I used a lot of these devices back in the early 00s and I didn't realize how much I missed them until your recent series ❤ thanks!
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This is actually mid-90's technology. They kept on making them for many years since it was a very popular instrument. As mentioned in a previous comment, forget about selecting the range. This is an auto-ranging unit. Just measure! Thanks!
Very nice! I do like a good VFD display. Had plenty of appliances with them when I was growing up. Anyway, something tells me it's time to replace the resistors in your substitution box! Not much use if most of the values are wrong.
Beats the EEVBlog Brymen big time :) Oh, and you may want to put 0.5% or 1% resistors in that Heathkit... it serves you so well that it deserves good components :) And with those adapters you can get into the RF stuff pretty easy. Ham radio licence and all that jazz!
One of the most common place and best everyday lab/bench DMMs out there. The autorange function is one of the best i have seen on any instrument so far. Apart from occasional blown tantal caps these things tend to simply last "forever" (some batches had issues with the vfds, though). Also, easy to open, nothing to break if you are slightly careful. There also is a HRC fuse inside near the back, that will blow if the fuse in the back cannot handle the surge.
Agilent is a blast from the past for me, 25 years ago I was working as a lab technician and I may be wrong but I think we used an Agilent for titrations of silver solutions- arhhh the good old days
Quick history lesson (from an old Hewlett Packard employee): Hewlett Packard was formed in the late 1930s by two electrical engineering students at Stanford University (Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard). Their first products were audio oscillators (sold to Walt Disney for use in the sound track of Fantasia). HP was a electronic instrument company for it's first 25 years. The next area the company diversified into was instruments for analytical chemists (started with gas chromatography with the acquisition of F&M Scientific in Avondale, Pennsylvania, then into liquid chromatography with the acquisition of Hupe-Busch in Karlsruhe, West Germany). They then diversified into medical imaging systems and computers & computer peripherals (printers & scanners). In 1998, Lew Platt (the last Bill & Dave - hand-picked CEO) retired and the board hired Carly Fiorina. Within a few years, Carly spun-off everything but the computer group (into Agilent Technologies). Agilent (as a separate company) sold the medical imaging business to Philips, and subsequently spun-off the electronic instrument business (into Keysight Technologies). The old HP analytical chemistry instrumentation business is the only thing remaining with the Agilent name. Somewhere along the way, the computer group of Hewlett Packard split into "HP" and "Hewlett Packard Enterprise". It's a sad tale... a once great, diversified company which took Bill & Dave (and their hand-picked successors) 50 years to build, was (IMHO) destroyed within 2 years by Carly Fiorina. After HP got rid of Carly, they hired Mark Hurd (who was also a disaster), then Leo Apotheker (also a disaster) and finally Meg Whitman (the best CEO since Lew Platt retired - however she inherited a company that was a mere shadow of it's former glory).
This is the most popular bench multimeter in the world. Because it was the best one. And the best commercial 8.5 digit bench multimeter is still the Keysight 3458A closely followed by the Fluke 8508A. However this information was gathered before the Fluke 8558A was out.
My go-to bench meter: I have the much more modern Keysight 34465A and Keithley DMM6500 on the bench, but the quick boot of the 34401A means it's the first (and often only) one that gets switched on. Other Pros include the diode mode, Hi-Z resistance mode, and continuity. On the cons, the menu system still remains a challenge for me despite years of use, but thankfully I rarely need to use it.
Before assuming the low values in your sub box are are bad, check those test leads don't have a lot of resistance or have a problem. Could also be the hi-lo switch is resistive too. Stuff like that would not be so noticeable on the higher resistances. Looks like a very nice meter!
Another nice instrument, still worth beaucoup bucks even on eBay! I like it so much more than the HP 3478 with the LCD which is so hard to read. I guess enough people must have complained that they went away from LCD and back to VFD. But still not as good as the HP 3455 with the glorious red LEDs!
I have one of these. It' has a lot of digits that I will never use... Plus the fan is loud! Nice to own but unless you are more techy than me, slightly pointless. :D
Whichever video Fran is talking about as the last video with nonfunctional equipment isnt showing up for me in the Videos tab on the Franlab channel. Anyone else not seeing that video?
Maybe I am wrong, but for measuring these low resistors values (in ohm range) I'd like to measure the empty wire probes first. Or set zero value for them, if it is possible with this device.
I used a lot of these devices back in the early 00s and I didn't realize how much I missed them until your recent series ❤ thanks!
This is actually mid-90's technology. They kept on making them for many years since it was a very popular instrument. As mentioned in a previous comment, forget about selecting the range. This is an auto-ranging unit. Just measure! Thanks!
Time to rebuild your resistor box. That is a nice meter. Jealous plus! 🙃
Just let it auto range. You only have to select the function. I love mine. Glad you got some great kit.
Fran, the jacks on the front and back with "4W" are for highly accurate 4 *wire* (not "watts") resistance measurements.
Amazing the power of analog
Matt is a real life 🎅 Santa!
That 2.2k resistor read was hilarious. 🤣
Very nice! I do like a good VFD display. Had plenty of appliances with them when I was growing up.
Anyway, something tells me it's time to replace the resistors in your substitution box! Not much use if most of the values are wrong.
Beats the EEVBlog Brymen big time :)
Oh, and you may want to put 0.5% or 1% resistors in that Heathkit... it serves you so well that it deserves good components :)
And with those adapters you can get into the RF stuff pretty easy. Ham radio licence and all that jazz!
These are really great meters... Another nice bit of kit and video. That box of adaptors is superb and expensive to buy....
people grew up with this little beast and its older cousins. priceless. they don't make them like this anymore. excellent!
One of the most common place and best everyday lab/bench DMMs out there. The autorange function is one of the best i have seen on any instrument so far. Apart from occasional blown tantal caps these things tend to simply last "forever" (some batches had issues with the vfds, though). Also, easy to open, nothing to break if you are slightly careful. There also is a HRC fuse inside near the back, that will blow if the fuse in the back cannot handle the surge.
Agilent is a blast from the past for me, 25 years ago I was working as a lab technician and I may be wrong but I think we used an Agilent for titrations of silver solutions- arhhh the good old days
Quick history lesson (from an old Hewlett Packard employee):
Hewlett Packard was formed in the late 1930s by two electrical engineering students at Stanford University (Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard). Their first products were audio oscillators (sold to Walt Disney for use in the sound track of Fantasia). HP was a electronic instrument company for it's first 25 years. The next area the company diversified into was instruments for analytical chemists (started with gas chromatography with the acquisition of F&M Scientific in Avondale, Pennsylvania, then into liquid chromatography with the acquisition of Hupe-Busch in Karlsruhe, West Germany). They then diversified into medical imaging systems and computers & computer peripherals (printers & scanners). In 1998, Lew Platt (the last Bill & Dave - hand-picked CEO) retired and the board hired Carly Fiorina. Within a few years, Carly spun-off everything but the computer group (into Agilent Technologies). Agilent (as a separate company) sold the medical imaging business to Philips, and subsequently spun-off the electronic instrument business (into Keysight Technologies). The old HP analytical chemistry instrumentation business is the only thing remaining with the Agilent name. Somewhere along the way, the computer group of Hewlett Packard split into "HP" and "Hewlett Packard Enterprise".
It's a sad tale... a once great, diversified company which took Bill & Dave (and their hand-picked successors) 50 years to build, was (IMHO) destroyed within 2 years by Carly Fiorina. After HP got rid of Carly, they hired Mark Hurd (who was also a disaster), then Leo Apotheker (also a disaster) and finally Meg Whitman (the best CEO since Lew Platt retired - however she inherited a company that was a mere shadow of it's former glory).
That's a beautiful meter - the "standard" in the industry for a decades. I still have mine, but I don't use it as there isn't room on the bench.
Just picked one up on ebay from a real test gear company. Excited
That's cool! Love the 80's style display, hopefully that's capable of four wire resistance.
Yep, you must use the left hand ports in addition (labelled 4W (4 wire))
A legend in the bench top DMM world. Still use the HP version daily in my lab.
I worked for a Fluke distributor, stepping out of that bubble, I see other manufacturers of quality test equipment. This is a real gold mine!
My, my, Christmas has come early.
This is the most popular bench multimeter in the world. Because it was the best one. And the best commercial 8.5 digit bench multimeter is still the Keysight 3458A closely followed by the Fluke 8508A. However this information was gathered before the Fluke 8558A was out.
Wonderful Fran. I cannot wait to see how you arrange this new equipment in the one and only FranLab!
My go-to bench meter: I have the much more modern Keysight 34465A and Keithley DMM6500 on the bench, but the quick boot of the 34401A means it's the first (and often only) one that gets switched on.
Other Pros include the diode mode, Hi-Z resistance mode, and continuity.
On the cons, the menu system still remains a challenge for me despite years of use, but thankfully I rarely need to use it.
Before assuming the low values in your sub box are are bad, check those test leads don't have a lot of resistance or have a problem. Could also be the hi-lo switch is resistive too. Stuff like that would not be so noticeable on the higher resistances. Looks like a very nice meter!
And clean the contacts on the rotary switches.
Exelent Multimeter The 34401A, tks lady, 🎩
The connectors are amazing.
Another nice instrument, still worth beaucoup bucks even on eBay! I like it so much more than the HP 3478 with the LCD which is so hard to read. I guess enough people must have complained that they went away from LCD and back to VFD. But still not as good as the HP 3455 with the glorious red LEDs!
Thanks Fran
Nice! These were all expensive test equipment when new.
When I got mine I replaced the large caps inside, some of them go bad.
Now you can make a video of you replacing the resistors in that Heathkit with hand picked ones you can now measure accurately with the new meter.
I have one of these. It' has a lot of digits that I will never use... Plus the fan is loud! Nice to own but unless you are more techy than me, slightly pointless. :D
Wow that VFD is beautiful - none of that LCD/LED rubbish.
Wouldn't you rather do a 4 wire on the decade box?
nice bench meter Frannie, I have the HK condenser substitution box. was getting some weird values turns out the selector knob was loosey goosey
Whichever video Fran is talking about as the last video with nonfunctional equipment isnt showing up for me in the Videos tab on the Franlab channel. Anyone else not seeing that video?
Those GPIB ports could be incredibly useful on Agilent equipment. I used them with a computer to control and collect data from the units.
"These are for external junk." LOL--love it
Maybe I am wrong, but for measuring these low resistors values (in ohm range) I'd like to measure the empty wire probes first. Or set zero value for them, if it is possible with this device.
Fyi, the last I knew (former HPer) the first two numeric digits in the serial number indicates mfg years after 1960, so MY44… equals Malaysia 2004.
Clean the switches on the R box. Might help
time to upgrade the probes to kelvin probes and take advantage of the 4 wire measurement capability.
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