Someone ask me to buy which dmm, Keysight 34465A or Keithley DMM6500

[JimKnopf]

Not sure what is meant by specifying resistance in diode mode, diodes are very non-linear. On the DMM6500 you can set the diode test current to 10uA, 100uA, 1mA or 10mA. Default is 1mA. You can also set the minimum and maximum voltage window: between 300mV and 800mV is default. 10V is the maximum.

Continuity speed is OK but I don't think it's quite as good as the 34401A or the 34465A.  On the DMM6500 you can set the trigger continuity to anywhere between 100m ohm to 1K ohm.

The beeper tone (for continuity or diode mode) of the DMM6500 sounds like a buzzer rather than a beep: I much prefer the simple beep of the HP/Keysights.

Thanks for the reply even it's not my thread. In the meantime I bought a DMM6500. An amazing device. I love it.  Diode mode works perfectly down to the milliohm range. The beeper takes some getting used to but it is fast enough. A great device.

[Electro Fan]

Two recent additions to the lab, after some years with a 34401A, have been both a 34465A and a DMM6500.

I have to say, of the two, I do prefer the DMM6500, predominantly because of the digitiser function... a function I never knew I needed. The touch screen UI of the digitiser on the DMM6500 lends itself far better to exploring the graphs compared to the 34465A, although overall the UI on the DMM6500 takes a bit more patience to get used to. For a start, the graphs are significantly larger on the DMM6500 display, and the screen resolution is much better (5" 800x480 vs 4.3" 480x272). I'd prefer it if the DMM6500 graph axes labelled themselves a bit better, using appropriately rounded values. I think the DMM6500 UI could still be improved upon: the UI thing does seem to be common theme on modern UIs at Tek/Keithley, they sometimes seem to have been designed and cobbled together by a committee, with little in the way of end user input (pun not intended).

In simple continuous measurement mode, I do prefer the display on the Keysight, it's a lovely clear display. The touch screen on the DMM6500 inevitably does attract finger marks of course.

The DMM6500 boots about twice as fast as the 34465A, but neither are anywhere near as fast as the 34401A, so the 34401A remains on the bench as a result!

So yes, if I were to select one of the two it'd be the DMM6500. Better still, order both.

This is notable for at least two reasons:

1) "I have to say, of the two, I do prefer the DMM6500":  this is a significant endorsement for the 6500 coming from Howard.
2) "I have to say, of the two, I do prefer the DMM6500, predominantly because of the digitiser function... a function I never knew I needed.":  This indicates that even someone as experienced and analytically disciplined as Howard could potentially catch a case of TEA syndrome. 

Congrats on the 6500 - Enjoy!!

[Howardlong]

2) "I have to say, of the two, I do prefer the DMM6500, predominantly because of the digitiser function... a function I never knew I needed.":  This indicates that even someone as experienced and analytically disciplined as Howard could potentially catch a case of TEA syndrome. 

There’s this really sweet bit of functionality on the DMM6500 where, despite the limited resolution and noise on the digitiser, you can super quickly and conveniently use touch screen cursors to average out thousands of samples to obtain better resolution. This is so incredibly useful for microcontroller applications that jump in and out of low power states.

[Electro Fan]

2) "I have to say, of the two, I do prefer the DMM6500, predominantly because of the digitiser function... a function I never knew I needed.":  This indicates that even someone as experienced and analytically disciplined as Howard could potentially catch a case of TEA syndrome. 

There’s this really sweet bit of functionality on the DMM6500 where, despite the limited resolution and noise on the digitiser, you can super quickly and conveniently use touch screen cursors to average out thousands of samples to obtain better resolution. This is so incredibly useful for microcontroller applications that jump in and out of low power states.

How is that different than the trend chart with math showing the average?  Maybe it’s because with the 6500 touch screen you can specify a subset of the samples to average rather just seeing the average of the entire set?

Or maybe touch and drag cursors are more user friendly than using the hard button cursor controls on the Agilent?

Thx

Edit:  I think I can answer my own question... I’m not in front of the 34465A but I think the cursors are only available on on the histogram and not the trend chart, so with the 34465A you can only use the cursors to designate bins, not selected samples.  Might be a feature for Keysight to add but it seems like it’s headed toward a Blackberry buttons vs full touch Apple interface and we know how that worked out.  I still wish I had the tactile feel of the Blackberry for high speed keyboarding but that’s generally not relevant on test equipment.  I think the 6500 interface and approach to software is likely to influence Keysight’s architectural direction.  I am very happy with the 34465A but I fully get why users might prefer the 6500.  You are in the enviable position to have both (kind of like with Rigol and Siglent too), and between your AB test beds and your deluxe testing and insightful impressions it’s always great reading your posts. 

[Howardlong]

2) "I have to say, of the two, I do prefer the DMM6500, predominantly because of the digitiser function... a function I never knew I needed.":  This indicates that even someone as experienced and analytically disciplined as Howard could potentially catch a case of TEA syndrome. 

There’s this really sweet bit of functionality on the DMM6500 where, despite the limited resolution and noise on the digitiser, you can super quickly and conveniently use touch screen cursors to average out thousands of samples to obtain better resolution. This is so incredibly useful for microcontroller applications that jump in and out of low power states.

How is that different than the trend chart with math showing the average?  Maybe it’s because with the 6500 touch screen you can specify a subset of the samples to average rather just seeing the average of the entire set?

Or maybe touch and drag cursors are more user friendly than using the hard button cursor controls on the Agilent?

Thx

Both, but mostly that you can so easily choose subsets of samples post capture. If all I wanted was to measure a static value, I probably wouldn't be using an averaged digitiser result. The downside is that for very current values, averaging isn't accurate, there's significant offset.

[felixsys]

If you are in Europe, go for Keysight. Better service, better guarantee.
They are incredibly slow to respond and will always find excuses to avoid repairs You will just be wasting your time with them.
After some bad experiences with Tektronix .. I bought the DMM6500.
1- The user interface is bad.
2- The buzzing sound of the transformer will make you sick.
3- Even in standby mode, the device consumes a lot of energy.

[Hydron]

Have you not followed the latest Keysight drama? If you're not buying for a business they're basically off limits in Europe.

RE the DMM6500, the transformer thing is hit and miss, new ones are apparently much better as they made a change to the design.
I got an ex demo unit which was older and made a lot of noise, they didn't hesitate to swap it (and then run the unit through cal) for free, though it was pretty slow (mainly due to shipping and customs, thanks Brexit!). New transformer completely solved the noise issue, though I wish they'd avoided it in the first place with a more conservative design.
The standby use is annoying - I gotta admit that I'm tempted to try and do something to fix it.

For doing a quick measurement the UI is a bit slower than using a pure button driven unit like the old VFD meters, but it's not too bad, and the flexible graphing etc is fantastic when you need it. Fair compromise in my opinion, and the meter was a lot cheaper than a new LCD Keysight (with slower boot time) would have been too.

[HighVoltage]

I still like both instruments a lot !

The Keysight 34465A is a very good instrument, the ACAL function works well and the usability with all the buttons is just perfect.
However, with the changes at Keysight for private people, it might not be a good idea to buy one.

My Keithley DMM6500 has absolutely no hum at all.
So, maybe when you get one with hum, just exchange it under warranty until you get one that is OK.