Fluke 17b broken battery clip needs repair - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: billbyrd1945
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2018, 01:13:19 am
content: Do any of you know where I can get one of these clips or where I can send the meter to be repaired? Not having any luck finding such a place. Thanks for any help.Also curious to know why this particular post corroded. The other one looks fine.

author: RobertHolcombe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2018, 01:26:47 am
content: Keystone 5230/5330 or 5231/5331 might work but they would require bending as the "foot" for want of a better term is facing the opposite direction

author: Muttley Snickers
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 09, 2018, 01:29:46 am
content: If the meter is covered under warranty then you will need to contact your nearest Fluke Authorised Repair Center and ask them, otherwise as mentioned above it might be easier just to make or modify a replacement contact out of similar material.Images attached below to show others how this meter should look.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2018, 03:52:04 am
content: Quote from: Muttley Snickers on August 09, 2018, 01:29:46 amFluke 17B meant for sale in China only so warranty is likely a NO GO.Keystone makes a variety of connectors.http://www.keyelco.com/I had a look throughhttp://www.keyelco.com/search-results.cfm?addsearch=aa+battery&x=0&y=0but couldn't spot anything compatible?

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2018, 10:36:43 am
content: you could take this, and form / bend them to suit your needs, a pack of 20Ebay : 20Pcs Silver Tone Metal AA/A/CR2/9V Battery Positive Negative Contact Platehttps://www.ebay.com/itm/20Pcs-Silver-Tone-Metal-AA-A-CR2-9V-Battery-Positive-Negative-Contact-Plate/322872100874?

author: billbyrd1945
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2018, 12:25:59 am
content: Thanks to all who responded. I kept checking my email and found no replies. I changed my profile, so now I should get them. I took a copper strip from a doorbell and made a clip. See pics attached. I thought I had fixed it since it worked fine before the clip broke. After replacing it, everything works but continuity. Any suggestions? Thanks.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2018, 12:37:38 am
content: That's ohms mode. To get to continuity use the yellow button to toggle through the 3 modes; Ohms, Diode or Continuity.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2018, 12:49:55 am
content: i think you have shorted an long pcb trace passing nearby, unsolder your "copper" patch and check the pad and the nearby pcb trace (s)

author: billbyrd1945
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2018, 01:58:28 am
content: "I think you have shorted an long pcb trace ..."Ahh! That's the kind of suggestion I was hoping for. (I did try the various knob positions. It won't even beep in the continuity mode).I'll remove the patch and hope for a fix. Got nothing to lose. Thanks much.

author: billbyrd1945
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2018, 02:45:56 am
content: Bummer. Didn't work. Here's a pic of my re-work.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2018, 02:53:40 am
content: check the trace continuity, and if possible clean all solder flux residues

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2018, 03:44:15 am
content: Quote from: coromonadalix on August 10, 2018, 02:53:40 amYes, remove all that leftover residue so we can get a better clearer look. I can't tell if it is the blurry photo, left over residue, but the area circled in red may not have continuity?

author: billbyrd1945
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2018, 03:08:37 pm
content: Discovered before taking it apart again that it will measure 2.77k or 0.214m with leads shorted together. All other readings are either open line, or some other crazy value, and touching the probes in beep mode will not beep. Here is a better pic. I checked all the circled traces and found continuity. The green arrow points to one remaining smudge that I couldn't clean without fear of breaking the trace. I'm really appreciating the help and learning a lot as I go through this. I realize my Chinese 17b ain't much. But I hate to toss it just for something I'm over-looking.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 03:23:10 am
content: Quote from: billbyrd1945 on August 10, 2018, 03:08:37 pmWell, that definitely is a problem.Does DCV work? If you measure a 1.5AA cell, do you get 1.5?

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 03:26:10 am
content: Using the picture supplied by Muttley above, using another working meter, what value is (ohms measurement)1) RT12) the green fusible resistor just north of RT23) RV1, RV2 and RV3

author: billbyrd1945
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 02:18:22 pm
content: First, thank you. I was hoping for some trouble shooting values but didn't know where to start. I'm meter poor and only had an old and cheap analog for backup. This is what I found. I'm guessing this is good news. But I'll defer to your conclusion.RT11k scale: 1x10 scale: 1501ohm scale: 1kfusible resistor1k scale: 1RV1: 1 ohmRV2: openRV3: 1 ohm

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 07:02:52 pm
content: Quote from: billbyrd1945 on August 11, 2018, 02:18:22 pmRT1 is a PTC and should measure around 1k ohm.fusible resistor is 1k ohm.RV are metal oxide varistors or (MOV) and should all read open.I suggest desoldering RV1, RV2 and RV3. Measure them again out of circuit to see if RV1 and RV3 are completely shorted.With RV1, RV2 and RV3 removed, does resistance measurement work now? Try measuring a 100 ohm, 1k ohm and 10k ohm resistor. Try shorting probes and continuity.PS. BTW, you didn't answer what a 1.5V AA cell reads on DCV.

author: billbyrd1945
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 07:38:45 pm
content: Disregard everything I've said. When putting the MOVs back in, I realized I had mistaken one leg of the green ceramic resistor as a MOV leg when I was first measuring them. They all measure open individually off the board and open when soldered in. Somehow I've lost my display, so-- for now-- I'll be trying to figure how I did that.------------hours later----------------Problem solved. Hereby summarized for the benefit of other hobbyists like me who only know what they've learned without the benefit of actual job experience:1. Needed meter for first time in months.2. Found it dead due to an oxidized and broken negative battery prong.3. Made new prong with copper strip from doorbell.4. Eureka moment when meter came back to life upon reassembly (beeped with button, display on, mains measured, etc.)5. Smile turned upside down when I discovered meter would not measure continuity.6. Reached out to EEV blog. Troubleshooting provided by retiredcaps.7. I then reported erroneous values which lead to MOV removal.8. Reinstalled MOVs but display gone.9. Discovered display problem caused by unnecessarily removing screws when removing board from case.10. Back to original problem. Became suspicious of home-made battery prong. The copper lacks spring-back characteristics such that installing the battery pack collapses the fold providing zero pressure from prong to battery. Just guessing of course.11. See pic below for solution that gave me back my beloved 17b. (Just need a real prong)12. I learned a lot from this. The value of forums like this cannot be overstated. I'm one happy camper. Thanks to all.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 12, 2018, 11:53:57 pm
content: So I'm confused? Does resistance and continuity work now?

author: billbyrd1945
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2018, 12:36:33 am
content: "So I'm confused? Does resistance and continuity work now?"Yes. It's working fine. I took us down a rabbit hole when I measured the wrong solder points on the bottom of the board (the movs). That lead to taking them off for no reason. The problem turned out to be my homemade clip not making a good contact. Everything worked fine when the wires were soldered on to the battery. I reshaped the clip and everything worked fine. Thanks again for all your help!

author: billbyrd1945
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2018, 09:52:34 pm
content: I spoke too soon.Everything does work, but leads together display about 10 ohms instead of 0. My 47 ohm resistors display 57 (that's how I discovered the problem). One megaohm is pretty dead on. Seems confined to lower resistance readings. Checked the leads, they're fine. Tweaked all 8 pots to no avail. Any help will be appreciated.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2018, 12:37:39 am
content: Thoroughly wash and dry the entire pcb in IPA. Use a soft toothbrush to scrub off any potential contamination from battery electrolyte leaking.Dry thoroughly use a PC fan or let dry overnight (12 to 24) hours.Retest. If 10 ohms goes to 5 ohms, literally rinse with IPA and repeat.

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2018, 12:39:29 am
content: In all your photos, I see some sort of residue all over the backside of the pcb. Remove rotary knob selector and lcd to get best IPA pcb cleaning.

author: billbyrd1945
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2018, 03:15:12 am
content: Will do.

author: billbyrd1945
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2018, 04:06:37 am
content: Eureka!Sir, I owe you a beer if you're even down my way.I apologize for thinking there was no chance in hell that cleaning would do anything other than make me feel better about it.Gotta listen to the man, retiredcaps!Actually, I did more than one thing, a no-no if you want to really know what's going on. At this point I just wanted the problem solved. So I joined the battery post on the second of two holes which I figured were just there for placement. Wouldn't hurt.Cleaned everything spic and span with 91% IPA.I suspect the grease behind the selector may have been the nasty of all places. Left it dry for now.Check out the pics (Resistor is 220R).Thank you so much!

author: retiredcaps
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2018, 04:31:26 am
content: Quote from: billbyrd1945 on August 17, 2018, 04:06:37 amAny contamination on the pcb will affect the readings.

author: Avinash lewis
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 19, 2019, 07:24:46 am
content: The Fluke 17B ans 17B+ battery compartments are badly made, Mine broke today, will open 17B+ this weekend and post the images, do not want to toss the Fluke in dump, one idiea is to solder the batteries and take the silicon wire

author: mzacharias
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 22, 2019, 01:56:29 pm
content: Here's a link for them.Chinese made. Takes a while to get them here in the U.S.https://www.ebay.com/itm/FLUKE-17B-15B-18B-110-111-112-115-116-117-motherboad-battery-cover-case-springs/163614881019?hash=item261834f4fb:g:ctwAAOSwMhVcAUsk

author: phormosa
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 26, 2019, 03:33:32 am
content: Another 17b+ failure here. Seems to be due to battery clip corroding and snapping off.Fluke repair rep response:Fluke-17B+ is low end product, we don’t provide repair service for this model,It’s repair by replacement, suggest you to contact with to purchase a new one.

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 26, 2019, 08:35:40 pm
content: Her is the solution.https://www.ebay.com/itm/FLUKE-324-Dual-Battery-Contact-OEM-new/253798911910?hash=item3b17980fa6:g:wiwAAOSwhilbZzww:sc:USPSFirstClass!94518!US!-1

author: phormosa
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 27, 2019, 10:06:25 pm
content: Thanks.In my case the failed contacts are the other end of the battery box.I didn't see that piece on ebay.They are single pieces for each battery and terminate in a springed tongue that contacts through with the PCB when everything is assembled.Thinking of trying to craft a piece, however some of the plastic has degraded and I also notice discoloration on some of the circuit pads across the PCB.

author: andy3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2019, 02:20:02 am
content: Cut it into 2 pieces, file the edges and use it. All you want its the correct size and the "springyness" (if you know what I mean).

author: phormosa
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 28, 2019, 03:52:29 am
content: UnderstandThe piece corroded on the other side of the battery holder (in two pieces), in addition to being springy for the battery also has two tongues that reach below the battery holder and establish contact with pads on the main PCB also with mechanical springynessappreciate your ideas and input