Trade: My music gear for your Multimeter

3vcos · Joined: Oct 26, 2006 Posts: 107 Location: California

If anyone has a good multimeter they can spare please contact me. I can trade some modular gear, or other music gear (analog synths) for a nice Fluke or other digital multimeter. Thanks!

meloditech · Joined: Feb 16, 2009 Posts: 12 Location: Orange County NY

Sears /Craftsman has a nice handheld thats pretty accurate for just over 100 dollars-I've compared this(taking into account the digits of precision of course ) with a top of the line Agilent lab meter at work.Pretty good correlation.
Unless you're doing something that needs 3 or 4 digits past the decimal point something like this should suit you...Is it for on the road/general electronic servicing/circuit building?

3vcos · Joined: Oct 26, 2006 Posts: 107 Location: California

which sears meter is this? They have a fluke that seems nice...

I'll be using it for troubleshooting synths/building circuits/etc

meloditech · Joined: Feb 16, 2009 Posts: 12 Location: Orange County NY

Craftsman Professional 81079
True RMS Multimeter with non-contact infrared thermometer
capacitance,frequency and the usual volts,amps/milliamps/microamps
and resistance. I'm happy with it.
Although if you could get your paws on a healthy Fluke 45 Wink

3vcos · Joined: Oct 26, 2006 Posts: 107 Location: California

Any other benchtop meters to look out for besides the 45?
I'm off to look at (new and used) meters on Saturday...

Thanks very much!

And I also still have many analog synths (and other music gear) to trade for a nice meter if anyone is reading...

toppobrillo · Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 3:41 pm Post subject:

hey tim, i just got a fluke 85-III off craigslist for $60.. not too shabby! i can't tell any difference between it and the 87s we have at work. anyway, good luck

josh

3vcos · Joined: Oct 26, 2006 Posts: 107 Location: California

Thanks very much guys. I picked up a Wavetek 27 for $20. They had some Flukes for $20 as well but they didn't power on and looked beat to hell.

Also picked up a nice Hakko desoldering gun, and some air filters. Not bad for $40 total. Smile

meloditech · Joined: Feb 16, 2009 Posts: 12 Location: Orange County NY

Thats a good meter.
Be aware however that it is not a true rms meter.
This will not affect you for 98% of your endeavours.
Here is a link to info that explains where it may yield errors in certain measurements.

http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/5988-6916EN.pdf

Most folks back up critical DMM readings with a scope
reading so again this will not be a prob 98% of the time.

3vcos · Joined: Oct 26, 2006 Posts: 107 Location: California

I had a quick read. Thanks for posting this Meloditech.
Seems like RMS really only comes into play with AC signals. Everything going on in my modular is DC (as far as I know) except the power supply.
Let me know if I'm right on this...I may be way off... Smile

meloditech · Joined: Feb 16, 2009 Posts: 12 Location: Orange County NY

Well your audio signals and oscillator signal outs are ac of one kind or another but most folks use a scope if they need to troubleshoot that.
for example The true rms helps increase the accuracy incase you dont have a a scope
and are trying to do matching of channel amplitudes for some critical audio work ...the true rms helps take care of errors introduced by harmonics in your test source. For 98% of the jobs you'll do you wont have a problem. Just wanted to share info on this should you have really needed the feature.BTW If you really need to you can approximate true rms using a dc,then an ac measurement and running them thru some formulas:there are some links on the web from the fluke apps library.