EEVblog 1382 - Keysight EDU34450A 5.5 digit Bench Multimeter TEARDOWN

Teardown of the new Keysight EDU34450A 5.5 digit Bench Multimeter

Buy anything through that link and Dave gets a commission at no cost to you.

Donate With Bitcoin & Other Crypto Currencies!

#Teardown #Keysight #Multimeter

[KeysightLabs]

16:16 and 20:08 - It's a custom Keysight chip!

[power-max]

Marketing at it's finest "how do we sell a 2.2 digit meter" "oh I know, call it a 5^1/2 digit multimeter!"

[MrSmeagolsGhost]

I do like the silk screens showing where the screws go. Costs them basically nothing but helps save manufacturing mistakes and makes repairs easier.

[asm_nop]

Not gonna lie.. for $700, this is pretty awful value. Looks like a handheld meter that they just strapped an oversized LCD to..

[Chris_Grossman]

Perhaps that structure is a surface resistance test structure for the PCB.

[rustyosgood]

@8:36: 495 SQ is a test coupon. This looks like a comb pattern SIR test coupon. SIR= Surface Insulation Resistance. Perhaps to guarantee that the surface treatment/s could withstand 600V (as shown somewhere else in your breakdown).

[ScottMarley]

I work in education and these would absolutely not be worth it. Students often leave the meters turned on with the leads open, so the relays will be dead in a few weeks. Classroom environments can also be loud - no way would you hear the continuity buzzer there. We're usually short of space, but you can't stack them. Has anyone who designs these things ever worked in an educational environment?!

[jegjessing]

Yes please video on guard traces would be so nice!

[PlasmaHH]

I think an in depth video about guard traces with experiments would be nice, like showing up disabling them changes measurements and stuf flike that

[switzerland]

It is feature stripped to not eat into sales of their professional kit. That is why they are able to market it into such a cheap price point.

[chefbink]

I don't like the form factor. It's neat but I like to stack my bench meters because I'm always using more then one at a a time. It's nice just to look at one spot and see 2 or more measurements. ( I have 4, stacked 2 high side by side)

[tHaHxr]

The nice thing about 'old fashioned' instrument form factors is that you can easily stack them, not so easy to do with these without shelving. Screen is nice and large though.
Also, the top component at 17:54 is not a LM393, but a TL072 (jfet opamp). Surprising to see so many jelly bean components in there, should make it a breeze to fix it if it breaks down for whatever reason. I suppose all the magic is of course in the ASIC.
Instead of a full review, it would be interesting to see it compared to other multimeters in the price range. Since this is supposed to be about 720 euro, it has to go up against the rigol dm3068 and siglent sdm3065x, which are both 6.5 digits (0.0015% instead of 0.015% accuracy) and the latter also has plotting. Of course for 200 euro more you also have the venerable 34450A, although it doesn't seem to offer anything special for the extra money.

[theovannieuwenhuizen]

Thanks for the teardown and brief function overview. I totally agree on skipping on the Power line cycles and plot options. PLCs are a must have!

[maximumiq]

Hi Dave, the slots in the PCB are not for isolation but merely for increasing creeping distance, in case pcb is operating near upper humidity limits. Creeping distance is not needed for inner layers for obvious reasons. Thanks for the nice teardown.

[NICK-uynl]

With an easy software upgrade for full screen trend plotting, this is a solid lab MM, with simultaneous two channel measurements, and built-in math functions for signal processing. And the color LCD screen looks good. The powerful ARM processor makes it a versatile platform for adding unlimited future functionality. Keysight may even make available different s/w libraries for download through internet connection and built-in web server.

[funtechu]

Daniel talked a little bit about it on the first day of KUL. All the smart essentials items use the same case, and then the right panel is different between each.

[eDoc]

Several people here have said they don't like these new shallow-depth bench instruments because they can't be stacked. It would be great if these units had the top shaped to allow stacking, maybe even a way to lock them together. Manufacturers: feel free to steal this idea.

[FlowersForYou]

You know Dave is getting paid when he's that nice about a not so great product

[xDevscom_EE]

Yay, teardown! ...LTZ1000A not detected... :) Eh, not even LM399... All that large display space wasted for non-existant trend and datalog plotting...

[sanityd]

Agree, why would I pay that much money for less than a 6.5digit meter? Marketing have got their fingers all over this. Keysight shouldn't be releasing a "new" 5.5digit benchtop meter in 2021 at all