[PLUG-TALK] Fluke 87 multimeter

[Denis Heidtmann]

On Fri, May 20, 2011 at 7:13 PM, Galen Seitz <galens at seitzassoc.com> wrote:

> Denis Heidtmann wrote:
> > I was GIVEN a Fluke 87 multimeter because the display was
> fading--segments
> > were missing or nearly so.  I found by searching that this was a common
> > problem, and could be cured by cleaning the zebra strips.  Done, and it
> > appears fine now.
>
> Nice gift!  I have an 87 III here.
>

It is a stretch to call it a gift.  It was at a garage sale, and because of
the display they were going to throw it out.  I offered to take it off their
hands.

>
>
> > Two questions:
> > 1) How to best check and perform the calibration?  The manual says that
> for
> > AC calibration needs to be done at a set of frequencies.  Something
> > considerably short of the $239 Fluke wants is what I have in mind.
>
> I noticed that one of the 87's at our office was recently calibrated.
>  I can pretty much guarantee that we did not pay that much.  It was
> probably done locally.  I'll ask who did the calibration.
>
>
> > 2) I see that this meter has what I judge to be a very clever
> feature--the
> > drive to the LCD can be sent to the speaker so that the readings can be
> > decoded and recorded.  Fluke intended it only for final production test,
> and
> > will disclose nothing.  But a thing called DataHolster by Derek Matsunaga
> > was published in the Circuit Cellar in 1993.  It decodes the buzzes and
> > sends the data over RS232.  Anybody know if this was practical?  I have
> the
> > full schematic and programming source code.  But since I have seen
> nothing
> > in the way of comments, I wonder if it is worth the effort.  Perhaps it
> was
> > not useful.
>
> How badly do you need to log measurements?
>
>
> galen


Not badly.  My interest is more in the novelty of it than practical.

-Denis
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