I am curious as to what you all like for a good, industrial quality DVOM that also read Hz. I have found enough instances where I actually need to know Hz recently, and coupled with the fact that my Fluke does not have removable leads which are ALWAYS too short, I guess I am in the market. Natural inclination would be to get an addition, higher featured Fluke but I am not enough of an electronics/electrician to know if this is the option without spending $600. What do you all use and like?
I haven't bought a new fluke in 20+years still use my trusty 77 though anymore I'd just buy a couple chinese cheapies and throw em' in the trucks, that way I don't feel so bad when they get run over or stolen However I really like some of the fluke/etc... scope meters out there but they are $$$$
Thanks Ronsii. This going to be my personal meter that no one else but the heeler is allowed to use.
The fluke 787 look like a decent meter.... so what fluke you got that has fixed leads? I just don't remember any that didn't have regular plugs on em...
Fluke 87 always did well for me. But there is a new kid from Fluke on the block now with a removable WiFi readout panel, so for live testing things like alternator output you can hook it to a machine and run the engine while you stand 10ft away with the readout - or better still be in the cab running the machine. Google Fluke 233. They run around $300 IIRC.
That is GREAT info Nige! Thanks. I am going to look it up right now.
Ronsii, I am not sure the model number of the meter I have. It is the bottom of the line as far as Fluke goes, but it has served well for years....even been underwater once. There is a little story behind it’s purchase. I had never had any other than the cheap meters you spoke of. Years ago one BIL gets married in Washington DC. I was over in the Delta south of Greenwood, MS doing a stint of leveling and staying in a camper like usual whenever away from home. My wife and two little boys drove all the way up to DC spent the night in a hotel, went to the wedding and drove back pretty much non stop back to the camper....which had no power in the middle of the night due to a burned wire and my meter did not work. That is how I ended up with a Fluke as it was the only one in the electrical store I found the next day.
Ronsii I think this is the meter I have, https://www.testequipmentdepot.com/...s/electrical-tester-fieldsense-600v-t6600.htm the next generation of it anyway with very subtle changes.
Well, I just realized what a dinosaur I am, Haven't bought a new meter in 25+ years. My go to for frequency measurements is a TIF brand digital, For resistance and capacitor checks I really like my huge old Radio shack analog meter... Yeah I still use it. My beat around in the truck meters are cheap digitals from Harbor fright. They seem to last as long as the battery.
I just replaced my dead fluke 86 with a fluke 28 II I really like it, it does everything my 86 did but it is intrinsically safe and IP67 moisture resistant. Rugged case, 5 foot drop safe. At least that's how far I've knocked it off so far. I had a Snap-On in the interim, hated the non-auto ranging BS. It was good for what it was, just not advanced enough to be fun. Also got a Cen-tech with IR temp gun, and lastly is an ideal clamp on ammeter. Everyone has their purpose, if for no other reason to cover for when another's batteries fail.
As far as a scope. I got a raggedy old snap on vantage. Ancient by today's standards. But it shows a waveform, proves failed speed sensor and displays frequency AC/DC operation, shows PWM dwell. Its ancient, cheap and runs on flashlight batteries, the old Ds
LOL, your radio shack... is it the desk micronta that runs on 4 c cells? got one in front of me right now
I really like the 233 Nige recommended, but only 10 Amps?? https://www.testequipmentdepot.com/...MI4u-q3bLK5gIViZWzCh22HA56EAAYASAAEgInYPD_BwE I am not sure I NEED TO that often....or should even be ALLOWED TO....but I would like to be able to test 300A....I am unsupervised often.
I'll have to check, but I think it's one AA and a 9V. It's about 6x10". had the thing for 40+ years. I also have a LeTourneau meter from the 50's
Best to make your own shunt for testing stuff like that
Fluke 87V for me they have a new one out that is more environmentally sealed now I have a cheap Clamp meter for DC amps I’m not risking blowing a fuse in my meter.
That is probably the best idea^^ Thanks
If you have to open a cabinet and you are not trained, bad things can happen.
No fear of that Funwithfuel. People seldom grant me access to buildings at all....much less cabinets. My ideal parameters are: -voltages-440, I never plan to play with higher than 220, but I know of power coming into a building which might be 440V and I would not want that to blow a meter. Most things are 12 or 24v and then occasionally 2 legs of 110v on a camper repair or 220v on welder power. Amps-the highest amps I would LIKE to check occasionally would be the welder at a max of 300Amps. -Ohms- -Hz-maybe 70Hz again the max would be to check Hz on the welder since that is how you set idle on my machine.
You forgot diode/tranny check
A nother nice feature is having a thermal camera in it however I don't like all the meters that use that cheapo lepton chip but I guess something is better than nothing
Those cabinets you posted are in my mind contain what Einstein termed “Spooky action at a distance” and should remain firmly within the realms of thought experiments only.
Ahah telekenisis... wait a minute.... that belongs in the other thread
We have to run diodes in fact. That is a regularly test source of possible dis function. Ohm one way then the other? Am I missing something with that? Lepton chip?? Got a laser thermometer that I hardly ever use, mostly for preheating, and have once trying to diagnose a secondary cooling system fault on an Iveco.
I use IR temp a lot. Helps determine difference between stuck T stat and a plugged cooler. Helps find restrictions in hydraulic systems too. Of course the new thermal imagers are the bomb.
You know, now that you say that, I have been wanting to flip a couple Case IH scraper drawbars and check diff temps under like operating conditions. I have it on good authority that it is surprising how much cooler a foot less leverage will give you. Pretty common tractor mod in the dirt rig world, I would like to verify if I do it though.
Thermal imaging chips are one of the most handiest things you can ever use when it comes to troubleshooting just about anything where subtle temp changes could tell you what the issue might be or where to look. There are a lot of digital multi meters with them built in, there are also cel phones with them built in... I don't have the cel phone version yet because I was less than impressed with the lepton chipset made by FLIR... it works but the resolution is so much lower than what I am used to it seemed like a toy(to me) Here is a pic from my FLIR I7 of a lithium battery with a bad cel as you can tell by the temp difference between the cel on the left versus the other two. I also have one of the little SEEK thermal imagers that plugs into the charing port on my smart phone and it works ok... but since it's not integral to the phone it's kind of a hassle to find it then plug it in and run the app to get a quick shot of something.
I have great luck with a Fluke 115 (traded my 35 year old 77 so I could have min/max and Hz) and it doesn't break the bank. I also have a Picoscope 2204 2 channel scope ($200 with attenuators instead of $900 for auto version) that also serves me well, just have to be careful of the voltages to it since it is not the automotive version (gotta love attenuators).
I use a P3 Kill A Watt meter set on Hz to set engine rpm on my welder and generators.
This is pretty much what I was going to post word for word. 87V will cover you for HZ, diode testing, etc. I've been using mine daily for years, and never test amps with it (those expensive fuses). Use an old Fluke 30 clamp for AC amps, and cheap Craftsman and off the shelf Klein clamp meters for DC amps.
I am thinking you guys are right and need to worry about something else for amps. Thanks for all the replies so far! This has been a big help.
ATD has a decent 1000V AC/DC clamp meter for around $130