Testing Equipment for Electronics: Expert Recommendations

[kyle_soule]

I think, myself included [and mainly], there are people at PF that would like to know good testing equipment for electronics and such [multimeters etc].

Anybody with knowledge on the subject is welcome to suggest products and personal experience is very good also.

 

[BoulderHead]

Name your aim;

You mean the best/most bang for the buck and/or what I, for example, might consider worth having?

 

[russ_watters]

Originally posted by BoulderHead
You mean the best/most bang for the buck and/or what I, for example, might consider worth having?

Yeah. Everyone could use at the very least a cheap little analog multimeter, but a real analyzer is nice to have (depending on what you want it for).

 

[BoulderHead]

Let's say you only had $100 US to spend and you needed as many features as possile. Well, there are always trade-offs on features and performance, but here is a pretty good one;

http://www.cs-sales.com/cgi-bin/w3-msql/New.product_detail.html?mn=LCR1810

The above seems to trade transistor checking capability for temperature taking. I have a CHY 20 Multimeter with hFE testing (instead of temp) but I couldn't find a link to provide.
Now, when you really start digging at the specs you might find that,
yes, it measures ac voltages, but the frequency must fall between 50
and 1000 Hz in order to give an accurate measure (so when you design a device that produces ac above or below that frequency you have to use a different piece of test equipment). Also, yes, it might measure frequency up to 15,000 Hz, but it requires an amplitude of at least 1 volt, and so forth. But anyway, these things are all a part of the trade-off I mentioned above. For most simple projects something like the one above will be a definite plus. Later, when you have more finance you can get you a German-made spectrum analyser that measures from 10Hz to Infinity for a couple-hundred thousand dollars or so, haha. Best thing is to educate yourself on what the specs mean and then start looking around for one that has all the features you need.

 

[eNtRopY]

Fluke makes the best digital multimeters. Tektronix makes the best digital oscilloscopes. National Instruments makes the best GPIB cards. HP makes the best network analyzers. Jorway makes the best automation and controlling equipment. Xilinx makes the best programmable logic devices.

eNtRopY

 

[kyle_soule]

Mkay, now that is out of the way for us, what is are good beginner multimeters?

Also, how does the Fluke 110 series rank compared (features) with others?

BOULDERHEAD: Is the Multimeter you gave a link to better than the Fluke 110, 111, or 112?

Basically, I want a multimeter that can give me the largest range of functions for right around 100 dollars. I don't care so much about the extreme range of THE functions, just the largest amount of functions.

 

[BoulderHead]

Originally posted by kyle_soule
Mkay, now that is out of the way for us, what is are good beginner multimeters?

Also, how does the Fluke 110 series rank compared (features) with others?

BOULDERHEAD: Is the Multimeter you gave a link to better than the Fluke 110, 111, or 112?

Basically, I want a multimeter that can give me the largest range of functions for right around 100 dollars. I don't care so much about the extreme range of THE functions, just the largest amount of functions.

I don't think those models measure inductance or capacitance. They most likely give you more accurate measurements within the scope of parameters they do check, but if you want those other capabilities you will need to look elsewhere.

 

[kyle_soule]

Originally posted by BoulderHead
I don't think those models measure inductance or capacitance. They most likely give you more accurate measurements within the scope of parameters they do check, but if you want those other capabilities you will need to look elsewhere.

Perhaps you could compile a list of functions that one would look for?

SIDE NOTE: They do measure capacitance, not sure about inductance.

 

[nbo10]

Check ebay, it sometimes has good deals. I've gotten a few DAQ products and they work great.

JMD

 

[kyle_soule]

Is the Fluke 87 any good?

 

[GENIERE]

Fluke 87 is execellent. Has a Siemens scale if I remember.

 

[kyle_soule]

Originally posted by GENIERE
Fluke 87 is execellent. Has a Siemens scale if I remember.

Very good, it is the most likely on my list, actually the only one on my list so far

What is the difference between the 87 III and the 87?