Late post is late.
Many thanks to e-14 for this one. Some time in summer, I won a lovely bit of kit. At the time I was cursing, the day I found out I was only round the corner from the offices but couldn’t make it to drool in person. However, following a short wait (and a looong drive home from Leeds), I got home to find a box. What was inside it you ask? Simple, a Fluke 233 and some e-14 goodies.
The Fluke 233 is a remote display Digital Multi Meter with an impressive feature list including:
- Measure up to 1000 V ac and dc
- Measure up to 10 A (20 A for 30 seconds)
- 10,000 μF capacitance range
- Frequency to 50 kHz
Whats impressive about this, aside from the features, is the display. For those who have parts of systems scattered about, or in awkward places, or just want to monitor something from the other side of the room (We’ve all been there right?), the display module detaches. This allows you to connect up the meter as usual, but walk away (Up to 10 meters) with the display. To make it easier the display itself is magnetic allowing you to easily attach it to a nearby surface such as a control box you are working on. The main unit however is not so lucky. With the basic kit your only option is to carefully place it somewhere stable. Or, take advantage of one of the accessory kits. One such item is the ToolPak. This simple strap clips onto the back of your Fluke meter and adds the magnetic feature seen in the disaply module. Should you not have a magnetic surface available, you can always clip it onto another appropriate surface. Should you want to refrain from hanging about, there is the stand option, seen on many meters. Simply flip it out from the back of the meter to prop it up while you work.
Aside from the amazing remote display, the meter itself is pretty standard. Auto ranging, Min/Max/Avg options, temperature and frequency features, back light, true-rms etc. A good quality meter, great for any engineer working in potentially hazardous or awkward spaces.
While working with it, I haven’t had any major problems (The minor ones all being down to a lack of tea), the battery life is ok. It might struggle with heavy use, however it does not need anything special, just AA alkaline cells. The wireless function for the display turns off when connected to the main unit (and resorts to an IR connection, no dirty pins to deal with) in order to conserve power. Over all it is a very nice unit, well worth the money, if a little on the expensive side. Not one for beginners thats for sure!
My only complaints with it are with the kit contents. While it is not expected that the meter comes with a case, I do feel it could have came with one, or at least some nice bubblewrap to package it. For those considering getting one, or who have one I do recommend getting a case. You can get one from Fluke directly or locate one for yourself. Just don’t forget it must have room for all your accessories! My other complaint is with the manual. It is on CD. While not a problem for most users, some platforms may have issues opening the included files. Should you need the manual, you can soon download a copy from the Fluke website.
My rating? 9.9/10
Marks are lost for the manual not being as accessible as it could be.
Worth buying? Yes, if you are going to need the remote display, go for it, if not, stick with one of the other models and save the money from the batteries.
Well you get something that looks like this. Your next step as you may have guessed is to test it and use it. If you plan on using it with your Arduino to add a bootloader, you may become slightly confused by how to connect it. The best guide to tell you which way to plug it in can be found on the Adafruit forum