Fluke 45 used buy - what things to check for - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: nightfire
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 04, 2021, 07:24:12 pm
content: Hey folks,due to some, lets say, maybe accident or braindead lucky moment a Fluke 45 in good condition according to the (ebay) seller shall find a new home within my premises soon.As a companion to:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/fluke-8600a-used-buy-what-things-to-check-for/I would like to proactively ask what specifics for the Fluke 45 are known to keep an eye onto.The device itself judging from the photos is in a very good cosmetic condition, seller claims that a "calibration lab" checked it and claimed it fully functional. I don't know what this means, maybe I can even get a cal cert, more probably (judging from the price which is not much more than a "official" calibration would cost...) some friend that works at a cal lab tested it against some calibrated DMM and deemed all ranges functional and with reasonable values...Photos showed the display working and some volts measurements functional with seemingly good values, so I have high hopes for a good bargain that will live some time in my small lab ;-)As the manual did not state much about the fuses resp. their dimensions: Are they standard 6,3mmx32mm fuses? Or is it a special size?What about the RS232 interface? Aside from the sparsely populated DB9 header, are there any known issues with that interface regarding signal quality?(Coming from oxidation or issues with internal cabling etc.)Pinout and adaptation is no problem, I worked some years at my last job with serial console servers and their quirks ;-)On a side note: For me and the things i want to do the 45 (given full functionality) is probably a better value than the Fluke 8840 or HP 3478- there is a RS232 onboard, which the other two lack, and unless there are reliable and cheap GPIB-Adapters to a OS-independent interface are available (like serial oder Ethernet), those would drive the price up in regions where I can easily afford a newer DMM like the Agilent 34401 or some new stuff from the Rigol/Siglent/GW Instek fraction.(As also in photography some generic cameras are referred to as "Canikon", could this type of chinese equipment maybe referred to as "RigSigtek"?Also for DC A measurements the burden voltage is lower, coupled with better accuracy than the 3478, which goes for a similar price here in germany...

author: nightfire
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 11, 2021, 09:37:41 pm
content: Update: Just got my hands on it, aaaand: I'm happy!From the inside it looks just as good as new, the outside is also very good- and: *dramatic.drum.roll* It came with fresh calibration papers from November last year- everything in spec after probably 20 years...So, I don't know if i shall be happy about this little gem, or unhappy because there is nothing to tinker and "fix it till it breaks"...A short check against an el cheapo AD584KH voltage reference showed reasonable values, that match my other recently aquired DMMs.Is there any reliable way to determine exactly the year of build? I did not notice timestamps on ICs and such, only markings on the front PCB claiming copyright as of 1997- so this model should be a bit younger than that- interestingly, the main PCB is copyrighted 1987.

author: retrolefty
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 11, 2021, 09:46:14 pm
content: Dave Jones did a favorable review of this meter. I've owned one for a couple of decades and have no complaints.Biggest problem is the display that can suffer dimming over the years.