As far as I'm concerned, they could have left the speakers off completely and used the savings to provide data logging over USB or Bluetooth. Would have made it more useful. Can't imagine ever using the Bluetooth speakers for anything. Or, if they had included a signal tracing function and used the speakers to let you hear the signal you're tracing, that might have been useful.
I was thinking remove that usb for a XT30 plug and it could be gutted out for more Batteries, XYS3580 , RPi 4B with a UPS Hat and a 7 inch flip up touch screen ? ... could still keep a little of the speakers for listening to the news only without the passive base.
It is funny how people who own it say they are delighted, and those who never used it say it is junk. I have had one in my small shop for about a year, and love it. Is the clock totally inaccurate? Yes! Is the music costly junk? No, I personally enjoy listening to internet music channels while working. Is the 18650 battery system stupid? I don't think so, rather it seems having been a bright idea to work from a clean power source, which allows for precise low range measurements without having to include a more expensive low noise power supply. It is well worth the money, intuitive and handy. I hardly reach the portable DMM anymore, only when in case of doubt and have never found this bench meter reading to be wrong. I love it!
At 17:40 you state that "There is no capacity marking on the provided batteries"... Hmm.. At 4:07, 2000mAh (Written in BIG) can be clearly seen on the batteries.
I've had this multimeter on my bench for two years, and it worked pretty well for me. Just out of curiosity I just decided to test the bluetooth speaker functionality, and damn that thing sounds better than my JBL Flip4.. and had cost less than that. I don't know who had that weird idea, but they did an impressive job.
This multimeter is an interesting device. I also had one on the table after seeing your review. I often use it as a multimeter, timer and thermometer, rarely using the speaker. If they turn the bluetooth speaker function into a data connection with a smartphone that looks like a lot of good things. Thanks for your review
nice review. thanks. I'm interested in how it functions on capacitance reading. this is often a 'difficult' function for cheap meters and some are down right kludgy. i also wonder how quickly it can measure a resistor. i think the bluetooth speakers are there for ballast ; to keep it stable on the benchtop. an audio input would have been useful. then it could double as a signal tracer. maybe a bluetooth signal tracer probe could be a useful accessory and nicely isolated also. you can tell I'm an audio tech
Ive had one of these for some time and im very pleased with it. I have no use for the bluetooth junk and my only real complaint is I really wish they had put the on / off switch on the front - but it seems more than accurate enough for the average guy and construction to me is pretty good quality and the boards build quality really is better than expected, I love mine so far. I just as soon wish I could have gotten it without the BT garbage and put that money into a front mounted power switch and enhanced accuracy - not that its accuracy is bad, but after all its primarily a meter not a jukebox, but I had no choice in the matter its an odd design to build the BT speaker crap into a bench meter, but its chinese so anything is possible with their unusual marketing mindsets.
.... Well done Mate, they unfortunately missed the mark, they need you and I in their design/marketing department. 4 X 18650's, Lose the speakers/clock. as you say USB-C, power button on the front, could have been more useful for their target market/demographic.
@@daviddevillers6790 some 18650 cells are meant for spot welding and so they don't have the button caps which would prevent them from reaching all the way to the contact area.
it is 25% of the way towards saving up for a brymen bm869s... i prefer this saving up longer time. for the better choice for lifetime tool you will use every day. now the bm869 is not a benchtop meter.... but then 3d print a stand holder for it will keep it more secure on the desk and stop it from toppling / falling over
I will 100% recommend saving for a high quality, high performance meter but in some cases it will never reach it's full potential so it's worth considering lower cost alternatives if they get the job done.
Bluetooth, temp and clock on a bench meter?.... WTF!.... No, just no 🤣 If they spent that extra design/bom cost on producing a better meter then it wouldn't have 5% accuracy plastered all over the spec sheet... It would have 1 or 2% I like Aneng products for what they are, I have a AN8008 in the van for breakdowns/general use, its a great meter for £18 I'd steer clear of this one though!
Exactly. This is the cheapest bench multimeter you can find with autorange. It has no one to compete against in its price range as far as I know. If they make a slightly better specced serious multimeter, a lot of beginners and electronics enthusiasts with small budgets will buy one. At that price, it would be great. I discarded this one just because of the gadgets. I just don´t want to pay for that stuff.
@@JosepsGSX exactly that... Forget the Bluetooth, silly clock and temp module... Gimmee some quality! It's around £55, down from around £80...at that price I would like slightly higher precision (it's down to a budget, after all!) and more focus towards a serious hobbyists tool in general design rather than a Monty Python sketch of a tool, They did OK with their previous cheapo meter offerings, reasonable precision and quality (as tested on EEV) for around £20 or so.... I have one in the van, This is a disappointment, the screen viewing angle is a bit rubbish for working on heavy stuff you don't want to lift to the bench, I have to move the meter? They missed out on cornering the cheapo hobbyist bench meter market with this one, but don't worry, they'll be back with a new model in 3 months!... They always do
45 ЛЕТ ЗАНИМАЛСЯ РЕМОНТОМ РАДИОЭЛЕКТРОННИКИ , ПРИБОРОВ КИП , НАСТРОЙКОЙ ИРЕМОНТОМ АСУЛ , пользовался различными измерительными приборами , лучший SANWA PC 520M ?по классу точности 0.1 , чувствительностью , более высокими пределами измерения , удобностью пользования на объектах , малый вес , не чувствительность к сифазным наводкам , пользовался 20 лет без проблем , хотел купить новый но аналогичных нет , цена - качество
Looks like a piece of junk! I expect a benchtop meter to come with it's own power supply. I don't consider 18650 batteries to be removable. And the generic ones are dangerous. Does this product have any safety certifications? And who wants a time/temperature display on their bench meter? No one! Buyer beware!
Disagree with the PSU, everyone has a spare USB power supply around or a PC to plug in to. Having removable batteries is nice for shipping, legally shipping li-ion is a pain, and most likely this thing can just run off USB with no batteries. Agree that its junk.
@@jaro6985 My point was that 18650 batteries were originally made for notebook computer battery packs and are not meant to be removable. They can be dangerous as we've seen in exploding vaping devices etc. No way I would trust those generic Chinese cells.
@@johncoops6897 18650 batteries were originally made for battery packs. Not removable batteries. Chinese junk mills make them removable to get around safety certifications.
Nobody ever - "I need a multimeter combined with a bluetooth speaker, a thermometer, and an alarm clock". China - "Hold my beer".
As far as I'm concerned, they could have left the speakers off completely and used the savings to provide data logging over USB or Bluetooth. Would have made it more useful. Can't imagine ever using the Bluetooth speakers for anything. Or, if they had included a signal tracing function and used the speakers to let you hear the signal you're tracing, that might have been useful.
I was thinking remove that usb for a XT30 plug and it could be gutted out for more Batteries, XYS3580 , RPi 4B with a UPS Hat and a 7 inch flip up touch screen ?
... could still keep a little of the speakers for listening to the news only without the passive base.
It is funny how people who own it say they are delighted, and those who never used it say it is junk.
I have had one in my small shop for about a year, and love it.
Is the clock totally inaccurate? Yes!
Is the music costly junk? No, I personally enjoy listening to internet music channels while working.
Is the 18650 battery system stupid? I don't think so, rather it seems having been a bright idea to work from a clean power source, which allows for precise low range measurements without having to include a more expensive low noise power supply.
It is well worth the money, intuitive and handy. I hardly reach the portable DMM anymore, only when in case of doubt and have never found this bench meter reading to be wrong.
I love it!
At 17:40 you state that "There is no capacity marking on the provided batteries"... Hmm.. At 4:07, 2000mAh (Written in BIG) can be clearly seen on the batteries.
Good catch, missed that because they were rotated around when I first checked.
.... I would weigh those batteries (34 Grams I imagine) that would save me time testing their capacity.
I saw this advertised a while back, and thought it was a strange combination. Thanks for reviewing...
Those 2 big chips (sop48?) are probably just a clone of the HT1621 LCD driver, I would guess there is one on each side to control each LCD.
Could be!
I've had this multimeter on my bench for two years, and it worked pretty well for me. Just out of curiosity I just decided to test the bluetooth speaker functionality, and damn that thing sounds better than my JBL Flip4.. and had cost less than that. I don't know who had that weird idea, but they did an impressive job.
This multimeter is an interesting device. I also had one on the table after seeing your review. I often use it as a multimeter, timer and thermometer, rarely using the speaker. If they turn the bluetooth speaker function into a data connection with a smartphone that looks like a lot of good things. Thanks for your review
i will buy the next version that will include T12 soldering iron, integrated AM radio and condom dispenser.
This looks like the perfect bedside multimeter - but you didn’t mention an alarm?
Doesn't seem to have an alarm and unfortunately the clock is expected to be inaccurate because there is no RTC circuit.
I love to measure voltages in bed
@@voltlog There is a quartz visible in BT/clock section. Sure it HAS RTC hidden somewhere.
You're like sunshine on a rainy day.
I saw the listing for this and the marketing material. Quite funny.
Think I'll stick with my old faithful Keithley 2000 and maybe make a bluetooth speaker as a project. I note there are 2 speakers, but is it stereo?
Is your Gopher PSU open source Control Panel project still a thing? Would be nice to see a update
Unfortunately that's on hold..
nice review. thanks.
I'm interested in how it functions on capacitance reading. this is often a 'difficult' function for cheap meters and some are down right kludgy.
i also wonder how quickly it can measure a resistor.
i think the bluetooth speakers are there for ballast ; to keep it stable on the benchtop.
an audio input would have been useful. then it could double as a signal tracer.
maybe a bluetooth signal tracer probe could be a useful accessory and nicely isolated also.
you can tell I'm an audio tech
A truly cursed device.
If only it had a built-in radio and CD player, it would be the ideal Christmas gift. :)
.... Made me laugh, well done Mate. (What about an Oxy-pulse meter as well).
Im pretty disappointed they didnt include a microwave oven and an icemaker - FAIL-!! LOL
The batteries were marked 2000mah weren’t they?
Ive had one of these for some time and im very pleased with it. I have no use for the bluetooth junk and my only real complaint is I really wish they had put the on / off switch on the front - but it seems more than accurate enough for the average guy and construction to me is pretty good quality and the boards build quality really is better than expected, I love mine so far. I just as soon wish I could have gotten it without the BT garbage and put that money into a front mounted power switch and enhanced accuracy - not that its accuracy is bad, but after all its primarily a meter not a jukebox, but I had no choice in the matter its an odd design to build the BT speaker crap into a bench meter, but its chinese so anything is possible with their unusual marketing mindsets.
what's the max voltage in diode mode? can it measure modern LEDs with >3 V drop?
👍
I lost interest when the Bluetooth speaker was mentioned. I could never take it seriously.
.... Well done Mate, they unfortunately missed the mark, they need you and I in their design/marketing department.
4 X 18650's, Lose the speakers/clock. as you say USB-C, power button on the front, could have been more useful for their target market/demographic.
Maybe I missed it but I was wondering if it was Capable of 4 wire measurements?
No, only 2 wires, like a small, but 4wires measurements are rares in a amator lab
Finally someone reputable to talk about this thing
Do you have to do anything to make it work on batteries?
nope, it just works.
@@voltlog It ended up being the 18650 batteries not making contact with the battery contacts. Some adjusting of the springs made it work. Thank you!
@@daviddevillers6790 some 18650 cells are meant for spot welding and so they don't have the button caps which would prevent them from reaching all the way to the contact area.
can confirm. clock drifted by 4 minutes over the period of a week.
I have the same meter! The clock is useless and looses several minutes an hour.
Unfortunately I expected that due to the lack of an RTC circuit.
It appears to have a 32kHz crystal, which should be accurate enough for basic time keeping. Probably some issue in the micro.
.... On the bright side, it confirms Einstein's time dilation, just factor in your relative speed before checking the time !
Mine is very accurate on a month. You was not Lucky 😢
it is 25% of the way towards saving up for a brymen bm869s... i prefer this saving up longer time. for the better choice for lifetime tool you will use every day. now the bm869 is not a benchtop meter.... but then 3d print a stand holder for it will keep it more secure on the desk and stop it from toppling / falling over
I will 100% recommend saving for a high quality, high performance meter but in some cases it will never reach it's full potential so it's worth considering lower cost alternatives if they get the job done.
Bluetooth, temp and clock on a bench meter?.... WTF!.... No, just no 🤣
If they spent that extra design/bom cost on producing a better meter then it wouldn't have 5% accuracy plastered all over the spec sheet... It would have 1 or 2%
I like Aneng products for what they are, I have a AN8008 in the van for breakdowns/general use, its a great meter for £18
I'd steer clear of this one though!
Exactly. This is the cheapest bench multimeter you can find with autorange. It has no one to compete against in its price range as far as I know.
If they make a slightly better specced serious multimeter, a lot of beginners and electronics enthusiasts with small budgets will buy one. At that price, it would be great.
I discarded this one just because of the gadgets. I just don´t want to pay for that stuff.
@@JosepsGSX exactly that... Forget the Bluetooth, silly clock and temp module... Gimmee some quality!
It's around £55, down from around £80...at that price I would like slightly higher precision (it's down to a budget, after all!) and more focus towards a serious hobbyists tool in general design rather than a Monty Python sketch of a tool,
They did OK with their previous cheapo meter offerings, reasonable precision and quality (as tested on EEV) for around £20 or so.... I have one in the van,
This is a disappointment, the screen viewing angle is a bit rubbish for working on heavy stuff you don't want to lift to the bench, I have to move the meter?
They missed out on cornering the cheapo hobbyist bench meter market with this one, but don't worry, they'll be back with a new model in 3 months!... They always do
They are also balanced charging the battery but cheap caps.
45 ЛЕТ ЗАНИМАЛСЯ РЕМОНТОМ РАДИОЭЛЕКТРОННИКИ , ПРИБОРОВ КИП , НАСТРОЙКОЙ ИРЕМОНТОМ АСУЛ , пользовался различными измерительными приборами , лучший SANWA PC 520M ?по классу точности 0.1 , чувствительностью , более высокими пределами измерения , удобностью пользования на объектах , малый вес , не чувствительность к сифазным наводкам , пользовался 20 лет без проблем , хотел купить новый но аналогичных нет , цена - качество
It looks like a 90's car stereo :)
i have it but the time is always wrong after 2 days
Yeah, I don't think it uses an RTC for accurate time keeping.
Everything but some real accuracy measurements????
If it’s was like 30-40 bucks I would be willing to get it.
Atleast they are doing something different.
This reminds me of those shitty K-Tel and Ronco products advertised on TV in the 70s. Combined shoehorn and potato peeler, etc.
Looks like an Alarm Clock...;-)
ignoring that you could get a decent JBL Go and a handheld Aneng at this price....
I don't have a single usb type c cable or device, but i do have mini usb devices and cables
That's pretty rare these days!
@@voltlog I have a single type C cable and an adapter that I bought to be ready. I don't have a single thing to plug them into, however.
Also the clock and the alarm for testing yes speakers not so much.
A meter is a meter ! Why adding Bluetooth, temp and clock ? No need.... Expensive for a gadet !
Looks like a piece of junk! I expect a benchtop meter to come with it's own power supply. I don't consider 18650 batteries to be removable. And the generic ones are dangerous. Does this product have any safety certifications? And who wants a time/temperature display on their bench meter? No one! Buyer beware!
Disagree with the PSU, everyone has a spare USB power supply around or a PC to plug in to. Having removable batteries is nice for shipping, legally shipping li-ion is a pain, and most likely this thing can just run off USB with no batteries. Agree that its junk.
@@jaro6985 My point was that 18650 batteries were originally made for notebook computer battery packs and are not meant to be removable. They can be dangerous as we've seen in exploding vaping devices etc. No way I would trust those generic Chinese cells.
@@johncoops6897 18650 batteries were originally made for battery packs. Not removable batteries. Chinese junk mills make them removable to get around safety certifications.
@@johncoops6897Have you ever seen a flashlight that uses 18650 cells that's not made in China?
@@johncoops6897 www.today.com/news/loose-lithium-ion-batteries-cause-fire-hazard-being-sold-major-t208884