EEVblog #634 - Analog Multimeter Teardowns

Teardown Tuesday.
3 classic analog multimeters:

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[spkage]

The Unigor a43 was manufactured between 1970 and 1975. So a ~40 year old multimeter that is still that accurate is good even if it doesn't look beautiful.

[ThePostApocalypticInventor]

coming home, having a coffee, watching a new EEV-blog episode...It's like my daily sitcom

[martinjcamp]

It's great to see someone get so excited about this classic old things. Since all of this stuff was designed and assembled by hand, the amount of craftsmanship and labor in each device tells us all of a much different time in History.

[ABaumstumpf]

Unigors are still used in many European universities, and they still work very nicely.
I happened to work with one ~2 years ago:
Some people asked about how precise they are, and after comparing with some fluke, other brands and 2 oscis there, and if you take the time to read it with a lens and interpolate the values, you can go down to 0.1% error.

Oh, and btw, the Unigor A43 gets tested up to 5000 V to make sure, it is 100% to use to 1500 V.

Didn't know that it looked that terrible inside, but when looking up different models i saw, that they vary greatly.

[TheBarrym]

Wow, I never realized that people collected multimeters, I was great to hear how excited you are about them and I have to agree, they are beautiful inside.

[pierQRzt]

12:00 "I don't know how reliable it is" - talking about a working 40+ years old multimeter.

[ramueller]

Ehh...I liked the German meter the best. I think there is better attention to detail like the spark gap and the much larger air gap for the spring loaded disconnect. Exterior design, it is the best and I don't really get how it's being knocked for a dual board construction when it seems the other meters are somewhat half-ass arranged in mid air. 

[CarGuy]

I have several vintage Triplett 630 variants I still use today, built between 1954 and 1965. You can't beat a quality analog meter. I love the bakelite case and large meter. Outstanding construction unparalleled to this day

[snaprollinpitts]

Great video Dave, I can remember using the Triplet 630 in electronics lab back in 1976, great meter. thanks mike

[richardgoebel]

Good video. There are Simpson 260 models with mirror on the dial. They usually have an M after the 260. Bad thing about the Triplett and Simpson is how brittle the Bakelite is. I have seen scores of cracked cases and faceplates. You're right about the current Triplett meters not being the same quality. Word of caution about the Triplett: remove the batteries when putting it in storage. Too many switches have been destroyed by the leaking batteries. And repairing them well is no easy task.

[fabimre]

Dave, I used this type of Unigor multimeter already in 1965 at school when I was studying Measurement and Control Technics (Electronics and pneumatics)!
In those days they did not yet use epoxy circuit boards (to expensive) outside of the military.BTW, I am from the Netherlands.

[lupojacobo]

You made me purchase a that Triplett and glad I happy with mine.

[hannonm]

The Triplett Insides made my jaw drop! thats so vintage and such hardcore design. I am very pleased to see something so old, look so good.

[peterlaurancearmenio]

I just have to mention the resolution and Clarity of this video is incredible

[bjornbrandstedt]

Enjoyed the episode...I purchased the equivalent of the Unigor back in 1973 and it was then marketed in the US by Simpson Electric under the the model number "Simpson 257". Mine was manufactured in Austria by Goerz Electro Gmbh. It looks pretty much like your specimen inside with the phenolic type PCBs. The range selector switch is very solid with the ball bearing snap action feel.
It is still very accurate and I like the capacitance measuring feature, from about 0.01 to 5.0 microfarads. For those measurements, an external 50-60 Hz 100 to 240 VAC must be applied.

[elliott]

The protection diodes on the Triplett are in a single package. It is that brown gold leaded component on the back of the meter movement. The 630-PLK had the overload reset.

I have a pair of 630As, great meters, but I'm jealous of the NA's range doubler.

[Dexerinos]

So nice too see these old techs inside-out :)

[AubreyKeck]

have a Simpson 260 series 6. Great general purpose in its time but now retired. Thanks for the teardown

[johncunningham]

I agree that the Triplett is the clear winner, I own the Triplett model 630NS and like yours is identical in everyway except for the 30 volt battery. This particular model uses a 1.5 volt AA battery to achieve the same readings in the high resistant scale. When I purchased this on EBay it came with a leather case, original test leads and owners manual all in mint condition. The only issue, the battery had leaked so I fabricated and repaired the 1.5 volt container to get the 100K scale working again, well worth the time and effort.

[tomperli]

Try the Metrawatt Unigor 4p .This is my mostly used Analog, beneath the Metrix MX 573 . But the Metrix is not a pure Analog one. In the older days, I also often used the Unigor 6e ( also electronic inside), but unfortunally this Meter gets in Trouble if you have a Cellphone in your pocket 😂😢.