DMM suggestions?

[jboehle]

Well, I ended up picking up a used HP 3468B benchtop DMM from eBay, for $167.50: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...em=2583919421.

This one can do 4-wire resistor measurements, to satisfy my inner perfectionist.

bigcat39 suggested Pomona-brand leads from Newark. Anyone else have other suggestions for leads? Not that the Pomona ones won't work, in fact I haven't even had time to check out leads and prices yet, just looking to see if anyone else out there had suggestions.

I also picked up a used B&K Precision 875A LCR meter from eBay for $63.50. Completely unnecessary, I know! But then again, it's to satisfy that evil inner perfectionist.

I'm sure I'll have fun with both of them and my PPA!

Comments/suggestions/condemnations welcome...

-Jason

[tangent]

Anyone else have other suggestions for leads?

Pomona is good. In fact, you probably won't be able to find any other "name" brand. I have a bunch of their Minigrabber jumpers and some BNC to Minigrabbers. Good stuff.

Comments/suggestions/condemnations welcome...

Get 'em calibrated. You don't know where they've been....

[jboehle]

Tangent:

Thanks for the reply! I think the hardest thing is knowing what to get. I downloaded the Pomona catalog last night, and there's so many P/Ns it made my head spin. I think I might just end up going with one of their DMM "kits" + some Kelvin clips.

BTW, why are Kelvin clips so darn expensive?

And already arranged to get them calibrated, I agree, don't know where they've been.

-Jason

[Gariver]

On the "World Beater Prices" DMMs...

Tangent: I agree with your opinion on the cheap DMMs. So I suggest that you stick with DDMs that cost more than $35. That said, I feel the pricier ones work very well.

My friend Chris has a Master's in EE and 30+years experience fixing amps. He checked out my CSI-345 against a Fluke, and he liked it enough to order one. The MAS-345 sells for $40. It comes with a PC link/software to record readings, a feature Chris loves! Take a look...

http://www.web-tronics.com/indmmwrspcin.html

Oh, one of these days, I will get a real nice Fluke. Right now, though, the CSI-345 does the job perfectly!

[tangent]

the hardest thing is knowing what to get

I know you want to match some resistors, so consider getting something that can grab a resistor by its lead and hold it securely. Not all grabbing type probes will do this well, due to their design. If you don't do it this way, you have to hold two probes and a resistor in two hands, and keep it all steady while you read the value off the meter. It's not the most difficult thing, but it is less than desirable; you end up bending the resistor leads while you hold it securely against the probes this way, as well. With good grabbers, the resistor leads stay straight and you only have to hold the probes.

You'll also want a grabbing probe with a bigger jaw than will work for resistor matching. Use this for clamping one probe to ground while you poke with a standard probe elsewhere, for instance.

The flexible grabbers can sometimes be helpful, for holding a probe to a hard-to-get-to test pin. This one is definitely not a high priority item, though.

While you're shopping for probes, get some DMM fuses. Nothing worse than blowing the ammeter side's fuse through a slip of the probe to a high-current section of the circuit, and then having to wait a week for a replacement fuse to arrive. You won't find 'em in the fuse section of Home Depot.

I downloaded the Pomona catalog last night

You'd be better off starting with the catalog of one of the distributors and picking parts that way. I don't know that any of the distributors carry the entire Pomona line. It's possible of course, I just mean that I would choose the distributor first, simply because I'd probably want to order something else at the same time.

why are Kelvin clips so darn expensive?

A) Low sales volume

B) They're only used with high-dollar equipment. The manufacturers figure you can afford it if you can buy such a high-end instrument that it can use Kelvin probes, and you should only use high-quality probes with high-end instruments anyway.

[ITZBITZ]

Originally posted by morsel
If you want high end features at a lower price than Fluke, check out the Protek 608 or Protek 506.

I bought the Protek 608 on eBay for $90 and got it on Friday. It's a VERY nice piece, IMHO, at good as the equivalent Fluke model. It does everything and has a very nice feature called "Go/NoGo" for matching values. I set it to a value of a PPA resistor (say 4.32k) and then set it to 0.1% accuracy and it gives me a good/nogood message for each resistor I test that is within the range. Makes matching values super-fast compared to my old unit.

It's mA measurement is very good, it's a 50,000 count unit so it's 0.05% accurate.

I highly recommend it.

Thanks for the tip Morsel, I would have never considered it if you hadn't mentioned it existed!

[morsel]

Glad to be of service.

[tigger]

Originally posted by ITZBITZ
I set it to a value of a PPA resistor (say 4.32k) and then set it to 0.1% accuracy and it gives me a good/nogood message for each resistor I test

Unless I'm missing something, the specs show a .2% accuracy for resistance measurements

How about this DMM? http://www.tequipment.net/BK5380.asp

[Navigator]

Hello!
You worked with PROTEK 608,
I ask the help on a following question.
I like the device PROTEK 608, on the parameters and I wish it to buy.
Long time I is successful use in work PROTEK 505. In 608 function of measurement of ”ZENER DIODES” disturbs only. Whether it is possible for it to use safely at measurement complex electronic circuits, containing various ICs and transistors etc..
In fact in this mode the device gives out 20 V what can damage some elements? That shows the second disply at measurement of Ohm and constant 2.5 V or real measured present.
What shows the second display at measurement of “Ohm” constant 2.5V in or the real measured voltage , to use for check of diodes and transistors in circuits(manual range select)?
Best Regards
Navigator