New Fluke 87-V is broken - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: ryann
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2013, 10:03:57 pm
content: My parents were very nice to me for Christmas and bought me a Fluke 87-V multimeter. I've worked with it since a few times, and I really like it. Today, however, I seem to have killed it.I wanted to put some labels on the multimeter. I figured one label should go on the inside. I took out the battery, lifted the back of the multimeter, and stuck the label on the back cover. I put the cover back on, reinstalled the battery, and checked to make sure it still worked.Well, it didn't. I have no idea what I did. I literally popped the cover off, and popped it right back on. I made sure the mode selector switch on the inside was on the OFF position, I checked for foreign object debris, and I measured the battery voltage to make sure it wasn't dead. Everything checked out well.I did more investigation. I took off the LCD & plastic plate, as well as the shield. No FOD here. I checked underneath the mode switch. All the plungers? looked straight and springy, and the contacts on the PCB looked clean.I have no idea what's wrong. Fluke is closed today, so I plan on calling them tomorrow to see how well their lifetime warranty works. In the meantime, please review the video below and give me some other non-warranty-voiding ideas.Thanks,Ryan NazaretianHere's the video.https://www.youtube.com/embed/rSrLYSoCnyM

author: ryanblace
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 01, 2013, 11:00:37 pm
content: Take it apart again and make a video of it operating without the front cover like the picture. You can rotate the white selector (there is an arrow on it) with an allen key. I have a feeling that the selector isn't lined up correctly.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2013, 11:51:02 pm
content: ModemHead's blog post gives an idea of how it works (could be specific to the original 80 series)...http://mrmodemhead.com/blog/fluke-83-dmm-repair/"Also, there is the potential to engage the switch hub with the knob via its hexagonal shaft in such a way that it is not aligned properly. This would allow the switch hub to be rotated beyond where it normally stops."

author: ryann
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2013, 11:57:09 pm
content: I don't think that's an issue here. I recorded a video, but I have to edit it because my mom and our puppy walked in while I was recording... It's clearly lined up properly.College kid at home problems...

author: ModemHead
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2013, 12:47:40 am
content: The V generation does not have the PTF/voltage-divider style code switch on the back, so it can't be that. (No rotary switch self-test either.) But there's obviously something wrong with the rotary switch, specifically that portion of it that indicates which function is selected, to the micro-controller. It's out of sync with how the front end is configured, hence the non-sensical results.I haven't taken any of 'V' generation units apart, and I haven't seen any publicly available schematics for it either, so I can't come up with any more specific advice.

author: ryann
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2013, 03:25:52 pm
content: Sorry for the long awaited video... I had to clear out about 20GB of space in order to edit the video... then it failed to export a few times. Finally got it done. Uploading to YouTube now... so be patient. It says about 40 minutes left.http://youtu.be/pQmxFV6C9KwI'm going to give Fluke a call later today. I have some outdoor chores to do before the weather gets bad.Thanks again!

author: ryann
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2013, 08:51:46 pm
content: I called Fluke today. They told me the same with the knob being turned the wrong direction. I told them that it was correctly assembled, as can be seen in the video above. I shipped it out today, and hope to get it back sometime next week.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2013, 09:44:27 pm
content: It will be interesting if they tell you what the problem was. Please report back after you hear from Fluke.

author: ryann
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2013, 11:44:11 pm
content: Just got it back.On the service paper, they said they replaced U2. I saw somewhere that it's a AD737J, which is an RMS-to-DC converter. It doesn't make much sense why that would cause all the problems I was getting. They performed a calibration and sent it back. Seems to work as far as I can tell.

author: ModemHead
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2013, 11:56:27 pm
content: Thanks for the report. You're right, that doesn't make much sense. But no matter as long as it works now!