need reliable multimeter with onscreen display (not android/iphone) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: vze1lryy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2017, 03:53:04 pm
content: I am looking for a multimeter that I can use with a windows desktop and have the result show on screen. I am not looking for it to show on an android phone! I want to have it display the result on screen so I can include it in a livestream.I used the TekPower TP9605BT for a while. It is finicky. I don't know if it's a recent windows update or what but neither of the ones I have work on any machine at the office anymore after uninstalling/reinstalling drivers on different machines. For this reason I don't wan to deal with any of this RS232 cable to USB junk anymore being 2017.Someone recommended a UNI-T UT71E to me and showed me a youtube video of them using it and showing it on screen, and it worked great. The first result when you google this is... 20 minutes of dave showing you why it's a POS. and it costs almost $200.Any recommendations before I give up and duct tape a webcam to my multimeter?

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 14, 2017, 04:48:00 am
content: Wow, no responses yet? Louis I think people are afraid of you!The problem with multimeters is the remote software all suck IMHO.I would suggest that you download the software for meters that have it and see what you like the most for appearance for streaming. Brymen, Uni-T, Keysight, and many others have PC cables and software for many of the meters. It would best for you to just look at one you hate the least.

author: vze1lryy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2017, 05:14:48 am
content: I expect the software to be garbage. It need not do anything but display a result. My only requirement is that it work without the driver issues one can expect trying to use a dinosaur's era rs232 interface with a windows 10 machine.I am thinking this could be a fun time to do something nuts like figuring out what type of display this is and find something to convert its output to VGA. I have absolutely no idea how this works but could end up as an interesting project.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2017, 06:11:58 am
content: I dunno about the best meter to get, but there is the UltraDMM software that someone on this forum wrote. It was designed to be a generic meter app and work with many different DMM chipsets that output serial data.I'm not sure the status of the project but it worked fine for me like 5 years ago on a WinXP machine.I dunno if it supports win8/10 or what new meters it supports.http://www.ultradmm.com/One thing of note. You are always going to have battery life issues running datalogging for hours on end. It keeps the cpu awake.Auto power off is another annoying thing for your application. You want to find a meter that has a disable option for it.

author: xani
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2017, 06:46:43 am
content: Dave's 121GW is supposed to have app that's both phone and windows/linux/mac, but you will have to wait for that.Or smile REAAAAALLLYY nicely to Dave and ask him for one of pre-production unit + software.As for others...there seem to be 2 distinct spaces, either something is PC only + some special drivers/software (or occasionally just SCPI/VISA + software), or it is android/iOS exclusive.Like I've managed to get data out of my Picotest M3510A via USB pretty easily... but that was via SCPI which basically meant front panel gets locked and once you start using it you ONLY can change ranges via that remote controlYou might try your luck with Sigrok (https://www.sigrok.org/wiki/Supported_hardware) but that seems like a lot of fiddling if you just want to get a value off meter. Only "visual" part seems to be PulseView and I dunno if that has "just show me one big number" mode

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2017, 07:00:32 am
content: I really want to make you a decoder that takes multimeter output and shows the DMM mode and reading on one of theselarge US$20 32x32 LED displays. You could have it on the desk and its big enough everyone can see it.It wouldn't be that hard to code an arduino to decode the dmm serial and there is already arduino libraries to talk to those led displaysThe problem is finding the time to code it, and i would need to buy the same meter as you so i could code/test it.And you keep getting new meters which fail

author: kalel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2017, 07:06:57 am
content: Quote from: vze1lryy on November 14, 2017, 05:14:48 amOther than the 'fun' factor of working it out, at that point, you could use a cheap webcam if you had a good way to attach one. I know he (the vid below) used cheap webcams to display his data, but he doesn't move things around (just the test leads - it's a bench meter). To me, the displayed values are clear enough, and not restricted to any hardware/software/OS. High resolution is not needed for this, so the cheapest grade 640 x 480 webcams could work as long as they focus right. Ironically, the new videos seem to use some PC software for the multimeter part.Still, it probably would not work well with a handheld meter unless you fixed the webcam and always used the meter at the same position, but it is an alternative to figuring out the display and getting the data on a PC.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 14, 2017, 07:22:34 am
content: Quote from: kalel on November 14, 2017, 07:06:57 amBuild a cradle for the meter, with a bracket to hold the webcam in a set position over the display.But I can see Louis not being too enthusiastic. The idea of a direct window display without any mechanical awkwardness is far more appealing

author: Zbig
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2017, 02:59:30 pm
content: I have sucessfully used a Keysight U1270 Series multimeter with U1177 IR-to-Bluetooth adapter and Keysight Handheld Meter Logger Software for PC. Not sure whether it's legacy-free enough for you though, as it involves serial port emulation over BT. FWIW, I had no problems with my Windows 10 laptop discovering and installing the virtual COM port over BT on first go, using its stock, default drivers. There's also a version of the IR adapter with USB cable (this one uses Prolific USB-UART chipset, if I'm not mistaken).

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2017, 06:29:10 am
content: I think most, if not all, of Louis's problems with rs232/uart are to do with cheap buggy rs232/uart solutions.I assume he's using a usb to uart bridge cable that either came with the meter or was purchased from somewhere and it's probably a cheap and nasty chipset.rs232/uart and a quality usb bridge is very reliable. Assuming your USB port is reliable of course.

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2017, 07:53:06 am
content: Keysight U1241C + USB-IR. works a treat. I use a Mac and had to write my own software but the Keysight software works fine on a standard PC.<— action photo

author: 001
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2017, 08:27:13 am
content: Awesome idea is to make big bright display to duplicate dmm displayThe simplest way is to convert any segment to ledThe second way ay be based on fact what many dmms translate via rs232/usb not values, but display segment info

author: 001
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2017, 08:43:27 am
content: Check this tread alsohttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/ultradmm-software-project/Great universal dmm datalogger is doneMay be somebody can add big screen graphic interface to it?It will be awesome for oldmans