I have a METEX M-3650 that I bought new in 1987, when I was finishing my training as an electrical technician. I'm still using it, and I've never felt the need to change it. I like its sturdiness, and its patina of accumulated grime for 25 years.
Ich habe das 3800 ohne M vorne weg. Mein Metex funktioniert bis heute. Seit etwa 1980. Mein Metex ist braun. Es ist unglaublich wie der Ein/ Aus- Schalter bis heute seinen Dienst tut. Die Schleifkontakte musste ich mal reinigen, und die Messleitungen wechseln.
This was my first DMM and still is the one that I use today personally. In work I have had all sorts of Fluke meters and other high end makes, but I never felt the need to replace this as my personal meter. Especially as my Uncle who was an electrician gave me it as a present way back in the early 1990s.
Same at my school in the Netherlands. For the more advanced (how do you call it?) practicals? there was an auto ranging ABB meter. But we started of with analog multimeters.
Loved this video! I have the M-3650, almost the same, I think i have used it all my life. Still works perfectly indeed. The battery change is a bit of work, but lasts for a long time. Cheers, greetings from the Netherlands.
Used it for 9 years working as an elevator technitian. Loved the carry case, newer got damaged in the tool box thanks to her.. when battery is low you get funky readings so i changed it every 3-4 months. It did the job, no complaints.
Wow. I don’t remember seeing other double-sided rotary selectors on the channel. Nice solid input jacks and that shielding sheet is gorgeous and thick. That’s one nice vintage meter.👍
Correct! It's also referred to as a "Jesus Clip" believe it or not..simply because they can fly off into oblivion if Improperly removed causing all sorts of heavenly remarks. (True story). 👍
Ah, nostalgia! I owned one of these for many years. It was my first multimeter and at that time the best I could afford. Mine was brown though. Maybe an earlier model. It did not have the GS certification. And the axle on which the knob was mounted in mine was made of plastic. Which I managed to break :-) and fix :-p For the rest I think my Metex M-3800 was exactly the same. So I guess Metex learned and improved the design of this axle. But I think the Radio museum might be right in this sense that I dug up one of my oldest electronics magazines (Elektor magazine) of June 1986 which holds an add for this make and model multimeter but in the brown version. Maybe the yellow version is from the 90's. It's a shame I can not post a picture of that. By the way, the ic under the LCD is the famous ICL7106.
Great info! Appreciate hearing the trip down memory lane..what a great multimeter indeed! If you could scan and send a pic of that add to netplicity1@gmail.com, I'll post it on our website. (www.keepontesting.com).👍
@@KeepOnTesting The LOW BATTERY symbol is coming on during turn-off because the switch is disconnecting the instrument from the battery, which leads to its main supply capacitor discharging, in other words dropping its voltage as it powers down, so the symbol is merely telling you the supply voltage has gone below 7+ volts or whatever they have set as the low battery level. Your instrument and its battery are both fine.
I bought this in 1994 for a course I was doing at the time for the then equivalent of 46 Euros. It still works perfectly today. Mine has a small sticker on the back it "Not for domestic use"!
All silicon seems to have been manufactured by JRC (Japan Radio Co., Ltd.), a well known brand known for it's quality components and high-end amateur radio equipment.
I still have mine Metex 3610 (afair the number, it's not here at the moment). Purchased for a ton of money at late 80's (capitalist things were wery expensive behind the curtain). Still works, however, a major failure happened about 10 years ago - it died. But it's main circuit is an tht ICL circuit, so it was easy to be replaced (it's not soldered, it's mounted on a stand) and my meter works as new (after trimming the pot). The good (and bad) in this meter is a lack of 20A range fuse. In some kind of tests it easy to blow away such fuse by eg. capacitor discharge, but may be dangerous in other situations.
Double-sided rotary tracks, double-sided shielding, fast continuity, accurate reading, woowww... This one is a real deal. 😍 Btw, is the look of those cheapo DT830 meters came from this one? they look similar... 🙄
Its true, alot of look-alike multimeters came out after this version... Built much better than I had anticipated 👍 still can't get over the 2x rotary tracks..crazy ! They definitely weren't concerned about production co$ts when they dreamed this up!
I use this one as my one and only MM. Mine does look a bit more "used" and has a slightly different facing, like missing the GS logo. But mine has a serial 512xxx and must be even older. Still using the original probes.
Maybe the extra selector tracks at the back of the chip were used for testing purposes in the factory, as they didn't wanted to scratch the front? LOL 🤣
In Serbia you can buy similar multimeter for 25$ made buy UNI-T. About a year ago you could have bought exactly this multimeter but they now sold out. I can post a link but comment will be removed again. Also they do not send beyond serbia.
Can you send me that sold out link via emai? Netplicity1@gmail.com Btw I think I know which UNI-T multimeter you are referencing, but it's only similar in style. Nothing like the Metex internals.
Looks like a very nice meter. Do you still have any Radio Shacks left? I was at one of the last remaining radio shacks near me a couple of weeks ago and saw some RS branded meters for 19.99 and was wondering what you thought of it. I was tempted to buy it just because it had the RS logo.
Oh by all means grab them ! They are terrific multimeters and offer great 👍 performance. Unfortunately we have no RadioShack locations keft here..a real shame..Please Email me : netplicity1@gmail.com
@@KeepOnTesting I have also a mini 7106 meter with only 4 pairs of tracks on its rotary switch, but it has an additional sliding switch to select between VAC, VDC, mA and Ω. With two pairs of tracks again...
How on earth do you remove the back to get to the battery? I have one of these but haven't used it for years. Needed to dig it out to check a friend's laptop charger but battery was flat of course. Cannot for the life of me see how to access the battery or fuse. Help please!
Hi Pete, There is 1 Philips screw in the back of the multimeter. Make sure to remove it fully, than carefully nudge the back off. Let me know if you need pics I can always send a few if it helps. 👍
I just search for METEX M-3800 an found this video. Have the same multimeter. But something is wrong, just measured battery voltage and it fluctuates. I have a wish to repair it
Hello friend. Do you know what value do 2 resistors have ? ( the black one and brown one just above V+ and COM plug-ins. Mine are blown and can't be readable. Thx )
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I still use it today. and even after all these years it works perfectly
I have a METEX M-3650 that I bought new in 1987, when I was finishing my training as an electrical technician. I'm still using it, and I've never felt the need to change it. I like its sturdiness, and its patina of accumulated grime for 25 years.
Ahhh..love the patina look too.. glad it has served you well !
Ich habe das 3800 ohne M vorne weg. Mein Metex funktioniert bis heute. Seit etwa 1980. Mein Metex ist braun. Es ist unglaublich wie der Ein/ Aus- Schalter bis heute seinen Dienst tut.
Die Schleifkontakte musste ich mal reinigen, und die Messleitungen wechseln.
Dieses Multimeter scheint auch heute noch sehr beliebt zu sein! Das sagt viel über Metex! Ich freue mich, dass es bei dir immer noch gut läuft. 😊
I have a METEX M-3650 with more features. Brought it on 83or 84and still working perfect
Wow, that's definitely a testament to the lasting build quality of yesteryear! 👍
This was my first DMM and still is the one that I use today personally. In work I have had all sorts of Fluke meters and other high end makes, but I never felt the need to replace this as my personal meter. Especially as my Uncle who was an electrician gave me it as a present way back in the early 1990s.
Ahhh...what a great story. 👍 Your uncle was a wise man ! It's still a great multimeter today..
We had those in high school in the late 80's / early 90's.
Wow..better than the 830 clones I see being used today.
Same at my school in the Netherlands. For the more advanced (how do you call it?) practicals? there was an auto ranging ABB meter. But we started of with analog multimeters.
We had analog meters in school too, i think they where from Phillips.
I am also from the Netherlands.
Well, that's really rather nice BUT it's your HP that makes me salivate 😀
..😁. yes the HP tends to have that effect on people..
Loved this video! I have the M-3650, almost the same, I think i have used it all my life. Still works perfectly indeed. The battery change is a bit of work, but lasts for a long time. Cheers, greetings from the Netherlands.
Hi Jan..great to hear ..sounds like that Metex was built to last !! 🙂👍Big shout out to the Netherlands 🇳🇱
@@KeepOnTesting how do you change battery please
Used it for 9 years working as an elevator technitian. Loved the carry case, newer got damaged in the tool box thanks to her.. when battery is low you get funky readings so i changed it every 3-4 months. It did the job, no complaints.
That's a great bit of history..it definitely looks rugged enough. Thanks for sharing 👍
Wow. I don’t remember seeing other double-sided rotary selectors on the channel. Nice solid input jacks and that shielding sheet is gorgeous and thick. That’s one nice vintage meter.👍
It's a great find.. I use it every now and then and it still performs beautifully 😍
7:45 i think it's called E clip 😁
Correct! It's also referred to as a "Jesus Clip" believe it or not..simply because they can fly off into oblivion if Improperly removed causing all sorts of heavenly remarks. (True story). 👍
Better made than I pictured, nice find for the vintage segment.
Surprised me too Mike!
Ah, nostalgia! I owned one of these for many years. It was my first multimeter and at that time the best I could afford. Mine was brown though. Maybe an earlier model. It did not have the GS certification. And the axle on which the knob was mounted in mine was made of plastic. Which I managed to break :-) and fix :-p For the rest I think my Metex M-3800 was exactly the same. So I guess Metex learned and improved the design of this axle. But I think the Radio museum might be right in this sense that I dug up one of my oldest electronics magazines (Elektor magazine) of June 1986 which holds an add for this make and model multimeter but in the brown version. Maybe the yellow version is from the 90's. It's a shame I can not post a picture of that. By the way, the ic under the LCD is the famous ICL7106.
Great info! Appreciate hearing the trip down memory lane..what a great multimeter indeed! If you could scan and send a pic of that add to netplicity1@gmail.com, I'll post it on our website. (www.keepontesting.com).👍
I send the scan. I hope it is any good.
I still use it today. and even after all these years it works perfectly
Stylish item. Very cool for the time. There are even trimming resistors for each block of the circuit.
Cool video, thanks.
They really paid attention to the details on this Metex..would probably cost a fortune to mass produce nowadays. 🥴
@@KeepOnTesting Yeah )
I got this exact same model, a cousin from Germany sent to me in Bosnia in 1995. I still use it to this day.
That's great to hear.. it's a well built multimeter with alot of personality! Still looks 👍 good to.
@@KeepOnTesting The LOW BATTERY symbol is coming on during turn-off because the switch is disconnecting the instrument from the battery, which leads to its main supply capacitor discharging, in other words dropping its voltage as it powers down, so the symbol is merely telling you the supply voltage has gone below 7+ volts or whatever they have set as the low battery level.
Your instrument and its battery are both fine.
@@edinfific2576 Great 👍 info ! True enough because the battery tested fine 🙂 👌
I bought this in 1994 for a course I was doing at the time for the then equivalent of 46 Euros. It still works perfectly today. Mine has a small sticker on the back it "Not for domestic use"!
Not for domestic use...hehe..that's worth the prive of admission! Good t to hear it's still doing a great job! 👍
All silicon seems to have been manufactured by JRC (Japan Radio Co., Ltd.), a well known brand known for it's quality components and high-end amateur radio equipment.
great video !
Glad you enjoyed it 😊
I still have mine Metex 3610 (afair the number, it's not here at the moment). Purchased for a ton of money at late 80's (capitalist things were wery expensive behind the curtain). Still works, however, a major failure happened about 10 years ago - it died. But it's main circuit is an tht ICL circuit, so it was easy to be replaced (it's not soldered, it's mounted on a stand) and my meter works as new (after trimming the pot).
The good (and bad) in this meter is a lack of 20A range fuse. In some kind of tests it easy to blow away such fuse by eg. capacitor discharge, but may be dangerous in other situations.
7:47 this is called either a "C" clip or "E" clip depending on your location
Double-sided rotary tracks, double-sided shielding, fast continuity, accurate reading, woowww... This one is a real deal. 😍
Btw, is the look of those cheapo DT830 meters came from this one? they look similar... 🙄
Its true, alot of look-alike multimeters came out after this version... Built much better than I had anticipated 👍 still can't get over the 2x rotary tracks..crazy ! They definitely weren't concerned about production co$ts when they dreamed this up!
At first, it also seemed to me that it looked like the 830th, but the 830th is far from such circuitry.
I use this one as my one and only MM. Mine does look a bit more "used" and has a slightly different facing, like missing the GS logo. But mine has a serial 512xxx and must be even older. Still using the original probes.
Hi Robert..
Wow great to hear your METEX is still going strong !! What a great multimeter 👍
Maybe the extra selector tracks at the back of the chip were used for testing purposes in the factory, as they didn't wanted to scratch the front? LOL 🤣
Dang..why didn't I think of that..😁👍
Sometimes the date would be put as year and week of manufacture ... So this might be the 38th week of 1994?
Roger that..I guess we're in the ballpark 👍
In Serbia you can buy similar multimeter for 25$ made buy UNI-T. About a year ago you could have bought exactly this multimeter but they now sold out. I can post a link but comment will be removed again. Also they do not send beyond serbia.
Can you send me that sold out link via emai?
Netplicity1@gmail.com
Btw I think I know which UNI-T multimeter you are referencing, but it's only similar in style. Nothing like the Metex internals.
Looks like a very nice meter. Do you still have any Radio Shacks left? I was at one of the last remaining radio shacks near me a couple of weeks ago and saw some RS branded meters for 19.99 and was wondering what you thought of it. I was tempted to buy it just because it had the RS logo.
Oh by all means grab them ! They are terrific multimeters and offer great 👍 performance. Unfortunately we have no RadioShack locations keft here..a real shame..Please Email me : netplicity1@gmail.com
They use two sets of tracks because a non-autoranging 7106 meter usually needs six pairs of tracks.
Ahhh-hah...
You my friend are a wealth of 7106 knowledge! 👍
@@KeepOnTesting I have also a mini 7106 meter with only 4 pairs of tracks on its rotary switch, but it has an additional sliding switch to select between VAC, VDC, mA and Ω. With two pairs of tracks again...
Just wondering Darren, does that genuine fuse have a letter T or F stamped on it after the rating to mean either slow blow or fast blow 🤔
I'll double check when I'm back in the lab Derek....👍
F2AL250V , 2 Amp Fast Acting 👍
How on earth do you remove the back to get to the battery? I have one of these but haven't used it for years. Needed to dig it out to check a friend's laptop charger but battery was flat of course. Cannot for the life of me see how to access the battery or fuse. Help please!
Hi Pete, There is 1 Philips screw in the back of the multimeter. Make sure to remove it fully, than carefully nudge the back off. Let me know if you need pics I can always send a few if it helps. 👍
I just search for METEX M-3800 an found this video. Have the same multimeter. But something is wrong, just measured battery voltage and it fluctuates. I have a wish to repair it
It's a great multimeter ..definitely worth repairing.
Hello friend. Do you know what value do 2 resistors have ? ( the black one and brown one just above V+ and COM plug-ins. Mine are blown and can't be readable. Thx )
Hello, I will report back in a day or 2 with the values 😀
You forgot it my friend to write the values of resistors inside the multimeter?
More metex multimeter video want .
Why my comment removed?
I have not removed ANY user comments. RUclips sometimes does weird and mysterious things. Please repost your original comment. 👍
8-8-2022, ant i telling you. i haf one.. ant work fantasic..
bay it in??? i tink the 80ste ??
Yes 80s my friend! Fantastic multimeter
that's not a "cotter pin", you dolt. Its a "C clip"
"Dolt" ? What are you 99 ? Sheesh..go back to cable.
Cheap.
Like borscht at a Ukrainian hostel on a Sunday night all u can eat buffet 😋 😉
@@KeepOnTesting Ага, кушайте не обляпайтесь )