It's official. Agilent just whooped Fluke's ASS!

[cybergibbons]

DavidDLC - 50% of this forum is multimeters. Of course people are interested!

[Uncle Vernon]

Ahm, Bluetooth uses the 2.4 GHz IMS band.

2.4 GHz is A possible ISM band, not THE ISM band! Fish live in the sea! Carp are fish! By your reasoning therefore all fish must be carp!

Incidentally the IMS band you refer to turns out to be a brass outfit at a Florida school so I'm not sure how it relates to the 2.4 GHz or any other part of the topic.

But yea, this feature is for us armchair engineers who happen to sit in a cozy, nice and safe environment.

True enough! My comments were pointing out that you may need to have that armchair located closer to the action than you may have hoped.

[sonicj]

identifying circuits in a unlabeled breaker panel is the first application that comes to mind.

if this couples to the IR serial connection, then i suspect its just a SPP module with IR input. i have a RN-41 dongle that i keep handy for such occasions. wish my fluke had serial out.
-sj

[PetrosA]

Here's an interview with Tak Tsang, one of the people responsible for bringing the U1177A to market. He goes into some better detail about what's possible in the software, including writing your own apps.

http://www.engineeringtv.com/video/In-Bluetooth-Adapter-Android-Me

[Bored@Work]

Go back to your hut and use your fuckin mac !

Thanks for this detailed evaluation. Now, can you please tell us what you think of using Linux?

[Bored@Work]

2.4 GHz is A possible ISM band, not THE ISM band!

Your knowledge of the English language leaves a little bit to be desired.

[T4P]

Go back to your hut and use your ******** mac !

Thanks for this detailed evaluation. Now, can you please tell us what you think of using Linux?

I Love linux but hate apple .

[Simon]

Go back to your hut and use your ******** mac !

Thanks for this detailed evaluation. Now, can you please tell us what you think of using Linux?

I Love linux but hate apple .

We noticed and your free to hate whatever you like but there is something called making ones own choice !

[Uncle Vernon]

2.4 GHz is A possible ISM band, not THE ISM band!

Your knowledge of the English language leaves a little bit to be desired.

Same could be said about your knowledge of bandwidth usage and allocation. 

[saturation]

Thanks PetrosA.  That video provides more details but it looks like your own video put a lot more in.  Tsang looks fairly nervous, his voice stresses but he sails into his spiel once he's given the floor. 

Here's an interview with Tak Tsang, one of the people responsible for bringing the U1177A to market. He goes into some better detail about what's possible in the software, including writing your own apps.

http://www.engineeringtv.com/video/In-Bluetooth-Adapter-Android-Me

[Rutger]

I have asked Agilent if the U1177A  could be used to update the firmware and they replied with the following:

> U1177A is only applicable for AMM application. It cannot be used to upgrade firmware. For upgrading of firmware, please use the normal procedures via USB-IR cable.

>I hope it helps.

>Best Regards,

>BENNY KOH
>Technical Customer Support Engineer
>Agilent Technologies Basic Instruments Division

I replied with the following email:

Thanks for the fast reply, I think however that this is a shortcoming and Agilent should really think about allowing/adding this feature.
Most new PC Laptops have Bluetooth, mine does, and why should I have to buy 2 types of connectors/cables that can both do the same thing.
I would also think that Agilent should write and application or make the protocol open for 3-party software to be written to allow data logging on PC / Mac applications.

Agilent could even write a small app that checks the Agilent website and does and automatic firmware update when the device is connected via the web.

Please explain why Agilent thinks this is not possible or what restrictions there are to do this.

Another topic:

Another issue with the U1272A which is discussed extensively on the Web is the Smoothing feature, on the Fluke 87V this feature slow the update rate down.
With the next firmware update of the U1200 series why can’t there be a separate option in the menu to allow the same functionality, I think this is one of the ‘last’ and only feature were the Fluke is better right now.

Rutger

[metalphreak]

Something wifi based would have a much shorter battery life. People already complain about the battery life on the OLED display meters

Wifi also means having to create an ad-hoc wifi network (ruling out also connecting to a wifi AP for remote data transmission as most devices only have one wifi module). You could connect each device up to a single AP, but that means a cumbersome method of programming the dongles, as well as another piece of equipment to power/take with you. Wifi just doesn't make much sense in this type of device.

Also, when specifying range on bluetooth, 5m would generally be the minimum distance it's expected to work, not the maximum. 

[baljemmett]

2.4 GHz is A possible ISM band, not THE ISM band!

Your knowledge of the English language leaves a little bit to be desired.

Same could be said about your knowledge of bandwidth usage and allocation. 

A shame the time tags don't work on embedded clips, but the last thirty seconds of this seem apt: 

[Uncle Vernon]

A shame the time tags don't work on embedded clips, but the last thirty seconds of this seem apt: 

Fozzie, what is it your trying to say? 

[ronwoch]

Call me silly, but the use for this that jumps to my mind is having meters in various locations around a room, and being able to monitor them all from your phone. Simple, but no one seems to have picked up on that. Or even being able to compare readings without having to look from one side of the bench to the other. Again, silly maybe, but that's what popped in my head.

[grenert]

I think the best thing is the ability to turn any standard multimeter into a (hopefully realtime) graphing one with a really nice display.  How many times do folks really use the graphing feature on the brick Fluke 289?  Probably not too much.  Having a much smaller meter with an easy-to-read segmented display while retaining the ability to do graphing when needed would be a big advantage, I think. 

[PetrosA]

Its great, sorry I didn't think it was you, we at least know now how you look like as there was a reflection on the Asus screen  .  That's a good test under your hands, you sure have a lot of Agilent DMMs.  Do the other functions also get sent via bluetooth, like say frequency counter or capacitance?

How do you like your Asus Android pad?  Can you read pdfs well on it, like Agilent users/service manuals, schematics or electrical drawings?

Thanks a bunch for doing it.

Saturation,

I do have a few Agilents at this point Four, including the clamp meter, but I also have an Metrix MX26 and a Greenlee CM-450 clamp meter I haven't gotten to the point where I have too many yet.

All the functions I've tried get sent fine via the Bluetooth with the exception of the scaled volt reading on the U1272A (I have to test the other units now too...). It always seems to send the unscaled reading. This is only a problem when I'm using an amp clamp with the DMM. Ultimately this shouldn't be a problem since AFAIK they will be releasing modified battery compartment covers for the clamp meters to allow the U1177A to be used with them. I have used it by taping it on to my U1211A, so I know it works.

I like my Asus tablet. I've used Asus motherboards since my first PC, so I had a lot of trust in them to begin with. It's a huge improvement over my 1000H netbook, especially for work. I used to use that with the IR/USB cable and Agilent software, but it was just too much of a pain in the ass. I have two programs I use for PDFs, Adobe and one other, since Adobe doesn't render my invoices correctly. But Adobe does all the catalogs I've thrown at it perfectly, including some 100MB+ lighting catalogs with tons of photos. It's not as fast as a PC, but I wouldn't expect that from a tablet yet.

[PetrosA]

Let's see if I get this right, per meter you own, you'd need a ~50$ device, if you want it to send you a notification when something happens you need it connected to a constantly running computer or another phone that is always connected to the Internet?

Yeah, I don't see any advantage aside from maaaaaaaybe data logging (which I think you can also do via IR to USB cables?)

The advantages are huge for people out in the field. Some examples of how I've used mine:

- Locating a breaker in a basement panel for a receptacle in a third floor apartment
- Analyzing single phase loads (monitoring voltages/currents on lines A and B and current on the Neutral)
- Identifying circuits in commercial buildings
- Identifying bad Neutral connections from the power company at a customer's service point

Just that last example makes this setup worth it's weight in gold. To identify a bad neutral on a single phase service here in the US, you have to analyze what's happening to the voltages on each leg simultaneously (one goes up, the other goes down when the neutral is bad, but this can also happen with a good neutral and bad transformer). Being able to remotely monitor both readings on one screen, especially with the graph function is incredible.

[PetrosA]

I think the best thing is the ability to turn any standard multimeter into a (hopefully realtime) graphing one with a really nice display.  How many times do folks really use the graphing feature on the brick Fluke 289?  Probably not too much.  Having a much smaller meter with an easy-to-read segmented display while retaining the ability to do graphing when needed would be a big advantage, I think.

I'm not sure, but I think the update via Bluetooth is limited to around 1-2 readings per second. The graph will be useful, but not realtime like what you have on the DMM. My guess is that the limitation is to keep the battery from dying too fast.

[billclay]

They also said that Apple doesn't allow them to write application to connection to the popular ipad/iphone platform so there is only support for android.

Apple doesn't allow them to write an app?  Sounds fishy, I see no reason why not.  I'd like to know more details.

Android only and no iOS = Partial FAIL

[Bored@Work]

They also said that Apple doesn't allow them to write application to connection to the popular ipad/iphone platform so there is only support for android.

Apple doesn't allow them to write an app?  Sounds fishy, I see no reason why not.  I'd like to know more details.

Probably a simplification, likely meaning Apple rejected or indicated to reject admission to the Apple app store. And it is not a good idea to base a commercial product on an app requiring jailbreaking.

[mikeselectricstuff]

ISTR reading that Apple have crippled their Bluetooth so it's only useable for stuff like keyboards and headsets.
What Agilent could have usefully done is add a mode to their BT module that makes it emulate a keyboard, to spit out keypresses for readings either on demand or at a configurable rate.

However from experience I know that it is very hard to find an off the-shelf Bluetooth module that will do HID for keyboard emulation instead of SPP for serial port- I'm sure Agilent are big enough to get a manufacturer to tweak their firmware to do it though.

[kaz911]

I think the best thing is the ability to turn any standard multimeter into a (hopefully realtime) graphing one with a really nice display.  How many times do folks really use the graphing feature on the brick Fluke 289?  Probably not too much.  Having a much smaller meter with an easy-to-read segmented display while retaining the ability to do graphing when needed would be a big advantage, I think.

I use my 287's graphs quite a lot. On average on in 10-20 times I use it. Not so much due to the graph - but due to the 287 captures glitches - so no matter what - every "large" sudden movement is captured.  That is really neat.

[T4P]

They also said that Apple doesn't allow them to write application to connection to the popular ipad/iphone platform so there is only support for android.

Apple doesn't allow them to write an app?  Sounds fishy, I see no reason why not.  I'd like to know more details.

Android only and no iOS = Partial FAIL

Let's see , how many people actually use android nowadays ? 53% . Apple ? 30% .
FAIL .
What does Dave Jones use ? A Desire . I ? I use a Optimus Black .

[benemorius]

ISTR reading that Apple have crippled their Bluetooth so it's only useable for stuff like keyboards and headsets.

This. I tried writing an IOS app to connect to embedded devices over bluetooth for a serial debug console only to find that the necessary parts of the bluetooth API were missing. The calls just simply don't exist in IOS and Apple doesn't give a flying fuck about it. Of course, someone has by now written another bluetooth stack which you can use on a jailbroken device, but I didn't look very far in to it and I certainly wouldn't expect Agilent to go that route.

Perhaps the hardware was just about done by the time someone got an SDK set up and started playing with software and they decided to put the IOS app on hold for now. A half implemented bluetooth stack on such a mainstream device is certainly the last problem I expected to run in to.