Nice catch or not? 3x Gossen Metrawatt – Metrahit 16s  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Spawn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2012, 11:23:26 am
content: Watching national auction site constantly pays off sometimesI received 3 Gossen Metrawatt – Metrahit 16s’s today, not only the multimeters, I also got 3 manuals and 2 interface adapters IR to RS232 plus the cables, there was also the official floppy disk with the software METRAwin10 on it.Seller warned me, there was a problem with the current measurement on all 3 Metrahits, but for the price of 62 Euros including shipment it was still a great deal! Besides I can use the interface with my own Metrahit 23sThe thing is the auction site here doesn’t have rules about ending time after you get agreed with the seller, while the auction still was on the price went up to twice as I offered but I already agreed with the seller and wired the money for it, and still it was not binding he could say “I am paying you back” and sell it to the other guy, but the seller was man of his words and send me the GossensFirst thing I could think of was the fuses but after taking one in parts the fuses where okay and I couldn’t see anything physically on the PCB’sHave to look later on these multimeters to see what’s wrong with them, I will post a video and if anyone recognizes the problem it would save me a lot timeHere some pictures, doesn’t need any explanation, after all it’s a GossenHere a video in Current mode:Don’t mind the blinking icon on left top, it means the mm is in constantly on mode and it won’t turn off after 10 minutes.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 31, 2012, 11:33:08 am
content: Nice photos, and nice score.I've got an old 16S that is maybe some sort of prototype, as it has some mods I think.Dave.

author: Spawn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2012, 11:38:58 am
content: Thanks DaveI am pretty happy myself lol, one will go in to my spare work case and one on to my bench and the third one will go to my son, he is studying electronics and 15 years old he is already very happy.Yeah there is a weird thing about these 16s because if I go to Gossens webpage this model is not shown in the discontinued models:http://www.gossenmetrawatt.com/english/ugruppe/testandmeasurement.htm

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2012, 03:12:15 am
content: Quote from: Spawn on March 31, 2012, 11:23:26 amWow, that is a great deal for a high quality name brand with true RMS even if the current mode doesn't work. The specs look pretty decent too.http://www.utwente.nl/tnw/onderwijs/Practica_TNW/doc/apparatuur/multimeters/metrahit18s.pdfI'm jealous!

author: Greg323i
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2012, 03:57:43 am
content: Quote from: retiredcaps on April 01, 2012, 03:12:15 am+1What's the site and seller's username so I can add him as a favorite?

author: Spawn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2012, 06:52:00 am
content: @retiredcaps, these are nice dmm’s indeed, specially with the interface which was almost same price as the meters back than@Greg323i, lol the guy was not a regular seller, he was just selling theseBut I got good news! I got all 3 working in current mode, it was not the fuses or the components inside.I was playing around with turning on the auto-off and it was really dodgy I couldn’t get them in to that mode, so I was trying one of the 16s constantly and the dmm crashed all digits came up, after that auto-off was on again, then I went to current mode and it was working! So I got the next 16s and got it crashed after several pushes on the buttons, but the third one was pain it didn’t crash at least for 10 minutes I was hitting the buttons like crazy and suddenly it crashed tooSo I checked if all 3 were measuring good values with a 12v fan and they are pretty accurate compared to my Metrahit 23s and Fluke 77 V and meanwhile I found out my never used Fluke 112 was way off compared to all othersTo make long story short, it is the firmware, all 3 has dodgy firmware, right now I can’t turn off auto range in current mode while all other modes work good but that’s a minor problem.Here a video how they act on current mode now:

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2012, 01:03:16 pm
content: Great find !Have you tried emailing the manufacturer. Some reputable companies like Fluke will repair high quality meters even when out of warranty. Gossen even sell spare parts like the LCD via the internet which is a good sign. A firmware update would likely only cost you postageWorth a try as Gossen may know of this firmware issue already and have an easy fix.I bought a slightly different model (23S?) for GBP60 a year ago but sadly it had to be returned to the seller as it had a very low contrast display (UV damage) and had a habit of not reading current properly and going berserk with missing digits and spurious HEX numbers displayed without any prompting by me.For info, the potentiometer next to the 47C820F controls the LCD contrast.Aurora

author: Spawn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2012, 02:28:20 pm
content: Thanks for the heads up Aurora, I already mailed Gossen, but that was before i knew it was a firmware issue. I am waiting on thier answer, after that i will report the issue about the firmware.I just checked all 3 16s and they arenoton auto-off again, i did test this when i finished testing this morning by turning off and on and they seem to hold it but after a while they don't and go back to same mode as when i got them.To be honest my 23s is less complicated than 16s inside, weird but true. 16s has much more pots to calibrate, it would be really nice to have service manuals for these dmm’s, they are within specs compared to my other multimeters, unfortunately I don’t have any tools to test accurate but for my use is this good enough.But thanks to you I know at least where to bring the contrast up on my 23s when it is needed

author: Greg323i
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2012, 04:49:33 pm
content: I have to admit that Gossen really support their Metrawatts, even the ones that they didn't make.I have an old BBC Goerz Metrawatt that I bought from work in about 1984. A few months ago, after seeing Dave's videos on the Metrawatts I had another company name to try and contacted Gossen about an owner's manual for my M2012. They informed me that they only had a copy of it in German and would be willing to email it to me if I wanted. I agreed and the whole exchange took much less than 24 hours! That's the type of companyIwant to deal with!!

author: wkb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2012, 05:48:45 pm
content: Quote from: Greg323i on April 01, 2012, 04:49:33 pmIt is really nice to get that kind of service, yes. It is also quite typical for German companies. I think there is a law in Germany that requires companies to supply repair parts for at least 10 years after last production. No "throw away" mentality there, which is a good thing for this planet of ours.

author: Spawn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2012, 10:01:48 pm
content: True that, Germans built to last and after service has been always good in my experience tool and machines wise.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2012, 10:35:16 pm
content: A decent website too....including a video by very our own Dave Joneshttp://www.gossenmetrawatt.com/english/seiten/metrahit-fromstandardmeasuringinstrument.htmSpares at reasonable prices are available here:http://www.gossenmetrawatt.com/resources/service/spare-parts-01-2011_gb.pdfSupport site:http://www.gossenmetrawatt.com/english/seiten/servicecentersupport1.htmGreat looking support from this manufacturer.Aurora

author: david77
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2012, 11:24:04 pm
content: I'm not aware of any law requiring companies to keep spares for any amount of time. The good companies will do that, though. They know their customers expect it and maybe even have some kind of pride for their products. That's not different in other countries, I think.After all Gossen sell high priced top of the range products mostly to professionals who expect this kind of service.And don't worry, the throw-away mentality is alive and kickin' here aswell.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2012, 02:31:05 am
content: Quote from: Spawn on April 01, 2012, 06:52:00 amOnly a hundred more or so Gossens to go before you can mount a serious challenge to Excavatoree's staircase photo.

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2012, 12:00:28 pm
content: Quote from: Aurora on April 01, 2012, 01:03:16 pmThe fix isn't going to be just a firmware update since the 47C820F is a mask ROM 4-bit MCU discontinued around 2005... but maybe Gossen has remaining stock with a newer fixed firmware.

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2012, 01:51:27 pm
content: Very nice catch, indeed!I guess this is the other side of the coin - I know Fluke meters are more expensive in some parts of the world other than the US. It seems Gossen (or Dranetz, I'm not sure about how that marketing arrangment is structured) are very expensive here. (Not that they aren't expensive in general) I don't ever see any of them used on the "famous auction site."

author: Spawn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2012, 02:35:52 pm
content: Quote from: retiredcaps on April 02, 2012, 02:31:05 amLol, I am not that richThis was just luck, I got the 23s for a while, and also second hand but I still paid good money for it back then.Quote from: Excavatoree on April 02, 2012, 01:51:27 pmThanks Excavatoree, Fluke’s are slightly cheaper than a Gossen here, I see Gossen’s on EU Ebay shipped only to EU countries and they still go for great of amount money, but Gossen’s are not widely sold as second hand here too.Quote from: amyk on April 02, 2012, 12:00:28 pmWe will see what Gossen does amyk, they mailed me back and they suggest me to clean the switch lanes and such but they didn’t know about the firmware issue I found out, I mailed them back with the information I found out.Here is the mail from Gossen:Quote

author: Spawn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2012, 01:27:19 am
content: Well there goes Gossen’s customer support… after two weeks they didn’t come back to me. They could at least say “Sorry we don’t offer any support for this model anymore”Sad...

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2012, 02:33:54 am
content: State / public aunctions are a great local replacement for eBay. In fact, the demand for some stuff is so low that you get awesome deals like these. Pawn shops tend to be good places around here too. Some musician friends of mine joke about pawn shops because they always seem to be selling a bunch of old guitars and trumpets from musicians that ran out of money.Next time, go check out these kind of places. I have to do that myself too.

author: Roter_Flieger
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 16, 2012, 08:16:43 am
content: I am doing some kind of thread gravedigging here, but anyways...I've got a Metrahit 13s that shows the same behaviour in current ranges. I do not believe it is just a firmware issue. Why? Because it only acts up if it has not been used for a few days.Normally you turn it on, it beeps, shows up all LCD segments for a second, clears the screen and shows whatever it is reading. However, when not used for a few days, you turn it on, the display stays blank, no beep and after a second, you get a readout but with the Auto-Shutoff-Disabled icon flashing (normally, you should only see it when you activated the RS232 interface by pressing the DATA key during power-up). In this situation, current modes will act up like we can see on your Metrahits 16s. The cure is to power-cycle the unit until it starts up normally.So Firmware issue? Why would it act up only after a few days of not being used? Although this kind of meter has no real power-off but only soft-off, why would the firmware crash only after a few days in soft-off? Also I don't remember having had this issue from the beginning. I suspect something else. Worn-out caps maybe?Also can someone tell me why Gossen left the 16A range unfused on the 13s? What kind of application makes you look for an unfused meter? (Well, I converted my unit to fused some years ago.)

author: Rick
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2012, 01:02:12 pm
content: Quote from: Excavatoree on April 02, 2012, 01:51:27 pmYou need to look atwww.ebay.nlThere are two at the moment there. You may want to use google translate.comAnd I bet those guys speak English.For some reason some items are only posted there despite the fact that the seller ships to any country in the world.

author: HiltiHome
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: July 16, 2014, 10:09:50 pm
content: Rather old thread, but there seems still no solution for the described issues...so here is my find:I owned three Metrahit multimeters from the same series.A MetraHit 13S is still in use, the others sold.All of them had the same issue:Not staying on, after first press off the power button,and as they grow older, crazy readings in amps range.The cause is conductive residue on the circuit board, from worn rubber buttons.I disassembled the meter, removed the black plastic cover, and cleaned the printed contacts with a glass hair eraser.Washed with a dedicated cleaner for circuit boards, dried it with compressed air, and repeated the procedure.After that, I recommend to let it sit for at least one hour. The circuit seems rather sensitive in this area.This fix will not last long, if you continue to use the old rubber buttons.At least you should clean the black contact surface, before reuse.I strongly recommend to buy new rubber buttons.My own MetraHit 13S and the MetraHit 18S, sold to a friend, still work fine after more than one year.Hope this helps.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 17, 2014, 05:54:45 am
content: Quote from: HiltiHome on July 16, 2014, 10:09:50 pmThanks for contributing your repair hints/techniques.Someday, I hope to get at least one Gossen.

author: kblue
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 27, 2025, 07:34:24 pm
content: Rather old thread, i know i know but i stumbled upon the same problem with a 15S. It sometimes needs 2 or 3 tries for power-up and on other occasions DATA-Mode is turned on aswell (without touching the DATA-Button while turning on). So ye, it seems these buttons degrade over time. I already cleaned the whole PCB in an ultrasonic cleaner with isoprop with no significant change. Cleaned again with a proper PCB cleaner, also heating the solution (50 °C) and gave it some mechanical wipes with brushes. After that, the behavior changed significantly; no more false startup, no startup or DATA-Mode active without touching the DATA-button.But after intense using for some repairs, the symptoms are slowly making a comeback. So yeah, it seems to be some sort of "residue" or whatever. Measuring the pads with multiple meters always shows "OL" (so higher than 50MOhm for me) but it still seems to be enough from time to time for a false activation.Mayhaps someone has a more permanent solution or stumbled upon this problem and it wasnt the "soft rubber buttons" but something else entirely? Who knows. I don't have schematics for the multimeter, which could be useful if something else "in the line" failed.Best wishes!