[Updated 13/08/2010, 24/09/2010, 8/10/2010, 6/11/2010]
Hello element-14 readers
A few days ago I happily received a Fluke 233 all the way from the UK for my testing pleasure. At this point I would like to thank Alistair from element14, Premier Farnell and of course Fluke. Thank you.
Upon opening the shipping box from Farnell UK the bright and detailed Fluke packaging stood out nicely:
Made in the USA. First class. Another solid Fluke design, clean lines, and a great fit and finish. Futhermore it is of a good weight, so you could always bang in a nail with it, or the pointy-head boss. The exterior has the rubber-moulded housing which is not removable, however this would be recommended for the target market - this would be more of a field work than a test-bench instrument. However, if you do sit it on the bench with the tilting bail, you can still operate it with one hand as it has enough friction to stay put. It is also good to see that the box and packaging are cardboard which is easily recycled.
The contents of the box are as follows:
- The meter itself
- a long (~1.2m) pair of Cat IV leads with very sharp points
- matching insulated alligator clip adaptors
- a K-type thermocouple
- a printed Getting Started manual, and the complete manual on CDROM
- a single, universal getting started sheet - explains how to remove battery isolation tabs
- No case! I was expecting one, for an Au$550+tax meter.
As others have said, if you have one of these meters the manual isn't necessary apart from checking the specifications, and the same applied to myself. Thankfully the meter is supplied and fitted with 5 x AA Duracell alkaline cells, three in the meter body and two in the display unit. After flicking the meter on the first thing to do was remove the display, plug in the thermocouple, and toss the body into the freezer:
Even with the meter in the freezer, I could still move the display around 1.5 meters away and it still received the data signal. Notice how the display is on the freezer door - it is magnetic. Immediately the benefits of the remote display come to mind. You can always have the display right where you want it, and the meter where it needs to be... it's win-win. After showing it to my auto-electrician friend, she didn't want to give it back. The ability to set up a meter in a less than perfectly safe environment and take the display away is almost priceless. Furthermore, the backlight is a nice even blueish colour, and times out after around forty seconds.
Using the meter in general is very simple, you can hold it in one hand and select all of the functions with your thumb. Having the yellow shift key makes changing between associated readings very simple, for example after reading AC voltage:
Pressing the shift key changes to frequency:
The meter has several useful indication functions - while working with high voltages the triangular market is illuminated; when changing to temperature you are prompted with "OPEN" for the thermocouple, and changing to current you are prompted with "LEAD" to change sockets. It is obvious after a short period of time this was designed by engineers for engineers, and not made to a 'price'. Although this is not an electronics multimeter, it still has quite a few ranges that would suit at a pinch. Plus the one-touch data hold, minimum and maximum functions are included as with other top-end Flukes. Hopefully someone at Fluke is working on a remote display version of the 87V for example.
Although I have not had this meter for a long time, it has already become a worthwhile addition to the test bench. For the kind of work I do, it has already replaced another multimeter, my old frequency counter and thermometer. The ranges are quite useful, and the continuity beeper is in the display not the body. According to the manual the 233 is rated for a one meter drop onto any of the six surfaces. Out of respect to the meter I will not throw it into the river or from a moving train. The other factor that prevents me from going to such extremes is the clear plastic over the LCD - there is a small amount of 'give' or flexibility in that area. Otherwise the 233 is as solid as they come.
The specifications can be found in detail in the manual here: http://assets.fluke.com/manuals/233_____umeng0000.pdf however a quick glance shows:
Range Accuracy
AC voltage: 0.1mV ~ 1000V 1~2%+3
AC current: 1mA ~ 10A 1.5%+3
DC voltage: 0.1mV ~ 1000V 0.25%+2
DC current: 1mA ~ 10A 1.0%+3 ** no microamperes
resistance: 0.1 ~ 40 meg-ohm 0.9~1.5%+2
frequency: 0.01 Hz ~ 50 kHz 0.1%+2
capacitance: 1nF to 9999 uF 1.9%+2
temperature: -40 ~ 400 degrees Celsius 1%+10
also diode test and continuity
More information from the Fluke website at: http://au.fluke.com/fluke/auen/digital-multimeters/fluke-233.htm?PID=56054
I look forward to more use and documenting of this meter in the near future, and would also welcome any questions you may have.
To order the Fluke 233, the Farnell part number is 1772092 (Au, UK)
[Update 13/08/2010]
Even though the 233 specifications claim frequency is 50kHz, we got it up to just over 99 kHz:
[Update 24/09/2010]
After using this meter for a few weeks now, the amount of time to auto-zero is a bit long, can be three or four seconds.
Furthermore, it cannot be 'bricked' or affected by a mobile phone 
[Update 08/10/2010]
This meter is now my default multimeter for use. Lately I have been impressed with the speed of the capacitance measurement. My eyesight is not the best, and having to work with tiny ceramics has been quite a pain until this meter came along. Furthermore, after daily use since the middle of August, I am still on the original Duracell AA cells, very impressive power consumption. Win. However, the LCD screen really needs a thicker piece of perspex over it, if you get too enthusiastic with the magnetic mounting of the display unit it can fall off with a light knock - if it falls on something pointy they LCD will be a goner.
[Update 06/11/2010]
Finally the "low battery" indicator displayed. Had to happen sooner or later
Take care and be good to each other
John Boxall
tronixstuff.com
