Economical DMM; UNI-T Model UT139C

[powerking]

So, I bought this meter after reading several reviews of it (they are a major player Chinese instrumentation company that mfg them) and have been using it for the last 6-months or so since my 30 year old Beckman Tech-310 going so flaky I was not able to fix it.

I have to say, I am very happy with it and its features and accuracy. And like some (selective) Chinese products, very good construction quality. For the $50.00 shipped to my door within 10 days from China, I think it was a good purchase decision. Will it last 30 years like the good 'ol Beckman; maybe not, but that meter was like $200 back in 1984 with 1/4 of the features/accuracy of this one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Uni-T-UT139C...item27dd185a8d


Tom (PK)

[Username1]

Ha !

My Beckman 330 started taking a dump and I couldn't figure it out either...
I got it new, also a thousand years of good service. I started looking at new ones, then I
decided I would get another Beckman 330 off ebay and swap parts. Only that
one had a similar problem, only not that bad..... It was also something easier to track down.
It turned out to be really bad contacts on the big dial. The one I got off ebay wasn't so bad
and once in a while the display would go to 0, my old one would go nuts on all functions all
the time and I just never thought dirty contacts.... Now after dis-assembly and proper cleaning
both work like new.... I got the replacement off ebay for like $12. 6 years ago.
Still going, and it was calibrated 8 years ago....

I just looked, they are on ebay, and for around $25. - $40. for one that "powers on"

That meter you just got does look good. I would like to get a meter with a good cap. and transistor
checker built in...... But I'm happy I did not have to give up my Beckma I really like that meter....

.

[powerking]

I too went through the Beckman meter with full breakdown of it, cleaning, cap checks/replacements and using the scope to trying to find the elusive "problem" with it, to no avail; so I had to throw in the towel. I must say that the auto-ranging features of a more modern DMM is nice and time saving feature.

Tom (PK)

[Findm-Keepm]

Originally Posted by powerking

So, I bought this meter after reading several reviews of it (they are a major player Chinese instrumentation company that mfg them) and have been using it for the last 6-months or so since my 30 year old Beckman Tech-310 going so flaky I was not able to fix it.

I have to say, I am very happy with it and its features and accuracy. And like some (selective) Chinese products, very good construction quality. For the $50.00 shipped to my door within 10 days from China, I think it was a good purchase decision. Will it last 30 years like the good 'ol Beckman; maybe not, but that meter was like $200 back in 1984 with 1/4 of the features/accuracy of this one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Uni-T-UT139C...item27dd185a8d


Tom (PK)

Klein tools used to sell the same meter! The 60A Amp Clamp logo on the front is a dead giveaway - klein sold that as an accessory. I think Klein got 99 dollars for theirs, also a good price for the feature set.

I still have an operating Beckman 4410, a 310 on steroids, with 4-1/2 digits and true RMS. I like it for high resistance measurements and the occasional voltage check, but my Fluke 77 gets most of the day -to- day usage.


Cheers,

[NoPegs]

Originally Posted by Username1

I would like to get a meter with a good cap. and transistor
checker built in......

Your options are:

1. Good meter with fair to decent cap readout, but no hfe.
2. Crap meter with crap cap range and a transistor socket.
3. Excellent meter with no cap and no hfe.


Years ago Radioshack sold a little box that had Red/Black/Yellow alligators coming out of it and a 3-pin female header plus a whole lotta LEDs.

Put a semiconductor in, and push an appropriate button. Diodes, SCRs, Transistors, and a token continuity test. Not only will it go/no-go for silicon junctions, but it can assist you in identifying just what it is you have. (Is this a transistor or an SCR/thyristor?) It also identifies the ECB and whether it is NPN or PNP. If I need to measure a transistor much beyond "is it fried?" I just use the function generator and scope lashed up in a crude curve-tracer setup. (I really do need to get around to acquiring the old heathkit curve tracer boxes at some point.)

Dave Jones has given UNI-T a passing grade, so at least they're not crap, but that's not the same as his seal of approval and a place at his bench.

Investing in a Fluke is never a bad decision. The 117, 177, 77, or 87 are all good choices, and should meet most budgets. The only gripe I've ever experienced with using my 87-V is that it only goes up to like 40 mega-ohms... Unsurprisingly the Metex DMM I bought when I was 13 will go up to 2 giga-ohms (Very, Very slowly!) but it also has a transistor socket and is otherwise not to be used for definitive measurements. Fluke's take on this all is probably "Well if you're trying to measure things over 40 megs, then you should probably invest in a megger type device anyway." and I am totally OK with that.

[Username1]

Your options are:

1. Good meter with fair to decent cap readout, but no hfe.
2. Crap meter with crap cap range and a transistor socket.
3. Excellent meter with no cap and no hfe.


Years ago Radioshack sold a little box that had Red/Black/Yellow alligators coming out of it and a 3-pin female header plus a whole lotta LEDs.

That is why I have my Bechman 330 for general stuff, and a simpson 260 for
transistors and both as a cap checker, mostly I replace it, but you know short
testing on a ohm meter....

I remember that magic little trinket RS use to have.....

They may go bankrupt soon, I'll miss them for what they were.....

.