Aneng SZ20 25,000 count, 1uV, 10nA, 20A

[DX1]

New Aneng meter SZ20 Just over £50 on ebay in the UK. Or £33 on Aliexpress.
Origin: Mainland China
Model Number: Digital Multimeter
Display Type: Digital display
Power supply: 2xAA battery (not included)
Size: about 18x9x5cm/7.09x3.54x1.97in
Color:Red,Black(optional)
Material: ABS/silicone
Please note that the battery is not included in the shipment.
standard:
 Function           Range                   Resolution               Accuracy
DC voltage      0mV-1000V         0.001mV to 0.1V       ± (0.2%+10)
AC voltage      0mV-750V            0.001mV to 0.1V      ± (0.3%+3)
DC current       0uA-20A              0.01uA-0.001A         ± (0.5%+3)
AC current       0uA-20A               0.01uA-0.001A        ± (0.8%+3)
Duty ratio        1%~99%                0.1%                   ± (0.1%+2)
Resistance       0Ω - 250MΩ            0.01Ω - 0.1MΩ        ± (5%+5)
Capacitance    0nF-99.99mF         0.001nF to 0.01mF    ± (5%+20)
Frequency      0Hz to 10MHz        0.01Hz-0.001MHz       ± (0.1%+2)
Temperature℃  - 20~1000°C           1 ℃                     ± (3%+5)
Temperature°F  - 4~1832°F             1°F                      ± (3%+5)
Flashlight                     Diode
Data retention period   Turn on and off beep
Screen backlight           NCV detection
Low battery reminder    Silicone sheath
Automatic shutdown     Back support
Maximum count 25000

Just to draw attention to a new 1uV multimeter.
1uV DC resolution is very valuable for low burden current checking with a shunt resistor and also finding shorts on a ground plane.
The extra resolution is helpful, though not matched by the claimed accuracy.

If only Aneng could actually design for proper safety like Fluke. I cannot cost that much more surely?

Obvious comparison is Aneng AN8008 10,000 count 1uV meter for about £20.

[Fungus]

I think I'll get one for the wrought iron screen and thunder monitoring feature.



https://www.aliexpress.com/i/1005005201649970.html

[Fungus]

New Aneng meter SZ20 Just over £50 in the UK.

Much cheaper on Aliexpress (33 Euros).

If only Aneng could actually design for proper safety like Fluke. I cannot cost that much more surely?

It has fire proof fuses.

[floobydust]

I think it's got 5x20mm, haven't seen any PC board pics. 25,000 count is nice hopefully real counts and not some clever filtering to get more from a lower resolution ADC.
We still don't really know who the chip supplier is. Dreamtech just does application specific F/W I believe for Hycon?

[Kleinstein]

Getting µV resolution is no more that expensive and the chips set seems to support this.
Better protection can actually add costs - this starts with the fuses, that in QTY 1 may cost $5-10 and the usual meter needs 2 of these.
The other point is additional space needed in the case and also for the switch. It can be tricky to combine good protection for a CAT 3 rating with some functions. The protection part may add some noise / drift.  High sensitivity and good protection combined is an additional challange.

It would still be nice to get a meter with good protection at a competative price, but that would be more like a different meter.
For many meters it would help a lot to have an honest CAT rating - which costs about nothing. Another point would be to add 1 spare fuse for the low current range - so one could directly see what type.

The moden chip sets tend to use sigma delta ADCs. So it is a kind of clever filtering to get the resolution. If done right there is nothing wrong with this. 25000 counts is not really challenging to get the linearity right.

[floobydust]

Is this ADC ENOB true to the rating? The AN8008 has a deadband at +/-4uV to mask noise and flicker. That was a surprise to see it reading zero and then jump up. So they use clever processing that nobody really checks out. The averaging is also clever as well, if you test it. Capacitors cost a lot of money, for quiet VDD lol.
"Real" CAT ratings i.e. 61010 certification costs thousands of dollars and these meters would not pass anyway. I'd rather have a "1,000V Max." rating (and tested) so you know it can at least work there in Cat. II
I see puny little green NTC so I am not optimistic.

[mwb1100]

Putting technicals aside, there seems to be a slew of meters coming out with that same physical design.

I wish they wouldn't.

[Fungus]

Putting technicals aside, there seems to be a slew of meters coming out with that same physical design.

I wish they wouldn't.

It's ugly as hell, IMHO.

I think it's got 5x20mm, haven't seen any PC board pics. 25,000 count is nice hopefully real counts and not some clever filtering to get more from a lower resolution ADC.

It might be 6x30. Aneng sells that size in their store:

https://aneng.aliexpress.com/store/group/ANENG-Accessories-and-others/919484_516409721.html

Weird: I went there with a different browser and they're selling their test leads with 99% discount. There's some sets for 1 cent with free shipping, and a fairly decent set for 18 cents with free shipping. I thought I'd snap up a dozen but then I went in with my real account and they cost $4. 

[floobydust]

Yeah Aliexpress shows pricing with the "Welcome Deal" new user bonus" as a bait and switch lol. Or the item's price is all shipping fee. It's all so tiring.

I got some of those cheap multimeter test leads... Overall the probes are way too big (fat, long) to handle well especially with the needle tip. YUCK. Had to laugh one set won't fit in the banana jack, the plastic shroud a little too large diameter. That's why it was $2.
I like the original AN8008 smaller probes but I can't find them. I don't need a mile of wire either.
Tried the "20A silicone" um er no, it has el skinny wire copper is like gold. The chrome plated tips are shit, they don't make a good connection to anything.

Just like these multimeters, only one true manufacturer and what stores sell, everything is pretty much the same. They all look the same.
It seems probes have to be gorilla big and there are maybe 3 different injection moulds in the entire country. I wish the People could refine things.

[DX1]

BS1362 fuses (6.3mmx 25mm) are cheap and readily available in the UK. They open safely with a dead short on 230V mains.
Rated at breaking 264V AC at 6kA.
So much better than most meters and probably all most people would ever need.

Is this ADC ENOB true to the rating? The AN8008 has a deadband at +/-4uV to mask noise and flicker. That was a surprise to see it reading zero and then jump up. So they use clever processing that nobody really checks out. The averaging is also clever as well, if you test it. Capacitors cost a lot of money, for quiet VDD lol.
"Real" CAT ratings i.e. 61010 certification costs thousands of dollars and these meters would not pass anyway. I'd rather have a "1,000V Max." rating (and tested) so you know it can at least work there in Cat. II
I see puny little green NTC so I am not optimistic.

[Fungus]

BS1362 fuses (6.3mmx 25mm) are cheap and readily available in the UK. They open safely with a dead short on 230V mains.
Rated at breaking 264V AC at 6kA.
So much better than most meters and probably all most people would ever need.

Yep, I don't know why they aren't used in everything.

[DC1MC]

I've bought one so you don't have to  with alll accessories from the ANENG official store: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005005201649970.html

Summary
Total item costs € 49,00
Saved -€ 7,57
Total shipping Free
Total€ 41,43 VAT included

Is anyone around Mannheim/DE with some calibrator gear willing to spend some time with me testing/characterizing the beast ?
Eventually if you're to far away I can ship it to you, PM me if interested.

 Cheers,
 DC1MC

P.S. Yes, I know, but there was really nothing available on the EBAY/KA to get as a comfort food TE after emerging from a very messy Covid.

[Cliff Matthews]

Some board pic's on video?
It's the one on the right with MOV protection
https://youtu.be/W9UhA54JboA?t=979
 

[floobydust]

Another cheeseball review. "all the MOV's are on the voltage side" uh no the V jack is on the other side! Just because you see MOV's or PTC's etc doesn't mean the PCB/rotary switch spacings are done correctly. This is why you get this stuff tested instead of making Cat. III claims. Anyone take one apart and follow the V input jack traces, I bet they are terrible and it would autodestruct and arc to something.
The LCD update rate is slow, I would say they are using decimation to get the 25,000 counts out of the DM0660.
NCV missing the probe piece LOL. The last cheap tester I got with no sensor metal flag detected nothing very well, that was scary. So I added it and got accurate bleeps on hot wires.

[Cliff Matthews]

Yeah I know but it's so new it's the only one I could find.

[DC1MC]

As promised, I've sacrificed my self for you and got one, be grateful  , and now it arrived !!!

So, some teasing photos, if there is interest (expressed in thanks and messeges) I'll post detailed pictures of the insides. If not, not.

Meanwhile the device works nice, the display is pretty good AFTER one peels off the protective foil, the backlight of the display is indeed connected to the lantern LED, and the most important part:

THEEEE FUUUUUSEEEES !!!!

There are two 20mm fuses, one 0.6A/250V and one 20A/250V with ceramic bodies, so your flukes are in no danger to be replaced anytime if you measure turbines and industrial generators.

But it does come with a special sticker on top of the Amps socket that you'll see in the pictures  .

The reference is an ICL8069, the brains a DTM0660L, an, EEPROM P24008C and a LCD controller ET6621S.

The NCV piece of metal is not soldered, but also not necessary, there is a long PCB trace parallel with the end of case that works very well, I will probably put a piece of copper foil to increase it even more.

The probes (two sets) and accessories are OK.

 Cheers,
 DC1MC

[DC1MC]

Well then, if no one requested hi-res picture, you'll have to survive with average res pictures, so here they are, I won't open it again, I've almost lost the kliky-klaky steel balls.

BTW, there is some kind of grease on top of the switch contacts, should I clean it or should I leave it ?


Cheers,
DC1MC

[Fungus]

Seems to have more-than-the-average-Aneng input protection. And some MELFs!

BTW, there is some kind of grease on top of the switch contacts, should I clean it or should I leave it ?

Leave it. It's factory installed to make the contacts last longer.

[Cliff Matthews]

I vote at this price it's a good candidate for MELF robustness testing 

[Fungus]

THEEEE FUUUUUSEEEES !!!!

There are two 20mm fuses, one 0.6A/250V and one 20A/250V with ceramic bodies, so your flukes are in no danger to be replaced anytime if you measure turbines and industrial generators.

I was going to complain about the length of the fuses but then I saw the spacing on the PCB underneath them:


What is that, 2mm? 

[DC1MC]

Using highly advanced electronistic Schibler I can confirm that one of the gaps is 3mm and the other one (20A) is 4mm. I've also checked that a cut could be dremeled in both without hitting anything, if I do it can I measure voltage on current setting of 500KW hydroplant generators safely ?

[Kleinstein]

Even with more distance below the fuse the safety would not improve a lot. Instead of a cut, it may be easier to add some epoxy glue on top of the copper.  A cut could effect the mechanical stability.

[DC1MC]

Even with more distance below the fuse the safety would not improve a lot. Instead of a cut, it may be easier to add some epoxy glue on top of the copper.  A cut could effect the mechanical stability.

Araldit it is, the transparent version, I'll call it the "Plasma Breaker Edition" 

Other wisdom before putting it back and asking for some kind soul to characterize it for me ?

  Cheers,
  DC1MC

[Fungus]

Using highly advanced electronistic Schibler I can confirm that one of the gaps is 3mm and the other one (20A) is 4mm.

I think the 20A is smaller, there's an even narrower part above the fuse (see new image).

You could certainly Dremel off that pointy bit if you're going into a high energy area.

[DC1MC]

Using highly advanced electronistic Schibler I can confirm that one of the gaps is 3mm and the other one (20A) is 4mm.

I think the 20A is smaller, there's an even narrower part above the fuse (see new image).

You could certainly Dremel off that pointy bit if you're going into a high energy area.

Question is, WHY do they do this, is obvious that is a very simple issue to fix, you don't need special technologies or design tools to make sure that the spacing constraints are met, also the pointy bit, that I will with fire and diamond tip has no purpose, not even some vias, and all the other crap could have been ultra-easily avoided.
Could it be to keep the higher end models competitive, or is something to sabotage the western devils, or even, for 99,99(9)% of use cases these precautions are not needed ?

Wondering,
DC1Mc