A quick look at a Fluke 19 DMM

[thefamilyman]

Good evening.

just going to have a quick look at my Fluke 19.
I bought this close to about 15 years ago from Dick Smith Electronics, i cant remember how much bit i think it was more than NZ$200 at the time.
It's been my very trusty and reliable multimeter for many years.

I've long lost the manual for it and it's almost impossible to find any info on it on google.
i've pulled the specs from a trademe ad (the ad claims it's true RMS which it isn't unfortunately):
4,000 count, 3-3/4 digit
AC / DC Volts: 400.0 mV to 1000 V full scale
AC / DC Amps:   40.00 mA to 10.00 A full scale
Resistance:   400.0 Ohm to 40.00 M Ohm full scale
Capacitance:   5.00 nF to 5.00 uF full scale
Diode test:   3.000 V full scale
Frequency:   199.99 Hz to 199.99 kHz full scale

A quick power on test shows the full LCD display, lots of scratches on it too.


Back side with all markings:
I'm pretty sure this wasn't a chinese domestic market only meter like the 17B etc series as the manual was all in english.


Open up the back and this is what we find inside, note the HRC fuse is missing as i blew it long ago and cant be bothered replacing it.


Just a slightly better shot:


and the flip side of the PCB, i didn't want to take off the screen as those zebra tracks can be fiddly sometimes.


pretty much spot on all measurements except the 100Hz Square wave AC as it's not true RMS:



And lastly a size comparison compared to my other meters on hand:

[elex_enthusiast]

Thanks for the teardown. It seems pretty well constructed like any other fluke handhelds..

[Muttley Snickers]

Thanks for the post and pictures.....

Only a few days ago I was looking at buying one of these from Ebay locally for $30 AUD and I did see the other listing and info on trademe NZ,  I also spent nearly a whole day gathering information about them from various sources but could not find them on Flukes site anywhere even under different model numbers, there are posts here on the forum about them and I did scrounge some info from Chinese site and need to wait for our next home delivery meal to get it translated.

Dave also had something to say about them a while back and as the one I was looking at was listed as faulty and after correspondence with the seller I decided to pass on it as I have plenty of others.

Many Thanks

Muttley

[thefamilyman]

Thanks for the post and pictures.....

Only a few days ago I was looking at buying one of these from Ebay locally for $30 AUD and I did see the other listing and info on trademe NZ,  I also spent nearly a whole day gathering information about them from various sources but could not find them on Flukes site anywhere even under different model numbers, there are posts here on the forum about them and I did scrounge some info from Chinese site and need to wait for our next home delivery meal to get it translated.

Dave also had something to say about them a while back and as the one I was looking at was listed as faulty and after correspondence with the seller I decided to pass on it as I have plenty of others.

Many Thanks

Muttley

It's been a very very reliable and handy meter due to it's size.
it can easily fir into any tool box and is great for general DC and AC mains work. being CAT II 600V it's more than capable for most people, I use my Gossen when i'm working on generators and main interrupt switches due to it's more comfortable CAT IV rating but i certainly dont pass off of Fluke 19 for everyday use.
those new 101, and 107 meters do look very tempting too due to their size.

[Muttley Snickers]

On a number of sites that I came across they do get a bad rap as to whether it's deserved or not I couldn't say but I did notify the seller if it didn't sell for the fixed price of thirty bucks then to ring me and I would take it for no other reason than to have a tinker and post it up on here as you have now done.

I asked him under what circumstance did the meter fail and to his credit he explained that it was left on monitoring a charging motorcycle battery overnight and the following morning the meter was dead and never recovered, he also indicated to me of having electronics knowledge and a go at fixing it without success.

The meter did not come with leads and overall appeared to be in good condition except for the screen which had deep gouges, sufficiently so to put me off as I could foresee a couple of hours spent attempting a clean up and repair on an unknown device.

If another one pops up and on your recommendation I wont hesitate if it looks in good order, for field service work and low voltage stuff I even find the 117s a bit too chunky and have also been looking at the tiny Flukes.

Best regards

Muttley

[Wytnucls]

Very little information on the net about these meters.
According to the silkscreen on the fuse side, there was a planned Fluke 17 version, with a 440mA fuse only, which may not have been released.
Any info on DC volt accuracy and AC bandwidth?
Does it have the Fluke AutoHold or just data hold?

[Wytnucls]

Correction to that last post, it looks like the 17 version was also available:

[thefamilyman]

Very little information on the net about these meters.
According to the silkscreen on the fuse side, there was a planned Fluke 17 version, with a 440mA fuse only, which may not have been released.
Any info on DC volt accuracy and AC bandwidth?
Does it have the Fluke AutoHold or just data hold?

DC accuracy is spot on according to my DMM Check+
AC is also spot on, i just compared it to my Gossen plugged into the wall mains, both read 237.6V
i'm not sure whats it's AC bandwidth is, i dont have the equipment to test it but i know it's not true RMS which is fine if you're doing just 50/60Hz mains work.

It does have the AutoHold function, it goes into REC mode and beeps every time it gets a new MIN or MAX reading while displaying the current value, then by pressing the MIN/MAX key you can view what those MIN and MAX values were and also the AVG value too.

[Muttley Snickers]

This is part of the information that I have on them and their was only the two models the 17 and 19, the 19 went to 10 amp whereas the 17 to 400 mA, a posting elsewhere on the forum indicated that they were also sold under a re-badge in red, yet to be confirmed but I think that it was probably a 6000 count Fluke 81438

I have full specs and other info on both and a truck load of pictures but will be adding the teardown pictures above to the collection.

Muttley
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/fluke-17/
http://www.electronicspoint.com/threads/re-fluke-dmm-recommendations.139390/

[thefamilyman]

AC test on my DMM Check+

[Wytnucls]

AC bandwidth is reported as 100kHz, which is very good for an averaging meter.
DC volt Accuracy 0.30% is bearable for a 4,000 count meter.

[retiredcaps]

Thanks for sharing the pictures! 

Dave had this to say about the Fluke 19 ...

http://www.polytechforum.com/electrical/fluke-dmm-recommendations-60226-.htm#60248

"The Fluke Chinese "market test" started with the experimental Fluke 19 released in the Asia Pacific market. Used the same chipset as the 87 at the time, and offered unbelievable value for money. It was too good to be true, most Fluke 19's failed with all sorts of problems. They learned a few things from that and the 110 series is now a lot better, but still made in China."

http://alt.solar.thermal.narkive.com/REFspta1/multimeter-ammeter-recommendations#post12

"Not one single Fluke 70 or 80 series has died, with the exception of the Fluke 19 series which was a trial run made in China with cheaper parts and case, instead of made in the US. They quickly discontinued that model and learned their lesson!"

[thefamilyman]

Quite interesting.

After owning one for the past 15 years I would say they are rugged and reliable as any other equally priced meter, unless they failed after been beaten with a hammer.
I guess no rubber protector could leed to their less durability.

[saturation]

An interesting model, not familiar with 19 but clearly it the progenitor of many of the models that are increasingly well reputed, made in China,  including the newer 101 sized models.

[limayankee]

I have a Fluke 19 bought from DSE in the late '90s.

It still works, and I still have the manual.

I've attached some photos of the meter, and the specification pages of the manual.