MJLorton Solar Power and Electronic Measurement Equipment Forum
Youtube Video Episodes => YouTube Video Episodes => Topic started by: MJLorton on November 18, 2012, 08:03:35 AM
-
Here is a link to the video review: (To be posted once upload complete)
Pictures taken of the PCB of the UT61E and some captured of the Agilent U1272A during the review (comparing input protection).
-
I shall copypasta what i wrote before
So i got down to do some tests on power consumption (naturally with a almost identical twin)
9V (Batteries start fresh at 10V but that's unloaded)
1.5mA on capacitance even while measuring a 10mF cap... Big i know
1-2mA on voltage Actually i was pretty shocked it only draws that much at this price point and best part is that the screen is actually more viewable than the 87v As in better contrast and brightness(This is a true reply, my friend uses the 87V at his college, well i mean everyone there uses it)
Didn't really test the rest but when it's in continuity mode with beeper sounding it's about 4-5mA
Okay, here's the most important part some might want to know.
Low voltage performance? Measured at PSU but it doesn't matter, my psu is pretty accurate but i still used it's twin i got from DD to measure the PSU voltage
Battery LV warning? Starts at 5.35V and stops at 5.45V
Voltage where the measurement starts to drift? Doesn't seem to drift above 3.5V but i can't really tell. Even my ET-845 seems to drift way more with fresh batteries, the UT61E doesn't seem to drift before it turns off! I was a little worried when i saw it happening yesterday then i forgot i wasn't using banana plugs
Voltage where it turns on? 2.1 Seems to be right, the datasheet says -2.5 to -3.5 so i'm seeing witchcraft here or is it a buck-boost converter?
I'm seeing ±5V on the AD737J so i'm pretty sure the UT-61E has a buck-boost converter
So my testing is complete, if you do need anymore measurements i'm glad to provide
(This lodestar 8202/8203 psu is freaking impressive, 33 year old caps and they hardly drift or have hardly any noise at all!)
Oh yes i forgot, i intentionally added a 330ohm resistor for the supply
About the fuse, you can install HRC fuse sockets because the footprints are there
The fuse is indeed HRC at 6kA being a mains fuse! But it's only rated to 250VAC AND NOT DC! -Sorry about that monkeh
My recommendation is to try out the same 10A 30kA 10x38 siba fuses agilent uses, 10x38 will fit in the 1A fuse socket with a bit of fuse holder bending or you can use a 500mA 1000V 6.3x32mm 30kA-50kA fuse, just remember to silicone the exposed holes, might lead to arc overs
"Sparkgaps" Go ahead and install a MOV there of some reasonable rating
-
Well I was going to sleep, but then saw part 3 posted. Some observations/comments that you asked for in the video (will add as I watch and review again in the next couple of days).
1) The fuses are
http://www.betterfuse.com/news/html/detail-38.html
Dongguan Better Electronics Technology Co.,ltd. announces the introduction of the AF63 Series today, BS1362 standard fuse with rated current from 1A to 13A.
AF63 series presents a big breaking capacity with 6000A at voltage 264V, the electrical characteristic is fast/medium action.
2) The fuse (namely the 10A) in your UT61E looks different from the GS approval one posted at Torrentula
http://mjlorton.com/forum/index.php?topic=140.15
3) The GS approval model also has different PTCs and a SG added.
4) Just curious, for the low battery test, do you actually have a <3V (aka dead) 9V battery to test instead of a DC power supply? (In Dave Jones' $99 shootout, the UEI DM391 worked down to 3V on a 9V battery DC power supply).
-
I repeated Martin's low-voltage experiment and this one seems to work pretty well at 2.00V. It will even still measure resistance, giving essentially the same readings as it does at 9.00V. The beeper gets pretty faint, as one would expect.
If you're going to go down the route of upgrading the meter, I might suggest adding a high-quality 10-turn trim potentiometer to replace VR1. The UT61E I have here drifted horribly when I first got it. Never the same reading twice. It improved considerably after I exercised (ran back and forth a couple times) VR1 and then re-calibrated it. I noticed during the calibration exercise that VR1 was very touchy and did not inspire confidence.
But don't replace VR1 unless you have the means to re-calibrate!
-
But it's only rated to 250VAC and 32VDC.
They are not DC rated at all. How many times...
-
A 9V battery that is at 3V will have a pretty high internal resistance. 5V will drop to 3 when you draw 2ma or so.
-
They are not DC rated at all. How many times...
Yes this is true, I did read also the spesifications, it is sad the fact that UNI-T has use one oversized 220V fast fuse, instead of a true high voltage HRC.
Due all the inregularities which are found on this model, my decision is to stop following any conversations about it.
But what I am still wonder is if all the 61 series is all alike with this death trap. ?
-
They are not DC rated at all. How many times...
Yes this is true, I did read also the spesifications, it is sad the fact that UNI-T has use one oversized 220V fast fuse, instead of a true high voltage HRC.
Please explain how it's oversized or 220V. Facts, get them straight.
And it's quite adequate for what the majority of people will use this sort of meter for.
Due all the inregularities which are found on this model, my decision is to stop following any conversations about it.
But what I am still wonder is if all the 61 series is all alike with this death trap. ?
Yes, they are all the same as this 'death trap' (reality, try it some time).
-
They are not DC rated at all. How many times...
Yes this is true, I did read also the spesifications, it is sad the fact that UNI-T has use one oversized 220V fast fuse, instead of a true high voltage HRC.
Please explain how it's oversized or 220V. Facts, get them straight.
And it's quite adequate for what the majority of people will use this sort of meter for.
Due all the inregularities which are found on this model, my decision is to stop following any conversations about it.
But what I am still wonder is if all the 61 series is all alike with this death trap. ?
Yes, they are all the same as this 'death trap' (reality, try it some time).
Should I take you from your hand to visit together the betterfuse link, and to hold your hand when you will read the PDF with the specifications ?
Honestly all this attitude about this damn multimeter about honoring something technically FAIL it is WRONG.
If there is out there people ready to swallow all the drawbacks due the low price, I am not one of them.
-
Should I take you from your hand to visit together the betterfuse link, and to hold your hand when you will read the PDF with the specifications ?
Should I give you a copy of BS1362, which I have read cover to cover? The fuses are not 220V, and nowhere is that value mentioned on the Betterfuse site, either. And I still want you to explain what 'oversized' means.
Honestly all this attitude about this damn multimeter about honoring something technically FAIL it is WRONG.
And your attitude is wrong, too. But you'll never see it.
If there is out there people ready to swallow all the drawbacks due the low price, I am not one of them.
You are, however, one of the people able to spend an order of magnitude more on a meter. Good for you. You also have very, very high expectations for meters which we're discussing for use on electronics, not industrial electrics.
-
Well here is your chance to prove me wrong, post the magic PDF with the 1000 pages. :)
-
Well here is your chance to prove me wrong, post the magic PDF with the 1000 pages. :)
How about you just read the voltage rating on the Betterfuse site, which lines up perfectly with BS1362: IE. it's not 220V.
-
Take a snap shot and post it.
-
Take a snap shot and post it.
http://www.betterfuse.com/MyUploadFiles/InfoPath/201204/20120409133652507.pdf
Read it for yourself. It quite clearly says 240VAC.
-
OK, I don't understand the big fuss about the voltage rating on the fuses. They are for the A and mA ranges, right? And it's marked clearly on the meter that both ranges are fused at 250V max, i.e. nothing more than the mains power. And those fuses are rated correctly, aren't they? Or am I missing something?
-
OK, I don't understand the big fuss about the voltage rating on the fuses. They are for the A and mA ranges, right? And it's marked clearly on the meter that both ranges are fused at 250V max, i.e. nothing more than the mains power. And those fuses are rated correctly, aren't they? Or am I missing something?
There's a lot of fuss over whether it's compliant with the standards or not, for various reasons. It certainly doesn't live up to the Cat IV rating without replacing the fuses and fitting the missing protection devices (MOVs or spark gaps, the main input resistor needs replacing with something a little more durable), at the least.
However, for the use 99.99% of us intend for this meter, that is, electronics and occasionally very simple electrics (basic home stuff, automotive, etc), none of that matters in the slightest. I don't think anyone on this forum is stupid enough (or has access to, besides supposedly Kiriakos) go poking around the business end of a supply beefy enough to cause a problem.
And as for the last few posts by me and Kiriakos, that's just me taking significant offence at someone criticising a device and attempting to partake in remotely technical discussions when he apparently doesn't have the ability to accurately remember a three digit number which isn't prefixed by the name Fluke or Agilent.
-
dont argue about the fuses
i have bought the UT-71E
http://www.uni-trend.com/UT71e.html
and take a look inside
(http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/5617/dsc01304kw.th.jpg) (http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/5617/dsc01304kw.jpg)
(http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/3913/dsc01300xd.th.jpg) (http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/3913/dsc01300xd.jpg)
(http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/2447/dsc01301rc.th.jpg) (http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/2447/dsc01301rc.jpg)
(http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/5140/dsc01302q.th.jpg) (http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/5140/dsc01302q.jpg)
(http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/6797/dsc01303h.th.jpg) (http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/6797/dsc01303h.jpg)
γεια σου Κυριάκο
-
The UT71E has always been on terrible list :P
-
dont argue about the fuses i have bought the UT-71E ...........γεια σου Κυριάκο
Good morning dear country man :)
To all:
The specifications about input protection by fuses and the max input voltage,
becomes known to the user by the CAT rating on the input bananas.
If the manufacturer is honest about those specifications, and the user (hypothetically) lives at the safe side too, as long he is following them.
The Asian version which comes with 250V Fuses, and it is clearly written on the meter face plate at the current inputs 250v max
The 61E who was send in the market of Germany and passed the GS certification it was had 600V fuses,
and it did pass as 600V about the current measurements.
But it did not pass about the max input voltage as voltmeter !! ( This has nothing to do with the fuse )
The volts input has design errors, which are not possible to cure by additional electronic parts.
The UT61E it can considered as safe for 220V Mains measurements but what it will happen if some one try to measure one step-up transformer ?
He gets at risk with out realizing it !!
Simple as that.
.
-
About this cheap input jacks. I try to fix the problem at my UT61B. I hope it works for a longer time because the solder and mechanical movement maybe makes problems.
The jacks himself are clamped between both shell, so it should be no problems. We will see.
The original jacks are very cheap and after 1 year they had a loose connection, although I use this Multimeter maybe one times in a month only.
I bought RC accu jacks, 4mm, cut them to 14,5mm like the original ones, soldered 2,5mm˛ copper installation wire on it, thats all. Time, maybe 30min.
The 2,5mm˛ was a lill to much, maybe 1,5mm˛ is better to solder. I think 1,5mm˛ is enough for the 20A range too.
I don't need it to recalibrating and the connectors fits very fine now.
-
I tried a modification like that with another meter of mine and found the solder would fail when removing plugs.
-
When doing this I would use a hard silver loaded solder instead to make the join. No fracture and much stronger.
-
Yes, I wrote, Iam not sure about this cheap soldering. But, the jacks himself are clamped very well.
And yes, it should be much better to solder it "hard" I dont know what this in english means.
-
Yes, I wrote, Iam not sure about this cheap soldering. But, the jacks himself are clamped very well.
And yes, it should be much better to solder it "hard" I dont know what this in english means.
Welding is what is really needed.
Brazing could also work.
-
Welding is what is really needed.
Yes, think so. With blaze and copper solder.
-
I am also not sure what the fuss is about with the fuse ratings as the meter is not intended in any form or fashion for HV work on distribution lines Fluke meters of the type being used by most members of this forum and the EEV blog are also not suitable for this. If you are going to work with HT lines you need specialist equipment produced by the likes of Megger.
http://www.megger.com/uk/products/ProductDetailsBySubGroup.php?PSGC=P109&BS=P
iIf you look at this page you will see that they break their product line into above 1KV and less than 1KV.
http://www.megger.com/uk/products/Index.php
-
No one really cares about the 1KV, mostly because it is very hard to find it. :)
But the 380V which is common to find as phase to phase voltage, is what matters the most.
Any meter with 500V HRC fast fuses, and the proper PCB for CAT IV 600V, are welcome.
-
But the 380V which is common to find as phase to phase voltage, is what matters the most.
Not in domestic environments, and you don't normally use a multimeter to measure current between phases.
-
Again someone working with 3 phase is going to use a professional meter and more than likely use a clamp meter to measure current, the Uni T61E is intended for hobby electronic use. You may have access to 380V phase to phase as I do ( I have up to 715 V on some of the generating plant) but I do not use a Uni T or even a fluke for that I use an AVO.
-
>Any meter with 500V HRC fast fuses, and the proper PCB for CAT IV 600V, are welcome.
>But the 380V which is common to find as phase to phase voltage, is what matters the most.
True, for hobbie.. *
>Not in domestic environments, and you don't normally use a multimeter to measure current between phases.
Right. In europe (EU) it is forbidden to use a DMM to measure at mains. Her we have to use low resistance meters, like Benning ak DusPol (R)
http://de.benning.de/en/corporate/products-services/testing-measuring-and-safety-instruments/testequipment/duspol-facts.html
But girlz, we run out of topic.
-
the Uni T61E is intended for hobby electronic use.
As soon I will see that printed with yellow letters on the holster I will stop barging like a hunting dog. ( Teasing you)
I have the AVO 410 in my hands which is offered by Megger, so to be reviewed soon, even as OEM design, the meter screams of be a well made one, test leads and all. :)
-
Hi,
First i want to thank you for all the very nice in depth reviews you do! I know this is an old tread, but i am in the process of maybe buying this uni-t ut61e or maybe d version. I'm no expert in electronics, but i do know just a little. I have this rare and old computer motherboard which is not quite working, but what i want to do is to measure that the different crystals (50Mhz and below) works. That is maybe not exact, but just that they give some signal. The signal is fed through a flipflop before entering in one case the CPU. The description field of the YT video you've done on this instrument says that the instrument has a upper frequency range of 200Mhz. Is that really correct?. And if it is, can i use this instrument to measure pulses in the circuit i explained either directly out of the crystal or out of the flipflop? For me the frequency part is important since i can do most other readings on other instruments i have.
EDIT: I see ad's with this instrument where they say it can do 220Mhz, but Frequency response is up to 10Khz. What does this mean. What can i really get it read in regards to the above problem?
Thanks in advance and keep up the nice reviews. They are the best on YT.
Regards,
Hansemann
-
Hi Hansemann,
Thanks for the post.
I've just checked and it'll measure up to 80 MHz with no problem. I also checked a 100kHz crystal and it measured that with no problem.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Martin.