Beginner after DMM advice please - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: HobGoblyn
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 08:11:22 pm
content: Thanks to a lot of help from you guys, I have my lab up and running. I have two cheapish DMMs, ANENG AN870 and UNI-T UT61E.Initially I only had one multimeter, but I was warned I would need more, hence got the second, but already I find myself wishing I had 4I'm learning the basics, but want to measure voltage and current at various points at the same time, hence two isn't enough, but I'm not thinking of using them on mains voltage.Space on the desk is my problem, a couple of bench DMMs on the shelf would be totally fine, but another couple of portable DMMs would make my bench a crowded mess."tooki" gave me great advice on this, and warned against getting cheap bench DMMS as they are effectively cheap portables put in a bench style box. However I lack the funds to buy say one Keithly 2015 (around £450) yet alone two.I really only have about £40 to spend on each at the moment (no mains voltage use) , I wondered how good really old bench meters were compared to a cheap portable. For instance there's a SIMPSON AUTO-RANGING 465 DIGITAL MULTIMETER on ebay, 13 hrs to go, zero bids, I could ( if I'm lucky) get it for £50or there's a Fluke 8000A mains Digital Multi-meter that has 1 day to go and is currently £21Are things like this worth considering, or am I throwing my money away going that route?many thanks

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 08:19:43 pm
content: Quote from: HobGoblyn on March 06, 2020, 08:11:22 pmWell, tooki's advice in this case is utter nonsense. Cheap bench DMMs have been around for decades and they all are portables in a bench style box with a power cord. For some unclear reason some people have the idea that a bench DMM absolutely needs to have 6.5 digits (or more) and all kinds of bells & whistles. And on top of that the box needs to be filled to the brim with circuit boards too! Meanwhile they forget that space constraints where stacking equipment works better and not needing to change batteries are also a very valid reasons for getting a cheap bench DMM instead of a portable.Having said that: I can highly recommend the Vichy VC8145 bench DMM. I have two myself which I use as 'daily drivers'. Not for hobby but for professional use. I got these for the exact same reason you are looking for a bench DMM: portables clutter the desk and they either run flat or turn themselves off at an inconvenient moment.An older model which can be found cheap is an HP3466A (which has an easy to read LED display) but these lack quite a few features like measuring capacitance and a continuity beeper. I used to own one and when checked against a better DMM it was still spot-on. I don't recommend gettting the later HP DMMs with an LCD display. These are hard to read due to the small numbers and no backlight.

author: Electro Fan
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 10:12:37 pm
content: Quote from: HobGoblyn on March 06, 2020, 08:11:22 pmIf your budget is £40 and you want a bench DMM a used Fluke 8000A in good condition might help address your desire for a neat bench. Or if it's mostly just a matter of having a couple more DMMs so you can make more simultaneous circuit measurements and you don't plan on doing high voltage work go for a couple more Aneng's (870, or 8008).nctnico definitely likes the VC8145; it could be a solution for you if you want to save toward a higher budget. Or keep saving and go for a Siglent 3045 or 3055.My experience is that it's nice to have one DMM (a Fluke or maybe a Brymen or something else) that inspires a lot of confidence both for high voltage work and for accuracy (or at least provides a reasonable frame of reference) and after that the 8008's are pretty handy and cost-effective for mV and mA (and uA) measurements and they seem to agree pretty well with the Fluke (179). Having said all that, it would be nice to have a stationary bench DMM (and one that adds a few extra functions like 4 wire resistance), so I can see adding a Siglent 3055 at some point.In the end it depends on what you need/want most. But if it's low voltage and your really just want to measure with reasonable accuracy and low cost, it's pretty hard to beat 3 or 4 Aneng 8008s - unless you need to join the TEA group, in which case the budget might have to flex

author: NoisyBoy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 11:16:23 pm
content: A lot of the decisions is hinging on the condition of the meter, the 8000A in calibrated working conditions is capable. But if not, a proper calibration would require equipment that not everyone has. For that price, it is hard to tell what you will get for a 40 year old meter, so buyers beware.My suggestion is rather buying a bunch of questionable meters that don’t agree with each other, it is better to save up and get a calibrated meter that you trust.

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 12:42:38 am
content: The DMMCheckPlus (https://dmmcheckplus.com) is a great option. Re-calibration is only $20 plus shipping. It's tiny, so you can ship it back and forth for very little money.With just Ohm's law and a calculator you can verify other DMM ranges as needed.

author: HobGoblyn
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 09:26:11 pm
content: Thanks all. I don’t think tooki was as wrong as you imply, I think he was more saying a unit t bench multimeter for say £54 is no different than a portable unit t.I’m in the weird situation where funds aren’t a problem, but keeping the. Wife happy is. I gave her £1000 and said I was spending £1000 on my lab, but I’ve spent around £1500 on my lab, and she says (understandably) that I always need just one more thingThat said, if the vc8145 is a good option, come April I might be able to convince my loverly adorable wife that I need two.That’s far more affordable than the Keithley 2015I adore my wife and she’s very fair. But if I had my way I would spend about 5k on my lab, so I can understand her concerns. But the vc8145 seems like something we could both agree on

author: HobGoblyn
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 16, 2020, 07:15:12 pm
content: Decided to treat myself to two VC8145 if I can get them close to the ebay price.. Got to self isolate for 12 weeks, thought I'd get them in the next couple of days before the country completely locks down£125 each on ebay or £212 each on Amazon.Do you guys think ebay versions are OK? (there's loads of listings around that price). £250 for two is doable £424 isn't, but don't want to buy if they are no good cheap clones.thankshttps://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VICHY-VC8145-Bench-Top-Digital-Multimeter-Voltmeter-Capacitance-Tester-Tool-UK/123493121632?hash=item1cc0c37e60:g:hDAAAOSwJ~xb7ntvhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Precision-Bench-Type-Interface-Multifunction-Multimeter/dp/B081CNP7D5/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1YLL6ZCR9TVAI&keywords=vc8145&qid=1584386007&sprefix=%2Camazon-devices%2C160&sr=8-6

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2020, 07:35:04 pm
content: The ones on Ebay looks legit to me. About the same price I paid for mine.