Are you willing to open your U1273AX? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: onesystem
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2023, 04:09:37 pm
content: Hello!I am very curious as to why there are two versions of firmware on Keysight support website.Could someone brave check their firmware version on their meter (turn on meter, go to Setup, Menu 5 top line is REVISION).Here is the brave part - if it is 4.01 or 4.02, could you please open up your meter, remove the PCB, unscrew the 4 screws holding the OLED, remove the OLED, and check the version of the OLED on that meter? On flex cable of the OLED screen it will say SSDxxxxx version.Disclaimer - I am pretty sure by doing that you will void warranty of the meter. So if it is still under warranty, please do not do it unless you don't care for it.Thanks in advance!!I am also interested to find out if anyone who bought this meter recently - is the OLED screen still SSD1303??

author: onesystem
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 01:55:57 pm
content: I take it there is no one who is up to opening the meter, ORno one really uses them anymore...Has anyone bought the U1273A or U1273AX in the last 4 years?

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 04:17:45 pm
content: Nobody who wants a meter that lasts anyways.

author: onesystem
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 04:25:01 pm
content: I understand. The OLED screen does go bad.There might be a solution to that though, where SSD1309 OLED could be used without the need of designing a circuit to translate comm between meter and it.Having to replace a $10.00 - $15.00 screen once every 3-4-5 years is not that bad for the functions and quality of the meter.

author: voltsandjolts
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 05:24:07 pm
content: The U1272 is a great meter, the best handheld for an electronic engineer IMHO.The U1273 adds no value, just trouble. And it's useless outdoors in daylight, apparently.

author: onesystem
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 06:07:52 pm
content: Right. Advantage of 1272 over 1273 is definitely in stability of screen. My hopes are that the OLED display tech will get better - so it will allow longer use of the meter without screen replacement. I am not sure if the sampling refresh rate of the meter itself can be curbed by refresh rate of LCD displaying the data, since OLED refresh rate is many times that over LCD. Again I don't know if it matters in these meters.But for all those who already have an OLED meter from Keysight: be it is U1273A, U1273AX, U1253B, I would like to know the firmware version and SSD OLED driver version. If you bought the meter 2015 or sooner there is a chance it has a newer display (one hopes!).

author: DavidAlfa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 06:41:18 pm
content: Oled has advanced a lot in 10 years, new displays should last a lot longer.The yellow one has the longer lifespan, blue is the worst.You can see this in any oled device, like smartphones, over 2 years the screen becomes warmer (Talking about color spectrum), a new screen might have 6000K white, as it ages it becomes 4000-3500K.You shouldn't worry too much, ssd1303, 1306 and 1309 use the same base commands.

author: onesystem
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 07:30:04 pm
content: Quote from: DavidAlfa on November 06, 2023, 06:41:18 pmNice!Well I am not as much worried as much thinking that once there is a complete firmware solution for U1273AX to work with SSD1309, what about the other meters? There is also 4.0x firmware for 1273, there are the 1253Bs plus there are the older Agilent blue case meters with OLED screens (I think it is U1253A). Maybe the firmware fix can be made available for all those meters so as to end this "screen problem" once and for all. I hate to see so many good meters going to waste...

author: DavidAlfa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 08:21:36 pm
content: As long as those DMMs share the same mcu and use the same updater, should be pretty easy.Download the latest updates, check if they have the same .AG update style.I would say Keysight used the same base for all those, maybe even the same bootloader.If those be found for cheap with bad screens, would be a really good dmm option with a little DIY fix.Once you have the fix done, buy 5 screens and forget the rest of your life.But I only found few of them, for $300+!

author: onesystem
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 08:32:53 pm
content: I know they are not cheap!Here I found one for $200.00...https://www.ebay.com/itm/225748989363Providing it is the same MCU (I will try to get the firmware for it), it might not be a bad buy

author: voltsandjolts
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 08:40:55 pm
content: Quote from: DavidAlfa on November 06, 2023, 08:21:36 pmUnfortunately OLEDs degrade while in storage too.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 08:50:27 pm
content: Quote from: voltsandjolts on November 06, 2023, 08:40:55 pmActually OLED failures in these meters seem to mostly happen not due to usage but just by age as I've seen reports of NOS or barely used meters already having a bad display. It probably has something to do with with degradation due to losing hermeticity as the issue seem to be hit and miss even though the same display model was used.

author: DavidAlfa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2023, 09:19:08 pm
content: Meh, I'm ok with my cheap Uni-T, I don't need such accuracy for what I do at home

author: Hxhusn
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 20, 2024, 09:49:10 am
content: The current OLED replacement has become more and more convenient.Because you can easily find alternative OLEDs on google.The lifespan problem cannot be solved temporarily, but the new OLED can generally be used for 6-7 years.