Economical DMM; UNI-T Model UT139C

[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....

.

[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.