Author Topic: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)  (Read 27680 times)

Mr Eastwood

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Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« on: August 21, 2012, 09:08:37 AM »
For anyone interested.




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Kiriakos GR

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #1 on: August 21, 2012, 03:21:57 PM »
What I found as interesting is the 10A or 15A Fast Fuse,
it looks to be made by a brand called as Mitron, that I have never see before.

Can you take some good pictures just of the fuse?  ( For my collection)  :)

Mr Eastwood

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2012, 05:59:01 AM »
What I found as interesting is the 10A or 15A Fast Fuse,
it looks to be made by a brand called as Mitron, that I have never see before.
Can you take some good pictures just of the fuse?  ( For my collection)  :)

Hi K, The fuse is actually by Limitron, the pic just didn't show the other few letters.

Digikey Part
http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/KTK-15/283-2467-ND/265006



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MJLorton

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #3 on: August 22, 2012, 08:51:16 AM »
Thanks very much, I enjoyed seeing that.

Do you find the "menu" system a bit of a fiddle....or happy with it?

Cheers,
Martin.
Play, discover, learn and enjoy! (and don't be scared to make mistakes along the way!)

Mr Eastwood

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #4 on: August 22, 2012, 09:41:24 AM »
Do you find the "menu" system a bit of a fiddle....or happy with it?

Hi, I am happy with it; I would say the UI flow is more on the unintuitive side than the intuitive side, as I fumbled around and had to get the instruction book out to look-up some features;  I would see that as a problem or possibly annoying if you have several DMM's; But for me because it's my main DMM it's fine.

I haven't tried the software but from your IDM 207 video - the software did look a bit clunky or programmed by engineers with no designer input;
I found the RS232 info for the 300 series DMM's so I was actually thinking of writing a version myself to show them how it's done ;-)
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Kiriakos GR

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #5 on: August 22, 2012, 04:13:28 PM »
Just checked the digikey link.  OMG those are plain thieves,  22$ for a Fuse ?

I will start reselling Fuses from Greece to worldwide our retail prices with VAT are cheaper than digikey. 

SeanB

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #6 on: August 23, 2012, 12:41:16 AM »
You need to order 100, and 50 small Jiffy padded bags to pack them in 2's so all you need do is print an address label and place a stamp on.

retiredcaps

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #7 on: August 23, 2012, 12:59:43 AM »
I thought the lcd screen display looked familar.  See

http://www.idealindustries.com/media/pdfs/nd_2352-1_61-33_630_series.pdf

2 updates/sec at 40,000 count and 4 updates/sec at 4000 count.


Mr Eastwood

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #8 on: August 23, 2012, 06:06:11 AM »
I thought the lcd screen display looked familar.  See
http://www.idealindustries.com/media/pdfs/nd_2352-1_61-33_630_series.pdf

well spotted! - I didn't know that!  So it's known as the APPA 305,  the Iso-Tech 305 and the Ideal 61-635.
Also I've just found the that the APPA 500 Series,  is sold as the Ideal 61-498, which I believe is 100,000 count, DCV accuracy is up to 0.015%.

With regard to the IDM 305;  In a short conversation with the RS Online regarding calibration drift they remarked  "We've had good reports from these, no reports or investigations into this on in the history we've had this. I know the Flukes are very well regarded but we've had no issues raised with the Isotechs"
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Kiriakos GR

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #9 on: August 23, 2012, 08:44:07 AM »
The factor of  " X updates per second VS thousands of counts " are one from the most important quality factors in my reviews.

When the most low cost designs are strangled to deliver 2.1/2 or 3 at the 2,000 counts,
the 4 at the 4,000 counts it does not win the championship.

More widely accepted is the performance of those Fluke 87V & 28II with 4 updates at 6,000 counts.
But now days we do have even faster meters than that which will take the first prize when there is face to face comparisons. 

The latest DEREE DE-208A  at 6,700 counts comes also with 3 updates per second in theory, but it is even faster than that.
And I am correct about my findings due the written specification that is: nominal 3 updates/ second.   

Naturally the ultimate winner up to date is the U1272A and similar which does 6 updates at 30,000 counts.  :)

The Fluke 87V & 28II at the 20,000 counts range they can do just 2 updates per second.


 


 
« Last Edit: August 23, 2012, 08:49:35 AM by Kiriakos GR »

Mr Eastwood

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #10 on: August 23, 2012, 06:30:40 PM »
Although my IDM 305 was a good cheap end-of-line stock purchase on Ebay,  these pictures clearly show why you should seriously consider other DMMs if you going to pay the full price for one of these.



Fuse accessibility....

ok the correct way to design a DMM, ie. make it easy to change a fuse.







ok now the wrong way;  hide them under a board that you have to separate and then add some tiny screws.










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Kiriakos GR

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #11 on: August 23, 2012, 07:04:55 PM »
There is even more than that ..   :)

Before I start making reviews I have download and read many Application Notes from FLUKE,
which most of them are loaded with 90% advertising, but they do hide 10% of pure knowledge.  ;)

I will not get in to probably boring technical details, but I will say that its not enough to just use HRC fuses
so one meter to be called as safe.
The PCB must be also comply in some technical standards about the layout around the HRC fuse contacts.
And also additional plastic shields can limit the blast and protect the PCB and parts of the meter, so to remain usable after the accident.

Personally I consider as immature the meters which are capable to withstand a blow by sacrificing the multimeter as device,   
due burned PCB or near by components. 

In the European union we have a fresh law against developing products'' disposable'' at the slightest fail.
http://www.ittsb.eu/forum/index.php?topic=63.0





   

Mr Eastwood

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #12 on: August 23, 2012, 07:20:11 PM »
In the European union we have a fresh law against developing products'' disposable'' at the slightest fail.
http://www.ittsb.eu/forum/index.php?topic=63.0

This is quite an interesting topic in itself; You should re-post to "General Discussion" as I'm sure other people might like to comment and discuss.
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Kiriakos GR

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #13 on: August 23, 2012, 08:36:36 PM »
About such matters there is no need for additional comments and discussions,  what is needed are true actions.

Some of those actions is going to be made by the addition of new legislation.
The reviewers will have to ban all those suspicious products from their presentations ( as I do ).
The consumers will have to stop buying them, no mater of how sweet their pricing looks like in the pages of ebay or elsewhere.


 

Mr Eastwood

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Re: Iso-tech IDM 305 (Under the hood)
« Reply #14 on: October 08, 2012, 04:53:50 AM »
I've just bought another one of these meters on Ebay for £50;  I think I'm starting to get a multimeter addiction, is this how it starts? ;-)
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