EEVblog 1574 - Is the $42 Fluke 101 Multimeter Any Good?

[EEVblog]

Is a $42 Fluke multimeter any good? The Fluke 101 reviewed.

[tchicago]

Interesting effect: it measures about 0.3V when banged with a hammer or a hand.
Apparently, some element generates an electricity due to a segnetoelectric effect.

That means this device cannot be used on a vibrating vehicle, like a train or airplane.

[Kleinstein]

I would not be so sure about having averaring AC response. Some of the modern DMM chips sets include RMS as digital true RMS, though with a limited bandwidth.
It may be worth testing if it is true RMS and maybe also the frequency range (e.g. does it cover the audio range).

The calibration seal can be circumvented by opening the case - there seem to be no seal on the srews.

[G0MJW]

It's good for $42, but it is nearly double that price in Europe so not such a good deal.

[Gyro]

Currently £57 in the UK.

[joeqsmith]

Interesting effect: it measures about 0.3V when banged with a hammer or a hand.
Apparently, some element generates an electricity due to a segnetoelectric effect.

That means this device cannot be used on a vibrating vehicle, like a train or airplane.

[The Soulman]

Joe, was the input shorted on your vibration test?

[joeqsmith]

Joe, was the input shorted on your vibration test?

Well, yes and no.  I consider my smacking the meter with my hand part of the vibration test.  During the initial beat down, the inputs were floating.  Then I added a jumper for further beatings and the vibration table.  Assuming person trying to read volts on their jet aircraft have a low impedance source.   

[joeqsmith]

As far as battery life for the 101,  I measured 840 hrs typical. 

For the switch cycle testing, I never ran the 101.  It was that Fluke 17B+ that performed so well, while the brand new Fluke 87V had some damage to pads where the wiper contacts had cut groves into them.   You would think the 87V would have outperformed the 17B+ but maybe with it being such an old design, they never improved it where the 17B+ was starting from a clean slate.

[pdenisowski]

(sigh) Now I have to go check if there's a room in the house that doesn't have it's own dedicated meter yet so I can justify buying one of these

[SeanB]

Would assume one of the ceramic chip capacitors on the input or ADC are the cause of it. Ceramic cheaper than a film capacitor, which would nave not shown this, though you would run into issues with needing to glue down the film capacitor to the board to prevent the leads breaking off with vibration and time. Or use physically larger capacitors, and use better quality NPO types that are less prone to piezoelectric effects every place where it is on the input or ADC side, and not just supply bulk capacitors.

[Bud]

Interesting effect: it measures about 0.3V when banged with a hammer or a hand.
Apparently, some element generates an electricity due to a segnetoelectric effect.

That means this device cannot be used on a vibrating vehicle, like a train or airplane.

One should be nuts to use this class multimeter on a train or airplane.

[Bud]

Kudos to Fluke for the solid socket terminals. The ones on the Aneng are total garbage made out of paper thin spring sheet metal.

[EEVblog]

Interesting effect: it measures about 0.3V when banged with a hammer or a hand.
Apparently, some element generates an electricity due to a segnetoelectric effect.

That means this device cannot be used on a vibrating vehicle, like a train or airplane.

I get about 30-50mV when I rub my hand on the LCD. It's not impact/vibration related.

[EEVblog]

As far as battery life for the 101,  I measured 840 hrs typical. 

That's what would be expected based on my measurements.

[tchicago]

Interesting effect: it measures about 0.3V when banged with a hammer or a hand.
Apparently, some element generates an electricity due to a segnetoelectric effect.

That means this device cannot be used on a vibrating vehicle, like a train or airplane.

I get about 30-50mV when I rub my hand on the LCD. It's not impact/vibration related.

On Dave's video at 3:27 - it shows 0.3V AC.
And about 0.17V around 3:20.

[joeqsmith]

I get about 30-50mV when I rub my hand on the LCD. It's not impact/vibration related.

On Dave's video at 3:27 - it shows 0.3V AC.
And about 0.17V around 3:20.

You do realize that the meter was floating?  Similar to the people who ask about returning their brand new meters after they turn them on with the leads floating and they don't see 0V. 

If I rub my finger on the display with nothing attached to the meter, I see roughly that same 50mV error.    If measure a 5.0VAC signal and then rub my finger on the display, it appears to have no effect.   This is different than the Gossen Ultra (Prime now) where you have it attached to a low impedance source and the meter is still sensitive to moving your hands near it.  How this meter ever made it on the market with such poor shielding is anyones guess. 

[Fungus]

It's good for $42, but it is nearly double that price in Europe so not such a good deal.

You can buy them on Aliexpress.

[Fungus]

Joe Smith zapped his 101 with 17kV. It's one of the toughest Flukes he's tested. I think Fluke doesn't give it a higher rating for marketing reasons, not because it can't take it.

Fluke's web page used to describe them as "Extremely Rugged" but they've toned down the language now.

I figure the probe sockets are on the bottom because the shrouds on those TL75 leads are longer than the thickness of the meter.



Mine lives in a little zip case with some much smaller probes. Those Fluke probes are huge (and very long).

[Fungus]

Kudos to Fluke for the solid socket terminals. The ones on the Aneng are total garbage made out of paper thin spring sheet metal.

Note to future owners: They're Loctite'd to their screws really hard and you don't have to remove them to get the PCB out. 

[joeqsmith]

Joe Smith zapped his 101 with 17kV. It's one of the toughest Flukes he's tested. I think Fluke doesn't give it a higher rating for marketing reasons, not because it can't take it.

Close.  The Fluke 101 survived 12kV, 50us FWHH, 2 ohm source.    I took the Fluke 107 to 14kV 100us FWHH and it survived.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cXzYpIoyVm9QJUju4KXqM22CEQZP3_xwWvDyeVwxTy4/edit#gid=400910915

[joeqsmith]

As far as the stand/hanger, I wonder if Dave's was lost.  Mine has a compartment to hold it inside of the shipping box.  I've never had it out until now.   It does have a magnet if you use it for a hanger. 

***
Added a few more photos to show how it can be folded up to raise the meter to clear the leads. 

[bdunham7]

That means this device cannot be used on a vibrating vehicle, like a train or airplane.

Have you tried beating your other meters with a hammer (with no leads inserted) to see what they do?

[descartes]

As well as a handy second meter on the desk, mine gets good use out & about resolving battery issues when I'm told "sure, we put in fresh batteries" - no arguments with a yellow meter's reading it seems.

[EEVblog]

As far as the stand/hanger, I wonder if Dave's was lost.  Mine has a compartment to hold it inside of the shipping box.  I've never had it out until now.   It does have a magnet if you use it for a hanger. 

Mine has the compartment but there was nothing in it. I wondered what the compartment was for!
That certainly adds value.