Graphic Multimeter

[komobu]

Hi;

I am looking for a graphic multimeter for professional automotive use. I currently have a Fluke 88V, but would really like graphic abilities for testing digital sign waves like crank position sensors. I would also like to be able to see ignition patterns.

Thanks for any recomendations

 

[Phog Allen]

I am not sure there is such a thing as a graphical meter in the sense that it would be like a hand held multimeter. If I am understanding this correctly, you need it to display waveforms or something close? If so then you may need a oscilliscope or a Fluke Scopemeter. Either option is going to be pricey. The scopemeters from Fluke can run upward of $2500. Then again, there may be something in between I am not aware of. This is interesting. I hope you get a better response than my lame attempt.

 

[Vulturej]

http://au.fluke.com/auen/products/F...ame=FlukeAustralia&category=OBS(FlukeProducts)

 

[john w]

If you want a Fluke, it's an 867-B, but they don't make them anymore, so you'll have to get a used one. I bought a used Fluke Scopemeter, model 98, series 2 from aeswave.com, and am very happy with it. These are also out of production. I believe the Snap-on Vantage is a graphing multimeter.

 

[AutoTech]

For viewing sensor waveforms and ignition patterns I would look no further than the Snap On Vantage pro. It's a 2 channel oscilloscope, multimeter, graphing multimeter, and ignition scope. I've used one everyday for several years now and don't kow how I would get along without it to be honest! look on Ebay you can find them pretty reasonable there! HTH

 

[Rory Bellows]

sounds expensive

 

[komobu]

For viewing sensor waveforms and ignition patterns I would look no further than the Snap On Vantage pro. It's a 2 channel oscilloscope, multimeter, graphing multimeter, and ignition scope. I've used one everyday for several years now and don't kow how I would get along without it to be honest! look on Ebay you can find them pretty reasonable there! HTH

Thanks for the heads up...I will check them out. What are the instructions like? We have a Modis at work and I find it difficult to use with limited instructions.

Thanks again for the heads up.

 

[komobu]

Autotech...

The vantage MT2400 can be had for about 200-300 on ebay. The Vantage Pro is over 1000. Could you please help me out and explain the difference between the two?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Pat

 

[AutoTech]

The Vantage Pro is the same scope that is in the Modis except vantage pro is 2 channel instead of the Modis 4 channel. For instructional training you might look at AESwave.com or auto-video.com, there dvd's are kind of pricey but will give you some good training on getting the most from you diagnostic equipment.HTH

 

[AutoTech]

Autotech...

The vantage MT2400 can be had for about 200-300 on ebay. The Vantage Pro is over 1000. Could you please help me out and explain the difference between the two?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Pat

Pat
I've never used tbe vantage mt2400 before so I'm not real sure what the difference is in the MT2400 and the Vantage Pro. I don't think the MT2400 will give you a secondary ignition testing without the KV module that plugs into it and then it only gives a graph, doesn't give you a true ignition waveform. Being that the vantage pro is a DSO (digital storage oscilloscope) it will probably have faster time bases for catching intermittant glitches over the mt2400 being it's a PGM (power graphing multimeter) But like I said i've never used the MT2400 so I don't really know alot about it's capabilites. If your a beginner in using scopes for diagnotics the MT2400 will probably work just fine. I know it's been around for quite a few years before the vantage pro came out so I would say it's a pretty good tool that has fixed alot of cars. Maybe one of the other techs will come in and give there opinion if they have used a MT2400. HTH

 

[HolisticPerformance]

http://us.fluke.com/usen/products/Fluke+289.htm?trck=289

Nobody has mentioned this one, wouldn't it be a great consideration?

 

[doug.j]

Is there some reason that regular oscilloscopes are not often used for auto service? Just curious.

 

[AutoTech]

http://us.fluke.com/usen/products/Fluke+289.htm?trck=289

Nobody has mentioned this one, wouldn't it be a great consideration?

Fluke makes a fantastic product and I could be wrong but this particular one looks like it has only one channel. I regularly use 2 or more channels. The more channels the better, thats why I'm considering buying a 8 channel Escope Pro from Automotive test solutions, great for finding those pesky intermitant stalling problems when no codes are being set. With more channels the faster you find the problem the quicker you get the vehicle fixed and out the door. Time is money.

 

[HolisticPerformance]

those pesky intermitant stalling problems when no codes are being set.

You must be talking about the whole rust under the wheel speed sensor, traction engaged with normal driving, but no codes set? Good guess?

 

[Danglerb]

A scope is for digging into problems where most techs would rather swap modules until it goes away. Most of the guys I know don't even like doing electrical work, and a scope is "worse". Scopes need to be setup correctly, connected correctly, and waveforms need interpetation, so its easy to why some don't want them.

Ebay has some small scopes, Velleman and some cheaper Chinese instrument about $170. No special reason I think of why a small scope could not be made cheaply and of decent quality, but I suspect the number of them sold is too small for economies of scale to kick in.

 

[AutoTech]

A scope is for digging into problems where most techs would rather swap modules until it goes away. Most of the guys I know don't even like doing electrical work, and a scope is "worse". Scopes need to be setup correctly, connected correctly, and waveforms need interpetation, so its easy to why some don't want them.

Ebay has some small scopes, Velleman and some cheaper Chinese instrument about $170. No special reason I think of why a small scope could not be made cheaply and of decent quality, but I suspect the number of them sold is too small for economies of scale to kick in.

Your right you either love electrical work or you hate it. Me I love it, would rather do it than anything. Scopes have a real learning curve to them. I've been using one for several years now and still learn something new and find new ways to use them all the time. Just takes alot of practice and knowledge of how the system your working on works.

 

[HolisticPerformance]

Your right you either love electrical work or you hate it. Me I love it, would rather do it than anything. Scopes have a real learning curve to them. I've been using one for several years now and still learn something new and find new ways to use them all the time. Just takes alot of practice and knowledge of how the system your working on works.

I love it when I don't care about turning hours. However, the other 99.94% of the time, it seldom pays for the headache, effort, and experience required to do it properly.

 

[Gearhead559]

Your right you either love electrical work or you hate it. Me I love it, would rather do it than anything. Scopes have a real learning curve to them. I've been using one for several years now and still learn something new and find new ways to use them all the time. Just takes alot of practice and knowledge of how the system your working on works.

i love it too, but it not always coming in the door, and isnt the most profitable at times.

 

[jimmycrackcorn]

When i was at a shop i was one of the few that used the Modis that we had for that reason, scopes will be around more now that everything is hooked into a multiplex system. Where i work now, every new bus has to go through multiplex even to just turn a light bulb on, as far as buying your own it's good, but if your shop has one you should utilized it first before getting your own. Not that hard setting it up if you just get the right info on how to use it.....

 

[Danglerb]

More and more things are going to be "fly by wire", no electrical connection between actuators and controls, everything will go to a cpu and come from it. When that happens a scope "might" be useful with a lot of documentation to back it up, but most of the trouble shooting will be through some diagnostic connection where the cars brain tells you what to fix.

 

[HighVoltage]

Is there some reason that regular oscilloscopes are not often used for auto service? Just curious.

To keep the cost on target for the conditions and application. They produce a product to meet the robustness for "field" conditions but can keep the costs down for automotive signal sampling frequencies.

Most typical scopes are for sitting in a nice temperature controlled setting, not outdoors or in a shop. Most of the signals in an automotive application are relatively low. The higher the freq of the signal you want to measure/capture and the more $$ it will cost you in a scope.

Then there are all the whiz-bang features they can keep out and keep the $$ down that nobody really needs for automotive...