I have a couple of Fluke 7-600s that I just love for simplicity, but one of them is really screwed now. Reads like 50% off (so 12v car work reading ~18v, house 110 reading 180v, then 0 etc. I'm assuming there is a calibration service or repair that one can do. Do others just send it back in to Fluke? Are there other great options? I live in the Dayton Ohio area. TIA for any options you're aware of. These meters aren't sold anymore and I do love mine; love to have it operational again.
Source for Fluke calibration?
- Thread starter Goldhawg
- Start date
cvairwerks
Well-known member
First thing is to is make sure you've got good batteries in it. If it's still reading way off, Fluke is probably the best bet on repair/calibration. I had my bench meter redone by them way long years back when the LCD got damaged. I think they had it maybe three days and it was on the way back and the cost was pretty minimal for the time.
tool_scrounge
Well-known member
Agreed. A few fluke models (like the 87-III) can have odd readings when the battery is low. For reference, The 87 and 87V do not have this issue.
Wrench97
Well-known member
I like my meter, and they seem to go for several hundred dollars used (if you believe the asking price). Should I expect the calibration service to cost more than a couple hundred dollars?
I honestly don’t know. I simply hand my stuff over to the dispatcher at my shop and they send them out and hand them back to me when they are shipped back. I don’t have to pay for the service so I don’t know the cost.
I would hazard a guess it would be $150 minimum.
As far as the cost of those meters I have a model 12 which is very similar and does a little more than the model you have and think it was only about $100 when I bought it.
If you like the meter only you can justify the cost.
Do it yourself, its easy, page 3-10.
tool_scrounge
Well-known member
Look at this as an excuse to buy a used Fluke 515a portable calibrator
data sheet
https://www.sglabs.it/en/product.php?s=fluke-515a&id=2101
data sheet
https://www.sglabs.it/en/product.php?s=fluke-515a&id=2101
In general if the meter is way off it's not a calibration issue. To be clear, calibration is just checking to make sure the meter is within spec. Things either pass or fail calibration. Adjustment is what you do if there is something you need to change to put the meter back in spec. In general, Fluke meters aren't adjustable. I'm not saying they can't be but if the meter is that far off you are looking at a repair, not an adjustment. If you visit the EEVblog with pictures the people there may be able to tell you what is wrong. I've fixed a few meters where the issue was some type of damaged component. This guy has several examples on his blog
Your meter may well be fixable but odds are no one will do it for a reasonable price. At the same time you can get a Fluke 101 for <s>$50</s> $70 (damn the price went up) off ebay or a bit more off Amazon. It's a good equivalent Fluke product. You can also get a Brymen based Greenlee DM-200A off Amazon for $100. The 200A is a really nice basic meter with Fluke levels of safety.
There are a lot of meters I would consider generally better than that Fluke even though I do have a soft spot for Fluke meters.
Your meter may well be fixable but odds are no one will do it for a reasonable price. At the same time you can get a Fluke 101 for <s>$50</s> $70 (damn the price went up) off ebay or a bit more off Amazon. It's a good equivalent Fluke product. You can also get a Brymen based Greenlee DM-200A off Amazon for $100. The 200A is a really nice basic meter with Fluke levels of safety.
There are a lot of meters I would consider generally better than that Fluke even though I do have a soft spot for Fluke meters.
whateg01
Well-known member
Fluke 101 is over 90 on Amazon now