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Vintage Test Gear and Workshop Equipment For discussions about vintage test gear and workshop equipment such as coil winders. |
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10th Feb 2019, 4:38 pm | #1 |
Nonode
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 2,117
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DMMs with pushbutton range selection
I have a basic 3½ digit DMM which I brought home about 1995 when it had been damaged, a Kikusui 1506. It runs on a PP3 or external supply and my guess is that it had been bought in the 80s. I noticed that the Fluke 8060A looks very similar when one appeared on eBay in 2017 (I didn't buy it). Since then I have noticed a similar-looking meter in the background of the images of one or two other members here. Maybe they were sold through RS or Farnell.
I am wondering if this presentation style was picked up by any other DMM makers of the period. Also I would be very grateful for any servicing info as I could then calibrate mine, in particular by zeroing the display. I note that the one on eBay was showing a similar offset!
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10th Feb 2019, 4:59 pm | #2 |
Nonode
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 2,117
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
In answer to my own question, I found a 1990 RS catalogue which has 6 Fluke meters in this style: 8020B, 8021B, 8024B, 8026B, 8060A, 8062A. The Farnell cat from that time shows just the 8060A. This seems to date the Kikusui from either side of 1990
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10th Feb 2019, 5:12 pm | #3 |
Octode
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Morden, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 1,561
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
I`m not sure of the model numbers but that style of Fluke meter goes back at least to 1980.
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10th Feb 2019, 5:19 pm | #4 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Oxfordshire/Bucks borders, UK.
Posts: 1,604
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
I love those old Flukes, have a few here. My father did have one at some point too, not sure if he still has one.
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Avometer, vintage Fluke and Marconi collector. Also interested in vintage Yaesu and KW. |
10th Feb 2019, 7:13 pm | #5 |
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Fife, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 22,902
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
I have a Fluke 8060 and it is an excellent meter. True RMS, no annoying autoranging and plenty of counts.
The switching is clever, if a bit fiddly to use, and it looks like Kikusui copied this. David
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10th Feb 2019, 7:16 pm | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,864
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
Yes, many cheap (Korean?) meters copied this layout, including some in Maplin's "Precison Gold" range. I have one bought for me by my dad for my 12th birthday in 1985. It still works to this day.
It was still shown in the 1995 catalogue so presumably it was a successful design https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/p...Gold-M6000.jpg N. |
11th Feb 2019, 7:06 pm | #7 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: West Lothian, UK.
Posts: 762
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
My most used DMM is a Weston 6100. This was issued to Solartron field service engineers as it was produced by a sister company and was a bit handier than their own small bench models. Think it came out about 1980 according to the advert.
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George |
11th Feb 2019, 7:12 pm | #8 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 3,687
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
Altai made one that looked like one of them. We had them at university.
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12th Feb 2019, 10:24 pm | #9 |
Octode
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: St Ives, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 1,180
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
Hioki did a side switch DMM with a calculator on the front. Also the Heathkit IM-2215.
Andrew
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12th Feb 2019, 10:27 pm | #10 |
Octode
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: St Ives, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 1,180
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
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13th Feb 2019, 1:03 am | #11 |
Nonode
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 2,117
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
The Weston 6100 looks like it's halfway between the Fluke and the Kikusui, and I love the 5-range bleeper system. I found a 1990 Maplin catalogue which shows their ownbrand M6000, and they also had a capacitance meter and a temperature meter with the side pushbuttons.
Thanks so much to Andrew for finding the 1506 manual (in Japanese and English)
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13th Feb 2019, 1:42 pm | #12 |
Heptode
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK.
Posts: 671
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
I picked up a Fluke 8020A at a radio rally a while back for a couple of quid, it still works well.
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13th Feb 2019, 4:37 pm | #13 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Oxford, UK.
Posts: 17,864
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
I can beat that! Mine cost £1 in the local charity shop in January, complete with case and probes. I wasn't expecting it to work, but was delighted to find that it had been stored with the battery removed, and when I replaced it, it worked perfectly, and agreed with my new Fluke (on the DC volts range anyway).
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18th Feb 2019, 12:25 am | #14 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 5,000
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
Seeing this thread has reminded me that I have a version of this meter that I'd completely forgotten about and has been in a cupboard for a number of years. Luckily it still works perfectly (although I haven't tried all ranges) and the battery that I left in it still seems good. It's a Bewa DMM 6010 GS and unfortunately it's missing a push button cover and the 'stand-up' bracket is partially broken. I don't know what those test leads are from, possibly Heathkit?
Picture of it below:- |
18th Feb 2019, 1:51 pm | #15 |
Pentode
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: South Coast, Western Australia.
Posts: 129
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
Techman- That is a coincidence. I was using one identical to that today except it was grey. I didn't look what the brand was. I was helping a non-electronic friend (actually an ATPL and good mechanical engineer) with a problem with a Li-ion pack and he produced this meter. I was immediately reminded of the Fluke 8060 that I was issued when I first started work because it is easy to catch the buttons and change ranges when picking up the meter to move it.
BC |
18th Feb 2019, 4:39 pm | #16 |
Heptode
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Scarborough, North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 510
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
I have an identical meter to what Techman has. I've had mine almost 40 years and its still going strong, bought via an advert in ETI magazine and the first purchase I made with a credit card. I've never bothered to compare readings with any other meter.
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4th Apr 2019, 12:49 am | #17 |
Nonode
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 2,117
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Re: DMMs with pushbutton range selection
The manual allowed successful calibration of the Kikusui 1506. VR-1 sets 2V ac, VR-3 sets 2V dc, and VR-5 sets 200mV dc.
Shorting the inputs, I found that VR-6 sets zero reading. No procedure is given for adjusting the resistance ranges, but it reads in agreement with a Solartron 4½ digit instrument. No procedure is given for VR-2 and VR-4 so having tried for any effect I left them roughly as they were. I plan to use this a lot.
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