Mastech MS8239C review and teardown - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: gameru
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2016, 07:47:45 pm
content: GreetingsThis is my first review.And i'm a newbie in electronics.Sorry for my English,i know it is poor.Let's get to workMastech MS8239c - 4000 counts,600V CAT III,update rate i think is more then 3 times per sec,is not TRUE RMSThe DMM Mastech MS8239c does not have strengths,only the price 19 dollars.PackagingThe carton box is nicely,inside we find the multimeter,test leads(decent,more flexible than UNI-T,total length 80cm),K-Type Thermocouple,manual,no battery (works with 2 x 1.5V AAA)1.MS8239c it has a removable holster which is flexible.The meter stay nice and secure in holster (solid like a rock)2.The screw to open up the battery compartment is metal threaded3.The input jacks are split4.Both fuse are rated 600V.The maker is ASTM.Dimensions : 6.3 x 32mmInternal protectionThe internal protection is weak.Only 2 PTC,some resistors and a diode bridgeBad design1.On the PCB we find the current shunt which is very close by conductor (COM)2.The conductor of A jack touches the socket of 10A fuseAfter this i put heat shrink tubing on all input jack3.The selector switch contact have a type of grease on them ( i acted correctly by cleaning the contact?)DisplayIs bright enoughThe display passed the known external pressure testBack light is powerful and uniformIf you press the back light button, the light will stay permanently on (it has no timer)Auto-Power-offIn manual says -after 30 minutes of no activity the meter will automatically shutdown.In real life sometimes after 5-10 minutes of no activity the meter will shutdownContinuity modeFast response,no scratchingCapacitanceIt has no internal residual capacitanceThe maximum reading is 100 microFDiodeVoltage output in diode mode is 1.555VThermocouple and temperatureThe multimeter contain an internal temperature sensor for measuring the ambientK-Type Thermocouple it's a crap,the banana plug remains stuck in input jack.You need to apply a big force to get outAt the beginning it was a huge temp difference between MS8239c and Brymen BM869s,the MS8239c show with 8 degrees more then Brymen.After this i cleaned up the PCB and temperature difference was reducedAccuracyWas tested against my favorite meter BRYMEN BM869SFor this i will add picturesAs followsCapacitanceTemperatureResistanceDC VAC VHzDC mADC AAC AClick here for pictures

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2016, 09:59:39 pm
content: Good write up. I have a Mastech that I use for outside work.I like your Brymen. Very nice meter!

author: gameru
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 13, 2016, 10:44:21 pm
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on April 13, 2016, 09:59:39 pmThank you for encouragementI'm very happy because you read my review.I am your fan,i saw all your video from youtube (it was a pleasure to watching)I'm anxious to see your video about UT210eI have a Voltcraft VC330 which is UNI-T UT210E insideAbout Brymen, i'm fan

author: joeqsmith
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2016, 12:58:10 am
content: I think you're my only fan.Glad you have enjoyed the videos and always good to see another Brymen 869s out there. Maybe we will see some videos from you in the future?I keep looking at the 210. That 181 really took up a lot of time but now that it's over I will spend some time on it.What's the next meter you plan to look at?

author: gameru
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2016, 02:05:04 pm
content: Quote from: joeqsmith on April 14, 2016, 12:58:10 amI do not think i will buy in the near future another multimeter.I'm newbie and for my knowledge it is too much what i have (Brymen BM869s,Voltcraft VC330,Mastech MS8239c)Instead i want to learn how tu use an oscilloscope.Probable i will make the effort to buy an GWinstek (the cheapest model)

author: kenjiru
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 23, 2016, 11:01:41 am
content: Initially I wanted to buy the Mastech MS8268, as it's quite popular and cheap, but I was put off by it's bulkiness.Does MS8239C have any disadvantages compare to MS8268 for an electronics hobbyist doing mostly small Arduino projects?Can somebody quickly compare the MS8239C with MS8268?By the way, nice review!

author: Magnets
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2016, 02:23:22 pm
content: I'm looking for a cheap meter and saw these two (8268 and 8239c). the 8268 looks like a very old model originally going back to 2008 but has lots of reviews on amazon.The 8268 has a self healing fuse, separate input jacks for current, it warns you if you use the incorrect inputs for your selection, the 10a fuse is accessible from the battery door. I think the accuracy is slightly better on the 8239c - 0.5%+3 vs 0.7%+2. But the 8268 looks incredibly bulkyTo the OP: doesn't the 10a jack connect straight to the 10a fuse via the PCB? Does it make much difference if the jack is touching the fuse holder?I notice your box is in English, all of the photos on aliexpress and gearbest show a chinese box, where did you order from?edit: an older photohttp://g02.a.alicdn.com/kf/UT8kLZxXhBaXXagOFbX3.jpgfrom a site that scrapes aliexpress reviewshttp://oki-dokki.com/otzyvy/multimetr-m044-ms8239c-auto-ac-dc_83348827.html

author: gameru
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 04, 2016, 07:29:30 pm
content: Quote from: Magnets on May 04, 2016, 02:23:22 pmUntil to put the heat shrink, the DMM show OL when measure more then 4A.After putting the heat shrink and cleaning the PCB with alcohol the DMM works right.I ordered from Gearbest.I think they have a container in Europe.Because the parcel was sent to me from Belgium.The shipping time was 1weekI forgot to mention in review,suffer of overshootI recommend you to buy a real DMM

author: avocado
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2016, 03:35:35 pm
content: I am considering to buy this DMM after reading this thread and not being able to find what I want in my budget range.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 16, 2016, 04:43:19 pm
content: Do not buy a DMM with one jack for voltageandmA.

author: avocado
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 19, 2016, 08:22:25 am
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on July 16, 2016, 04:52:35 pmThanks for the reminder.I did not take a look at the details of the front face of the DMM.But I did notice it has 3 socket and I thought the all A measurement was in a different socket.thanks again. I will pay more attention from here then on.

author: Kilrah
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 19, 2016, 08:24:56 am
content: Wow, first time I see one like that (apart from the $10 thingies with 2 jacks only of course).

author: mariustaciuc
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 21, 2017, 05:45:01 am
content: Yet another review and comparison between Fluke 87 and Mastech MS8268:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eXDEUyI8L0=youtu.be