Fluke 867B VS 87V + separate scope? For budding hobbyist... - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: willko
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 18, 2013, 03:42:28 pm
content: Hi all,First post & a beginner... I'm very interested in repairing a few Mac book pros that were given to me with water damage.. Essentially they need a few fuse and WLED replacements.. Anyway, I quickly discovered that having a few basic bits of test equipment that actually work is fairly important... Its really just a (potential) hobby for me at the moment but, I tell ya, I love it! In real life I'm a network engineer and programmer,... if you can call that a 'real life'So my question is,.. I'm looking at a Fluke 867B on ebay for about £300 VS buying a Fluke 87V AND a basic scope (total budget circa £500)...What would you advise as best value for money/most useful instruments to develop skills etc..?Is the Fluke 867B a useful tool? It looks like it combines the (basic) functionality of a DMM and scope which sounds like a compromise but to get both for £300 sounds good...?Or should I stretch a bit further and keep the DMM and scope separate, like an fluke 87V and Atten 1102CAL?,... should be able to get both for about £500...Of course any other recommendations welcome!As I mentioned, its very much a hobby but I'm keen on making an investment at this point to delve a bit deeper.Many thanks

author: marshallh
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 18, 2013, 10:19:42 pm
content: Get a Fluke 97... it is a better deal and somewhat usable as an actual scope, instead of a crappy waveform display... of course if you can swing it, cheap basic DSO +fluke 87v is better still for a variety of reasons

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 18, 2013, 11:04:22 pm
content: Looking at the specs for both portable scopes I can't stop thinking that, if you don't need the portability, you will definitely get better equipment per pound spent by going for the full-size ones. That and the fact you may start with a less expensive DMM but still not losing functionality.Since you are looking to work on electronic circuits and not high energy systems, you can find some popular DMM models at this forum (UT 61E, AM270, etc.).Regarding the oscilloscope, a full- full-sized one helps a lot due to the larger screen. You can find some reasonably priced popular models at this forum as well.

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 18, 2013, 11:35:12 pm
content: An "all in one" device might seem like a good idea, but it can be rather limiting. IMHO it would be better to buy a Rigol DS1052E and "upgrade" it using the instructions here on the forum, and buy a really good multimeter like an Amprobe AM-270 or better yet a Brymen BM257 (available here from iloveelectronics) which ARE safely designed for high energy circuits, or a Brymen BM869, or UEi DM 397, or two BM257s or a BM257 plus UEi DM397 or BM869, plus the scope and have multimple ways of measuring things at the same time. Sometimes you just want to see a voltage and don't want to go through setup menus and things and that is where having a dedicated multimeter shines.Actually you can get two of the UEi DM397s plus the Rigol scope for about the same price as a the Fluke scopemeters. The UEi is safely built, has PC connection and software included and is very high accuracy. The Brymen BM869 is a bit better built but costs more with the PC cable and software.This assuming you WANT to spend $700-$1000 right away on test equipment. You can do very well for electronics use with one Rigol scope and one Brymen BM257 or Amprobe AM-270 or even a Uni-T UT61E for much less. iloveelectronics also sells a half decent meter on his ebay store with PC logging for under $40 shipped. I would not use it for anything other than electronics but for that it is a good deal.The only ways I see a hand held scope/multimeter being needed or handy is when you need to use a scope in the field and can't be carrying around a whole bunch of equipment, or you need an isolated scope for specific types of measurements. Otherwise the money is much better spent on a couple of multimeters plus a "real" scope.

author: willko
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 19, 2013, 05:04:52 pm
content: Great advice guys! Thanks so much!! I think I get it,... its a bit like a laptop vs desktop analogy - you get more for your money if you don't need the portability/smaller footprint...and other benefits!The DMM & scope recommendations are most appreciated! You know your getting the "good stuff" when the experts all agreeIts funny, I 've started to read around the forums and I've watched at least 8 hours worth of Dave's excellent video blogs, but there's something about posting in a forum and getting a personal reply that adds huge confidence in the decision making process.. go figure!! (or maybe its just me...?).Anyway, just wanted to say a bigthank you.I'll pop into the buy/sell thread and contact "iloveelectronics" for a BM257 and I've got a eye on a Rigol scope via eBay (loving the upgrade thread!!!!!! GREAT advice!!!).Cheers guys and thanks for the awesome welcome!!