Its my hobby , or personal tactic , for everything that I get – Buy , to collect in advance any information that circulates ,
about it .
So , I did the same about the Fluke 87-5 , and I constructed one F.A.Q. made by an technician , for the technicians.
Now if the word
“ F.A.Q.” sounds too much , call it as
“unofficial Tips” list .
1) Deference’s between the 87V (5 Generation ) The 87V has a switchable low pass ac filter for those trying to measure the output of an adjustable speed motor drive, the 87-III does not.
The 87V has a type K temperature mode and includes the 80BK beaded thermocouple probe, the 87-III does not.
The 87V can measure capacitors to 10,000uF, the 87-III can only measure to 5uF.
87: 5uF maximum
87 III: 5uF maximum
87 V: 9,999 uF maximum or 9.99mF
The default A/D converter on the 87V is 6000 counts, the 87-III is only 4000 counts. Both are switchable to 20,000 counts.
The 87V's has a CAT IV 600V safety rating, the 87-III does not.
The 87V has a smoothing mode, the 87-III does not.
The 87V's new holster (model H80M) has the necessary locking slots to work with Tool Pack and Locking Pack accessories, the 87-III does not but you can use the new holster with it to get that capability.
Otherwise the 87V and 87-III have the same ranges and functions and physical size.
2) The story about the “ 87-4 “ In 1999, the 87-4 was introduced as new a model that combine the features of the 87-3 and the 8060A meters. The 89-4 is the same as the 87-4 with the addition of the logging capabilities. The 87-4 and 89-4 were never considered to be the same meter as the 87-3 witch is now the 87-5. They just happen to share a similar model number. About two years later the 87-4 and 89-4 were updated and re-branded as the 187 and 189.
The 87-IV and the 89-IV had a Pulse width measure range that only when down to 50.000 msec.
3) Function Tip .. enable - disable high impedance .To enable the high impedance mode for the 87-3 or 87-5 press and hold the Hz button during power-up. The input impedance is changed from 10 Megohms to >4,000 Megohms. This function is useful to measure mili-volts on very low energy circuits where a very high input impedance is needed.
4) Repair TIP damaged multimeter by high power RF Sign of damage , LCD on - meter does not respond to selector changes.
Look to find an fusible resistor of 1 K Ohm , replace it with equal type .
5) Display repair part 1 Sign of damage : No back light ..
Cause : Bad transistor that turns on the light, it is right before the light socket.
Cure :Its replaceable with a standard transistor, you could try 2n3906 or a 2n3904 .
One of the two will do the trick 100% .
6) Display repair part 2 Sign of damage : Faulty display – Ghosting – numbers fades
Cause : Between the display and the PCB , there is elastomeric pads ,
at the connection point between elastomeric pads and PCB , there is soft signs of oxidation.
Cure :a* Remove the screws on the back.
b* Disconnect the battery
c* Be careful and remove the outer LCD cover (clipped on)
d* Gently pull off the LCD portion (it sits on the possibly oxidized connections that you'll soon clean with alcohol)
e* Pull off the bottom white LCD backing still in the meter (connected by 2 pins on the left)
f* Clean all the circular button connections and the pins below the LCD in the skinny slots top and bottom for the LCD about roughly 40 pins.
g* Cleaning solutions .. denatured alcohol or glass cleaner ( as less drastic solution ) ,
anything powerful could shorten the life of the elastomeric pads .
k* Use tweezers to remove the old Pink elastomers if they stay down in the slot(s) to avoid any 'skin oil' deposits being left....they usually stick to the bottom of the glass in most cases, which makes it easier.
The elastomeric kit is available from Fluke, and the part number is 627494. This is not the display upgrade kit (model DR80). Replacing the elastomeric connectors will correct the problem.
Most problems was show up when your meter has an Pink colored elastomeric pad ,
Fluke found that this pads was causing issues , upgraded the material with new type grey color this time.
If your meter are an old one, and uses the Pink one , its best to upgrade it , with the latest Grey elastomeric.
The ones with the Grey elastomeric, do not suffer so far from the above issue .
7) Does my meter need to be calibrated? If you short the test leads together, does the meter read zero volts (or at least very close to zero)?
If yes , you are ok .
8 ) Do you repair your own tools ? If yes, you worth to have , the complete schematic of the Fluke 87 & PCB layout &,
part list = full PDF file : 83_85_87smeng0500.pdf (11.850 KB)
http://assets.fluke.com/manuals/83_85_87smeng0500.pdf9) Fluke special Fuses … a) Type 10,3X38
FLU11(11A) -Volt Rating 1KV- Breaking point 17000A ( recently Fluke updated the specs to 20000A)
b) Type 10,3X35 D
MM 44/100= 440mA - Volt Rating 1KV- Breaking point 10000A
Tip : Its from the few times , that I will advice too " call Fluke ", so to get them , or the nearest representative !!
At the begging of 2009 , there was a battle between the Fuse manufactures like Bussman & LittleFuse ,
and they had triple the prices , of the same fuses , when they get sell in the open market !!
Fluke , has its own stock , and keeps the pricing almost low , because they making money, from their products,
and not mainly from the fuses !!
EU Pricing 11A ( 8.50 – 12 EUR ) VAT included
EU Pricing 440mA ( 5.32 – 11 EUR ) VAT included
Be aware about similar fuses from
SIBA brand , looks identical in specs ,
but they have Breaking point 30000A .
Check the page called as
URZ 23http://www.sibafuses.com/pdf/urz.pdfI am not aware if they can be used , but they are the closest in specs , from any other solution worldwide.
If you have, any similar tips , just add them .. and help this Tips list to grow .
Thanks ..