Fluke 289 low ohms screen fade

[bigk]

Greetings.  This is my first post to EEVBlog.

A few days ago I bought a used Fluke 289 that physically looks brand new.  After playing with all the functions I found that in the "Low Ohms" range the contrast of the display would dim to almost nothing when taking a measurement.  So far I think it only occurs in that range.  The digits are barely visible until I disconnect the resistance and then the display returns to its normal contrast.  The backlight is not affected.  Just the contrast.

I've tried reseting the meter and installing fresh batteries but that made no difference.

This is my first higher end DMM and I was hoping it could replace my 1st generation 87 as my favorite meter.  As others here have said... its not quite the quality build as the 8x series but I knew that going in.   If it weren't for the logging I probably would have been better off with the 87V.

I did get it on ebay which I'm sure someone will say was my first mistake. It included FlukeView and I couldn't resist.  I did get the Assurant "warranty" so I probably have options if it's a real problem.

I was wondering if anyone had ever seen this behavior before.  It has firmware versions 1.00/V0.84 and says "Board ID: 1" if that means anything.

I didn't get the USB cable so I can't do a firmware update until I order one but was that ever an issue?

And it does have brown crust around the supercap but I don't see how that could be the issue.

Thanks for any help or advice.

[radhaz]

What voltage do you read in low ohms with another voltmeter attached?

[bigk]

radhaz thanks for responding.

I read 1.99 volts in the low ohm range.

Would pictures help?

[bigk]

Using a decode box and the low ohm range I determined the display begins to dim at about 500 ohms (the circuit reads about 3.3mA at that point) and gets progressively dimmer the closer I get to 0 ohms.  Although the display is barely visible the readings are accurate under 50 ohms.  It's almost like measurement is the robbing current from the contrast control.

[David Hess]

I was going to suggest that the battery was low but since you changed it, the meter must be defective.  What you describe should never happen.

Can you double check that the replacement battery is good?

[Muttley Snickers]

If it were me and I had the option of returning it and getting my money back then that is exactly what I would be doing right now rather than dicking around with what could be a troublesome meter with no guarantee of a satisfactory outcome. Alternatively I would start by taking some current draw measurements to guage how much she is being dragged down, for reference my measurements are as follows on a 2010 Fluke 289 with a firmware version of 1.16 upgraded from version 1.12 :

Power Off, Logged for 20 minutes.....32uA
Power On, Ohms Open, BL Off..........22mA
Power On, Ohms Open, BL Low.........36mA
Power On, Ohms Open, BL High........56mA

[bigk]

Yep.  I double checked. The batteries are good.  The contrast only gets dim in the low ohms range.  Very unusual.  I don't know if this is something affected by firmware or some other problem  The firmware is version 1.00 and I was wondering if this was possibly a glitch that might have been resolved by a firmware upgrade.  This meter looks like it has hardly ever been used and as far as I can tell is accurate.

[Muttley Snickers]

I can't say that I've ever encountered or heard of this particular problem before but if you didn't pay much then it might be worth keeping. Just so you know, Fluke will not generally honour warranties where products have been purchased through online auction sites, their warranty is also limited to the original purchaser and products must have been bought through an authorised agent or distributor. I don't know which version of Fluke View Forms you received but anything prior to version 3.0 cannot be updated.

Fluke View Forms.
http://en-us.fluke.com/support/software-downloads/flukeview-forms-software-updates.html

[David Hess]

I can't say that I've ever encountered or heard of this particular problem before but if you didn't pay much then it might be worth keeping.

I have seen it happen before on other meters but only when the battery was weak.  The low battery indicator revealed the true issue.

[bigk]

Thanks guys.  It IS weird.  I bit the bullet and ordered a  USB cable to upgrade the firmware.    The original auction says no returns but I have contacted the seller about the problem.  I've got the Assurant  warranty on it so we'll see how that plays out.  I usually don't go for those warranty  things but all things considered I decided $22 would be a good idea.   They say they'll repair it if possible or refund the money.  If it goes to an authorized Fluke repair center I'm ok with that with the exception of the inconvenience.   I doubt the seller knew there was an issue.  In fact I doubt the seller really knew much about the meter at all.   I'll definitely post the results.

[Terry01]

Greetings.  This is my first post to EEVBlog.

A few days ago I bought a used Fluke 289 that physically looks brand new.  After playing with all the functions I found that in the "Low Ohms" range the contrast of the display would dim to almost nothing when taking a measurement.  So far I think it only occurs in that range.  The digits are barely visible until I disconnect the resistance and then the display returns to its normal contrast.  The backlight is not affected.  Just the contrast.

I've tried reseting the meter and installing fresh batteries but that made no difference.

This is my first higher end DMM and I was hoping it could replace my 1st generation 87 as my favorite meter.  As others here have said... its not quite the quality build as the 8x series but I knew that going in.   If it weren't for the logging I probably would have been better off with the 87V.

I did get it on ebay which I'm sure someone will say was my first mistake. It included FlukeView and I couldn't resist.  I did get the Assurant "warranty" so I probably have options if it's a real problem.

I was wondering if anyone had ever seen this behavior before.  It has firmware versions 1.00/V0.84 and says "Board ID: 1" if that means anything.

I didn't get the USB cable so I can't do a firmware update until I order one but was that ever an issue?

And it does have brown crust around the supercap but I don't see how that could be the issue.

Thanks for any help or advice.

Is a "brown crust" not a bit dodgy? Maybe leaking a bit and now not up to putting out the extra current needed for Low Ohms range??

[bigk]

I've read on here that the supercap is only for clock backup.

I don't know if it could cause this.

The reading I get in low ohms is accurate as far as I can tell.

[SoundTech-LG]

You can pretty easily pull the supercap off the board. I did on mine, and yes $22.00 , was well worth it. Will be very interesting indeed.

[bigk]

So the ebay Assurant warranty was a bust.  It doen't cover what might be considered a "bad" auction.  BUYER BEWARE.  On the other hand... If I were to "accidentally" fry it while testing a mechanical crowbar on a vintage Sorensen HVPS I might be able to argue for a repair or compensation.  But my conscience prohibits that.  So for now I'll keep it in the truck for overnight logging or the usual obligatory "can I borrow that" duty.  I have since bought another one and the minor differences in the screen and circuit board are curious.  When I have time I'm going to call around to cal labs and see what it would cost to repair and calibrate it.