This type of meter thay are for life use thay are made to last I love analog multimeter and i use them daily in my work Sometimes i even trust their measurements more than digital Thanks for posting god bless you
I am a Dutch collector off old analog multimeters. I now have 20+ AVO meters and several other brands. Nice analog precision meters Good to see that they are still appreciated. Beautiful old technology that must be preserved. By the way, Nice extensive video. Keep it up Jeff.
Beste, Ik ben een amateur 60s technologie reparateur... Ik verzamel samen met een vriend zowat alles waar weerstanden en elkos zitten 😂 Van cos φ meters tot dood normale Multimeters... To the point weet u wat de beste manier is om bakeliet te polijsten zonder dat je een Formaldehyde geur krijgt en je doekjes bruin worden... Van opleiding volg ik Electromechanica en ben zelfgeschoold in chemie en horlogerie 🙂
Ik ben niet erg bekent met de eerste thermoharders vandaar de vraag... Mijn vader die een burgerlijk ingenieur scheikundige is vindt dat ik hier zelf het antwoord op moet vinden... Geweldige gast maar strenge lessen 😞
These were the first meters I used in circuit testing, when at the age of twelve I started secondary school in 1982. Older children got modern digital multimeters, but I still loved the sound and feeling of those dials on the front of the Avometer clicking round.
While I was an apprentice at British Aerospace, I managed to accidentally knock one of these off the top of a tall trolley onto the floor. It broke the case pretty badly exposing all the inards and I was quite horrified and worried I would lose my job. My supervising engineer instructed me to take it to suchabody in Standards Lab and ask him if he would re-calibrate it straight away. This suchabody happened to be the Superintendant and was known to be very cantankerous (though I had no idea who he was). Anyway, in I walks and asks for him and then passed on the request for immediate re-calibration of the pile of bits in my hands. Well, his face turned a peculiar shade of purple and he stood up and put his face very close to mine and told me in no uncertain terms to "GET OUT OF MY FUCKING OFFICE AND NEVER COME BACK". One of many important lessons learned during my 4 1/2 years.
I was lucky enough to get one of these for free also. I have a modern multimeter, but it can't come anywhere close to how incredible this looks. It's a work of art.
Great, this needed to be done, thankyou from the UK. (..and well done for repairing the case. Bakelite is quite 'repair friendly' in some ways) We hope that education like this will reduce the number of these meters that get converted into decorative mutations such as table lamps!
Thank you for posting this great video!. A superb quality reconditioning job I must say!. My WW2 veteran Dad owned X3 or four of these. MOD issue 😚🇬🇧 I am so sick of cheapy multimeters I just bought one of these.He was an electronics expert & he built radios to sell around Manchester UK in the early 1930's. Later he became a Tank Radar & rapier missile expert doing fault finding until his retirement. Dad fought with the Canadian 3rd Armoured Brigade the renowned Desert Rats by the way. He held all Canadians & the land in very high regard. High praise indeed from my ex REME clever Dadio. 15v Batteries to fit or to make fit available from £5.
Jeff, maybe you already know this, as the video is more than a couple years old, but purportedly the AVOmeters used a 15V carbon-zinc battery, with a boxy rectangular shape, which was also commonly used in some early transistor radios. I believe these were known as NEDA 208. Exell currently makes an alkaline replacement they call the 411A, and Amazon sells them for about $25. I have a couple old Weston-Schlumberger model 660 multimeters (which Heathkit sold in kit form as the IM-105 during the 1970s), which use this kind of battery, along with a 1.5V "D" cell. The D cell provides excitation voltage for all the Ohms ranges except the highest one, which is the only place where the 15V battery is used.
I have an Multiminor made by AVO that I rebuilt from 2 of them, one with a bad meter movement and the other had the little round board burned up. Great little meter. Nice to see you back posting videos Jeff!
True, but such was their impact on the market that in my experience ALL multimeters were referred to as Avo - a generic name like Hoover or Velcro. It was a shock to me when I discovered that Avo had a meaning and wasn't named after the person who invented it.
Ive got a Mk7 AVO and it still works a treat, but the Mk8 has more useful ranges... AVO were among the best analog mutimeters you could get and were a standard in many TV/radio repair-shops around the world except the US perhaps
I still use my Avo 8Mk3 often set up to measure current when I am testing. I intercepted it before it hit the dumpster in 1981 when the factory electrician where I worked traded it for a new Fluke. it's been faithful since then. AVOs are great meters despite being bulky and heavy. Not really common in Canada like Tripletts or Simpsons but arguably better meters. BTW, The operating instructions are printed on both sides of the rear plate so if you wanted to clean the meter up for show purposes, there can be nice, unscratched lettering just by turning it over, unless someone has already done so.
I still use my Mk9 IV almost every day. I also have a Mk40 with a full set of shunts, all in a boxed kit courtesy of Royal Navy surplus. I use a Fluke too but it all depends on the job I'm doing. Although the 15v battery is still available here in the UK it's expensive so I use a stack of button cells, cr2032 I think, 5 X 3v in a little tube I made. Much cheaper 😉
The BLR121 15 volt battery 🔋 is available online at a few different outlets. There is also make your own battery videos on RUclips of you wish to use cell batteries I think they are CR2032 and installed in a short piece of PVC pipe.
My OLD go to meter was the Simpson 260 , these meters are " still " viable , just need a little TLC , every now and then ! Meter " movement " may need a little special care . Remove batteries for storage ! In the " good old days " the unreliable " digital " meters could get YOU KILLED !
INS is insulation resistance measurement. Using either an external source of 130VDC or the "Model 8 Resistance Range Extension Unit" accessory, you can meaure resistances up to 200 megohms. LNR is low resistance measurement and also uses the Resistance Range Extension Unit. It allows measurement of lower resistances than the basic meter alone. The manual has more details.
@@radiotvrepair1059 I don't know the details, but you might be able to find this extension unit from a source like eBay, or you can Google for the circuit and you might be able to build one yourself.
This type of meter thay are for life use thay are made to last
I love analog multimeter and i use them daily in my work
Sometimes i even trust their measurements more than digital
Thanks for posting god bless you
I am a Dutch collector off old analog multimeters.
I now have 20+ AVO meters and several other brands.
Nice analog precision meters
Good to see that they are still appreciated.
Beautiful old technology that must be preserved.
By the way, Nice extensive video. Keep it up Jeff.
Beste,
Ik ben een amateur 60s technologie reparateur...
Ik verzamel samen met een vriend zowat alles waar weerstanden en elkos zitten 😂
Van cos φ meters tot dood normale Multimeters...
To the point weet u wat de beste manier is om bakeliet te polijsten zonder dat je een Formaldehyde geur krijgt en je doekjes bruin worden...
Van opleiding volg ik Electromechanica en ben zelfgeschoold in chemie en horlogerie 🙂
Ik ben niet erg bekent met de eerste thermoharders vandaar de vraag... Mijn vader die een burgerlijk ingenieur scheikundige is vindt dat ik hier zelf het antwoord op moet vinden... Geweldige gast maar strenge lessen 😞
Thanks for the review Jeff, glad to see you're still posting videos!
These were the first meters I used in circuit testing, when at the age of twelve I started secondary school in 1982. Older children got modern digital multimeters, but I still loved the sound and feeling of those dials on the front of the Avometer clicking round.
While I was an apprentice at British Aerospace, I managed to accidentally knock one of these off the top of a tall trolley onto the floor. It broke the case pretty badly exposing all the inards and I was quite horrified and worried I would lose my job. My supervising engineer instructed me to take it to suchabody in Standards Lab and ask him if he would re-calibrate it straight away. This suchabody happened to be the Superintendant and was known to be very cantankerous (though I had no idea who he was). Anyway, in I walks and asks for him and then passed on the request for immediate re-calibration of the pile of bits in my hands. Well, his face turned a peculiar shade of purple and he stood up and put his face very close to mine and told me in no uncertain terms to "GET OUT OF MY FUCKING OFFICE AND NEVER COME BACK". One of many important lessons learned during my 4 1/2 years.
I was lucky enough to get one of these for free also. I have a modern multimeter, but it can't come anywhere close to how incredible this looks. It's a work of art.
Great, this needed to be done, thankyou from the UK. (..and well done for repairing the case. Bakelite is quite 'repair friendly' in some ways)
We hope that education like this will reduce the number of these meters that get converted into decorative mutations such as table lamps!
Amazing the company had been making them for so long! Thanks for sharing...
Thank you for posting this great video!. A superb quality reconditioning job I must say!.
My WW2 veteran Dad owned X3 or four of these. MOD issue 😚🇬🇧 I am so sick of cheapy multimeters I just bought one of these.He was an electronics expert & he built radios to sell around Manchester UK in the early 1930's. Later he became a Tank Radar & rapier missile expert doing fault finding until his retirement.
Dad fought with the Canadian 3rd Armoured Brigade the renowned Desert Rats by the way. He held all Canadians & the land in very high regard. High praise indeed from my ex REME clever Dadio. 15v Batteries to fit or to make fit available from £5.
We call them *_AYVOH_* meters here in Britain.
>
Still love my trusty AVO 8 ...Class analogue meters...
Jeff, maybe you already know this, as the video is more than a couple years old, but purportedly the AVOmeters used a 15V carbon-zinc battery, with a boxy rectangular shape, which was also commonly used in some early transistor radios. I believe these were known as NEDA 208. Exell currently makes an alkaline replacement they call the 411A, and Amazon sells them for about $25.
I have a couple old Weston-Schlumberger model 660 multimeters (which Heathkit sold in kit form as the IM-105 during the 1970s), which use this kind of battery, along with a 1.5V "D" cell. The D cell provides excitation voltage for all the Ohms ranges except the highest one, which is the only place where the 15V battery is used.
Good to know that there are replacement batteries available. Thanks.
I have an Multiminor made by AVO that I rebuilt from 2 of them, one with a bad meter movement and the other had the little round board burned up. Great little meter. Nice to see you back posting videos Jeff!
Jeff it's not a-v-o its avo .We don't say the letters in rapid succession but as a name. Thanks for reviewing a British workhouse.
True, but such was their impact on the market that in my experience ALL multimeters were referred to as Avo - a generic name like Hoover or Velcro. It was a shock to me when I discovered that Avo had a meaning and wasn't named after the person who invented it.
Ive got a Mk7 AVO and it still works a treat, but the Mk8 has more useful ranges... AVO were among the best analog mutimeters you could get and were a standard in many TV/radio repair-shops around the world except the US perhaps
classic meters...got one...thanks for the review
I still use my Avo 8Mk3 often set up to measure current when I am testing. I intercepted it before it hit the dumpster in 1981 when the factory electrician where I worked traded it for a new Fluke. it's been faithful since then. AVOs are great meters despite being bulky and heavy. Not really common in Canada like Tripletts or Simpsons but arguably better meters. BTW, The operating instructions are printed on both sides of the rear plate so if you wanted to clean the meter up for show purposes, there can be nice, unscratched lettering just by turning it over, unless someone has already done so.
I still use my Mk9 IV almost every day. I also have a Mk40 with a full set of shunts, all in a boxed kit courtesy of Royal Navy surplus. I use a Fluke too but it all depends on the job I'm doing.
Although the 15v battery is still available here in the UK it's expensive so I use a stack of button cells, cr2032 I think, 5 X 3v in a little tube I made. Much cheaper 😉
Although rather expensive, the 15V battery is indeed available on line.
Man, great overview, Mr. Tranter!! Thanks for this video. Sub!
Nice, I have an Avo in my shed (one of my dads avo's)
Never realised AVO = Amps Volts Ohms!
The BLR121 15 volt battery 🔋 is available online at a few different outlets. There is also make your own battery videos on RUclips of you wish to use cell batteries I think they are CR2032 and installed in a short piece of PVC pipe.
Hi there. I’ve inherited one of these from my dad. The cut out button has sprung out. Can you please advise on how to reset this? Many thanks. Pete.
Very nice item.
Contrary to the commentators view the 15-volt battery is available.
Mate it's not A V O meter it's pronounced Avo as a word it's based in Dover 15 miles from my house and a life long friend is a manager there.
My OLD go to meter was the Simpson 260 , these meters are " still " viable , just need a little TLC , every now and then ! Meter " movement " may need a little special care . Remove batteries for storage ! In the " good old days " the unreliable " digital " meters could get YOU KILLED !
Thanks for this vedio.
How I use LR and INS measurement
INS is insulation resistance measurement. Using either an external source of 130VDC or the "Model 8 Resistance Range Extension Unit" accessory, you can meaure resistances up to 200 megohms. LNR is low resistance measurement and also uses the Resistance Range Extension Unit. It allows measurement of lower resistances than the basic meter alone. The manual has more details.
@@jefftranter thanks where i can find the extension for measuring low resistances or i can build this extension
@@radiotvrepair1059 I don't know the details, but you might be able to find this extension unit from a source like eBay, or you can Google for the circuit and you might be able to build one yourself.
The reset button won’t stay in.