ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2024
- My multimeter failed so here we have a quick multimeter comparison.
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A few months ago my $100 multimeter had a fatal calibration error after just 24 months of light use, so I replaced it. Twice! Then Kaiweets offered me two of their multimeters to compare against. It's just amazing what you can get for around the £20 - £30 mark these days.
► Aneng AN8008 (Small, very light)
Buy for £16.71: www.banggood.c...
► AstroAI DM6000AR (6000 counts)
Buy for £25.99: amzn.to/3ugTB9j
► Kaiweets ST600Y Auto (No circular switch, all on-screen, very smart)
Info: kaiweets.com/p...
UK Buy here: www.amazon.co....
USA: discounts for Amazon US:
HT118A February Discount
10% OFF CODE LD3GYUBZ
Link: amzn.to/3FY0q1X
ST600Y February Discount
10% OFF CODE ST600AUTO, it can be combined with coupon
Link: amzn.to/3FKJTPx
Usage
▲ Voltage tester
▲ Large range measuring tool
▲ Frequency multimeter
▲ Diode electronic tester
▲ Capacitance digital meter
▲ Ohm meter
Upgraded Specification
● DC Voltage: 600mV/6V/60V/600V±(0.5%+3)
● AC Voltage: 6V/60V/600V/750V±(0.8%+5)
● DC Current: 600mA/6A/10A ±(1.2%+3)
● AC Current: 600mA/6A/10A ±(1.2%+3)
● Resistance: 600/6k/60k/600kOHM ±(1.0%+5)
● Capacitance: 6nF/60nF/600nF/6uF/60uF/600uF ±(4.0%+5); 6mF/60mF ±(5.0%+5)
● Frequency: 16Hz/60Hz/600Hz/6kHz/60kHz/600kHz/6MHz/10MHz ±(1.0%+3)
● Duty: 1.0%-99.0% ±(1.0%+3)
● Temperature: -40~1000°C; -40-1832°F 2°C
► Kaiweets HT118A (A chunky desktop multimeter that does it all)
Info: kaiweets.com/p...
Buy for £25.02: s.click.aliexp...
Usage
▲ Voltage tester
▲ Large range measuring tool
▲ Frequency multimeter
▲ Diode electronic tester
▲ Capacitance digital meter
▲ Ohm meter
Upgraded Specification
● DC Voltage: 600mV/6V/60V/600V±(0.5%+3), 1000V ±(0.5%+3)
● AC Voltage: 600mV/6V/60V/600V/750V±(0.8%+5)
● DC Current: 600μA/6000μA/60mA/600mA/10A ±(1.2%+3)
● AC Current: 600μA/6000μA/60mA/600mA/10A ±(1.5%+3)
● Resistance: 600Ω/6KΩ/60KΩ/600KΩ/±(1.0%+3),6MΩ/60MΩ ±(1.5%+3)
● Capacitance: 10nf/100nf/1000nf/10uf/100uf/1000uf ±(4.0%+5), 10MF/100MF±(5.0%+5)
● Frequency/Duty:10Hz/100Hz/1000Hz/ 10kHz/100kHz/1000kHz ±(1.0%+3),10MHz/±(3.0%+3)
► List of all my videos
(Special thanks to Michael Kurt Vogel for compiling this)
bit.ly/TH-camV...
If you like this video please give it a thumbs up, share it and if you're not already subscribed please consider doing so and joining me on my Arduinite (and other μControllers) journey
My channel, GitHub and blog are here:
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• / ralphbacon
• ralphbacon.blog
• github.com/Ral...
• buymeacoffee.c...
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► My ABOUT page with my email address: / ralphbacon
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Ralph, I am glad you are happy with Aneng 8008. Thanks for remembering my comment, it was a nice surprise to see it on the screen :-)
Thanks again! I hope you enjoyed your 15 minutes (well, 5 seconds) of fame!
@@RalphBacon Every nanosecond of it. 🤣
It's good to know that (for hobbyists at least) we can but almost any reasonably-priced DMM and get reliability & value. Great work, Ralph!
Very true! I won't be buying any $100 multimeter again any time soon!
Hi Ralph,
In my 45 years in electronics, I've owned and used many different multi-meters, including analog VOM's, VTVM's and various bench meters as well. Many of them I liked, some had really neat features, but the most important feature to me is that I can pick it up, use it, and know it will work. So yes, I am a Fluke fan! I've never had one fail me (except dead batteries or a blown current fuse)!
Thank you for your videos!
It seems that everyone who has (ever) had a Fluke has nothing but good things to say about them. Which goes some way to explaining the cost (the quality control must be vigorous).
Ralph,
Nice “kick the tires” piece (Yankee phrase) on the group of meters. You greatly warmed my heart with your analog VOM. Curiously, I have exactly the same meter, still in service on my bench. That meter must have been available to distributors for OEM re- branding. Mine came from Lafayette Electronics, which (I think) was a US- only firms out of the Chicago area. All of the info on the meter face is the same except for the manufacturer and model number info. Nowadays, I mainly use it for administering a big “kick test” to various dry cells. I hook onto that big old 12A meter shunt and throw the probes momentarily across the battery in question. Since I’ve done this for many years, I have pretty good sense of the charge level of the cell by how high and how quickly the needle jumps. Definitely an analog test!
I also bought that meter about the same time as you, and I think we must be about the same age. That was a fairly expensive VOM at that time.
Like you, I have removed the ohmmeter battery to avoid leakage problems. Now, she deserves a nice semi-retirement in a not-too-busy corner of the bench, with an occasional call-up so she can still feel useful.
Keep up the great column. Love it all!
I miss seeing the needle jump when trying to measure pulses. Sometimes the pulses are too quick to get a reading from a DMM but an analog meter will show you that there was _something_ at least!
Thanks for your kind words about my channel, glad you like it!
I have an Etepon meter that looks exactly like your AstroAI. To get the leg out to stand it up: press the top corner of the leg into the meter and the bottom sticks out just enough to lift out. No banging necessary.
Yes, that worked very well indeed. I don't normally bang the meter at all (or it would have an even shorter life than the previous one). Thanks for the heads up, I've been saved! 😁
My first really good digital meter is my Fluke 23 with it's rubber case. It cost $169 new when I bought it in the 1980's and used it is still selling for half that or more. The only downside is it's not an RMS meter and when I was troubleshooting an inverter generator, it read something like 300 volts on the 120 outlet.
I bought a Klein CL120 that is RMS and find that I use it more now than the Fluke. It was only about $70 on Amazon when I bought it. One bonus is it's also a clamp on meter for measuring current that works for both AC and DC.
Don't disparage that analog meter with a needle. If you are doing an alignment on old radios, that is perfect for tuning to the peak. The alternative would be to use an oscilloscope.
I liked the "kick" of the analog meter when trying to determine whether a pin had gone high. I couldn't measure the voltage (it was too quick) but the needle certainly jumped quite a bit so I could be sure there was a signal being generated!
Thanks for the tip, bought a AstroAI DM6000AR about 23 uk pounds amz. My wife discovered long press, to use second function, namely light. I discovered hold meter display up, and the stand kinda hangs out by about 6mm or so, grabable! My best meter, to date. Cheers
Great to hear! My DM600AR is a permanent resident on my desk too! You are right about the stand hanging out when held up, just tried it! Also you can push in the top of the stand for the same effect. 👍🏻
I was a UNI-T man for many years until a year or so ago when I bought an ANENG ST209 AC/DC current clamp meter. I then bought and ANENG AN870. Both are great and I'm converted.
Its certainly true that one can never have too many tools and I've only found myself wanting once. I had three multimeters hooked up, the current clamp and my pocket scope.
The current clamp is so convenient, but only seems accurate above about 1A. Under that and its worth wrapping a few turns around the clamp and dividing the reading. But so much more convenient than having to beak the circuit and put the multimeter inline.
Quite few tools you have there, as you say you can never have too many! Others have mentioned a current clamp. I have a dedicated one that measures higher values but I will have to look at a non-contact version for milliamps, if such a thing exists.
In electrical industry when using a correctly rated meter, sometimes the digital meters can give inaccurate readings especially when there are any floating voltages.
Earthing tests can make the digital meter buzz and readings jump all over the place in an MEN system (power completely isolated)
In those instances the analog meter is invaluable. Digital meters can also fail miserably, clouds of black smoke, around the testing of exciters on generators.
I didn't know they still made moving coil meters but you've given us an actual use case, good stuff. 👍
@@RalphBacon Kyoritsu, Hoiki, Voltcraft, all cat3 meters ...many others
i had a few uni-t meteors and they always served me well for what i do. im only a hobbyist so there more than enough for me :)
To be honest, most meters around the £20-30 will be suitable for us hobbyists, I reckon.
@@RalphBacon yes defiantly specially these days i remember buying my first multimeter from tandys way back when lol.. hey off topic, but was wondering if you know of a way of making code that you upload to your arduino read only like pushing out the record tabs you used to get on cassettes tapes but when you need to record again you can put tape over the record tabs, its just that im do a thing whic uses 2 unos at a time, but when im work on the code on them which are both plugged in at once, i keep accidently uploading the wrong code to the wrong uno. lol it drives me nuts, i don't want to have to keep unpluging one all the time.. was just womdering. thank you fella. and cool video ::)
You can't make the code 'read-only' except _permanently_ which is not a good idea! You will never be able to upload again to that chip.
A better way is to use a hub with individual switches on the port. I use the 'atolla' USB 3.0 range (runs fine with USB 2.0) and just switch off one port whilst I upload to the correct one.
See here, not cheap, but weigh that up against your frustration!
amzn.to/3Jry4PH
Alternatively, a cheaper, simple USB on/off switch might suit you:
amzn.to/3rMEXFd
@Ralph S Bacon oh cool cool. thank you fella i didnt know you could get a hub like that. cool what a good idear im going to get one right now lol.. thank you you clever man lol ;)
I purchased the Kaiweets HT118A as my primary meter for electronics projects. I liked it so much I purchased a second one for my shop for automotive use. Very good meter. I thought the light on the back was a little cheeky , well it has saved me looking for a flashlight several times.
Great to hear! Yes, I've used the light a couple of times; I guess it's useful addition that when you need it, well, you need it!
This video will save my life! I can show it to my girlfriend and say: "Look, there are people in the world that have more multimeters than I have!"
The argument before that was that she has more shoes than I have multimeters - but this is better!
I'm glad to help in any way possible!
i started out with the RCA vacuum tube voltmeter, sweet 🌸 now i watch videos on an array of 5.5, 6.5, 7.5 digit precision meters and none of the high resolution readings are the same? 🧐
great video thank you, i love test equipment 🥳⏳🛠📈
That's a common problem with such high resolution - none of them are exact! We just need a few significant digits and all is well!
I still have my RCA VoltOhmyst WV-77E. It's been quite a few years since I plugged it in though.
@@davethedaemon9024 me too. thanks.
Thanks to Ralph for the comparison. We will also fully refer to the comments, listen carefully to everyone's voice, strive to improve our shortcomings and provide everyone with more affordable, safe, and accurate products.
Well said! 👍
Good on you guys for providing the sample, apparently without requiring anything out of Mr. Bacon. It speaks volumes about a company that has enough faith in its offerings to not worry about it. 👍️
Good on you guys for providing the sample, apparently without requiring anything out of Mr. Bacon. It speaks volumes about a company that has enough faith in its offerings to not worry about it. 👍️
Ralph. I would use a file and remove some of the plastic on the stand in the middle between the supports. That should make a nice slot to get your finger in to open the stand. But I agree, bad design. Provisions should have been made in the plastic molding.
Others have suggested pushing the top of the stand in a bit which makes the bottom pop out. Problem solved (otherwise I was going to do what you suggested).
I’ve got a pair of Fluke handheld meters and a pair of Rhode and Schwarz bench meters at work, great bits of kit. At home I’ve got a couple of cheap multimeters I picked up at our local equivalent of your maplan and they do just fine for anything I’d do at home. Do I love my fancy work meters? Yes! Would I spend my own money on them? God no! Analogue meters still have their place, particularly for circuits that pulse intermittently or have a variable output, that needle will give you a far clearer picture than the (often slow to react) auto ranging digital meters. Mine cost like $5 posted off eBay and is handy on occasion. If you’re going to play with filters buy an analogue meter with a dB scale
Believe it or not, until recently I occasionally used the moving coil meter just for the purpose of seeing pulses, just like you say. No digital meter I own was quick enough to track such pulses (I think they only update 3 times a second). Now I will have to clean up the TKD500, put a new battery in it and put it back on my workbench. Sorted! Thanks for the nudge 👍🏻
@@RalphBacon local electronics college still teaches with them, they’re a useful tool. Not so useful I’d spend more than $5 on one though!
By the way good on you for being so transparent about the freebies and not being shy to criticise them.
Hi Ralph nice seeing you again. Keep healthy my friend.
Nice to see you around here too, Steven. You didn't document what multimeter you use for all your projects?
@@RalphBacon I have an old meter I got for free/or darn cheep(best I remember, sounds like me anyway) from Radio Shack, back before they all closed. My newer one is a Klein.
A very useful addition to my meter collection was the Uni-T UT210E which has an ac/dc current clamp, so useful when checking dc currents without having to wire a meter in series.
Great tip! Measuring current is always tricky (it can overload a meter very quickly) so a non-contact clamp sounds good - how low can it detect?
@@RalphBacon 2A is lowest range; 100A highest.
I prefer your project videos, can you do more on RF decode of door switches and temp. sensors? can you use SDR for this?
You won't believe the easy project I've next got lined up in video format - I'll be interested in how you would have approached it given that you're interested in decoding sensor protocols. But you never said what meter(s) you have?
@@RalphBacon Looking forward to that! I have a Keithley 197 bench dmm,Fluke 115, Wavetech 220 and Thsinde 19B cheapie off Amazon. Also a Siglent SDS1052DL and B+K 2121C 30MHz analog scope.
In my professional working life I would not have the handheld DVM’s calibrated, they just had a “for reference only” label. They got taken out the lab and thrown about in tool bags and boxes for them to be deemed reliable and not fit for recorded test results. The bench DVM’s were calibrated every year as the calibration states and report number had to be recorded when used with a test procedure.
Plus you might find it hard to get a calibration house to calibrate most of these cheap Chinese ones also the cost of calibration would be more than the cost of the meter.
The real pain was i’d buy a nice new scope and then lose it for 2-3 weeks while it was off for calibration; the manufactures calibration was never good enough.
I could have bought the Brymen (that went wrong) with additional, certified calibration at the time of purchase but being for non-professional use I declined. And just as you say the cost now of it being recalibrated is well above what a new meter costs.
I recently took a punt on an AstroAI meter. I got the DT132A because I needed something that measured capacitance for identifying teeny tiny SMD caps (and neither of my other meters do capacitance). I haven't picked up my other two meters since it arrived - except for the initial tests just to confirm they all give roughly the same (close enough) readings. It's a little smaller than your AstroAI, but seems to offer pretty much mostly the same features and you'll be pleased to know that the built-in stand is easy to open up. 😂
I'm happy you like your AstroAI and that the stand is easy to open on your DT132A - as it happens on mine there was a technique involving pushing the top of the stand in a bit to make the bottom of the stand come out. I didn't know, others gave me a clue!
I have a fluke something,thats almost 20 years of age.
It has served me well.
I sometimes need one to do transistors.
But I’m to cheap to buy one one. 🥴
But a meter that does transistor hfe is only about £20 - if you need one, then you need one!
I’ve recently done dedicated reviews, with tear downs and accuracy testing using my Calibration gear on the Aneng 8008 and Kaiweets ST600Y meters.
Good that you posted here, because I just didn't want to do that, given my target (mostly hobbyist) audience. But someone has to do it, for completeness. Here's the link for your multimeter reviews: th-cam.com/video/dAKuA7YR0ZY/w-d-xo.html so others can just click it!
@@RalphBacon thanks Ralph, I’m sure it will be of interest to some of your viewers.
Hey, I have AN8008 too! Pretty good and universal multimeter. But it's my bigger one, because I also have even smaller, like half size - DT-182. Surely it's not that "professional", but it does its job, has all the usual functions, even transistor tester, and it fits in any pocket for sure - 98x49mm!
I had to have a look and it certainly is small! But if it does everything you need it to do then it's fine.
AH! The TMK 500, the first multi-meter that I owned; it cost me more than a full week's pay as a student apprentice back in the early 1960s. It cost in the region of £8, which would have bought some 40+ gallons of petrol at the time; about £260 as of February 2022. It would still be working now had I not dropped it!
I can't remember exactly _when_ I bought mine but must have been in the mid-1970s and it also cost me an arm and a leg.
A suggestion to those meter manufactureres: add a kind of movement/shake sensor and the meter can go to sleep when we are not using/moving it for some time and wakes up when we move it, without any silly beeps when it goes to sleep.
Just like my soldering iron does! Brilliant idea, Claudio 🌟
Hi Ralph, enjoyed the video, but you forgot to mention that the two Kaiweets meters have a second display on the screen.
You are correct, although you have to press the Function Button for it to switch to the frequency or temperature display on most functions. Perhaps I'm missing a trick here but I thought it would have been more useful if it had displayed the frequency (of a 5v PWM pulse, for example) without any button pressing.
I carry a little uni-t clamp meter and it's great. Although I have to remember to select DC where applicable. As I travel by road, rail and air for work, a small tool kit is important for me
Great tip! I will look at that clamp meter as I quite fancy a non-connectable current meter (my one is only AC).
Yikes! I have a Brymen. I also have a UniT. Let's hope they last . I remember my Dad's Simpson 260. A dinosaur and very expensive, apparently, nowadays.
I'm sure I was just unlucky. Story of my life. Sob. 😢
Hello Ralph. First of all thanks for all your very interesting videos.
I still have (but no more using or very rarely) my first DMMs: a no-brand DM205 and a Voltcraft DT-21 with a lot of functions like dB meter, humidity, temperature, Lux, hFE, etc. I tried some Mustool that I use sometimes: MT99 Smart Multimeter but sadly, I always need to change the batteries (2xCR2032) even when I don't use it for some months and is not easy to do, also it miss the manual button as it is always in automatic mode. This could be very annoying if you measure low voltages: it switches constantly between diode and voltmeter. I'm also using Mustool MDS8207 which is useful as a very simple portable oscilloscope. The drawback: it uses also a lot the batteries and don't work well with NiMH (alkaline are needed) and the banana plugs are little bit too tight (it could be impossible to plug standard banana cables). I'm also using a PeakTech 3201 (with galvanometer), it's useful to check (quick) variations of voltage or intensity. But the one I prefer (I even bought a second one!): Aneng AN870 which is true RMS, 19999 counts, surprisingly very accurate regarding its price (tested with AD584 voltage reference).
So, based on my experience, I do not recommend Mustool but I truly recommend Aneng as it's for me the best quality price ratio I found.
An interesting set of equipment has passed through your hands, Valery! Also, you have recommended Aneng, as others have done, so it seems they are doing something right.
Thx Ralph, interesting observations as always. Think I’d like to have a clamp stand do go with my meter to both get it off the worktop and to stop it skating about. Have you seen anything commercial in this regards or should I start to bodge something up in the shed? 😀. Keep up the great work 👍
Do you mean something like a radio station microphone adjustable stand that you can push and pull to the exact position you want it? If so, I have not seen anything of that ilk.
Then again I don't find the meters skate around particularly badly although I note that others have put some non-slip buffers underneath to help prevent that.
Having the same Brymen BM257s, hope mine will not stop working. Do like it for the simple things I do with it.
I hope yours gives you a long service indeed, I was pretty disappointed when my one gave me that message. What was worse is that it then refused to measure stuff, not just give me a warning that maybe it wasn't quite so accurate as it might otherwise be.
About a month ago I bought out a storage shed and in one box I found a Fluke 77 Series II new in the box. Still had the plastic on the display. I believe it was from the early '80's. One of my better finds.
OMG were you on that TV program "Storage Wars"? It all depends on how much your bid was to decide whether the Fluke was value for money!
@@RalphBacon I'm not quite on that level but we all need a dream! I do find some cool stuff. I have a few dozen old school meters on a shelf. Thanks for your videos. Much love.
The main one i use is a generic brand from a local electronics store , it is similar to the Aneng but the same size as the astro- but it has a dedicated light button .
Who knows, it could even be made by them. If I were a Chinese manufacturer with a half decent meter I would package it under several different names and cases to make it look like there was more choice available - but in reality the same meter!
I'm surprised no one has mentioned the EEVBlog issued 121GW. The only thing it doesn't do better than my Extech EX355 is frequency measurement. The Extech goes well into the 30+ Mhz range while the 121GW doesn't even see a 1Mhz crystal oscillator. But my favorite meter has to be my RCA VoltOhmyst WV-77E. My father gave it to me back in the 60's.
what is that, 8 times the price of these?
oh 8 - 14 times the price I guess
Hmm, we are talking budget, hobbyist meters here, although they would be fine for pro use too, I reckon.
I like my Hantek 2D72. It's like a Swiss Army knife in the shop
But that's not a multimeter, that's an oscilloscope? Hang on, it's both! No wait, it also generates waveforms. Is there anything this meter does NOT do? Swiss Army Knife indeed. Mind you, for that price £130 / $176 I would expect it to also make me toast.
@@RalphBacon - yeah but it's a scope too! The price is a bargain considering that.
Thought the Kaiweets ST600Y Auto is neat (i.e. size wise), quick and very easy to read that daft flashing line really bugs me. Its amazing how often your eye is drawn to the movement.
Problem is that the screen is so easy to read!
I do like the Kaiweets ST600Y I must admit (I'm trying to keep detached and objective) and it seems very capable too, as well as having that on-screen selection.
My biggest bugbear with 'cheap' Chinese meters is the poor test leads. The meters have ranges for 110V plus, but the amount of times the leads have fell apart exposing bare copper I would think twice about using for anything above 12v DC
Too true. I had to leave on the cutting room floor about 10 minutes of lead-related video, as I have replaced most of mine and the results are now very good. Not just probes, but clips, hooks and needles. Perhaps I should do a follow up video?
@@RalphBacon That would be a good video. I agree with Lee. The leads with the inexpensive meters are a bugger quite often.
Hello nice Video. I call diverse Multimeters my own. But loving to use two of them 1st: UNITEST Hexagon 310 it is quiet a view years old but in top order. 2nd: a HANTEK 2c72 it is a handheld oscilloscope and multimeter in one case. Buying this on amazon I Made a mistake and thought it has the Waveformgenerator build in but this has only the 3c43 / 3c72 . I can live with this. 😜😁
Ah yes, the Hantek, someone else posted they have one, an all singing meter and oscilloscope in one. I guess if I had the need (and the money) I could be tempted by that one.
If you have the money. Brymen 869S. Absolutely and awsome meter :)
That's the problem, I _don't_ have the money. Not nearly £200 incl. tax. Wow! pricey!
Hi Ralph, I've had a Fluke 79 series 2 for the last 35 years Its still going strong, how about a tear down on the Brymen before you 'dispose' of it ? or can you do a rough set up and still get some use out of it ?...cheers.
Well, Andy, I was waiting for someone to admit they had a Fluke and you take the honour! As it's still going strong after 35 years I guess it has been value for money. Do you get it recalibrated every few years?
The Brymen now 1/4 works inasmuch that it does measure (some) stuff (but 'auto' doesn't) but it's way off, accuracy-wise, doubtless down to my mucking about with the recalibration without the correct value components to hand. Want to take it off my hands?
@@RalphBacon It's only ever been calibrated once I think a long time ago I do check it against my HP 6 1/2 digit bench meter every now and then and its fine. Regarding the Brymen ordinarily I would say yes but Ive just bought a Siglent scope and I'm broke !! Thanks !!
*Klein* makes a good meter as well. I'm a DMM junkie and have 3 of the meters you have as well.
I don't think we are overdosing on meters just yet (remember that I only bought two, _then_ I got two more for evaluation). But I won't buy any more for now!
Hi there - have enjoyed your videos, have you done one one i2c commucation between uno and mega ??
I have not, but the principle is very similar to using an Uno and any other I2C device.
Decide which one is the master and which one the slave. The code on both should reflect this (ie the slave can _never_ initiate a message, only _respond_ to one sent to it).
The two devices need to have a common GND connection too. So three wires in total, SDA, SCL and GND.
Ensure the pull-up resistors on the SDA/SCL lines are only there _once_ otherwise the line might not be pulled low. 10K is usual.
I reckon you should be able to create s simple "Hello Device" sketch in just a few minutes, with the slave device responding "I am here", nothing fancy, just enough to prove comms.
4:42 It may have given a precise reading, but was it truly accurate?
The eternal question: precision over accuracy!
@Ralph S Bacon - AstroAI - Looks like there's a ridge/indent above the QC Passed label at 15:28 that you might be able to use your nail to pull it from there?
No dent there, it's all part of the same moulding. But others have said to push the top of the stand in a bit which makes the bottom then pop out - easy when you know how!
Instead of using money on many sheap meters i would bought an Brymen 869S. All you need. :)
But if a meter lasts 2 years (or more) it will be worth it at this rate!
@@RalphBacon but why not buy a really good multimeter with 50.000 count and high accuracy and UL listed as an main meter? A Brymen meter costs around 200 dollar and Joe Smith prefferd Brymen 869S instead of Fluke. :)
Btw. Keep up the good work :)
Astro AI - add a piece of tape on the stand next time you get it open as a pull.
ANENG AN8009 - like the 8008 but with thermocouple instead of square wave. Happy with it.
Mustool MT8206. OK but haven't used it that much.
Had the original Fluke 77 that was perfect for 30+ years and probably is still good for the person who stole it!!
Someone stole your Fluke 77? Let's hope it melts on them!
AstroAI stand opening sorted, there is a technique not involving tape (which I tried but it wasn't the answer). All my other meters have thermocouple which I've only ever used once (and I did a video on it) so I much prefer the square wave audio signal out on the Aneng AN8008.
Nice one :]
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!
It would've been awesome if you posted more often.
I'm afraid Life gets in the way of more frequent postings, Ariyan. But at least one video every 2 weeks.
I started out in the first half of the 1960s with a Simpson 260, which I still have. Since then I've acquired a few more of that sort of meter, with varying capabilities. No VTVM, though. One is branded Lafayette and one RCA. My first digital was a Simpson 461, and it's still one that I like to use a lot, like those LEDs. :-) I did change out the input connectors, with the originals being recessed banana plugs and the original probes having banana jacks on the wires. Where the heck can you buy those? So I installed regular banana jacks on the meter, and have multiple sets of probes of various sorts that I made up. Somewhat later on I supplemented this with a Simpson 464, a bench model purchased on ebay. This is also LEDs, and it's a nice meter but I need to switch input jacks a bit more than I like and the over-range on ohms consists of it flashing the display, which is rather annoying and I can't see any way to disable that. Further from that, I got an LCD meter shipped to me by mistake from one of my suppliers, will run a good long time on a 9V battery, but right now the on-off switch of that one is flaky, and needs some nontrivial disassembly to fix. In addition to that there are a number of those little radio shack meters, most of which have the probes hard-wired into them, but they're small enough that you could stick one in your shirt pocket if you wanted to. And of course one of those yellow (now sold as red) Harbor Freight meters, which has the transistor test socket that I've never used. We got a couple of those when you could get them free with a coupon. I'm probably forgetting some here...
Sure that's all, Roy? 🤣 You sound like a meter salesman with all those different meters. Always good to get stuff for free (ie shipped to you by mistake)! Anyway, you sound like you know what a multimeter should give you.
That one arrived when I had only one other digital meter, and it came in handy on occasion...
I've seen some videos where folks had way more accurate meters, with *many* digits. Those last several digits bouncing around like that would drive me nuts after a while! I've only ever had one call for a bit more than the "3-1/2 digit" meters I have, that being when Moog Music wanted me to use a 4-1/2 digit meter for some adjustments on one particular bit of equipment. I told 'em "it's on the list" and never actively pursued it after that.
A bit of tape could make a handy tag to pull that stand from the AstroAI.
I own the Aneng 8009, which is a nice little thing. It sadly lacks the square generator, having instead NCV position, which is supposed to detect wires. Meh. The big addition over the 8009 is a thermometer with a nice probe, which I really needed.
As a portable meter is fantastic. My only complaint is that the view angles of that screen could be better.
My main multimeter is a Uni-T E61E, which I´m really happy with, especially after a minor hack to enable the auto-power-off feature, as my memory is rubbish and I use the feature all the time. It paid itself in non-wasted batteries.
The weak point is that it lacks a screen backlight, and the hack to get it is more substantial. The other models in the E61 range have that feature, but none of them shares the 22000 counts this has, which is superb. You rarely need the extra digits, but when you do they are fantastic.
Can you flip the stand out by pressing on either side of the top of the stand rather pulling it out from the bottom ? Whether that works depends on how the hinge is arranged
You and others have suggested this so I tried it and wonder why I never thought of this 🤦♂️. Sigh. Thank goodness for you guys because it works like a dream.
Thanks for the upload :)
My pleasure! I hope you enjoyed it ✔
I've had most of them and currently have 3 main ones. Number 1 is a uni-t 61e plus with a set of 800 series probe masters. That and an owon b35+ (also with probemasters) and another clamp meter for house wiring and the rest in boxes. I would take the brymen hands down. Especially a brymen 786, ouuuu doggie. Hahaha
That's odd for a brymen to break. Just to add you can get the uni-t ut61e non plus for dirt cheap but ti doesn't have a backlight but there's an easy mod and it's 22000 counts and super responsive. If fluke ever updated the 87v I'd consider getting one but I'd instead use the money to buy a nice rigol or siglent 5 1/2 counts bench meter with way more options haha. I almost bought the rigol but I can't justify the price as a hobbyist. I would buy thr new rigol 70mhz 8ga/s mixed domain oscilloscope though and have one that can update as fast as my new function gen haha. I'm sick of my hantek dso5102p, I bought it when first starting out and it doesn't do any cool protocols like spi, can or logic. Anyway I'm rambling. Great video Ralph. You must be a computer science guy are you?
The UNI-T 61e was on my short-ish list for a while but I decided that I really didn't need 22000 counts nor the price they wanted.
Others have mentioned the meter/oscilloscope units from Hantek, I guess yours is just too old now that we have those other protocols it doesn't understand. A shame.
No I'm not a computer science guy but I did lots of electronics in my teens (and took a course or six) but I am a computer software engineer by trade - now I combine both my skills together!
@@RalphBacon it's not hard to tell you're a software guy mainly. That's not an insult I took a software engineering degree but didn't want to move so I just started coding again a few years ago. I've learned like 3 more languages on top of bunch I already know. We still did cobol and powerhouse plus a bunch of other legacy stuff. I knew visual basic was doomed back then. But alot of the things that made the language seem too silly are common practice in all the new languages because pcs are more powerful now. C++ is my favorite but every thing else seems to be a branch of python. The newer languages I mean.
Thoughts on a bench multimeter for a work bench or stick with the handhelds, any real pro's and con's ?
A bench multimeter (like my UNI-T UT803) is good but large - hence why it sits at an angle in the corner of my workbench so it doesn't get in the way, but is still accessible.
However, when I took it apart to fix the annoying BEEEEEEP it made whenever it switched off, I was surprised to find that 90% of the case was just fresh air. There's nothing much in it that you would not find in a handheld meter. It does run on battery OR mains power (which is how I run it) and it has a small PSU inside that huge case, but that's about it. Would I buy it again? Probably not, given the plethora of decently priced and competent handheld meters around.
A couple of comments
For the majority of us even the coil meter would be good enough as we don't need much accuracy for most Arduino/ESP32 projects. Mostly it is good enough to know that a voltage is present or not and whether the voltage is about 0 volts, 3.3 volts or 5 volts, or roughly how many milliamps are flowing in a wire. The most used range on my main multimeter (an Aneng 8008) is probably continuity closely followed by diode test used with LEDs to check polarity
At a number of points in the video there is confusion between accuracy and resolution, which is common when talking about multimeters. A meter could have as many digits in its display as you like (its resolution), but that does not make it accurate
Of course, just like clamps for woodworkers, you can never have enough multimeters but I have managed to restrict myself to 2, the Aneng and a really, really cheap no name meter. I am considering buying a clamp meter to make current measurement more convenient in some cases.
What you say is very true, although I do think a _digital_ multimeter is much easier to read for everyone (not just beginners).
Regarding resolution vs accuracy, do you not think that there is far too much (marketing?) emphasis placed on resolution?
If we had a perfect 3.0v source I bet most meters would read 2.99999432 or some such figure when every schoolboy knows that's as close to 3.0 as it ever needs to be - we need less resolution but good/better accuracy, so I want a 3.0v read as 3.00v! A perfect 4k7 resistor to two digits of resolution should read 4.69 to 4.71 maybe, not a meaningless 4.6998792k!
Pity we can't set the number of decimal places on these cheap meters, perhaps to 5 significant digits overall.
@@RalphBacon I agree, much too much emphasis on resolution and of course I agree that a digital multimeter is easier to use than an analogue one. However, it is interesting to note that many digital meters also have a analogue bar graph display of value because it is easier to interpret changing values, particularly when the digital display is a LCD which by their nature update their digital display quite slowly. I would certainly look for such a feature in any new meter that I purchase
@@Bob_Burton You are right about that, I have 2 Micronta 22-210 21 Range Multimeter 30,000 OHM/VOLT that I use daily at work, still works great, fast response time, got them many years ago because they were the first affordable meter with a continuity beep. Same for analog spectrum analyzers, the first digital ones were unusable to tune traps and bandpass because of their slow response time. I also have the Micronta 22-220 FET VOM, and the Micronta 22-204C. At that time I wanted to buy a good Simpson but did not have the money for it, still looking to buy an analog Simpson to this day, but they are selling them at ridiculous prices.
Can you press the top of the stand that has no handle to make the bottom pop out (like a see-saw)?
I can, and did just that, thanks to JDK who suggested this along with you. It worked like a dream. Thanks to all 👍
I want a multimeter that do not keeps beeping all tge time and DOES NOT AUTO SHUTS OFF. I want to decide when to turn it off, I pay for the batteries. I have an Aneng and I am pretty happy with it, except for the beeping that drives me crazy.
User manual says:
_To disable the Auto Power Off function, hold down the SELECT botton when turning on the product, you will hear five beeps if you have successfully disabled the function._
I've tried it and it does beep so I guess it won't auto shut off now? If it does I'll add to this post.
@@RalphBacon Surely, it won't shut off, but it continued beeping and we have to press two buttons all the time
Yes, it stays on (just tested it) but gives you a reminder beeping every 14 minutes just so you know it's on! I can't get the backlight to stay on, user manual doesn't mention we can keep this on (it would flatten the battery too quickly, I guess). Oh well, not a lot else we can do!
That first meter made me smile. I got a meter very much like that one as a teenager in the mid 70s. It was a kit from Radio Shack. Building it was my first non-trivial soldering project.
When I got back into electronics several years ago, I got an Extech EX330, which was OK. The included test leads were not very good. The non-contact voltage sensing didn't seem to work. And the diode mode didn't produce enough voltage to test an LED. It is compact and relatively light weight.
A couple of years ago, I got some good Probe Master test leads. They made the Extech more accurate and usable, especially in continuity and resistance modes.
Several months ago, I got an AstroAI M6KOR. It seems identical to the larger Kaiweets (except colors), and a little lower priced than the AstroAI DM6000AR you got. The test leads that came with it are much better than the ones that came with the Extech, and very nearly as good as the Probe Master leads. I'm quite happy with the AstroAI.
Glad to hear it. In fact, I don't think there is a single comment here that says "This meter is rubbish, I wish I had not bought it". Even my Brymen was great until it went foo bar!
The analog coil meters will short the coil when shut off to act as dynamic braking of the needle so its not slamming all over the place . When ever I scavenge analog meters I always short the meter leads for storage.
That is correct and I had completely forgotten about it. I will clean up that meter and resurrect it, I think.
@@RalphBacon As long as the coil is good you can fix anything else inside. I restored then recalibrated a 1950's Heathkit C-3 Condenser Checker. I series and paralleled resistors until I got the precise resistance I needed instead of buying precision resistors. You could use the same trick in your meter. Tricky part was letting the resistors cool after soldering until their resistance settled done at room temperature. Good luck.
Most recognized "Welcome Back" in the World.
In the world, you say, Dejan? In the whole wide world? Wow! Let's hope nobody copies it 😯I claim it as mine!
recently found very similar to Steamhead, who makes incredible steampunk clocks electromechanical with 3d printing,laser cutting and arduino.
@@RalphBacon see steamhead!
AN8009 :)
That the one without square wave output but some other function?
@@RalphBacon yes, it has NCV instead. :)
I have about 5 different DMM / bench meter.
2 soar DMM 25 Years.
1 Elma DMM 10 Years.
2 Fluke DMM 5 Years and 8 Years.
1 Keithley bench meter 5 Years
Which one I use depend on the job in hand.
I think the most imported thing is, befor you attach the leads to anything you should know the result of the DMM will be. Is it ac, dc or is it a pwm, Is it repeatable signal.
If it is at my work bench I use my Keithley 2016.
Is it in the field I use the Fluke, the reason is mostly safety… when I Measure in the switch cabinet attach to 3x400 Vac with a fuses at 350 Amp I use Fluke 233 for to reasons, I can bring the display on the front of the machine, if I should have made a mistake (you should know the result of the DMM will be).
It could also be High voltage beyond the limit of your DMM.
If I need to measure where it is dirty and lo voltage I use the Elma.
The Solar is more or less on its way to the bin, it has fulfilled its purpose.
For me it take a long time befor I trust a DMM, when I have accepted the instrument I take care of it.
For the future I am looking for a Keithley 2002 However as it is right now the price is ridiculously expensive.
You certainly have a high end collection, Allan. I do notice in these comments that those that have a Fluke often have it in relation to their professional life - ie not hobbyist project building.
Ralph I don't get you electronic blokes and your cheap meters! I abuse the hell out of my dmms, mostly doing phase to earth on continuity mode to trip an rcd lol.
My favourite little baby meter although only cat II rated for 600V is a UNI-T UT211B, although I can tell you no EE would let you take on a mine site or a factory lol.
And you've described exactly the difference between hobbyists and trade/professional use, Trev. Hobbyists just can't justify (nor afford) an expensive meter for just measuring a few components and low voltages; most professional users requires a certified, calibrated meter because either the regulations require it or their employers do. Possibly for legal reasons!
If I employed a team of electronics engineers I'd insist on an industry- recognised meter - probably a Fluke. In my workshop, any of the ones I demoed already go above and beyond! But if we were to treat those in the way you abuse your meters they would have a very short life, I'm sure 🤦♂️😁
@@RalphBacon I do have a video on my channel of me killing a wattmaster 1500A clamp meter with my mate just using a modded MOT! That thing was rated for mains electrical use too! I break so much shit it's funny, so when something doesn't break I tend to love it.
Meh! Needs more Continuity Beep latch lag test...
Some of the meters are instantaneous, some do have a small lag - but not enough to worry me for the type of work I do.
Hi Ralph. Sorry to be bothering you but it looks as if my comments are still disappearing so please give up on me. I don’t know what’s going on.
This comment survived, Colin! If you post a link to an external site then YT will zap your comment (a draconian attempt to stop spam on YT, I think). I'm not giving up on you, go on, try again, without external links!
Free Comment ...
Worth every penny! 😜
Thumbs up, thumbs down and any comments are all counted as audience participation as far as YT is concerned, so a thumbs down and a comment of "you suck" is worth just as much when it comes to YT promoting your video as glowing praise :D
I prefer glowing praise and thumbs up, if truth were told!!! 😁
I started out with an Avo Model 8 ('79). Then Beckman digital and after that Fluke digital ('90s to present day). Reliable, accurate and robust with no gimmicks.
I wouldn't touch any of this Chinese junk with a barge pole.
My first was the Avo Multiminor Mk4, about 1969. Then It followed your trend. Still have and use Fluke from 1980 but I do like the little Chinese multimeter I have which has an AC and DC clamp going down to mA. Surprisingly useful.
@M&A Hudson - Which Chinese meter is that with a current clamp that goes down to mA? I'd be interested!
@@RalphBacon looks like my reply got censored? Did you get it?
@@RalphBacon I have a Uni-T 210E clamp meter that goes down to mA on the 2 Amp range. AC and DC. Seems fairly accurate, or accurate enough for me.
Is it a fluke you don't have a Fluke. I'm sorry. I'll try to only post useful comments in future.
Electonics hobbyists that buy Fluke multimeters are braindead.
It's a deliberate act, no fluke! Even if I were rich I would not buy a Fluke for the stuff I do. Well, other than as a control experiment, how it survives etc compared to others.
An age ago, Dave Jones reviewed the AN8008 (then ~$25 four years ago) and was surprised, in a good way, at how well it performed. th-cam.com/video/xdGQEVdxmQQ/w-d-xo.html If it passes his muster, it can't be that bad. Still being sold four years later is a good sign, I think.
Personally, and speaking of Dave, my favorite is the EEVBlog-issued BM235. Having been using multimeters for most of my life in one capacity or another, this one has taken everything I could throw at it and then some. Not cheap -- US$145 when I last looked on Amazon -- but it's the same price as my much older RadioShack 2200075 was in ~2002, with more features, and equal-or-better specs. Though, to be fair, that RadioShack meter has been in service for those 20 years, completely issue-free, and on my desk right now with the BM235.
That certainly gives me confidence in that meter. 👍