Trust in measurement is priceless.

 

Because they last so much longer. I bought one with my first paycheque in 1985 and it only gave up last year (display failed). It was still accurate even though it was 25 years out of calibration. They also don't have a huge appetite for batteries.
They also have a proper fuse on the 10A current range, capable of breaking some considerable DC current, so you don't end up with a fried meter if you measure battery voltage with it set for current.

 

You should have bought one online for $20

 

You should have bought one online for $20

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My meter was so old that it predates the rubberised case. The problem was damage to the case around the display, so the display would not keep in contact with the conductive rubber strip that connects the segments

 

I can't think of another product I have more brand loyalty to. IMO, if the measurements you're taking matter at all, you should be using a Fluke*. If you can't afford a new one, don't be afraid to buy used. Any 20 y/o used Fluke (that works) is likely more accurate and will last longer than a new China meter.

*Caveat: do not buy the Fluke Scopemeter. At least not with your own money. It's a buggy turd.

 

I can't think of another product I have more brand loyalty to. IMO, if the measurements you're taking matter at all, you should be using a Fluke*. If you can't afford a new one, don't be afraid to buy used. Any 20 y/o used Fluke (that works) is likely more accurate and will last longer than a new China meter.

*Caveat: do not buy the Fluke Scopemeter. At least not with your own money. It's a buggy turd.

I bought a Scopemeter, and soon sold it again.
You‘ve made it as an engineer when you’ve got a Fluke meter, a Tektronix scope, a Weller soldering iron and Lindström cutters (though I’m not sure about Lindström any more)

 

How did Jones get so much test equipment ? Why Jones slams the low price equipment ?
Partly it is our obsession for validating uncertainty but it is our cheap that prevents us from buying Keithley or HP.
Jones talks about saving a bucks over Fluke he went into Brymen and the specs, not bad.
His pirate knife opening another Lecroy scope. He knows the psychology but What we wanted to do is move to 16 bit resolution so in the process more plastic lunch box scopes with thin cracker fpga very very slowly approaching 12 bit. Mostly because wasting money on fancy garbage.

 

I use my Fluke Scopemeter when I need an isolated scope.

 

I use my Fluke Scopemeter when I need an isolated scope.

I haven't see a scope without at least two channels, "add" and an "invert" feature in years. O-scope use refresher to explain why "isolated scope" is not necessary...

 

I know that already. Still easier to grab a portable battery operated scope.

 

I have a Fluke 77 I bought in 1986 and its still going strong!

 

I haven't see a scope without at least two channels, "add" and an "invert" feature in years. O-scope use refresher to explain why "isolated scope" is not necessary...

That works from DC up to a few 100s of kHz - and that’s probably being a bit generous. Common mode voltage will eat you alive beyond that. Need either isolated probes or isolated scope at that point.

I’ve heard good things about the fluke scopemeter. They aren’t the best scopes available, granted. But they are reportedly good for isolated probing of high frequencies.

 

I recently spent ridiculous amount for a differential probe and 1GHz scope: to see if I got my money's worth - I just ran a test.

On the left a 400MHz diff-probe, on the right 500MHz single ended probes with grounds connected to the ground node of the circuit under test, but not connected for high speed.
This is a high side switch measurement of a synchronous converter (drain-to-source). Can't be done by connecting a probe ground to the source of the transistor.

• Rising edge is about 15.4MHz, Falling is about 23.6MHz, I zoomed in for a closer look.
• I'm actually surprised at how well the single ended probes track. Maybe I got lucky, maybe not. It's hard to know for sure.
• You can certainly see ADC noise with the single ended probe, this is something that would be better tested on an analog scope. And in this case, a 200MHz scope would be adequate, and they are 'readily available' used online. Although my experience is that even Tektronix gear loses performance at high frequency after decades of non-calibration - at least my 475A and 475 does.
• The diff probe does seem to show a small bump at the bottom of the falling edge, which isn't as apparent with the single ended probes.
• The deadtime levels appear to be different between rising and falling, and this isn't captured on the single ended probes.
• Any timing offset of the single ended probes would kill the measurement, not a concern with a high-quality diff probe.
• The scope probe has a much higher waveform update rate to capture any possible glitches. I needed to use infinite persistence to see both waveforms with the single ended probes.
• The more I think about it, I think I just got lucky with my single ended measurement.

Overall, I'm happy with the purchase... am I 9x happier as the increased price of the gear would indicate??? Not in this particular case, but there are a lot of reasons I bought the better gear - and this gear has saved my arse in at least one case that cheaper gear certainly would have never given me the opportunity to see the problem.

When you need to bet your life, someone else's life, or your company's reputation on something - go with the better gear.

 

I bought a Scopemeter, and soon sold it again

I've still got mine. The device itself works fine, but the ViewForms software (the reason I originally bought it) is steaming pile of unusable garbage.

 

One anomaly that was found with Fluke 77 meters was that it gave odd misleading readings when the battery was low, with no indication as such.
I worked at one place where we replaced the maintenance electricians old analog meters with Fluke 77's.
After a while in use, an electrician approached me and said he had measured what was expected to be a 120vac source and he got a reading of over 200vac.
After some checking we pinned it down to his meter, replaced the battery and viola it corrected it.
I have since noticed it on my own.

 

How did Jones get so much test equipment ?

Youtubers get sent them by manufacturers for reviews and such in the hope one/some get pride of place on the bench to be seen by all in subsequent videos.

Why Jones slams the low price equipment ?

To make those he sells look better.

Partly it is our obsession for validating uncertainty but it is our cheap that prevents us from buying Keithley or HP.
Just keep looking at the Brymen and the specs and you will eventually see Jones squeeky rant about saving a bucks over Fluke.

Yep, we all don't need the highest quality measurements. If you ever get the chance to visit a Cal lab you'd be shocked at the value of their gear and the standards they have to keep it all in spec.

His pirate knife opening another Lecroy scope.

As an Aussie Jonesy is pushing the Crocodile Dundee image....call that a knife....this is a knife !

He knows the psychology but What we wanted to do is move to 16 bit resolution so in the process more plastic lunch box scopes with thin cracker fpga very very slowly approaching 12 bit. Mostly because wasting money on fancy garbage.

High bit fast sampling IC's are still expensive and equipment that uses them are still above the affordability of the larger market sectors therefore many manufacturers use oversampling to get similar results.

 

I've fixed the LCD in a Fluke 85 a couple of times by just flipping the conductive rubber strip end-for-end and giving contacts a wipe with isopropanol.

 

I use my Fluke Scopemeter when I need an isolated scope.

I still have a Fluke 97 scopemeter for the same reason. Also have several Fluke multimeters that are decades old and still work and take a calibration. I can't say that for some others I've had - and discarded.

Point of reference: Way back when, I did a site visit to a client who was complaining that he couldn't consistently read the coil voltage on a 24VAC contactor coil. Moreover, when he tried, his DMM would fail. ?? I used the scopemeter and 10x probe to find that the inductive kick on the contactor was far in excess of the 500V protection on his cheap meters. My Fluke DMM also survived the experience. IIRC, those inputs were protected to 3KV or something. The sad thing is that he blew 4 meters and if he had taken that money to buy one decent Fluke, he'd be ahead.

I still have an 8020A that I bought in the '70s. We used to say 'If it works, it's a fluke'. Good, solid stuff, rugged and accurate. Expensive only in initial acquisition. After that it saves money every year that you don't have to replace it with another cheapo. As @nsaspook points out, trust in measurement is priceless. Having it working when you need it is also important.

I have read that the newer scopemeters are disappointing though.. too bad if true.

 

Fluke handheld meters are designed to be used in industrial/harsh environments. Shift after shift, week after week, and year after year plus have dropped survivability. Opening one up and comparing the range knob contacts alone against an inexpensive one should convince you. You can buy horribly externally beat up ones on eBay cheaply that still work. Our electrical/instrumentation shops used old Simpson and Triplett meters for many years (still using many of them when I retired post 2010) without needing replacement for the same reason, they didn't quit working! And that was in a chemical refinery in South Georgia which is a pretty harsh, mostly outdoor, environment. Same latitude as Saharan Africa but with high humidity!

 

BTW I have 3 Flukes... One 87V is dead and I haven't taken the time to figure out why... well, it actually works, but sucks the battery dry like a hog, pretty sure it was in a flood in the Houston area. One original 87 that is older and starting to show its wear: LCD screen is pretty dim, mechanical switch doesn't turn off properly anymore... both of these things are probably repairable, and the measurements are still 'bang-on', as Dave would say. The third 87V is almost new and perfect - I did buy it used though. There's a lot of these on the used market for about half price.

Let's be honest though - the 87 has been through 5 iterations, and now I see an 87 MAX on the website (Awful branding, by the way - are they not familiar with the Boeing MAX 8 debacle?). I personally prefer the original 87 because it has the lowest test voltage of any fluke on the market, that I'm aware of anyway. It doesn't turn on LED's as a result... no big deal, I could care less about LED's.