aneng 683

[orzel]

Hi there.
Yeps,... sorry, another "What do ya think about.. ?" kind of topic 

I can't find much information about the big flashy colorful touch-screen-based "Aneng 683".

I'm not much into following dmms, so I thought it was new, but apparently it's at least ~one year old. How can it be so long without an eevblog forum post ? 

The big novelties are the interface (not a big fan but why not) and usb-charging (sounds great to me). But what about the actual multimeter ? It's 6k count and in the price range of other similar cheap dmm such as Peak pm18c, or aneng an8009. The specs are readily available, and similar, with similar 'basic' features (frequency, capacitor, diodes, even temperature/ncv), but of course no higher-end features such as min/max, >5v diode testing, or safety/genuine ratings.

Has anyone here any thought on this ?

[Aldo22]

Has anyone here any thought on this ?

I don't know why a multimeter needs a touch screen, especially when everything is "auto" anyway.
It probably needs the rechargeable battery because the touch screen consumes so much power. 
With an AN870 you have much better specs for almost the same price. You can simply forget the 2 AA batteries, they last "forever".

But yes, if you like touchscreens and a modern style it's probably not bad.

[Fungus]

The big novelties are the interface (not a big fan but why not) and usb-charging (sounds great to me). But what about the actual multimeter

You can buy one for fun (we've all got a few of those) but I bet you don't end up using it much if you've got other meters.

I wouldn't want a meter that sucks batteries dry in hours for the sake of a screen or that might need charging every time I pick it up.

Rechargeable batteries fail after a few years. I own meters where a single set of batteries will probably outlive that meter.

(and maybe even outlive me...)

[rsjsouza]

The Chinese OEMs have been releasing so many shell variants of DMMs that use the same base functionality that it becomes quite difficult to track.

This particular model has a few reviews from fellow Brazilian Youtubers (this one at least opens the meter and shows its insides a bit) and I can tell it has nothing special to it. Relatively slow continuity (as it is fully automatic), it beeps as a short when resistances are too low (quite an annoyance for me, as I prefer quiet meters), vertical mount USB charging connector (much easier to break) and the touchscreen can be disastrous as it is easy to switch ranges to either temperature or capacitance in the middle of a high voltage measurement. At least the A/mA inputs are separate from the other functions.

Given its price, there are better alternatives out there. In this same family, I would probably take the 681 with its regular LCD screen, as a battery charged would last much longer.

Rechargeable batteries fail after a few years. I own meters where a single set of batteries will probably outlive that meter.

(and maybe even outlive me...)

Although it is a rechargable pack, it is one of those generic pillow-type packs that can be found anywhere and therefore replacing it woudn't be too hard. However, we don't know how easy it would be in a decade or so. 

[orzel]

Although it is a rechargable pack, it is one of those generic pillow-type packs that can be found anywhere and therefore replacing it woudn't be too hard. However, we don't know how easy it would be in a decade or so.

Exactly my thoughts. Even the connector seems standard...
(aren't those somehow called 'pouch' ?)

[orzel]

Given its price, there are better alternatives out there. In this same family, I would probably take the 681 with its regular LCD screen, as a battery charged would last much longer.

Several have expressed concerned about the screen using too much battery. I don't know about the "touch" part (smartphone do that, so it's maybe not that much?), but the screen is not what it seems. If i understand correctly it's a typical b&w LCD with some color films in front and in certain places. Maybe it doesn't need so much energy ? Granted, it's bigger than the one on a typical dmm.

[Aldo22]

Maybe it doesn't need so much energy ?

I don't know either, but for me the mere fact that it has a rechargeable battery is an indication that it needs a lot of power.
Why would you do that if you only have to charge/replace the battery every leap year, as is the case with the AN870, for example?

If you like it then order one and tell us about it. It's not expensive. 

[orzel]

Given its price, there are better alternatives out there. In this same family, I would probably take the 681 with its regular LCD screen, as a battery charged would last much longer.

Actually I'd rather not. The 681 has a very very similar lcd, so my guess is that the difference in battery use is epsilon at best. And the 681 has (on the paper) worse specs (like 1v resolution only).

Why would you do that if you only have to charge/replace the battery every leap year, as is the case with the AN870, for example?

Because that's what people are now used to. At least the younger generations 
I mean, alkaline is so 20th !

If you like it then order one and tell us about it. It's not expensive. 

I came here exactly for the opposite, to get some feedback ! Even If i buy one, i'm no expert  , what do you want me to say ? If I like the actual look ?  How long a charge lasts ? I don't even have low precision resistors/capacitors to check against, let alone real references.

[Fungus]

I came here exactly for the opposite, to get some feedback ! Even If i buy one, i'm no expert  , what do you want me to say ? If I like the actual look ?  How long a charge lasts ?

Yes.

I don't even have low precision resistors/capacitors to check against, let alone real references.

Better get started then...

I'm sure it will be accurate. Will it be good to use?

eg. You won't be able to stand it up with the wires coming out of the bottom like that so what's the display like.

[Aldo22]

I came here exactly for the opposite, to get some feedback ! Even If i buy one, i'm no expert

I don't know what information you are interested in.
From my point of view, you buy such a device because you like the look and the touchscreen, not because it is such an extraordinary measuring instrument.
AN870 or even AN8008 are more accurate in this price range.

[rsjsouza]

Given its price, there are better alternatives out there. In this same family, I would probably take the 681 with its regular LCD screen, as a battery charged would last much longer.

Actually I'd rather not. The 681 has a very very similar lcd, so my guess is that the difference in battery use is epsilon at best. And the 681 has (on the paper) worse specs (like 1v resolution only).

I agree it is not a TFT but a reverse LCD. However, you are forgetting that LCD uses the external light to produce the characters, while the reverse LCD keeps the backlight constantly on. In my experience with conventional sized screen multimeters, this alone accounts for five or six times higher power consumption than a regular LCD. In this particular model I would expect more given the larger size of the screen.

Why would you do that if you only have to charge/replace the battery every leap year, as is the case with the AN870, for example?

Because that's what people are now used to. At least the younger generations 
I mean, alkaline is so 20th !

There is a point in having a rechargeable DMM and ditching batteries. In certain countries, batteries are horrendously expensive and replacing them can be a cause for concern. Naturally, a regular DMM such as the proposed AN870 would keep its batteries for quite some time before needing replacement.

However, the younger generations indeed are used to the charging process of electronic gadgets and to me that is unfortunate, but such is life.

[orzel]

From my point of view, you buy such a device because you like the look and the touchscreen, not because it is such an extraordinary measuring instrument.
AN870 or even AN8008 are more accurate in this price range.

I'm pretty sure it's not extraordinary. It's more like is it good enough ?
I already own an AN8009. It's globally fine, albeit too small/light and slow. Yes, i know I can solder some too-small-for-me smd capacitors to improve the noise and help it go faster.

[BrokenYugo]

USB charging is probably sketchy isolation at best, directly connected to the common jack at worst.

[Fungus]

Can you use it while it's charging? I hope not.

[orzel]

USB charging is probably sketchy isolation at best, directly connected to the common jack at worst.

The usb "shield" at least dot not seem to be connected to common/ground.

Can you use it while it's charging? I hope not.

Yes, it starts while charging, and it seems exactly the same than while not charging.

[orzel]

Ok, so I've had it for ~8 days now. I've used it a lot, but obviously not as much as if it was not Xmas. Here's a brief review.

As a summary, i like it a lot so far, all 'surprises' were good ones.

The good points:
* Screen visibility is excellent, whatever the angle and the ambiant light. So you can put it anywhere and in any way. The fact that the leads prevent putting it more or less vertically is (to me, so far) absolutely no problem. I'm old but not enough to require 'big digits', but it actually has big digits, and that feels good. Overall the display is gorgeous.
* Although 'only' 6k counts, the precision seems very good. It's exactly (or very close) to some better multimeters I have. Even for caps. Yes, i know counts is about display and is different than precision.
* There's an "auto" mode, but you can still force some modes. And then, the measures are very fast. Volt/ampere of course, but more importantly the continuity tester is very fast. I find this extremely useful.
* The leads are the typical so-so chinese quality I guess, but they have very fine tips, and that's what I prefer
* A/mA mode is selected by connecting the lead in proper plug. That feels secure.
* The device is slightly heavy, and the silicon (or whatever) protection makes it hold firmly on whatever surface you put it. It feels good in hand too, not like some very cheap/light dmms.

The bad points:
* There's not way to force 'resistance measure' mode. That means that measuring resistance can be slow.
* When measuring resistance (in auto mode, not continuity tester), it still beeps for low values, that's annoying.
* I had seen on some teardown that the 'pouch' cell was connected to the main board using a standard connector. But not mine, it's soldered.

The "i dont care" or "I don't know" points:
* It's hard to measure the autonomy. I have it charged at full when i got it, and never since. I'm never far away from a usb charger, so that really dont bother me. And the cell is standard.
* Some added features such as internal + external temperature sensors, ncv. Nice to have.
* There's a "torch", as almost anything with a li-ion battery nowadays. But it's weak.
* there's supposedly a way to disable "auto power off", but i didn't manage to. Not that i really wanted anyway.
* there's a fuse inside, only one. You can easily remove it and the size seems rather standard (2cm long, 5mm diameter). There's no writing on it

I wanted to estimate the consumption, but due to lack of connector for the li-ion cell, I gave up.

[orzel]

For the record. Here are some pics from the inside. The shunt resistor is 0.1 ohm.

[orzel]

And a global view.