Within say a $100.00 price range, what series of Simpson would be the best to buy? (probably from Ebay).

I like nostalga, but also like function.

A friend told me of a nice (highly valued) older one, but I don't recall what series it was.

I'm just a novice home user, who works on TV's Microwaves, Fans, Heaters, and stuff like that.

Thanks,
Gary

 

Within say a $100.00 price range, what series of Simpson would be the best to buy? (probably from Ebay).

I like nostalga, but also like function.

A friend told me of a nice (highly valued) older one, but I don't recall what series it was.

I'm just a novice home user, who works on TV's Microwaves, Fans, Heaters, and stuff like that.

Thanks,
Gary

I have a Triplett 630 PLK that is my nostalgia meter.
I used it while troubleshooting at AT&T back in the middle 80'S
Should be in your used price range.

 

You should see the power supply engineer when I work: he has if not one then two Simpson 260's actively working on his test bench. I'll have to ask him why he chooses those.

I used one when I was a kid, it was the meter of choice for the Long Island Railroad on which my Dad worked. Nightly I got to use his work meter.

The 260 is a beautiful instrument that will never ever lie to you and will faithfully give you results. I do believe it has some weird (expensive) batteries inside to drive the ohmmeter.

If you have a choice get one with the mirror on the scale: it's there so you don't parallax the reading.

I've been thinking lately of getting one of these too.

 

Im as nostalgic as the next guy.... and I do still have an old Simpson analog meter from the 70's.... but I ain't dropping $300+ for an analog meter.

http://www.grainger.com/product/1A5...1A587&ef_id=UyIvhgAAAf7bx1xE:20140315000958:s

 

One off ebay for $210, says new but not with original packaging.

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/simpson-260-8

 

I sure wish I knew what happened to the test equipment at the tech school I used to attend. We had tons of those wonderful Simpsons in the property room.

If I had my guess they went in the trash.

 

Often the advantage of an old school analogue meter is that it has ranges that a DMM can only dream of......

 

A Simpson 260 was my best friend in the 1970's. I walked into a TV shop just south of Chicago with a backlog of 400 and no repairman. In eight weeks, I fixed 394 of them with a Simpson, 2 with a scope, and 4 went to factory service because I couldn't figure them out. (Then I continued my journey to California.)

What could be a better recommendation for a Simpson?

 

Top shelf here. My second one. First was a roll-top.
Original was getting tired after years of abuse from my learning days. Must have resoldered input fuse 50 times. Ohms ranges wouldn't zero.

Sold it on ebay when this new-old-stock came up.

Sometimes you just want analog with low impedance.

Like my old low reading ohmmeter. Over 1 amp on the .1ohm scale.

 

Anybody that has been around electronics for any length of time has a special feeling for the 260. Probably why they get so much for used ones, some of us old geezers have more money than sense. The only real negative on the 260 is never never drop it. If you don't break the bakelite case you will screw up the meter movement. Analog meters have a use but a digital with a bar graph is a much better choice.

 

Sometimes you just want analog with low impedance.

Yeah, I get tired of alligatoring a resistor across my 10 meg Fluke input to measure small batteries. Darn surface charge will show good if you don't load them a little bit, like C/100

 

A Simpson 260 was my best friend in the 1970's. I walked into a TV shop just south of Chicago with a backlog of 400 and no repairman.

1970 I came to Canada and in the brief interim got a similar Job, fixing Philips K6 and K7's, they separated the men from the boys, but guess what all tech's had as a TV?
They were Hi-def, before there was Hi-def!
Max.

 

During the 1970's When I was on active duty in the Marine Corps, I was a radar systems/missile fire control systems technician on the F-4J/S Phantom II; and the standard issue was the Simpson 260. They are really good analog meters. You do have to remember the 10k Ohms/volt loading though.

 

A while back someone neat me was selling two for $20. I should have jumped on that, but was to lazy

 

I bought a Series 7M off of ebay for $27.95 + S/H.
It looks super clean in the photo.
The seller said "THE NEDDLE ADJUSTMENT DOES NOT WORK, I PUT BATTERIES IN THE UNIT AND CHECKED VOLTS/OHMS WORKS..."

I'm hoping it is the tit on back of the adjustment screw that was simply jarred out of position with the needle.

I should get it by Friday.

Thanks for the feedback.
Gary

 

I own two or more. They don't lie like the digitals sometimes do. Excellent current meters, high enough input impedance, and the reverse switch is great for checking transistor and diodes.

 

I recieved my meter, and it looks pristine, inside and out.
It doesn't look like it's ever been used to me.

As some of you may have suspected, but didn't want to tell me, the little clear plastics tits on either side of the oms adjustment screw are broken off. (someone who didn't know better, cranked on it real hard I guess)

It look like delicate work to change the needle assembly, and the entire face assembly will cost more than I paid for the meter.

If anyone of you has experiece with this, please chime in with your suggestions.

My first thought was "I can do without adjusting the needle".
If I know it's off by 3-4 points, can't I just do the math?
With no batteries in it, I just now gently adjusted it to zero, as a starting point.

Of course I have several other meters with which I can check ohms.

So, I'm just curious what you might think.
Feel free to weigh in.

I'm extremely pleased with the meter as is, and can't wait to get my test leads. I didn't reaslize the plugs for the leads were female, so I had to order a set.

Thanks,
Gary

 

Do you mean the zero adjust? I think you can adjust that without the screw.
Trial and error. Or leave the adjuster out.

 

Yes, the Zero adjust.

I did adjust it by disassembling the meter and removing the cover.

I guess I could do that every couple of months (to adjust for battery strength).
Would I be adjusting for the 9 volt, or the 1.5 volt?

I can use longer lasting batteries, to prolong the time between adjustments, etc.

Thanks,
Gary

 

The zero adjust is mechanical. Voltage or settings won't have an effect.

It just adjusts the return spring to zero.

Or am I not understanding?

I have never adjusted mine!