Was your first meter a "trashy" meter? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 11:20:54 am
content: We all like to recommend expensive meters to newbies but let's admit it: Many people here started out with a "trashy" meter.Ref:Another option is those $60-$80 meters they sell in hardware stores that would never get recommended here (think "Mestek" or "Amprobe").Finally: A special category for all the UT61E owners.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 11:34:54 am
content: Was it trashy? Well ... I didn't think so at the time (when I was ~10 years old).

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 11:43:57 am
content: Heathkit V-7A valves 12AX7A 6AL5Circa 1957Jon

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 11:49:57 am
content: Quote from: xrunner on March 23, 2023, 11:34:54 amI forgot Radio Shack.New category added.

author: wasedadoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 12:16:43 pm
content: Avo Multiminor Mk4. About 1965.http://www.richardsradios.co.uk/AVO/Multiminor4_istr.pdf

author: Black Phoenix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 12:22:58 pm
content: My first owned DMM, Fluke 289.The first DMM I used, Fluke 112.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 12:25:21 pm
content: No, I had a good Analogue meter. Then I bought the trashy digital one. And it still works.But that's not the reason why we recommend the more expensive ones, it's because the cheap one might blow up in your hand when measuring the AC current coming from the wall socket in parallel.

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 12:44:03 pm
content: After using the intensity of small lightbulbs to guess my measurements, I had a couple of panel meter movements. Then I was given an old VTVM. Then at 13yo, my first real meter from RadioShack (also analog). Then my first DMM, the Fluke 8000A. I consider all of them trashy but as a beginner, they were more than good enough to learn some of the basics.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 01:34:17 pm
content: Quote from: tszaboo on March 23, 2023, 12:25:21 pmLesson learned!Who hasn't tripped a circuit breaker or three in their time?(The mass distribution of DT830 meters by Harbor Freight in the Land Of The Free shows this isn't really a big problem)

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 02:14:45 pm
content: First meter was a tandy, wot we called radio shack here in the uk,analogue very basic model,next was a robin i think ,mains tester,a disc was pulled down by an electromagnet that indicated the voltage,the further down the disc went the higher the voltage, if the thing vibrated it was AC if not DC,had that for years until it got dropped and the plastic case shattered,it also double up as an rcd tester due to the current it drewQuotemaybe another survey,"how old was you when you first blew a circuit breaker"

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 02:54:34 pm
content: Something like this IIRC, got a Micronta a bit later.At 16 I started my apprenticeship where the defacto meter was AVO8 and if we asked nicely we could sign a loan note & take stuff home over the weekend so I guess I was a bit spoiled in that respect.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 03:01:48 pm
content: Quote from: themadhippy on March 23, 2023, 02:14:45 pmWhen I was a kid the fuses had bits of wire threaded through them that you had to replace.Dad had a little bit of cardboard with three different amperages wrapped around it.

author: wasedadoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 03:36:34 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on March 23, 2023, 03:01:48 pmThat is the type of fuses in my house which was built in 1976.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 03:43:20 pm
content: Quote from: wasedadoc on March 23, 2023, 03:36:34 pmYou still have that type?A fuse is a fuse, I guess.Do you have anRCD?

author: PwrElectronics
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 04:33:19 pm
content: Not sure how trashy it was but paid $85 USD in 1985 ($238 in 2023 !!)... A bunch of students in my electronics class did a group discount from a tools catalog. Multi-function meter with transistor test and capacitor measurement as well as the typical other stuff. Some Taiwan made off-brand. I am sure a fraction of the price of a Fluke or other major brand.I still have it and it still works. I have other, better meters now though.

author: Black Phoenix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 04:52:14 pm
content: Quote from: wasedadoc on March 23, 2023, 03:36:34 pmSame here, my grandparents home. From the 1965.

author: wasedadoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 05:18:53 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on March 23, 2023, 03:43:20 pmNo RCDs in the house. In the garage I fitted a RCD equipped dual socket outlet. One outlet has the pond pump plugged into it. The pump is fully submerged.When cutting the hedges with an electric clipper I use a long extension cable with a RCD plug on it. I did trip that once when I accidentally cut the clipper's cable.

author: mwb1100
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 06:41:31 pm
content: Quote from: themadhippy on March 23, 2023, 02:14:45 pmCan't remember the first time I tripped a breaker, but I do remember one day when the stereo wouldn't work and when I checked the panel, sure enough one had tripped. I reset it and immediately heard a yell from my dad. Hoo boy - the rest of the day did not go well.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 06:45:37 pm
content: The first multimeter that I bought with my own money was a Beckman Tech 310, which is hardly trashy. It finally died after I left it on the dashboard of my car and the heat turned the LCD black.I bought a Beckman RMS 225 to replace it, and am currently searching for a replacement for it.

author: ferdieCX
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 07:03:43 pm
content: My first one was this Sanwa U-50D in 1971, when I was 13.It is an excellent brand, although not a high end modelI still have it

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 07:28:04 pm
content: Quotesame here,but they were replaced with plug in mcb's not long after i started to play with mains powered toys.My first fuse blow was seeing if a string of lights would get brighter if i wired them in a ring,when i asked my dad his reply was try it and see,i learned a lot with that experiment.

author: Wallace Gasiewicz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 07:41:22 pm
content: When I was about 12 yo I bought a radio shack meter.Don't know what happened to itNow use an old FlukeAnd multiple analog meters. some of them military,some useful for Kilo volt testing.And they look nice on the shelf.Edit: When I was 10 yo the Micronta would have been a pretty good meterI think $10 then is $100 today.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 08:29:46 pm
content: When I was about 13, a friend gave me an ancient (pre-war) Simpson 260.Amusingly, the symbol "M" on the ohms scale on the meter meant "1000", as in older accounting nomenclature, which I found confusing.Being 13, I did abuse it, and the needle needed straightening, but I kept using it for over 10 years.My first decent DMM is a Wavetek (pre-"Meterman") 15XL (3.5 digits, 2000 counts).I still use two of those, since they don't have auto-range and they have very large digits.Later, when we needed a few inexpensive meters at work, I ordered the Meterman version, which came in an orange case instead of the sober blue-grey of the Wavetek.We named them "Barbie's first voltmeter", or "Barbiemeter" for short.

author: Pfriemler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 08:46:30 pm
content: I voted at "Radio Shack". Back in the 70's there were no other options to get a meter.Maybe it's trash. The first I got when I was 12 yo. Maybe from Japan (the housing says so). No FET, poor accuracy, but better than nothing. The copper damp inside the bottom case resulted from an attempt to measure current with parallel leads at 220V mains. I do not remember if the fuse was blown. Despite of two vaporized copper lines on the PCB and the lifted transparent plastic window there were no more damages to it. Later I managed to expand the 100mA range to 2,5A and something happend to the Ge diode. It's still functional, but not in use. The leads are still the original ones.The TEL DM1000B I got ~14 yo. And it's still in use: resistor measurements can be done with 2,3V open circuit voltage (white LED glim) or 0,3V (no Si diodes will affect the readings) and the continuity checker is "analogue" - fast and with continuous lower tone frequency from 0-40 ohms. Best tool for checking switches and relay contacts. The 20A range I found outstanding, too. Next meter was a 90's METEX M3610D (Voltcraft), still in use (2000MOhm range!). Recently, I'm going for a Brymen 869s...

author: BillyO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 08:47:33 pm
content: Was as trashy as you could get in 1972. No selector switch - you needed to move the probes, only 9 ranges, cost the equivalent of $50 today, and you had to build it yourself.But I was chuffed as hell to have it!

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 09:03:59 pm
content: How about this one I inherited?Actually I had two of them, and IIRC still have one. It was a truly crappy meter that heavily loaded any circuit you connected it to (25Ω/V !!!)The only difference between its 8V range and its 40mA current range was the terminals you were *supposed* to use, with both sets of terminals actually wired in parallel, so 8V burden voltage at FSD! Seehttps://www.radiomuseum.org/r/pifco_all_in_one_pocket_meter.htmlfor details and specs.When I started studying electronics formally, I treated myself to a 20KΩ/V analog multimeter from Radio Shack - this was in the days before shrouded test leads and CAT ratings. It did have a fuse for its 300mA range, but the 10A range was totally unfused and there was no overload protection for its Ohms ranges so I rebuilt its divider resistor chain a few times due to mishaps with large charged capacitors. :'(My first digital meter was the infamous Radio Shack/Tandy Micronta 22-164 'Autorange Voice Meter' which took over a second for the reading to stabilise before the speech function would give the correct result. If you pressed the button too soon, it often gave the correct digits, but the wrong order of magnitude. It also had cheesy leads with a proprietary +ve probe, which I eventually had to rebuild with new connectors at the meter end. At the time I used a hacked 2.5mm jack plug for the speech trigger and built it as a Y cable with a 4mm banana plug for the probe connection. As I've still got the meter, if I ever do it again, I'll probably 3D print a shell to replicate the original connector, and coat it in red plastidip. Otherwise, it was a reasonably decent meter for its vintage and price-point.Here's someone else's video of it:

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 10:30:06 pm
content: Quote from: BillyO on March 23, 2023, 08:47:33 pmDo they say "chuffed" in Canada? I thought that word was from Sheffield, UK.(where I spent a few years)

author: alm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 10:43:25 pm
content: The first meter I used as a kid was an analog meter of what was probably a decent brand I can no longer remember. That meter died when I tried to measure resistance of the wall socket, which sent sparks across the display and presumably burnt out the coil. The meter would swing freely after, so I got rid of it. Then I got a rebranded Metex meter. Manual ranging 3.5 digit, but okay for that era. Costs about US$75 in today's money. The important property back then was having a 10 MOhm input impedance. Not exactly a Fluke, but back then decent hobbyist quality. Cheaper DMMs would have only a 1 MOhm input impedance. Analog meters were still being sold, but mostly in the cheapest price bracket.I killed the buzzer in that DMM when i applied reverse-power: my lesson that the polarity on battery clips is reversed from that of 9V batteries, so the big contact is the positive instead of the negative, but later replaced the CMOS logic IC that died to the reverse-voltage.

author: shakalnokturn
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2023, 10:51:41 pm
content: Metex 3650B (I voted high-end, it felt good for my ego. Who else cheated on the poll?)I still have it today even if it no longer gets to see the light, in fact due to this topic it's been powered on for the first time since at least 17 years. (No I'm not checking calibration...)It was heavily used and highly respected between about 1992 to 2006, too much choice now...

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 01:25:46 am
content: Quote from: wasedadoc on March 23, 2023, 05:18:53 pmMy old work (TV Studio) hired their indoor plants.The supplier regularly sent a staff member equipped with secateurs to trim any unruly growth or dead bits off.It so happened that one of the offices had a large, rugged shelf intended to hold a TV, & which was currently inhabited by a 27" Philips TV. There was just enough spare room to accommodate the indoor plant as well.For reasons best known to themselves, Philips used beige insulation on the power cord, which made for a nice inconspicuous installation because it was indistinguishable from the plant stem & branches.Enter the guy with the secateurs, "snip", "snip",BANG!!.The circuit breaker dropped out, the TV set was rescued & taken off for repair, & the indoor plant hire guy went home to change his undies!Luckily, there was still a useable length of power cord on the TV, so a new plug was fitted, & it was placed back in service, this time with several flags of red insulating tape distributed along its length.I'm pretty sure they were unnecessary, as the story would almost certainly have become part of the folk lore of the indoor plant hire company!

author: WattsThat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 01:37:56 am
content: Bought new over fifty years ago with lawn mowing money. Still works.

author: BillyO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 01:45:13 am
content: Quote from: Fungus on March 23, 2023, 10:30:06 pmNot as a rule. However ... I was born in Ireland, lived in Ghana, West Africa for a while, then a short tour of duty in Bath, then on to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, then to Philadelphia, then up to Canada. Somewhere along the way I picked that up.

author: BillyO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 02:24:54 am
content: Quote from: WattsThat on March 24, 2023, 01:37:56 amI might have "retired" Castro for that back then.

author: Swainster
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 03:19:43 am
content: Another vote for an analogue micronta from Tandy (UK). As I recall, it was a birthday or Christmas gift from my parents. Might have been this model:

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 01:16:36 pm
content: Wavetek HD160 after the defunct Beckman brandAn an old Fieldpiece meter, cant recall the model, this one had a variable tone following the measured value, boy it was so practical

author: pdenisowski
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 01:21:33 pm
content: Still have it, still works

author: Grandchuck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 01:29:00 pm
content: Mine was not trashy but it was trashed! The former owner had it connected across a large inductor when the power failed causing a huge inductive kick. The meter movement was wiped out ... you could see detritus inside the meter case. Triplett repaired it at a very low cost ... I used it for years.https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/triplett_625_na625n_vom.html

author: Tom45
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 02:11:20 pm
content: I don't remember what my first meter might have been. But my first serious meter that I do remember was an Eico 232 VTVM I built from a kit in the early 60s.My first serious DMM was the Fluke 8020 that I bought when it first appeared.I'm pretty sure I still have both the Eico 232 and Fluke 8020, but it might take some time to actually find them.

author: n4u
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 02:53:12 pm
content: My first meter was kemotkt33, earlier i used dads one looks likeum110

author: m k
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 07:01:46 pm
content: My first was trash, almost a volt meter, hardly used, came in a set with things like strobo and pressure gauge.First multimeter and for purpose was Kaise SK-300.First DMM was Simpson 463, its buzzer was remarkable.

author: skander36
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 08:35:44 pm
content: Mine was a diy with C520 (attached), but short time after, an yellow one (the left from foto on the Fungus first post) followed. The lack of a proper frontend was the cause. That was in 1990 ...

author: Jester
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 08:46:17 pm
content: My first meter Beckman tech 330 true rms was quite expensive $300 IIRC way back in 1980 That was a lot of money back then. It became flaky within a few years a real POS. I will never purchase anything Beckman again ever. My Flukemeters have lasted forever.Come to think about it I actually has a Sanwa analog meter (1975ish) before the Beckman. It actually worked for quite a while.

author: Deso
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 08:50:26 pm
content: I've started with my father's multimeter - "Ц20"At age of 15 I was able to buy my very first multimeter, which looked exactly as the Mastech one from the first post.Now I'm enjoying Agilent U1232A.

author: jmh
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 09:49:11 pm
content: Not sure how trashy this guy is - Altai HC-2020S. I acquired this by - ahem - sneaking it onto a works purchase order for other bits, decades ago now. It served me well enough. It has since been lurking in the workshop, replaced by an Amprobe AM-500-EUR (which has now had a safety recall!)Not all of my stuff is as dirty...

author: BeBuLamar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 10:16:51 pm
content: My first was a kit from Radio Shack I built myself. The next one I had was a B&K digital and then a Heathkit DMM kit (it's kind of Fluke 8020a wanna be).

author: aeberbach
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 10:59:51 pm
content: I had one of Dick Smith’s finest analog meters. Weirdly it came with a spill of some kind of lacquer on one of the battery contacts so that it appeared dead out of the box… once scraped off it was great for many years and then I burned the movement coil doing something dumb. After that a Hioki card tester (must be in a drawer somewhere?) and then a Fluke. Still a Fluke, doubt it will ever be any other.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2023, 11:23:32 pm
content: My first was somewhere in no mans land, a low cost meter from Allied Electronics. Somewhat resembles XRunners. Somewhere in my early moves the actual meter part was crushed. I saved the carcass, planning to salvage the fairly high quality switch and what I at the time thought were pretty good resistors. None of the salvage ever happened but the carcass is still probably hanging around in one of the junk bins.

author: NoisyBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2023, 01:00:25 am
content: My first was a Sanwa YX-360TR, I bought it new while I was in high school. I recalled going to the electronics supply store to buy the meter, my reason for choosing it was its ability to measur hfe, quite a novelty back in the days. I don't recall how much I paid for it, but its construction is far nicer than the YX-360 variants they sell today.The meter has been with me ever since, I don't really use it any more. But when I measure a battery this evening, it is still within the 3% FS error in the spec.My first digital DMM was a Fluke 8000A, it is still in use.

author: NoisyBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2023, 01:00:58 am
content: Picture of the internal.

author: H713
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2023, 05:17:19 am
content: Mine was an original Fluke 77, I think when I was like eight or nine. It was a pretty ancient meter then, but was given to me by a family member who had bought it new.Honestly I still use some of my Fluke 77s, and still have quite an army of 77s and 73s at work. For 95% of what a handheld meter gets used for, they're just fine.They're old-fashioned and a little limited, but I wouldn't exactly call them trashy.

author: HwAoRrDk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2023, 05:29:46 am
content: The first meter I had was an AVOmeter 8 Mk V. Although it didn't really belong to me, I was borrowing it from my dad, who got it some time in the '70s or '80s I think. I've long since returned it, but he still has it and it still works.

author: BeBuLamar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2023, 01:18:08 pm
content: Quote from: H713 on March 26, 2023, 05:17:19 amThe Fluke 70 series firmly established Fluke as the go to manufacturer for hand held multimeter. It also the start of the shift to DMM from the analog VOM. In the era of the 8020, 8060 DMM was so popular, most people still used the the Simpson 260.

author: unknownparticle
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2023, 04:27:36 pm
content: I come from a time before DMM's existed, in any form! So my first was what could comically be called a plug and play meter! That is, it didn't even have a rotary range selector switch, you had to move the test lead to an appropriate range terminal on the front panel! This resulted in the inevitable, as it didn't even have fuse protection! So it was transformed to what looked like an extra from a Quatermass movie!Sheckles were saved and I moved up to the big time with one of those big, really impressive looking (for the time!) Japanese TMK 100K ohm/volt things! Man, I was measuring things for the fun of it! That actually survived for some years and I cannot recall for the life of me what happened to it. Then I had a long break from electronics due to a polar change of career, so all my related stuff got boxed up and unused for 20 odd years.Came a day when I was called upon to repair my dad's Hi-Fi amp, but no meter! Fortunately I did have some money by then so thought I would treat myself to a new fangled DMM!! Having no idea of what was good or bad, but strangely thinking that Fluke sounded like cheap tat, I resorted to what I knew would be good, Avo!! Namely, an M2007. This was a good move and it proved to be an excellent meter, I still have it, still works perfectly but is obviously a little left behind with what is available now.Still didn't fully resume my interest in electrickery for another 15 or so years, but am now fortunate enough to be able to buy equipment on a whim, almost, so the collection of DMM's is in the hording category, and I did eventually realise that Fluke is quite good gear!If I were asked what is my favourite, I can't name 1, but it's between my Fluke 289, Flir DM93 and Metrix 3293B, with the Metrix probably edging it. If budget were an issue, then my Brymen 869S would take it, no problem!Oh, and to satisfy my yearning for the good old days, I have many Avo 8's, THE best analogue meter ever made!

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2023, 08:24:02 pm
content: Mine was quite nice Iskra Unimer 3 made in Slovenia..It was a good meter at the time. I still have it, it works and is well in cal..

author: unknownparticle
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2023, 09:43:19 pm
content: Very posh for a first meter!!

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2023, 01:36:11 am
content: So... a lot of people here started in the pre-trash era.Many even before DMMs were a thing.

author: pdenisowski
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2023, 10:12:15 pm
content: Quote from: H713 on March 26, 2023, 05:17:19 amThat was the meter that replaced my analog Radio Shack meter when I was in grad school. It's still my daily-use meter

author: Warhawk
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2023, 10:18:09 pm
content: Yes, it was a trashy multimeter. However, for the price I paid one would get a reasonable Brymen nowadays. Not only electronics but literaly everything for home science has never been more affordable. Yet many youngsters waste their potential on TokTok and other crap.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2023, 10:24:09 pm
content: Quote from: Ian.M on March 23, 2023, 09:03:59 pmThey do charge more for LoZ meters these days, maybe you didn't understand the highly featured meter you have.

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2023, 10:37:36 pm
content: I did buy my first multimeter at Radio Shack They were called "multitesters" back then. It was the 22-204, one of their best analog meters. They did sell a few digital meters at that time (all 3.5 digit), but I really wanted one with the big meter. A few years later in 1987 I bought one of their new 22-175 digital "benchtop" meters, which I soon blew up by dropping a probe into a 3000 volt laser power supply. I kept it though because it could still measure capacitance.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2023, 11:51:42 pm
content: Quote from: Ian.M on March 23, 2023, 09:03:59 pm...but very pretty.

author: Performa01
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2023, 05:20:26 pm
content: My true first meters were DIY MM-galvanometers. Because of their input impedance of about 4 ohms, they were ammeters, even though I ued them as (Very low Z!) voltmeters primarily.I guess these don't really count, this was back in 1970...The first real meter was an electronic FET meter with a constant input impedance of 11.6 megohms and ranges starting at 100 mV and 1 µA F.S. Considering what was available back in 1975, I consider this rather high end and at age 15, I was mighty proud of this instrument.https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/norma_normatronic_1811gb4de1811.htmlI still have it today and it is still working, yet I don't use analog meters anymore.

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2023, 06:15:07 pm
content: Actually when I think about this, at the time those meters were made in the US, UK and Japan, they had better quality than today. One paid a good price and nothing was cheap like today. My first Sanwa analog meter I bought from my first salary as an apprentice cost me a one month's full salary. I still use it today after 50 years! These days one can get a cheap junk for a song if you are not careful and base the choice on price alone.

author: labjr
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2023, 11:24:08 pm
content: Mine was that little Micronta analog meter too. My parents gave it to me for Christmas when I was 10-12 years old. The first one I bought was a Rat Shack digital meter. It was okay but couldn't handle every day use, and the rotary switch started making intermittent contact.

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2023, 12:02:51 am
content: Not to mention the cheap digital meters that are not heavy enough to stay in place when you just move the leads!

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2023, 12:14:27 am
content: Quote from: andy3055 on March 30, 2023, 12:02:51 amSilicone leads are only about $4 on Aliexpress...

author: labjr
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2023, 01:09:38 am
content: Quote from: Fungus on March 30, 2023, 12:14:27 amThat can't be good quality. Besides I work on HV circuits. When it comes to safety, I wouldn't trust cheapo stuff.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2023, 01:17:56 am
content: Quote from: labjr on March 30, 2023, 01:09:38 amI assume you're not using meters that are light enough to slide around the desk when you move the leads, so...

author: Excavatoree
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2023, 02:54:13 am
content: My first meter was an Eico 565, a copy of a Simpson 260. (not the most common version of a Simpson meter that almost everyone thinks about, but the first version.) I'm not sure if it qualifies as "trashy" or not.My second meter was from Radio Shack. I think Dave had one from Tandy that was the same meter.The next meter I bought was my first Fluke - a model 77 original.When I started my job as a VCR/telephone answering machine/etc repair person, I had a digital Simpson 360 on my bench. Later, I got a Beckman manual range meter to use.

author: JOSM
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2023, 01:36:02 pm
content: My first meter was a Micronta 22-185. My dad brought it from a visit to Chicago in 1987. I was 15 years old and I was very proud of it, since we lived in East Germany and such a device was hard to get a hold on. It is still in our house, but not used often anymore. At least in my eyes not a trashy one

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2023, 02:40:15 pm
content: Quote from: JOSM on March 30, 2023, 01:36:02 pmSeparate switch position for continuity - nice!

author: hanakp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2023, 07:06:01 pm
content: Nice thread idea!My first meter was polish Miernik Uniwersalny UM-4, it's probably a knockoff of some western meter.http://multimetry.tzok.eu/multimetr.php?typ=UM-4_2My unit was manufactured in 1966 and I got it for free around 1990, because one resistance input and one voltage range were shot. But for the next 5 years, it had to do. Out of nostalgia, I completely fixed it about 10 years ago, albeit with modern components. Curiously, even after all those years, most ranges were still within spec.

author: Arts
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2023, 08:05:15 pm
content: I still have and use my very first meter, although these days I only use it for basic electrical work, such as HVAC. It's kinda like me these days; old, tatty, and could use a good scrubbingMy mom bought it for me in the 1970's.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2023, 08:15:01 pm
content: Quote from: hanakp on March 31, 2023, 07:06:01 pmInteresting beast... Why weirdly shaped binding posts...and the switch deck is causing my eyes a confusion

author: hanakp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2023, 10:13:33 pm
content: @Bud: Yeah, it wasn't very practical to use. It has no resistance range switch, the user has to plug/unplug the test leads between 3 holes on the upper side. Then again, it's from 1960s, so the design was probably regarded as modern back then. I suppose it does qualify as "trashy", just as OP wanted.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2023, 12:20:05 am
content: Micronta 22-027 8-ranges! Normally came in a black housing $8.95 in 1975. Same ashttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/what-was-your-first-multimeter-or-voltmeter/50/ArcherKits came in turquoise 28-4012 $7.95 or $44 in today's dollars (pic is eBay listing).I was a kid at the time. Rich kids got the top of the line 22-204/28-4014 "range doubler" $29.95 in 1975 or $168 in today's dollars. I think it was their overall best seller.Remember being at Radio Shack as a guy tried to get a refund on his blown up 22-204. He wondered if his mains outlet was 15A and stuck the probes in to measure that... it exploded. Apparently the range switch launched out across the room lol.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2023, 06:58:48 am
content: First meter was dad's that he built from a kit, a English University brand that he sourced sometime in the 40/50's when he was right into SW < shortwave, not software !I used that meter from a youngster in short pants until turning 21 for checking all manner of things from dry cells to wet cells to mains to 700V in valve based rectifiers I built in school to power a # of valve based projects.At 21 a family friend gave as a birthday gift a Jap Kaise SK-160, a reasonably well featured moving coil meter of quite good quality......for 1980 vintage.I've shared this pic of it here before:It still lives in a little slide top box I made for it soon after receiving it and with luck I can pass it to a grandson one day.

author: Calambres
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2023, 09:42:50 am
content: Mi first multimeter was a very good high end ICE 680-R, an european (italian) classic of the era. I bought it somewhere around 1978 and I had to save a lot of time to get the funds for such an expensive meter. I still have it today and is still working like new.

author: Tycho_Brahe
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2023, 01:04:24 am
content: Mine was this "Scope" brand, model DVM-630. I think I purchased it around 1990 and even though I also purchased (and still own) a Fluke 85 around the same time, I've used this cheap meter as my goto meter in the garage ever since. I'm amazed it lasted this long. I've always been curious as to where I purchased it. It's been too long and I can't remember. Mail order I think (MCM Electronics maybe). Also I've always wanted to know more about the manufacturer, like where it was based and if it's still around. Horrible brand name in today's age because there's too much 'noise' if you search for 'Scope'.

author: aeg
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2023, 01:28:27 pm
content: Quote from: Tycho_Brahe on April 28, 2023, 01:04:24 amIt looks like an outfit called Fordham sold these from magazine ads in the late 80s. They also had some Fluke lookalikes.

author: wasedadoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2023, 02:21:54 pm
content: Quote from: Calambres on April 02, 2023, 09:42:50 amA few years before that I bought and still have its smaller brother the ICE Microtest 80. Supplied with English manual which has 'Electronic Brokers Ltd 49/53 Pancras Road London' printed on the rear cover. Same method of range selection by inserting probes into appropriate hole. Still works fine except the resistance ranges because it took a mercury button cell RM627 which is no longer manufactured. The circuit relied on the very accurate and stable voltage of such mercury cell to obviate the need for a zero ohms adjuster.https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/ice_microtest_80.htmlIt was not my first meter. That was an Avo Multiminor Mk 4 purchased around 1965.

author: Aldo22
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2023, 04:01:11 pm
content: My first meter was a Ц4324 from the USSR.I think it's still in the basement somewhere.For the price it was ok back then, as far as I can remember.https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/maschprib_vielfachmessgeraet_u4324.html?language_id=2

author: sorenkir
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2023, 04:07:01 pm
content: VOC 2035V from 1980 (french brand but it is a rebadged sabtronics 2035A).3 1/2 digits 0.1%Still in spec:Sabtronics Adhttps://www.industrial-electronics.com/re_elec-1981-09_sab.htmlMichel.

author: andyB2022
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2023, 07:43:29 pm
content: My very first meter was this:At that time I didn't even know the names of high end manufacturers like Fluke, Agilent, Brymen etc...Of course I still have the meter, it was blown in the A range and that is why I've moved to a UNI-T.Time flies...

author: Dave Wise
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 07:15:45 pm
content: floobydust, thanks for the trip down memory lane. Was I rich because I got an allowance? I saved and saved and saved and finally bought a 28-4014 Archer 50K/V Range Doubler VOM kit. After assembling it I was so excited I forgot to check the knob position, and I stuck the prods into the wall outlet and blew out a resistor. I bodged in a replacement and used that meter for years. I dropped it a few times and kept using it, keeping it in the shipping box in lieu of cabinet.Today my trashy meters are a DT-830B given to me at work, and a Micronta 22-191 DMM I found tucked inside a yard sale mystery box. I use them without shame any time they are at hand. If my Fluke 87 is closer, then I use that.

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 29, 2024, 09:51:44 pm
content: My allowance was $7/month so I did not buy much. Visiting great-grandparents and they would give me $20.I remember the range-doubler was slowwww for the meter pointer to settle. That, and having to be awake to know to half the reading oh yeah and there is no fuse... when measuring current like all manly multimeters of the day, do not screw up!

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 30, 2024, 10:19:45 am
content: For meIt was an Wavetek (Beckman Industrial) HD160, a gift from my defunct father, my small allowance could not pay for that, 300$ CAD at the time, and i was at age 14, into electronicsI was building the Science et Vie magazine electronics projects, can't recall when they stopped doing that.It was the most good and beautiful meter i had in my youth, i gave it to my best friend who still use it 25 30 years later, i'm now at 53While over the years i began "my tons of meters" purchase wanting this or that ....craziness who costed a lot now ending with Gossens ...last ones

author: LMedu
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 30, 2024, 10:54:07 am
content: Quote from: Calambres on April 02, 2023, 09:42:50 amI had the same one.