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Vintage threads from the first ten years

Re: multimeter

5/19/1998 8:06 PM
Steve A.	Re: multimeter Bruce: Maybe WaveTek's quality control has gone downhill the past year or two? Did you notice these problems right away, or was it only after using them for awhile? I remember a lot of problems with the 25 position rotary selector switches in cheaper DMM's maybe 15 years ago (like UEI- which makes a lot of meters for HVAC and appliance repair). You might have to click the switch 2 or 3 times to get a good reading on a particular range. Your first WT27XT may have had a problem like that, but it sounds like the second one had an internal short and was drawing way too much current from the battery (you could have checked the milliamp draw with a second meter for the heck of it). I guess it is getting to the point where test gear has vintage years just like old guitars and amps. I had some old testers that I kept repairing because the next generation wasn't as good. (BEHA had a combo 2 probe tester that automatically switched between acv, dcv and continuity, with LED's indicating the approximate voltage range. You could even use it to measure uF's by counting the seconds the continuity buzzer would drop... The later models just weren't the same so I kept patching the case with epoxy until it finally shorted out- right after I was checking microwave caps (probably zapped it to death!)) As for Fluke, you rarely hear about their meters being defective out of the box, and it seems to be mainly when they are loaned out that they develop problems (like the current scales no longer working- probably because the borrower tried to read voltages through the current shunt!) Steve Ahola

5/19/1998 8:06 PM

Steve A.

Re: multimeter

Bruce:

    Maybe WaveTek's quality control has gone downhill the past year or two? Did you notice these problems right away, or was it only after using them for awhile? I remember a lot of problems with the 25 position rotary selector switches in cheaper DMM's maybe 15 years ago (like UEI- which makes a lot of meters for HVAC and appliance repair). You might have to click the switch 2 or 3 times to get a good reading on a particular range. Your first WT27XT may have had a problem like that, but it sounds like the second one had an internal short and was drawing way too much current from the battery (you could have checked the milliamp draw with a second meter for the heck of it).

    I guess it is getting to the point where test gear has vintage years just like old guitars and amps. I had some old testers that I kept repairing because the next generation wasn't as good. (BEHA had a combo 2 probe tester that automatically switched between acv, dcv and continuity, with LED's indicating the approximate voltage range. You could even use it to measure uF's by counting the seconds the continuity buzzer would drop... The later models just weren't the same so I kept patching the case with epoxy until it finally shorted out- right after I was checking microwave caps (probably zapped it to death!))

    As for Fluke, you rarely hear about their meters being defective out of the box, and it seems to be mainly when they are loaned out that they develop problems (like the current scales no longer working- probably because the borrower tried to read voltages through the current shunt!)

Steve Ahola

5/20/1998 4:58 AM
Bruce	So far the new Wav Tek has been working just fine. Both meters started acting up within a couple weeks and the company I bought them from exchanged the meters withi minutes of seeing the defects. So I can't complain too much, I'm glad I didn't buy the meter mail order though. That would have added a week to each event! I had a nice Fluke I traded for a small 50 watt 145mHz RF amp to a ham buddy. I blew it up accidentaly measuring too high of AC on a homebrew PT for a big amp. I was running 2600VDC on the plates of a couple parallel 572Bs and noticed the plates were dropping to about 1800VDC at around 700watts. SO I stupidly stuck the probes across the AC to see what the VAC was at the time. I guess the meter didn't like the 1500VAC or something. Anyhow, I like the Wav Tek 27XT I have now. Bruce

5/20/1998 4:58 AM

Bruce

So far the new Wav Tek has been working just fine.
Both meters started acting up within a couple weeks and the company I bought them from exchanged the meters withi minutes of seeing the defects.
So I can't complain too much,
I'm glad I didn't buy the meter mail order though.
That would have added a week to each event!
I had a nice Fluke I traded for a small 50 watt 145mHz RF amp to a ham buddy.
I blew it up accidentaly measuring too high of AC on a homebrew PT for a big amp.
I was running 2600VDC on the plates of a couple parallel 572Bs and noticed the plates were dropping to about 1800VDC at around 700watts.
SO I stupidly stuck the probes across the AC to see what the VAC was at the time.
I guess the meter didn't like the 1500VAC or something.
Anyhow, I like the Wav Tek 27XT I have now.

Bruce

5/20/1998 4:48 PM
Charles	>> I'm glad I didn't buy the meter mail order though. That would have added a week to each event! << Scruples aside, WaveTeks warranty states an over the counter exchange at ANY WaveTek dealer during the warranty period. Nice.

5/20/1998 9:03 PM
Steve A.	So how long is the warranty on your DM27XT? That "over-the-counter exchange at any WT dealer" sounds like a great deal! I normally expect the seller to exchange any meter that fails within a month or two; after that, I'm at the mercy of the policies of the seller and the mfg. It's usually worth it to pay a few extra bucks to deal with a seller that really backs up what they sell. Experience is the best teacher for that, and if the seller won't swap it straight across within a reasonable amount of time, I'll never buy equipment from them again. Thanks for the tip on WaveTek's exchange policy! (Bruce's experience had me worried about them...) Steve Ahola P.S. Didn't WaveTek buy out BEK a few years back?

5/20/1998 9:03 PM

Steve A.

So how long is the warranty on your DM27XT? That "over-the-counter exchange at any WT dealer" sounds like a great deal! I normally expect the seller to exchange any meter that fails within a month or two; after that, I'm at the mercy of the policies of the seller and the mfg. It's usually worth it to pay a few extra bucks to deal with a seller that really backs up what they sell. Experience is the best teacher for that, and if the seller won't swap it straight across within a reasonable amount of time, I'll never buy equipment from them again. Thanks for the tip on WaveTek's exchange policy! (Bruce's experience had me worried about them...)

Steve Ahola

P.S. Didn't WaveTek buy out BEK a few years back?

5/20/1998 9:40 PM
Charles	I didn't know about the over-the-counter warranty until AFTER I made the first purchase. It's a one year deal I believe, and part of the dealer agreement. At my day-job, we have a small WaveTek that we actually give away during the classes I teach. Never seen a problem with those either (but folks probably wouldn't say much when the rugularly $14.00 but free-with-class meter goes on the fritzz).

5/20/1998 9:45 PM
Charles	>>Didn't WaveTek buy out BEK a few years back?<< Do you mean B&K or Beckman? As far as I know, neither. I've got an old lab grade Beckman. It's calibration is more $$$ than a new higher spec WaveTek or even Fluke. And... even though I like the WaveTek (mostly for the features), I had an assitant that had an old Fluke, but needed some parts, like a new digital display and associated hardware. I'm not sure of the model, but it was at least 10 years old. They had the parts, and the cost was only about $30. Good deal I'd say.

5/20/1998 9:45 PM

Charles

>>Didn't WaveTek buy out BEK a few years back?<<

Do you mean B&K or Beckman? As far as I know, neither.

I've got an old lab grade Beckman. It's calibration is more $$$ than a new higher spec WaveTek or even Fluke.

And... even though I like the WaveTek (mostly for the features), I had an assitant that had an old Fluke, but needed some parts, like a new digital display and associated hardware. I'm not sure of the model, but it was at least 10 years old. They had the parts, and the cost was only about $30. Good deal I'd say.

5/21/1998 10:29 PM
Steve A.	Charles: I guess it was Beckman that I was thinking of- are they still making DMM's? The dealer I bought the WaveTek from was the source of my information (or misinformation as the case may be). They had sold Beckman meters before (I think the yellow series) and somehow or another their technology for their low-end (under $500) DMM's was mysteriously transferred over to the new line the dealer carried, WaveTek. Coincidence? Or just another line of BS? While the DM27XT sounds very tempting for $120, the meter I've had the hots for sells for about $170 and comes with an RS232 interface and software to plug it into a serial port on your computer to display and possibly record your readings. I think it has inductance, capacitance and frequency scales but I can't remember the brand name or model number. One last question: some of the junk catalogs I get advertise adapters that turn your computer into an oscilloscope for under $100. I'm sure that the resolution and features can't compare to a standalone o'scope, but do those toys have any use for audio electronics? Or just save my pennies and get a basic one for maybe $300 or $400? Steve Ahola

5/21/1998 10:29 PM

Steve A.

Charles:

    I guess it was Beckman that I was thinking of- are they still making DMM's? The dealer I bought the WaveTek from was the source of my information (or misinformation as the case may be). They had sold Beckman meters before (I think the yellow series) and somehow or another their technology for their low-end (under $500) DMM's was mysteriously transferred over to the new line the dealer carried, WaveTek. Coincidence? Or just another line of BS?

    While the DM27XT sounds very tempting for $120, the meter I've had the hots for sells for about $170 and comes with an RS232 interface and software to plug it into a serial port on your computer to display and possibly record your readings. I think it has inductance, capacitance and frequency scales but I can't remember the brand name or model number.

    One last question: some of the junk catalogs I get advertise adapters that turn your computer into an oscilloscope for under $100. I'm sure that the resolution and features can't compare to a standalone o'scope, but do those toys have any use for audio electronics? Or just save my pennies and get a basic one for maybe $300 or $400?

Steve Ahola

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