21 Sep
2010
21 Sep
'10
1:51 p.m.
On 9/20/10 8:02 PM, Shoppa, Tim wrote:
> In terms of used Flukes, I highly recommend any used 77-series unit. You can
critique the designs because of what you saw as failings of your Fluke 85, but believe me,
the LCD display on any Fluke LCD DMM will be far more durable than the faceplate on
my Simpson 260 or Triplett 630.
At the very low end, in the $3 to $5 range there are "disposable" DMM's
available at discount stores here in the US. They are not a joy to use but they do mostly
work.
I've evaluated five or six of these. The accuracy and stability of
these things, especially in the face of temperature variations, is utter
crap. Don't ever adjust a +5V supply in a PDP-11 using one of these. ;)
Some of these were tested as being 15% off, measuring nearly six volts
from a (very tightly calibrated) 5V supply! Buying cheap multimeters (or any other tool,
really) is a false
economy. My daily-use handheld DMM is an original Fluke 77 (no suffix)
'I am not rich enough to buy cheap tools' :-) As I have said many times.
But equally, if you buy an expensive tool it should be worth the money.
Most times it is. As I have said, I didn't objerct to the fact that the
FLuke was at least 5 times the price of a cheap meter with similar paper
specifications. But I do object if what I get isn't much better than the
cheap version.
that I stole from work so long ago that I don't
mind mentioning it here.
;) I've had it for almost twenty years, and it was well-used when I got
it. It works as if it were brand new.
As did my 85 (origianl version, no suffix) until a couple of days ago.
Just needed batteries every so often and the occasional cleaning fo trhe
zebra strip. Perhaps I was unlucky that the display died, but...
-tony