Any advantage of 830 multimeters? (and 838, 890 etc) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: 001
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2017, 02:44:15 pm
content: Hi all!There are many agressive persons in internet who say that ICL7108 based multimeters (2000 counts/manual range like 830 and 890 types) is only-begotten good solution becouse it is easy to trim, repair and mod itsBut whoreallyrepair or tweaks $3 DMMs?All I need from DMMs is acuracy and ergonomics. Auto range and auto power off is good for me and I happy with my UT139.But some persons say that it is only for dummies.Why these folks so aggressive? What I misunderstand for 830 multimeter advantage?

author: ebclr
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2017, 02:50:28 pm
content: The unique point is price 1.5 USD, everthing else is a piece of s......The one who care about maintenance of a DT830, must find a psychologist in a very urgent way.

author: 001
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2017, 02:52:16 pm
content: Quote from: ebclr on December 23, 2017, 02:50:28 pmBut internet is full of articles about 830 repair and mods!https://www.google.ru/search?q=repair+DT830&oq=repair+DT830&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l3.4559j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

author: kalel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2017, 03:05:29 pm
content: Beside the price point, they usually work and seem to provide reasonable accuracy.So, if buying your first multimeter to measure some battery voltages and resistances, and if you were well informed about the dangers of using the multimeter improperly (especially in any non-voltage reading mode) prior to getting it, this might work well.I think that obviously because of their price, they are popular around the world. Being a popular product, you're more likely to find repair and mod videos than for a less popular product. Maybe it's just the challenge/fun factor: "Let's see what I can do with this cheap meter". Modding it and failing is also less costly than modding an expensive meter and failing - so could be some type of learning experience depending on the mod (I haven't seen the mods).Now, about the repair videos... these meters are not robust at all. Especially the probes (and on some models sockets) are likely to fail unless you add some support to the probes as soon as you get the meter. So, failing more frequently may be the cause of more repair videos, but likely the main reason is the same as the modding videos - it's a cheap and popular meter.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2017, 03:33:46 pm
content: Quote from: 001 on December 23, 2017, 02:44:15 pmNot around here there aren't.Quote from: 001 on December 23, 2017, 02:44:15 pmSome people might do it for fun/learning, I hope nobody is doing it for necessity or to save money.A year or so ago it wasn't easy to find a reasonable meter for less than $20. Those days are over, $15-$20 can buy you a really nice meter these days.(ignoring safety...)

author: 001
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2017, 03:46:16 pm
content: They say what everyone who spend to DMM more then for 830 is idiot and lamerAnd I`m real confused

author: HKJ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2017, 04:14:27 pm
content: Until now I have reviewed two 830 models and I am not very impressed with them.Try comparing them to the Aneng AN860B+ meter (This is also a fairly cheap meter).If you use a mouse you can hover it over the DMM name and get a table of the abilities of the meter in my table here:http://www.lygte-info.dk/info/DMMReviews.html

author: kalel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 23, 2017, 04:17:03 pm
content: Quote from: 001 on December 23, 2017, 03:46:16 pmWell, everyone has their own opinion and you shouldn't be confused if you disagree with someone, not everyone can agree on everything.I don't personally see why someone who spends more would be an idiot, but you have not shared yet their arguments/intention and what kind of work they are doing, so it's hard to evaluate it fully.