So, hello to the forum:p First post here. To introduce myself i'm a recent mechanical engineering graduate. Of course i had been into electrical stuff from little (my father is an electrical engineer) and started getting into computers and programming by 1998 or so. Long story short, i got into electronics deeper while studying at uni, and i combined this with automotive (which is my passion to be honest). I discovered Dave's youtube channel a couple of years ago and started learning more. Now to the main part:
I'm looking to upgrade my equipment. I remember when i had the cheapest of the cheapest chinese multimeters, i probably went through 3-4 of those. Then got an Excel XL830L (yes laugh, the 830 should ring a bell!) and some "quality" (lol) probe leads. It has been really good for the 8gbp i paid for it, still works but it is time to upgrade to something more serious. From what i researched i think the only way to get what i want is to buy 2 different DMM. It might not even fit my budget but correct me if i am wrong. I'm thinking anywhere between 100-150eur, pushed to 200eur if you can get features or accessories that justify the extra 50eur. I am located in Cyprus so technically Europe, so generally it comes cheaper and faster buying from EU since you don't have to pay the import taxes (which is another story) but i'm not limited to this though - i'm just informing you.
I am very fond of the Brymen DMM's. The price to performance is probably the best in the industry at the moment i believe (with the exception of the model with the s**t backlight though). Since i saw the Brymen BM319s i want to get one. It is really useful for automotive work of which i do regularly. At least it would be more convenient. I don't have a bench oscilloscope yet, and probably won't for the next couple of years, but i have a Minidso DSO203 quad portable oscilloscope. I think a very old model was covered in EEVblog in the past, but with the latest custom Wildcat's firmware it is a little beast. You get 7Mhz analog bandwidth on 2 channels, 14Mhz on a single channel (hardware implemented, software not yet but coming hopefully), and 4 channel digital logic. Enough for what i've been doing at the moment (atmel micros, basic electronics, auto electronics of which are all relatively low frequency, audio, etc.)
However i see the BM319s is missing some features i would like for my perfect DMM:
- True-RMS sensing
- Higher resolution (~50000 counts or more) which is also usually accompanied with higher accuracy/precision/repeatability.
- Relative zero mode (except if i'm missing something for the BM319s)
- Current measurement of higher than 10A (although BM319s can do up to 20A for 30sec)
Optional:
-Internal datalogging
-OLED screen
Not needed:
-VFD compatibility
-Anything for high power stuff (mains installations, 3-phase, insulation testing etc)
I can borrow my father's Fluke for these. However i do high voltage stuff with ignition coils. I have coils capable of reaching 35kV. I haven't tried to touch them but with 100mJ discharge 80 times per second is probably going to hurt much:p
Everything else that the BM319s has i really want but i might overlook some features.
From what i understand if i want True-RMS i am stuck with this list here:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/multimeter-spreadsheet/But hopefully someone has a better solution:)