What could I look for besides the Fluke 8808A and DM3068? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: horse_battery_staple_guy
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 08, 2021, 04:01:00 pm
content: Hello Everybody,I apologize in advance for asking something that probably a lot of people have done before. I'm a lab noob in a company and I was suddenly given budget to spend in a new DMM as mine is pretty old. The DMM I use is an old Keithley 196 I found stashed long ago in a locker and I've been using that since. I have never needed to upgrade it however.But! I was given 1000$ (My actual budget is 800$ but I could in theory push it up a bit more) and they told me that I should spend that before the year is over otherwise it'll be gone so I figured might as well.Here's a few things that I'm looking for in a newer DMM:- Program it / Control it through LAN, RS232 or another interface not being GPIB. (It doesn't need the drivers available, so long as the specification exists I can implement it in any language. But something pre-written in C or C++ or LabVIEW is preferred.)- Be able to perform Capacitor and Diode tests.- 4 Wire resistance measurements would be really useful to me.- Be able to calibrate it.( Thermocouple measurements are not relevant at all as I have a lot of thermocouple measurement devices )I intend to use it for general electronics work. Here's a few things I've recently been working with:- Voltage and current measurement circuits.- Very basic power supplies, and very very basic switched converters.- Temperature measurement circuits.- Current transmitter circuits, (like those with 4-20mA) for receiving and transmitting.- Communication interfaces, isolation and protection circuits (like USB, RS232, RS485, Ethernet)- Extremely rarely, wireless stuff with Wi-Fi or cellular chips.- Very basic uh.. microcontroller.. circuits?If I could use strain gauges that's a huge plus. Though I do have budget for a DAQ/Equipment for that next year.If I can program it to perform automated measurements or tests that's even better, as I usually program testers in the lab.I was taking a look at the Rigol DM3068 being that its about 800$ ish, but I've been hearing mixed things about it and apparently it cannot be calibrated unless its Rigol? Can anyone help confirm that? I was also considering a 8808A from Fluke as that's also inside budget but that DMM apparently doesn't have any interfaces besides RS232 and it can't perform Capacitor tests which would've been nice. It's also got lower resolution than other available DMMs out there. Though I don't really need that so maybe I shouldn't care about that too much.There's also the problem that I can't really look for used stuff in Ebay. Any advice/recommendations?Maybe the budget is too low. I'm still inexperienced so a lot of this is still somewhat overwhelming.Thanks!

author: Magnum
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2021, 06:30:28 pm
content: If you are looking for something to program I would check the Keithley DMM6500. But I am not sure if you can get one for USD 1.000 max.

author: alm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2021, 06:38:58 pm
content: I wouldn't pay too much attention to a capacitance function on a DMM. If measuring capacitors is at all important to you, get an LCR meter. A DMM will generally measure capacitance by measuring the time it takes to charge using a constant current. An LCR meter will use sine waves of adjustable frequencies, and will measure other parameters like Q/DF/ESR. TheDER EE DE-5000has been well reviewed, but there might be better options these days.As for the DM3068 calibration, from what I've read they do not document the calibration, so you can't calibrate it yourself even if you have the necessary equipment. I don't know if third-party calibration labs support it these days. If your company requires calibration for this equipment, and you would have to send it out to Rigol every year, that would be a major pain. Inquire at the calibration lab you're using if they can calibrate this instrument in that case.I haven't used it, but people seem generally happy with the Fluke 8808A, or the identical Tektronix DM4020.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2021, 06:47:26 pm
content: Prices have gone up and a lot of $1000 and under things are now $1200 or more.If your budget is pretty firm, have a close look at the BK Precision 5493C for $960 MSRP. I haven't used it myself, but presumably it is OEMed by Tonghui and appears to be pretty decent like the other meters I've had from them. It has all the features you are looking for, including the RS232/LAN/USB communication trifecta.

author: Kleinstein
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 09, 2021, 09:03:52 pm
content: The sigilent SDM3065 is in about the same price range and comparable specs to the rigol. AFAIK a more moder (KS copy) UI. Prices can vary by region ( e.g. import duties) and availability could be an issue too. So look at your favorite sources for instruments to check what is actual available.