose to test the availability of the incoming voltage by applying a
voltmeter across two phases Unfortunately, the two leads in use, both
black, appear to have become entangled with each other with the result
that rather than having one end of each lead, with the meter in the
middle. the officer held both ends of the same lead
Indeed, but still interesting to see the same model.
momaka wrote on 2024-04-10, 13:54:midicollector wrote on 2024-04-09, 00:21:Fluke is my recommendation.
Fluke's are nice, indeed.
However, I don't know if their price tag can be justified if one is going to use it only occasionally for a hobby. If anyone finds a used one for a decent/low price though, definitely grab it.
Nowadays you can get as good multimeters as Fluke for a fraction of the price. The reasons behind Fluke's high costs are almost completely irreleveant for hobbyists and even for many professional users too, but there are reasons why many organizations stick with Flukes and why they make lots of sense for many professional users.
First thing that cheaper alternatives lack is equivalency and long shelf life. Some organizations need acceptance procedures and qualifications for testing and measurement devices. Fluke can provide electronically and mechanically same product for these users for decades, so such users don't need to go make new qualification testing every time they need new multimeters. Fluke can deliver you exactly same multimeter that they delivered 10 or 20 years ago.
Another factor is all the calibration services and traceable certificates Fluke can deliver for customers who need to periodically make sure that their devices are working within the spec.
EEVBlog had a good video about this subject some years back.
