EEVblog 1564 - Agilent/Keysight U1273AX Multimeter Repair - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 11, 2023, 10:28:16 pm
content: A very interesting repair of an Agilent/Keysight U1273AX OLED display multimeter. It had two distinct unrelated faults.Available for auction from 99cents:https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/225767769508Ian Scott Johnston on The Amp Hour:https://theamphour.com/643-calibration-repair-with-ian-johnston/Thin film ceramic hybrid resistor networks:

author: sonic
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2023, 01:09:22 am
content: The screen of my U1253B got very dim after 9 years of light use. After trying thegerman Keysight support to no avail I got a replacement fromhttps://parcelup.com/shop/item.php?id=591402268582#4133487996875At least their U1253B version doesn't have the mirrored-after-menu issue.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2023, 01:56:37 am
content: Those small OLED displays look cute but they aren't very reliable. Also, try seeing anything in direct sunlight.

author: lty1993
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 13, 2023, 05:21:33 am
content: The last time I contacted Keysight US about the replacement of the OLED, they informed me that if the product is no longer under warranty, the only available option is to purchase a new meter.

author: Shonky
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2023, 06:41:43 am
content: Seems like the replacement board is not very good and is not initialising the OLED controller properly. i.e. OLED controller resets, but STM32 on the driver board doesn't re-initialise it and you end up in the reversed mode? Pretty poor and you'd think it would have shown this multiple times whilst developing it.

author: Macao2Blue
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 13, 2023, 09:09:41 am
content: Hello, I hope I am not too late, I am not a subscriver of your youtube channel.This was my dads last multimer and the only one I had so far that connected to the computer, I tryed to upgrade it some years ago and it failed, I can not do anything with it , was too expensive to pay to fix and I don't known how to fix it. I asked my mum and she can send it for free to you, you can use the front and back covers so that the new onwer can have a really nice one, also working display (I think).Despite my current multimeter having no computer connection it does the job so I am not looking for a multimeter at the moment, I am saving for an digital oscilloscope and in 2 years I should have access to nice stuff at the university.I would really like to give these parts some usefullness so I hope I can send them to you, can you send me an email?

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 13, 2023, 09:25:16 pm
content: Quote from: Macao2Blue on September 13, 2023, 09:09:41 amWhy not buy the display yourself and fix it, then sell it? As you can see in the video its not that difficult.Or just sell it on ebay as powers up dead display, for parts.

author: Macao2Blue
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 16, 2023, 01:40:55 pm
content: QuoteThe multimeter does not work because of me upgrading it with the computer and failed. It powers up displays the brand and nothing else happens. If the issue was the display I would have fixed it!QuoteEbay only allows users above 18years old.Front and back cover are almost as new and no battery leaked, would be happy to find some usage for them

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2023, 10:20:14 pm
content: Voltage offset which changes with the meter range can mean high leakage from the input buffer and shunt protection circuits into the series resistor used for overload protection and the input dividers. The reading changes when different input dividers are selected because their parallel resistance changes.Automatic ranging meters usually have a manual ranging mode however often the manual ranging mode does *not* control which input divider is active and instead automatic ranging is still used to do that which makes diagnosing leakage difficult.

author: pts
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 18, 2023, 12:05:30 pm
content: What about plastic not handling Battery acid?What about leakage from battery compartment reaching the PCB board in the first place?with current construction It seems unavoidable that leakage from battery compartment can damage the PCB.Should be avoidable with proper design.How common is these kind of problems

author: Kleinstein
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 18, 2023, 03:44:15 pm
content: It is a bit strange to use a kind of plastics that is not resistant to the liquid leaking from the typical batteries. Leaking batteries are a really common thing - among the main causes a broken meter.It is however rare that products are designed with a water proof battery compartment and maybe an absorber to catch leaking batteries.

author: onesystem
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2024, 09:50:26 pm
content: With help of eevblog members from microcontrollers board, we were able to dissect the firmware and patch it to work with current OLED screens (with driver SSD1309).Here is the firmware dissection process:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/microcontrollers/8-bit-78k0-d78f0547-help-with-firmware-modificationHere is the procedure for screen replacement using patched firmware:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/agilent-u1273ax-dead-display/msg5282710/#msg5282710This way meter works properly no matter if you are in setup menu, regular measurements or if you turn it off and on too quickly.Also cost is way less since you are only paying for OLED screen with driver SSD1309 only and nothing else.