[Techman]

Many thanks for the replies and suggestions chaps.

However, MrBungle has pointed me in the right direction.

But look what I found!

Can you spot the 'deliberate' mistake?

Manufacturer error - as you can see by the solder joints, it's been like that from new. If these are made on an assembly line, then it makes you wonder whether there were a whole batch that were faulty from new.

There's a bit more to it regarding this meter and I'll post back later with the full story.