Which multimeter (considering UNI-T 171B vs 171C) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 01:05:57 pm
content: The age old question.I've not needed to buy a new hand held multimeter for a while so I am out of touch with the state of the art. However I have a property in France and the venerable UT61E that I keep there has finally succumbed to the fact that it's a bit damp and has started to give erratic readings so I'm looking to replace it.I'm looking for something which is OK for electronics and electrical work (as I'm sure everyone is). It doesn't need to be up to higher than 230V three-phase but ideally should not blow up in my hand if use in a domestic environment (I realise that the 61E might not actually have met this standard).The UT-171B (or perhaps C) looks a good fit, I can get the 171B ex stock in the UK for ~£155 (plus postage) [approx $200], the 171C perhaps £10 more.Is there anything else in this price bracket I should be considering (should be readily available in the UK, not everything is)The 171C looks interesting though with the OLED display but lacks true RMS which is a definite negative point and I'm assuming battery life takes a hit.Thoughts welcome.

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 02:38:27 pm
content: How about the EEVblog (Brymen) BM786UK sellerhttps://simonselectronics.co.uk/product/bm786-eevblog/

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 03:14:31 pm
content: Worthy of a look certainly - in fact I'd searched for Brymen meters including the EEVBlog ones in Europe but did not find any stockists at sensible prices.i don't think the 876 has a USB/data logging interface though which would be useful as I'm pretty certain my mains supply is dropping out of spec well before I draw the 60A that I'm supposed to be able to pull - which is upsetting some equipment notably my induction hob and I'd like concrete proof before complaining.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 04:32:26 pm
content: Get Brymen meters in Europe atwww.brymen.euorwww.welectron.com

author: u666sa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 06:26:23 pm
content: Neither.Uni-T is bad firm, avoid all their products.This is UT-61E+ user telling you. I wanted to add bluetooth to it, so I bought the dongle only to find out that it does not work. I spend two days figuring out how to make it work, and now it somewhat works, but guess what, there is no software to support it.There is some guy on these forums that wrote software to support it, but he says he made hundreds of videos and won't give link to download it. There is another guy who started writing his own software in python.That's right there is UNI-T.I have another meter from Owon, no problem with that. Avoid Uni-T just like Fnirsi, IHMOJust some bad hardware wrapped in pretty body and beautiful advertisingBut when it comes down to itit's just not worth the money

author: sonpul
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 07:30:46 pm
content: Quote from: grumpydoc on November 10, 2024, 01:05:57 pmUni-T UT171C has TrueRMS and even measures AC+DC, unlike UT61+ in which this measurement is a sham.But I would really pay attention to the Brymen BM789/786, even despite the lack of connection to a PC.

author: RogerG
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 07:41:20 pm
content: The UT161E is way better protected than UT61E and UT61E+. It has ETL Approval and fuses for high current interruption.BT data logging isn't important for me, but the rest of the UT161E is really fine. The only thing I'm missing is the range between 220mA and 20A. UT161B and UT161D are better in this aspect.OLED is something I don't like for long term used equipment because it dims after a while and can show burn in effects.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 08:12:16 pm
content: Quote from: sonpul on November 10, 2024, 07:30:46 pmWhy? They make plenty of similarly specced meters that DO have a PC connection.

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 09:49:10 pm
content: Quote from: sonpul on November 10, 2024, 07:30:46 pmNot according to the UNI-T website.Quote from: RogerG on November 10, 2024, 07:41:20 pmFair comment.

author: csuhi17
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 10:51:47 pm
content: Quote from: grumpydoc on November 10, 2024, 09:49:10 pmyes in the downloadable datasheet.

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 02:01:29 am
content: Brymen BM257s?

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 06:57:59 am
content: Quote from: csuhi17 on November 10, 2024, 10:51:47 pmNice to be consistent

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 11:17:27 am
content: Quote from: J-R on November 11, 2024, 02:01:29 amOf the Brymens the 867 looks like it might be the best. Annoying that you have to get the USB adapter separately though.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 01:10:09 pm
content: Quote from: grumpydoc on November 11, 2024, 11:17:27 amI like my 857s for simplicity on the dial and display ("KISS" principle). Most functions have their own dial position, only one is shared (Ohms/continuity).Also smaller than the 867s - the 867s is huge!

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 02:30:08 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on November 11, 2024, 01:10:09 pmHmmm, the 171B was already as big as I wanted to go.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 03:27:58 pm
content: oled for sure it's a no no what ever the brand / modelthe ut-16xx series seems better build and specced .... my 2 cents, but i dont own themfor the serial / ir interfaces / bluetooththere is some bluetooth enabled ones in the owon series if i recall, but as for safetyand eevblog members for some brands, built usb interfaces for them at very low prices .. ftdi chip, some ir leds ... low costyou have some websites who reviews many meters, here too and still here you have some meters list / compare ...

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 03:42:48 pm
content: Quote from: grumpydoc on November 11, 2024, 02:30:08 pmSize comparison, 857s on top, 867s below:

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 12:00:18 am
content: I frequently recommend the Brymen BM869s for the dual display and feature set, but the cost is about double the BM257s, so I suggested that initially.There are the BM839s and BM867s in the middle of those two.Ultimately, Brymen is a popular suggestion and there are quite a few models to choose from depending on your budget and desired functions.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 02:31:11 am
content: What do you need dual display for?How often do you actually use it?(to me it's just permanent screen clutter for a feature I never use)

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 12:29:35 pm
content: 857s looks niceNot easy to find in UK though and over £200 with the USB adapter. Hmmm

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 04:27:53 pm
content: and their prices have gone way upcheck for some amprobes, Mastech and others based on the same 500,000 counts option chipsetsthe mastech become very bulky on the biggest models / options / features

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 06:11:25 pm
content: Wow, I hadn't noticed the USB adapters have shot up in price!Is it just my memory or did they used to cost about 15 Euros...?

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 09:57:09 pm
content: There are different versions of the Brymen USB adapters, which can impact the price slightly. But I don't think they were ever 15 Euro. I paid 33.53 Euro for the BU-86X back in 2019 and it's still that price today (Welectron).

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 10:15:32 pm
content: Yeah, you're right, I must be getting old...I checked with the wayback machine, here's December 2020:Before that there's no price, it says "inquire about this product..."

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2025, 04:38:50 pm
content: Went for the 857s in the end.

author: audiotubes
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2025, 05:59:06 pm
content: Quote from: grumpydoc on January 15, 2025, 04:38:50 pmYou won't be disappointed. They make very nice meters. I have a couple of 869s in various places, I don't use them often but when I do I'm always satisfied or even impressed. Good stuff

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 16, 2025, 02:20:40 pm
content: Quote from: grumpydoc on January 15, 2025, 04:38:50 pmGood choice!

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 17, 2025, 03:14:11 pm
content: Quote from: u666sa on November 10, 2024, 06:26:23 pmWhile I don't understand what my videos has to do with it, I assume that comment was directed towards me. I now see where you did ask about it and I never responded:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/ut-61e-ut-d07b-usb-dongle-connect-to-pc/msg5707433/#msg5707433That software was for the UT181a. It does not support any other products. It was written in LabView and as I understand it, NI currently has a ban on export to your area. I see where you have ran into this problem before and asked here. I am sure you could find a work around to get the runtime and NIVISA installed but I would need to rebuild it for 64-bit version of LabView first. The software is also specific to a standard USB/BLE dongle. You would also need to somehow procure that exact same one.Having made an attempt to provide free software, I can see where this is heading. Lots of questions on why it doesn't work and wanting me to fix something I wrote for a specific case. IMO, you are far better off putting together your own software using Python. Again, people on this site helped me sort out some of the specific questions I had about the interface.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/ble-stack-driver/

author: grumpydoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2025, 09:30:47 pm
content: Quote from: grumpydoc on January 15, 2025, 04:38:50 pmThen discovered the Zoyi ZT-225.Will probably bring the 257 home where it will get more use.