EEVblog #185 - Fluke 87V Multimeter GSM Fix!

What have Fluke been up to since the infamous GSM mobile phone bricking incident back in Oct?
Not only have they fixed it, but they are giving an unprecedented exclusive look at their new pre-production board!

[Satchmoeddie]

Fluke has always been very serious. Back in the 1990s one of their model 74, or 77 meter production runs had an error where the unit would read zero at 480 VAC mains. Ouch! We all got recall notices, and our labor unions, and companies got notices and anyone with the bad units got a new meter. One of the copper mines had some medium voltage test point in an electrical vault. Probably once a year some poor bastard would start trying to probe it with some form of voltage tester. The old Wiggy solenoid testers would become like a zip gun and fly apart (usually right in someone's face). Cheap meters would blow up and the user was usually off the the hospital to have bits of his meter removed from his face & chest. The Fluke had all its caps under a fiber reinforced piece and they just produced smoke, and started to melt. I think the voltage was in the 34, 000 volt range. I recently picked up a data logging Fluke 89 V. I LOVE IT! I buy used components and will test them en masse, and I will do time over voltage or current tests, so it is just great!

[sonodrome]

Nice one Dave, your power of influence never ceases to amaze me! - Great work, well done to Fluke too, always great to see a big company listening to its customers :)

[QoraxAudio]

Good to know Fluke is still a good company, more companies can learn from that.
Back in the days when Fluke was still based in Holland, I lived near the development location.
It already had a good reputation back then.

[steeljan]

I'll bet it was indeed a JTAG reprogramming problem, probably a pull-up or pull-down not spec'd right, or not spec'd at all, on the processor. It could have just been one resistor needed for this fix, the others might be from on-going notes for other minor fixes, noise reduction, etc. Often companies keep running notes for "if we rev this again we will add that change" sort of thing and wait until a rev becomes necessary for a big problem. Cheers, thanks.

[CheckEmGG]

I was more impressed with those new Fluke CAT III/IV probes than the modifications of the meter itself.

[EEVblog]

@DanFrederiksen Stop being a fool, this meter costs much more than $10 to produce.
If you don't like Fluke prices, don't pay them, vote with your feet.

[andy]

Just unbelievable how much it affects the audio on the camera.

[TheThore]

TÜV = Technischer Überwachungsverein = technical verify company. It's a german company who tests devices in many test ranges. GS = Geprüfte Sicherheit = verified security. This means that the device fullfies security aspects, for example if it overheats or gets wet. If these symbols are missing, that those companies did not check this device.
Usually they are very reliable. (The Ü is not pronounced like "yoo" but like french u, somewhere between u and e) :)

[EEVblog]

@Vlakpage Oh, and I was told, but forgot to test, the new probes are supposed to have a different colour rubber under the outer skin of the lead, so you can easily see if the wire has been nicked!

[RandyLott]

It seems like the oscillator frequency is a bit lower in the new one. Probably due to slightly different component values. That's if there is even an analog audio generator. For all I know, it could be a digital signal from the micro.

[yanava]

Fluke and Tek are just awesome products. Great review Dave!

[EEVblog]

@hitachi088 Because they give you a "lifetime" warranty. And they actually keep spare parts, and provide an excellent repair and support service, even for 20 year old outdated models. Those things cost money.

[EEVblog]

Yes, it's been on the shelves for quite some time now.

[EEVblog]

@pieznice29 Hmm, possibly. I don't know the exact mechanisms at play there. But I suspect it's more likely to b a new supplier and/or a improved design.

[eurokid]

I knew Fluke would come through with a fix for the GSM problem. Can't wait to get one of these newly revised meters!

[MasterNiva]

I try this GSM test on my 87-V and it did not show any alteration or turn off at all.
The new LCD´s segments look brighter with and without ilumination. I love it

[hodmt]

You can easily compare boards (or any two similar items) by crossing your eyes but maintaining focus, like you're viewing a stereogram. Line up the two images and the differences will immediately become obvious.

[ThinKkBIGG]

A comparison with the 87V Max would be interesting too.

[EEVblog]

@DanFrederiksen I do both. But in this case I never had any problem with paying good money for good quality precision and well supported tools. Quality components do not come cheap, quality service does not come cheap, precision does not come cheap.
Companies are in business for the sole purpose of making money. They will charge what the market fior that product is willing to pay. Show me the price for the next nearest meter to a Fluke 87V in terms of quality and precision...

[Nadrealis]

I like that they fixed the problem but I think I like the old PCB look better (^:! I like the crispness and contrast of the design and the traces look great. I guess you can never have it all!

Oh well, at least they revised the damn thing! When was the last revision of it?!