Which bench dmm to buy? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: hugburger
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 09:59:25 am
content: Kia ora / hello everyone,I've recently come across selling a couple bench dmm's at prices similar enough for direct comparison. Test equipment coming up for sale in New Zealand is a rarity so I'm keen to jump on this but can only really afford one.If you could help me out by posting which one you'd buy if you were in the market + why, I'd be really grateful.He has:Agilent 34401AKeithly 2700Keithly 2015Rigol dm3068Cheers in advance

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 10:22:02 am
content: DM3068More modern (USB)More features (trend plot, histogram, capacitance, diode)Multiple lines displayBetter current accuracy and higher AC bandwidthHigher acquisition speedDisclosure: I own a Keithley 2000 and a Rigol DM3058E

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 10:28:23 am
content: Quote from: hugburger on October 21, 2020, 09:59:25 amDrop me a line through our website, we have 4 1/2, 5 1/2 and 6 1/5 digit DMMs in stock at competitive pricing.

author: jogri
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 01:14:25 pm
content: Are we talking about new or used DMMs (and at what price)? The 34401A is too old to be sold as new and the Rigol is too new to get good deals on used units. So i don't see how the price ranges (~400 bucks for used 34401As/Keithleys) could overlap with a new Rigol (at least in the US/europe).I'd go for the Rigol, just because it has a better display, LAN and can store data on a USB stick. The 34401A has a free, rather decent software for data logging purposes and you could write a (LABView/Python) script to pull data from the Keithleys but you'd need either a RS-232 or a GPIB to USB adapter (~80 bucks from China). Trust me, having a good data logger will come in handy.Also, if we are talking about used units: Both the 34401A and the Keithleys have VFDs (vacuum fluorescent displays), i wouldn't buy them without checking the brightness beforehand as they tend to dim with age-> all three are probably at least 15-20 years old and getting replacement displays is a royal PITA.(If i also had all of my own instruments i'd probably go for the Keithley 2015 just because i still need a Keithley from that generation of instrument design on my desk (would be neat to have one Keithley from every decade since the 60s)^^)

author: robert.rozee
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 03:32:15 pm
content: the meters are all listed by a single seller ontrademe.co.nzand have been relisted every week for a couple of months now without interest from any bidders/buyers. the price of the 34401A is nz$800, which is about us$530.i feel all the meters offered by this trademe seller are over-priced for 2nd hand equipment of unknown origin, confirmed by a similar 34401A selling for nz$480 on trademe four weeks ago from a different seller. i did consider that one myself, but felt that even nz$480 was too much.the rigol DM3068 is listed at the same price as the currently listed 34401A, nz$800, which looks to be about half of the new price if imported from the usa via amazon.com. but then the new rigol from amazon comes with calibration certificate and a guarantee. even better, buy one from tautech and get a guarantee that lasts the 'reasonable life' of the instrument, likely 5 or 6 years - we haveverystrong consumer guarantee legislation here in nz on items bought new.cheers,rob :-)

author: Tom45
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 04:06:32 pm
content: I second what Wytnucls said. The modern display that gives you things like trend charts and histograms is a BIG deal.My modern desktop DMM is a Keysight 34465a. I also have an ancient LED display bench DMM that is sitting in a box somewhere.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 04:17:00 pm
content: I don't know if this will help...'The Signal Path' did a review of a Rigol and a Siglent to give some perspective:

author: jogri
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 04:30:26 pm
content: Hmm, looks like the 2700 and 2015 are at nearly 600 USD... That's quite hefty, given the fact that the VFD of the 2700 has seen better days. 480 NZD (or 320 USD) for a good 34401A is an okay-ish price in my opinion, given the fact that you are looking for stuff for sale in NZ. They go for 300-400 USD in europe (or even cheaper in the form of 34970As, i've seen some for 250), and the Keithleys go for ~500 in pristine condition (which those two clearly aren't).Doesn't look like a good price, so i'd also recommend getting a new Rigol.On an unrelated sidenote:Quote from: Tom45 on October 21, 2020, 04:06:32 pmI just got myself a DAQ970A (basically the 34465A with multiplexer cards), and it was the first piece of test equipment were i had to consult the manual in order to use it as the menu structure is just beyond chaotic/idiotic in my opinion... First and last Keysight of that design on my desk. HP managed to give the predecessor, the 34401A series a crystal clear menu with a single line VFD and Keysight couldn't even do it with a color LCD...

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 06:52:51 pm
content: Quote from: MarkF on October 21, 2020, 04:17:00 pmAnd that's the trouble with linking vids.....they are so old and out of date today due to the improvements made/added in firmware. For the SDM3055 there is further FW coming shortly.Sure it lets us have a look/compare the general workings between 2 models and that's about all.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 07:05:48 pm
content: Quote from: robert.rozee on October 21, 2020, 03:32:15 pmThanks for the plug however all I ever want to to have the opportunity to present my gear to a buyer and then let them decide if it fits their needs and budget.Dunno if hugburger will knock on our door but hey just knowing we're here is all we ever want.Warranty is certainly interesting and all it ever costs us is a rare bit of time to fill out forms/claims. So rare in fact without looking through records I don't remember when we last claimed for anything.@hugburgerAFAIK the is no official Rigol distributor in NZ, instead NZ is deemed by Rigol to be part of OZ therefore Emona in OZ is the master agent for NZ and Mastec their local puppets.It was offered to us but we turned them (Rigol) down.

author: battlecoder
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 08:16:50 pm
content: I can only give my vote for the Rigol. I have it's younger cousin the DM3058 and it's been fantastic so far. My only complaint would be the lack of a proper mechanical ON/OFF switch on the front panel. It only has a soft on/off button (and a power switch on the back, but that's unpractical as hell).

author: hugburger
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 21, 2020, 08:45:23 pm
content: Thank you everyone for the replies, this got more attention than I was expecting and faster to boot!Big mahi to rob rozee for your comment. I'd also seen some of the other stuff he'd listed ages ago but only just stumbled across the 6.5 bangers. Was hoping to snag a hot air station too to make the cost more reasonable but no dice as so far.Also big mahi to rob from tautech. You helped me out with a SDS2202X-E in the past which I appreciated greatly. Unfortunately since this isn't born out of necessity I don't think I can justify buying a new unit despite how nice the siglents are.