Multimeter for Electronic Engineering: Brymen BM869s, BM789, Fluke 289 or else? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Songhua
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2024, 04:13:19 pm
content: Key factors that I need for Electronic Engineering:Color in Red is must, Color in Green is optionalRMSHz, %for testing some servos, pre-defined signalsAt least 50000 counts, 60000 counts is great for testing voltages around 5Vdbm(for testing some RF signals. Usually I can use an oscilloscope which has FFT with a 50 ohm attenuator to do this test or a VNA but it would be great if you can have it in a multimeter.)mV and mAVFD (variable frequency drive)Optional. Can be used for motors and robotics tunningUSB to PCOptional. Sometimes it's very usefulPreviously I had a Uni-T 61E+ but its mA position showed incorrect 50% value of the correct value using A position which is ridiculous for serious EE.Sources from :Candidates:1. Brymen BM869s ( 500000 counts in DC mode, dbm, VFD) ( a youtube review:https://youtu.be/aSrq3UJt4qU?si=wh4bY9do9DfDPpPa)2. Brymen BM789 (60000 counts, dbm)3. Brymen BM786 (60000 counts, no dbm)4. Fluke 289 (50000 counts, it has 50 ohm position, dbm, ) (too expensive, won't buy)5. UT181A ( 60000 counts, dbm (4ohm-1200ohm) and dbv claimed to be same accurate as Fluke 289 but at 50% price)6. Rigol DM858 or DM858E (More powerful. Can be powered by a power bank. DM858E is at almost the same price of BM869s but it's a Benchtop Multimeter. Manual herehttps://download.rigol.com/en/Manual/Digital%20Multimeters/DM858/DM858_DataSheet_EN.pdf)What do you suggest, and why?Appreciate your comments!----UpdatedThanks for all your suggestions.I eneded up getting a brand new pricy Fluke 289. And it is functioning well which comes with a verification report. I tested the measurements of registors, capacitors with a multimeter Fluke 289 and a LCR meter (50000 counts, 0.2% accuracy) on a LCR reference board measured by a LCR meter (0.05% accuracy, 6.5 digit）from lab. The bias was acceptable within its specs. I tested the dbm and VFD functionalities on Fluke 289, and it worked as described in my testing scenarios.

author: KungFuJosh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2024, 04:25:09 pm
content: If you're considering bench DMMs, you should also look at Siglent's SDM3000X series.If you have the budget for it, also consider DMM6500.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2024, 04:35:39 pm
content: brymen 500k count is not real and its limitted on some functionsmany brand have the same chipsets saying red yellow loll you have the green ones tooif not get an chauvin arnoux real 100,000 count dmm ? BT enabled or the Metrix variants, sure you'll pay $ witch you dont wantUni-t are crap unless you go with the top model as you wrote ...you want to do serious job as i see, get serious meters .... the Brymen 789 is a good one why not ?289$ you can snatch good ones on ebay ?? not paying full overpriced $$$ but slooooooooooow on boot, some have hacked / upgraded battery life ...UT181A read all the feedback to see if it is good for you, if oled based display MEH NOTRigol, i would serioulsy wait 1 year or more until they iron out problems / add features or resolve bugsyou did a good work writing your need, but witch one can you live without ... portability, battery life ? or bench uses ?my choices: would be 869 S, (almost equal with 789) 789 and finally the 289, (the 869S is the better backlight display vs 869)a fast boot 289 would be 1st, but wont happen loll789 are relatively new, check for teardown and tests from some member here, joe ... smith, he love to push them at their limits or blow them lolli use the Amprobe equivalent of the 869, AM-160A better stability on a bench, i hate the 869 casingBut i admit the 140 and 160 models are becoming rare

author: Furna
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2024, 05:39:06 pm
content: I am pretty satisfied with Brymen BM869s and I would chose it again if I had to go again through the process for a handled DMM.Why? Because of the features/price/reliability combination. More review athttps://www.youtube.com/@joesmith-je3tqFor a bench multimeter I am pointing at Siglent SDM4000A not yet available in Europe but available in China (if you ever get one of theese please post a review inhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/new-siglent-multimeter/).

author: KungFuJosh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2024, 05:41:18 pm
content: Good point! He's in China, so he could probably get one of the SDM4000A DMMs. I want one (or two) of those also. 😉

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2024, 05:47:32 pm
content: Quote from: coromonadalix on October 01, 2024, 04:35:39 pmWhat is it, imaginary?

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2024, 12:19:09 am
content: Quote from: Fungus on October 01, 2024, 05:47:32 pmWell, I guess since it was brought up:Back in the day when I bought my BM869s I was definitely deceived by Brymen's sneaky 500,000 count claim and expected it to work in all modes.https://www.welectron.com/mediafiles/datasheets/brymen/Brymen_BM860s_Datasheet.pdfTop of 2nd page: "LARGE 500,000 COUNTS LCD DISPLAY"Top of 3rd page under "FUNCTIONS & FEATURES": "5-4/5 Digits 500,000 Counts Large Easy To Read LCD Display"And of course all the photos show the full 500,000 counts.It's not until you very carefully read the last page:GENERAL SPECIFICATIONDisplay: 4-4/5 digits 50,000 counts fast mode. Selectable stablemode 5-4/5 digits 500,000 counts for DC Voltage & 5 digits 99,999counts for HzDrift due to temperature and age means that the 500k count DCV modes have some pretty big caveats. Even the biggest use case people mention which is tracking changes is questionable because it's slow and can wander a bit.However, if you have access to a 5V reference, you can dial it in and get a bit more use out of it in that specific range. And the lower parts of each range have better accuracy.

author: daisizhou
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2024, 10:39:37 am
content: Fluke 8060a, you didn't mention your budget.I will not be buying any Uni-T meters because I feel Uni-T is unprofessional.Fluke 80 series or 27ii, 28ii are also good choices,I don't like Fluke 287 and 289 because they are only suitable for labs and not for real environments. Also, they start up very slowly and are not efficient.

author: wasedadoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2024, 11:32:23 am
content: "dbm (for testing some RF signals."Most DMMs cannot accurately measure AC voltges over the audio range, never mind approaching RF.