Tonghui TH1961 show strange ressemblances to the Hp Agilent Keysight  34401a  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2019, 04:41:55 pm
content: Just saw that sell today on EbaySeems a pretty good copy of the venerable 34401ahttps://www.ebay.com/itm/6-1-2-RMS-Bench-Top-Multimeter-High-Accuracy-0-0035-DCV-0-01-Resistance-TH1961/283368376259?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144Minus the front rear switch and a few keypad buttons descriptions, and the display speed on the left vfd side, maybe some 90% ressemblance ??

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2019, 06:15:21 pm
content: They did not only copy the layout, but also the price !810 US$ for a copy

author: rsx90
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 23, 2019, 06:25:29 pm
content: Resemblance... but what about performance? Anyway at this price you better get the real one.It's hard to believe it can keep up with the stability performance of the 34401A by using generic parts.You can find some pictures in the following thread:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/reviews/tonghui-bench-multimeter/BTW the guys from Tonghui recently released another meter called 1963, which is a complete ripoff of the KS 3446xA user interface.http://www.tonghui.com.cn/en/Product/Digital%20Multimeter/547.htmlIt would be interesting to see what's hidden under the hood of this one. It's just upgraded UI and the analog board from the 1961 or completely new HW?

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 23, 2019, 06:38:22 pm
content: I'm not a fan of copycat devices, but as far as I understand Tonghui makes fairly decent equipment.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2019, 02:09:01 pm
content: on the specs they seems slower in display speed at full resolution ?we need a teardown loll

author: Kleinstein
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2019, 04:03:59 pm
content: In the older thread about Tonghui meters there are some pictures of the internals. Internally it looks quite different - not very promising in some points. So at a suitable price there may be a market - however I don't think it needs to be so similar.The price that more fits the original 34401 could be due to seller got fooled by the look and took a price suitable for the original. I would no take the ebay asking price so serious.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2019, 04:11:54 pm
content: Quote from: Mr. Scram on February 23, 2019, 06:38:22 pmThat is my impression as well, although I don't see many of them in the wild.Regarding copycats, evenSiglent does that.

author: jeroen79
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2019, 04:48:33 pm
content: It has a similar layput but does that matter?Many multimeters will end up having the same basic layout as they do the same basic thing.Just compare bench meters from HP, Fluke and Keithley.Handheld meters also follow the same basic layout.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2019, 07:53:51 pm
content: Quote from: rsjsouza on February 24, 2019, 04:11:54 pmSiglent isn't anything more special than the other Chinese outfits. They do seem to be learning from their mistakes, slowly. They're finding out western markets don't appreciate copies and intermittent support.

author: Mr. Scram
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2019, 07:55:17 pm
content: Quote from: jeroen79 on February 24, 2019, 04:48:33 pmThere's a difference between similar solutions and a copy. Both Siglent and Tonghui seem to have crossed the line into the territory of blatant copies, although Siglent has since rescinded.