On Thu, 6 Apr 2006 21:30:21 -0500, "Ben Miller"
wrote:

www.bmillerengineering.com
"Joel Kolstad" wrote in message
...
AC!). I used to own a Fluke 87 and was annoyed that it suffered from the
then-common problem of the zebra strip separating from the LCD, thereby
causes various LCD segments to fail. A quick trip through a Panavise
fixed it for good... or at least until I sold it some time later.

For what it is worth to anyone with that problem, there is a relatively
inexpensive display retrofit kit available all the time on eBay that
replaces the zebra stripe with a newer type, and also upgrades the display
itself and the backlight. It is worth the money if you want to update a
Fluke 80 series meter. Mine has been working great, and the new display has
larger characters.


Thats one think i like about the Fluke, I can replace the LCD cheap
when i crack it.I have a nasty habbit of dropping tools from great
heights, and the fluke seems to survive many big drops, aside from the
odd shattered LCD.

I am sure lots of other big brands will supply spare parts, but will
they supply them for a 15year old model? I bought my current fluke at
the end of my sparky career and it is still going strong. I have
replaced the battery once in this time.





P.P.S. -- They're really pretty awful, but you can buy a *lot* of those
$2.99 Harbor Freight meters for the price of a Fluke...!

And you can have them blow up in your hand due to inadequate safety design.
It happens! Probably not an issue for a homeowner doing troubleshooting
around the house, but forget them if you do industrial work. Buy one of the
major brands that has an IEC CAT III or CAT IV rating at least 600V.

As for my preference, my field multimeters are Fluke, and I like their
reliability. However, I suspect that other major brands such as Tektronix,
Amprobe, etc. would be fine as well. I recommend against Rat Shack, Harbor
Freight, etc. for serious work, both for reliability and safety reasons.

Ben Miller