Depends on your skill level too. I broke 3 cheap meters, because I was forgetful and not used to using meters. Now I have 2 quality meters, that can take the abuse from being forgetful or sloppy.

I wish I didn't break the cheap Vici99 I had, that was fine enough for lots of hobby work, if used carefully. But it's a toy by comparison to my Byrmen's and their input protections.

Hi,

Dont feel too bad. After working in the power control industry for years and using very expensive equipment sometimes to measure currents over 100 amps and voltages 400 volts one day i went to measure my car 12v battery after bringing it into the house and accidentally left the meter on CURRENT measurement. Of course it blew out the meter, but to top it off i did not know there was a fuse inside the meter until some 5 to 10 years later. I cant remember how i found out there was a fuse for that (it was hiding when i took the meter apart) but once replaced it worked again and i was very happy.
So much for being careful

 

Hi
FLUKE multimeters just differ from others in reliable protection, if the measurement modes are switched incorrectly.

 

Not only that, my Fluke doesn't take forever to settle on a measurement like even the good/best cheap ones do. Plus its frame is built to drive a Mack Truck over and survive. Which makes it heavy and expensive along with accurate and reliable.

 

If my sclerosis does not fail me, FLUKE is the only multimeter that has a lifetime warranty. Depending on the model.

 

If my sclerosis does not fail me, FLUKE is the only multimeter that has a lifetime warranty. Depending on the model.

Just one little detail: lifetime warranty is 7 years after the product family is discontinied or 10 years after the purchase new. Not the lifetime of the equipment itself (as I believed and I imagine others did too).

https://www.fluke.com/en-us/support/warranties
Not to detract from their quality and reputation, of course.

I used to have a Fluke 179 and it was a war tank. I sold it to get a more electronics oriented. I recently got a 87V on the cheap that is similarly well built. Similar thing with an ancient 27/FM, which can be turned into a weapon if needed. I don't feel the same robustness on the 189 and on a 289 I used, as well as on the other brands I have (Agilent/Keysight, Uni-T and Brymen).

 

Good. Which models boast at least such guarantees?

 

The other little detail is they are no longer made in the US but now a china product.

 

The other little detail is they are no longer made in the US but now a china product.

There are still some higher end Fluke models 'made in the USA'. I try to buy work instruments from that list.
https://www.platt.com/platt-electri...ID=691&SubCatID=7388&ProductFlags=Made+in+USA

 

Good. Which models boast at least such guarantees?

The section "Industrial products limited lifetime warranty" of the link I sent before mentions that models 101, 106, 107, 15B+, 17B+ and 18B+ are country restricted. All other families are irrestricted.

The other little detail is they are no longer made in the US but now a china product.

There is a large discussion at the EEVBlog forum about this. Manybpeople showed some twist in the words, but it seems nothing is conclusive for the existing products apart from the restricted ones I mentioned above.

Besides, Made in China does not mean a bad quality product. It's all about quality control. Although there's always a chance the controller of the company (Fortive) may be gambling on the reputation alone while hollowing the products (the new 87V Max fiasco and other companies like Tek seem to be signs of what it is to come).

 

On a related note, one of the last Arduino programs i worked on was made to measure DC voltage and send it to a Tablet computer. Since i could program the Tablet too i could make the voltage/current/etc. display any way i wanted too. It turned out to be too slow in sending the data though using the keyboard interface so i thought i would wait until i get a bluetooth Tablet.

 

I used to have a Fluke 179 and it was a war tank. I sold it to get a more electronics oriented.

And what accuracy do you need for working with electronic equipment?

 

And what accuracy do you need for working with electronic equipment?

I needed a meter with a better capacitance checker and more bandwidth, as well as more resolution for battery charge/discharge trends. Data logging was a requirement I found myself needing a few years later.

At any rate, the 179 was perfectly suitable for 90% of my work.

 

Yes, sometimes we need a more accurate multimeter for certain tasks.
But the vast majority of electronic components that are used in various electronic products have a tolerance of 5-20%. In rare cases, 1%.

 

Yes, sometimes we need a more accurate multimeter for certain tasks.
But the vast majority of electronic components that are used in various electronic products have a tolerance of 5-20%. In rare cases, 1%.

https://www.mccdaq.com/TechTips/TechTip-1.aspx

To be useful, a test meter must be both accurate and precise. Even in circuits built from high tolerance but stable components we don't expect actual circuit operational parameters to dynamically vary by the component tolerance. Most complex process systems are dialed in (adjusted) to a set standard and checked for deviation from that standard. So having a measurement system at least 10X better than the deviation tolerance is a common standard for meters so you can detect and correct before limits are hit.

 

To be useful, a test meter must be both accurate and precise. Even in circuits built from high tolerance but stable components we don't expect actual circuit operational parameters to dynamically vary by the component tolerance.

I understand your measurement philosophy.
I have a very simple question. How do you define SMD component tolerances?

 

Read the datasheet for the specific device(s) or qualify by measurement.

For a current project I'm using resistors from these series for the analog input voltage divider.
https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/315/AOA0000C307-1149632.pdf
https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/447/PYu-RT_1-to-0.01_RoHS_L_9-1222720.pdf
https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/219/RN73-11994.pdf
SMD 0805 3.83Kohm 0.1% 25ppm
SMD 1/8W 1.29K Ohms 0.1%
SMD 0805 9K88 Ohms 0.1% 50PPM
SMD 0805 806ohm 0.1% 25ppm
https://www.mouser.com/datasheet/2/54/3339-776742.pdf
With small value trimmers to calibrate each channel to a PCB voltage standard that's calibrated (measured for actual output voltage) with a external Omega CL511.

Coupled to a 13-bit result ADC with it's own precision vref for accurate and precise tracking of battery lifetime energy storage trends.

 

Read the datasheet for the specific device(s)

When there is a datasheet and device diagram, it is very good. And when not?
I mean the situation when you repair some device.

 

When there is a datasheet and device diagram, it is very good. And when not?
I mean the situation when you repair some device.

Then it's up to your experience and circuit intuition from years of repairing like circuits. There is nothing wrong with guessing if it's an informed guess.

 

https://www.mccdaq.com/TechTips/TechTip-1.aspx

To be useful, a test meter must be both accurate and precise. Even in circuits built from high tolerance but stable components we don't expect actual circuit operational parameters to dynamically vary by the component tolerance. Most complex process systems are dialed in (adjusted) to a set standard and checked for deviation from that standard. So having a measurement system at least 10X better than the deviation tolerance is a common standard for meters so you can detect and correct before limits are hit.

I like the diagrams. The terms accuracy and precision often get used as though they are the same thing

 

This is my favourite shed meter, it's got all the ranges for working on vehicle DC and even capacitance and a good high resistance range. And only £30
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/283730528475

I've got a fluke in my lab, can't remember the model. My first fluke from 1988 still works but I don't use it because it's the base model.