so... whats the bottom line? kiriakos?
Fluke does not have standards, it just making products that comply to some of them.
Sure they do. They've got certain in-house standards when it comes to circuit design, build quality, build consistency, measurement accuracy over time, etc. Heck, they've even standardized their paint scheme.
-MightyTwin.
First impression is good, the meter looks and feels like a Fluke meter. The meter feels sturdy. The LCD is big and clear. The function selector dial is good, it gives that positive “click” feeling.
Compared to the Fluke 77, this meter has better functionality in that it measures current down to the µA range, measures capacitance, and measures temperature using the provided K-type thermocouple probe.
The downside of the meter is that it doesn’t have Fluke’s auto touch hold, no-bar graph, and no LCD backlight. The overvoltage CAT rating is also slightly lower (300V CAT III vs 600V CAT III).
Compared to higher end Fluke models, this meter lacks the min/max function, does not measure true RMS and has no incorrect probe socket detection.
Internal contruction of the meter is really good. You can see the well designed PCB, the high quality components and the good soldering from the photos below. You can also see the big HRC fuses and the MOVs used for input protection.
out of curiosity I decided to look for reviews of this meter (they are very lacking as it is a "sold in china" only meter). I came across this review.
Reposting some internal construction photos and the review here just in case the other link goes away.QuoteFirst impression is good, the meter looks and feels like a Fluke meter. The meter feels sturdy. The LCD is big and clear. The function selector dial is good, it gives that positive “click” feeling.
Compared to the Fluke 77, this meter has better functionality in that it measures current down to the µA range, measures capacitance, and measures temperature using the provided K-type thermocouple probe.
The downside of the meter is that it doesn’t have Fluke’s auto touch hold, no-bar graph, and no LCD backlight. The overvoltage CAT rating is also slightly lower (300V CAT III vs 600V CAT III).
Compared to higher end Fluke models, this meter lacks the min/max function, does not measure true RMS and has no incorrect probe socket detection.
Internal contruction of the meter is really good. You can see the well designed PCB, the high quality components and the good soldering from the photos below. You can also see the big HRC fuses and the MOVs used for input protection.
Just picked up a Fluke 17B on Apliu Street in HK. Got a very good price for it - if you find the right store and haggle a bit you can get them down.
The meter is well made, as good as "normal" Flukes. The flip out stand pivots on the rubber case, feels a bit crap but works pretty well.
Apliu Street is amazing. Most of it is mobile phones, but there are guys fixing phone on stalls in the street, shops selling loads of components and tools, all very cheap. UNI-T is everywhere. Some of the meters are 1/4 the price compared to the UK.
There are Fluke meters for sale (couldn't find any 87s unfortunately), but there are also "Flukes" for sale....
out of curiosity, what does a "Fluke" look like? :>
as good as "normal" Flukes
There are Fluke meters for sale (couldn't find any 87s unfortunately), but there are also "Flukes" for sale....
It seems a large amount of DMM related patents were made by Raymond Zoellick of Fluke, from the late 1990s to early 2000s. He maybe one the 80s series principle designers.
out of curiosity, what does a "Fluke" look like? :>
UNI-T meters were everywhere - but I already have a UT51D and UT71D.
I got the Fluke 17B for when I'm doing electrical work - I can trust the input protection.
It seems a large amount of DMM related patents were made by Raymond Zoellick of Fluke, from the late 1990s to early 2000s. He maybe one the 80s series principle designers.
Houston we have a problem !!
Well this Registered patents , its an double side axe ... many found the way to register even the silliest things , so to have claims on them.
This race of registering patents, become an troublesome sport .
If I manage to register " the breath " every one will have to pay me, so to take one.
The only positive are, that after 25 years , any registered patent can be used freely .
The same story happened with the SONY Trinitron tubes , and the Mitsubishi one day after the patent termination, started to make the " Diamondtron " tubes , any many others similar flat ones.
Yes, we all do stupid things from time to time. It's the one thing that bothers me about my UNI-T meters - they just have small glass fuses, and seemingly little input protection. Are they really safe to their ratings?
A colleague suffered extremely bad facial burns after a no-name voltage tester (like a Fluke T100, but I think it came free with an order) went to short when he was testing if the output of a timer switch was off. It was only 240V but it was still pretty bad...
It is important to notice that it is not the voltage alone what does the damage shown in the pictures, but the resulting high-current arc flash. So testing would require a power source with enough short-circuit current. For electronic and household electrical work with small fuses (up to 16 A 230 VAC around here), there is not enough short-circuit available to do so much damage, whether you have CAT-rated meter or not. Things however change quickly if one deals with distribution level.
Interruption Rating. Also commonly known as breaking capacity, a fuse’s interruption rating is the maximum approved current that the device can safely interrupt at rated voltage. Depending upon the type and design of the fuse, this current can range from a few amperes to several thousand. Typically, glass fuses have a low breaking capacity, while ceramic ones have a high breaking capacity.
If breaking capacity is exceeded, there is a risk that the fuse could blow apart like a firecracker, expelling molten material, damaging surrounding circuitry, or even harming the user.
A typical rating in accordance with UL 248-14 is 10,000 A at 125 V ac. Using this as an example, if an overcurrent fault of less than 10,000 A occurs on a 125-V-ac line, the fuse will open safely. However, if the overcurrent is greater than 10,000 A, the risk increases for damage to occur.
IEC 60127-2 categorizes fuses into three groups in terms of their breaking capacities.1 Low-breaking-capacity fuses are those tested to 35 A or to 10 times their rated current, whichever is greater. Industry uses the letter L to designate this type of fuse. A fuse said to exhibit enhanced breaking capacity is tested to 150 A and carries the letter E as a symbol of its capability. A fuse with high breaking capacity, designated with an H, is tested to 1500 A.
What surprises me is why don't good meter probes have HRC fuses built into them. A CAT IV meter is not any good if the cause of the accident is the probe wire getting cut by a sharp metal edge or melting on a hot exhaust manifold.