Probe Master (8000 series; 8017S) good for SMD/SMT testing? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: sofakng
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2021, 03:24:41 am
content: I'm using a Fluke 87V (used) with the included probes but they are much too large for small SMD/SMT probing.The Probe Master 8000 series (8017S specifically) looks to have a lot of good reviews and is a reasonable price. Would these be good for SMD/SMT probing? How large are the tips compared to the (default) Fluke ones?The Probe Master 8150 looks perfect for SMD/SMT but I don't do a ton of SMD work. However, I'm troubleshooting a Nintendo Switch which uses tiny SMD components so I need something that will work...

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2021, 08:28:49 am
content: These ?Honestly for SMD you'd be much better served with SMD tweezers that fit your DMM:https://www.aliexpress.com/popular/tweezer-multimeter.htmlOr better still one of the excellent SMD smart tweezers which is the choice I made when venturing into SMD some 10 years ago.Products like:https://www.siborg.com/products.htmlhttps://www.smarttweezers.com/https://www.asahitec.in/smart-tweezers.htmlhttps://www.amazon.com/Resistance-Tester-Capacitance-MASTECH-Tweezers/dp/B07N1LHR5T

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2021, 10:00:18 am
content: those aliexpress tweezers at $5 are really crap.those probemaster are the normal ones. they are too big for smd the 8500 model seems better but I don't have it so cannot comment. but seems goodI have the normal probemaster (the 8000 ?) tautech pictured above and they are too big for smd.I added some small adapters at the end, but you add some 200mΩ to the probes with this ...

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2021, 01:07:02 pm
content: This topic comes up from time to time. I still use the Probe Master 8150 as well as the Fluke TL910 (with stainless). I like them both but have seen many people post about problems with the Fluke probes. I haven't had any problems with mine. Tweezers wouldn't be of much help for me.

author: sofakng
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2021, 01:49:21 pm
content: Thanks everybody for the replies.@tautech, yeah those look like the 8017S I am considering buying. I do like the tweezers idea though! I'll definitely look into them.@kripton2035, I was also wondering the 8152 which are meant for SMD (spring-loaded micro-tip). How are the 8017S as a general replacement for the Fluke default probes?@joeqsmith, the Fluke TL910 look nice but they are too expensive for how often I need them and I did hear they break.

author: sofakng
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2021, 03:14:44 pm
content: The Mastech MS8911 smart tweezers look interesting and for a decent price. (and they can do in-circuit measurements?)However, is it possible to buy replacement tips that don't have that gap/slit in the middle?

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 01, 2021, 03:27:56 pm
content: Check out Pomona 6275 - basically the same as the Fluke TL910 with stainless probes, but much cheaper.I did have problems with the Pomona 6341/6342 which come with gold plated pogo pin probes that became unreliable over time, but the hard stainless probes (also included with 6341) work great for me.

author: sofakng
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2021, 03:55:54 pm
content: Thanks for the suggestion!They look nice and the price is perfect, but after seeing Dave's video on gold-plated probe tips I think I want all of mine to have them?Also, can you probe in-circuit resistors and capacitors with a regular multimeter? (I know there are exceptions and lots of issues with probing in-circuit, but some smart tweezers explicitly support this it seems?)

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2021, 08:32:17 pm
content: Quote from: sofakng on February 01, 2021, 03:55:54 pmOf course you can but you need be aware of parallel components of the same type. (R,C or whatever)Smart tweezers have a auto mode where they sense what you're connected to and this can be both useful and a nuisance where you sometimes need to select the correct measurement type to get a correct value.ESR readings are particularly useful when checking caps and don't assume smart tweezers aren't useful for through hole work.I use mine lots for checking PCB's of any type and the tips can be spread to over 1" where you can get onto the leads of most components.For this reason I've never seen the need to get an ESR tester or LCR bridge as smart tweezers will give adequate accuracy for all these types of measurements. While good smart tweezers are certainly not cheap they are a versatile tool and with one hand use faster and more convenient than using a DMM and probes for component testing.