Help with new (to me) fluke 87III - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: niv
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 02, 2010, 12:04:06 am
content: Just obtained an 87 III. Everything is perfect except no beep with continuity testing.I turn the meter to Ohm's, hit the )))) button until it appears in the display, and touch the leads together. The display quickly settles at about point 2 ohms, but not a soundAm I missing something?Thanks in advance.Niv

author: sonicj
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2010, 01:00:43 am
content: not sure... seems like it should beep. heres the manual if you don't have it.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2010, 05:17:00 pm
content: Get to the Diode mark .. and try again .

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2010, 07:35:49 pm
content: Quote from: Kiriakos-GR on November 02, 2010, 05:17:00 pmLeave it in ohms, but press the button above the "peak min max" for the beeper.Mine doesn't been in resistance or diode check without pressing the button, and only beeps in resistance if the button is pressed.On other models (25/27 is one example, maybe others in 70 series) the diode test mode is also the beeper, but this isn't the case with the 87-III.

author: niv
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 02, 2010, 07:48:10 pm
content: In Ohm mode, I can select )))) (the button over the peak min max button) and hold it until )))) appears in the display. Still no beep when touching the leads together. The meter reads resistance accurately.I tried the diode mode, but it won't allow me to select ))))I appreciate the suggestions. Any more? Is my meter broke?

author: ModemHead
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2010, 08:18:45 pm
content: Select any voltage range and put a test lead in the "A" jack. The meter should chirp constantly. If not, the beeper isn't working.If your 87III is like my 87, the beeper is not soldered, but uses a couple of flexible buttons that are pressed onto the circuit board by virtue of the fact that the beeper is installed on a black plastic shield piece fastened by a single screw on the back side of the assembly. If you're handy with a screwdriver, carefully disassemble the meter and clean those contacts, and it may resurrect your silent beeper.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2010, 08:32:39 pm
content: Yes , sorry my mistake , ohms mode and beeper is the right way.Even so , if you have set the ohms , and you plug any cable lead to Amperes , it should beeb !!Leads alarm function !!Does it work that way , do you get any sound ?

author: niv
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 02, 2010, 10:28:21 pm
content: Select any voltage range and put a test lead in the "A" jack. The meter should chirp constantly. If not, the beeper isn't working.If your 87III is like my 87, the beeper is not soldered, but uses a couple of flexible buttons that are pressed onto the circuit board by virtue of the fact that the beeper is installed on a black plastic shield piece fastened by a single screw on the back side of the assembly. If you're handy with a screwdriver, carefully disassemble the meter and clean those contacts, and it may resurrect your silent beeper.I inserted a lead into the "A" jack. I could hear nothing but the sound of silence (ha ha).I'll try cleaning the contacts.Thanks to everybody for trying to help!

author: niv
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 02, 2010, 10:53:12 pm
content: Whoa. Opened the meter. The batter cable was routed right through where F2, the 11 amp fuse was supposed to be. Went to the service manual. The procedure for checking fuses is to hear a beep when shorting between the "A" input and the volt/ohm/diode input.I think we found the problem.Thanks for the help.

author: niv
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 03, 2010, 03:34:52 am
content: I installed a new fuse. Ran a test on both fuses. Both test good. Still no beep. Hmmph.Can anyone point me to where the buzzer is located? I checked both sides of the board and couldn't tell where it was.Thanks in advance.Neil

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 03, 2010, 12:29:02 pm
content: If it turns out to be a bad beeper (and not missing "buttons" or some other problem) let me know. I've got a spare cover with beeper I'll test and send to you if you need it.

author: ModemHead
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 03, 2010, 12:50:00 pm
content: Quote from: niv on November 03, 2010, 03:34:52 amRemove the guts from the shell and turn it over.Remove the screw holding the black plastic shield/cover on. Mind the tabs at the top and don't break them.The beeper is the gold-colored disc.

author: niv
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 03, 2010, 07:28:56 pm
content: Thanks Modemhead. A picture is truly worth a thousand words. I appreciate it very much. Now if I could only figure out which contacts to clean.Thanks for the offer, Excavatoree. How do I test if I have a bad beeper? I have a second meter, a little chewing gum and near any other tool I might need.Thanks for the help. Great community here.

author: niv
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 03, 2010, 07:54:39 pm
content: Yeah. Problem solved. Modemhead put me on the solution with mention of being carefull with the ears on the shield. When looking for the buzer, I took off the shield and don't think I had the ears seated properly on the board. I cleaned what I guessed to be the terminals,carefullyre-seated the shield and re-asembled. Bingo.Thanks to all for you help. Thanks especially to Modemhead.

author: ModemHead
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 03, 2010, 09:21:48 pm
content: You're welcome. I like to fix stuff. Even vicariously.

author: FreeThinker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 03, 2010, 11:05:53 pm
content: vicariously??? Whoa had to look that one up!!

author: jjveliz
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 04, 2019, 06:00:03 pm
content: I'm having the same issue with my 87iii. Followed this thread, cleaned black contacts after removal but still nothing. Anyway to ck test the beeper? What type of signal could I apply to it to test it? Going to post a separate thread to see if anyone could help since this is such an old thread. Thanks.

author: ModemHead
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 04, 2019, 09:11:46 pm
content: Quote from: jjveliz on February 04, 2019, 06:00:03 pmA 1 kHz square wave of about 5 Vpp should be sufficient to test the peizo.