Actions
Forum Thread Details
  • Replies 45 replies
  • Subscribers 2759 subscribers
  • Views 13978 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Fluke 233 Meter Review - Important Follow-up

Zad

I have had my Fluke 233 just over 4 months now, over which time it has  had pretty light use. Which is why what I am about to say is a bit of a  surprise.

In my review I wrote:

Batteries.  400  hours  estimated life is  excellent. That probably works out at 3 to 4  years  usage for me. But,  when they go, it does mean potentially 5  batteries  have to be replaced.

I have used it for maybe 5 hours use  at the outside, and not at all for the past month or so (sadly, my  engineering has mostly been on paper or PC recently). That doesn't sound  much, but it adds up to quite a few voltage and resistance  measurements.Anyway, I came to use my Fluke 233 today and this met me:

 

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd237/Zadpics/FlatBattery.jpg

 

Pretty much running on empty! Removing the remote head results in a BATT  warning and no measurements are possible. If I am going to be  installing a new set of 5 batteries every 4 months then it becomes a very expensive meter! I had thought that using high energy density AA  cells was a good idea (the cells it came with were brand new Duracells  with a very long use-by date), but maybe Fluke are covering up some  nasty quiescent current use. Swapping out the batteries allowed me to test  the off-load voltages, which were all around 0.95-0.96 Volts, so that rules out a rogue cell failure. My investigations with my trusty Fluke 77 (battery age 4 years) revealed the following:

Body power consumption, power ON = 3 to 6mA
Body power consumption, power OFF = 0.9 to 1.1mA
Display unit, power ON = 3 to 3.6mA
Display unit, power OFF = 1mA

 

Looking at http://www1.duracell.com/oem/Pdf/new/MX1500_US_UL.pdf the nominal capacity for <5mW drain is 1600 to 2300mAh (to 1 volt). 2300mAh at 1mA, is 95.8 days...

 

You  will note that an "on" life of 3mA is 766 hours, and 6mA is 383 hours,  which averages close to the specified taget of "around 400 hours".  Presuming you use your meter 24 hours a day, and don't actually switch  it off...

 

Given the recently found RF vulnerability in the Fluke 87 V, it does   make me wonder if Fluke are taking their eye off the ball. It surely cannot be right that a   meter eats a set of 5 cells in 4 months, especially given such light   usage. This is certainly not the sort of meter to leave in your tool case, because chances are that the batteries will be flat when you need it.

 

If any other Fluke 233 owners have experienced any similar failures, please let me know!

 

If any Fluke reps see this: Is there a known fault with the 233? Because this does look like a bit of a killer design issue.

 

Mike

Parents

  • I have experienced the same problems with my unit (as Mike & Patrick have noted above) ... I have used my unit very 'lightly' ... total "ON" time is probably < 20-hours.  I always turn if off when I am not using it to conserve on batteries ... well, so I THOUGHT.  image

     

    The batteries are being slowly depleated even without use ... seems like a design flaw (or oversight).  I wonder if there is a way to fix this with a firmware update that would power down the unit completely?

     

    Gregory

  • in reply to gbrettell

    Regarding the 233 ... At the time, I had just accepted the poor battery life ... then got frustrated and started to research the internet for a solution.  Sure enough ... Fluke will update the firmware at no charge (and provide calibration).  You are responsible for the shipping charges to send the item to them, however.

     

    It is better to call them:  888.993.5853 ... I experienced problems with their website.

     

    The "music on hold" is very distorted (if you call them and are put on hold) .. I brought this to their attention and they just kind of laughed it off ("yeah, I've heard that before").  You would think that a company that is associated with precision measurement equipment would have a more professional telephone system.

     

    I will update this post when I receive the meter back from Fluke.

     

    Gregory

  • in reply to gbrettell

    Thanks for the heads-up on this.

     

    I have tried twice to contact Fluke's customer support concerning this issue. On neither occasion have I received a reply. I don't really fancy spending money on-hold on the phone or sending it off only for there to be 'no fault found', so I think I will just leave it in it's box on the shelf where it is now, and bring it out when I need a spare meter. The real fix would be to increase the current limiting resistor on the IR transmitter. It only has to work over a distance of 1cm or so when the unit is docked. Beyond that, it is classed as undocked and it switches to the RF link anyway.

     

    I get the feeling that this is a result of parent company Danaher's cost-cutting in action.

  • in reply to e14 Contributor

    Thank you for your response.   The check I mentioned should be performed with the display docked to the meter body.  Let me know if you have other questions or concerns.

     

    Perry

     

    Sent from my iPad

  • in reply to e14 Contributor

    Hi Perry,

    Thanks for sharing the information on how to check firmware version.

     

    As for the problem definition, I do not know exactly what Fluke did but as you can see from the supplementary manual which I posted Sep 19 above, it appears that there is a difference in how you wake up the meter when it is undocked.

    For brand new units, S/N >22500000, you will not be able to wake the meter by just turning the function switch or pushing a button.

    For units with S/N <24999999, you can wake the unit by turning the function switch or push a button.

    I was not able to get any confirmation whether with the upgraded firmware for S/N <24999999, does the waking up behavior changed or does it remain the same as before; i.e. you can wake it up just by turning the function switch or pressing a button. Please note I am only referring to the case whereby the display is undocked.

     

    Now, if indeed there is a difference between S/N<2499999 and S/N>2500000 in the way the display wakes up when undocked, then I would be inclined to say there is indeed a hardware difference. I'm not saying it is a problem but I think there is a change in the hardware design.

     

    eplanz

Reply
  • in reply to e14 Contributor

    Hi Perry,

    Thanks for sharing the information on how to check firmware version.

     

    As for the problem definition, I do not know exactly what Fluke did but as you can see from the supplementary manual which I posted Sep 19 above, it appears that there is a difference in how you wake up the meter when it is undocked.

    For brand new units, S/N >22500000, you will not be able to wake the meter by just turning the function switch or pushing a button.

    For units with S/N <24999999, you can wake the unit by turning the function switch or push a button.

    I was not able to get any confirmation whether with the upgraded firmware for S/N <24999999, does the waking up behavior changed or does it remain the same as before; i.e. you can wake it up just by turning the function switch or pressing a button. Please note I am only referring to the case whereby the display is undocked.

     

    Now, if indeed there is a difference between S/N<2499999 and S/N>2500000 in the way the display wakes up when undocked, then I would be inclined to say there is indeed a hardware difference. I'm not saying it is a problem but I think there is a change in the hardware design.

     

    eplanz

Children