Fluke 101 multimeter

[Axtman]

I was looking for an inexpensive, durable, small multimeter to take to hamfests, swap meets and guitar shows. That way I could check out a few items before I bought them.

I have a couple of really cheap multimeters that I don't trust. I especially wanted something with auto power off.

My "daily driver" meter is a Fluke 87V but that thing does not fin in a pocket. I also have a Fluke 117 but even that meter is too big.

I recently bought this Fluke 101 basic multimeter. It is surprisingly small and lightweight. I really like it. It checks out against my other meters. My only complaint is the leads are 4 feet long. Luckily I had some shorter 2 feet leads.

The price on Amazon is $45!

[Axtman]

Really cheap multimeters make my skin crawl and scare me. I really do want to have all my fingers because I use them to type on this forum! ;-)

I am confident enought to test mains voltage with this meter.

[g1]

It's 600V Cat III rated, but make sure your replacement probes are.

[DrGonz78]

Yup early on I had a cheap meter that was not up to the high voltage range of a tube amp. Well it gave a tingle to the hand when I checked the B+ voltage. I learned real fast to be more knowledgeable with regards to such dangerous voltages.

My favorite way to measure is using clip on lead’s when measuring voltages. I minimize hand held probing as much as possible. I had a friend over at the shop who observed my overly cautious behavior and he commented on it. Of course I explained my logic but to him it seemed overly cautious as if that was not necessary. Which is just fine with me since I am the one spending hours upon hours around these potentially dangerous devices. When I need to hand probe for voltages I have to elevate my sense of awareness of my surroundings. Either way that I use test leads I am fully confident in my ability to control my surroundings and maximize my potential safety at all times. Even if it looks funny to anyone else. F them anyway.

[Axtman]

Thank g1. Good point about the probes. That is probably why the meter came with real Fluke TL75 test leads.

My main reason for getting this meter was to check items at sales. For example check the resistance (impedance) of speakers and guitar pickups. Check capacitors. Check battery voltages. Check continuity of fuses. Check resistance of resistors. Check transistors, diodes, Etc.

Maybe....and I do mean maybe occassionally check mains voltages.

I do not plan on using this meter to work on tube amps. I have already tempted the angel of death way too many times!

I like the auto power off feature. It beeps three times as a warning. Then a minute or two later it beeps and shuts off. A meter with a dead battery is not very useful.

And as I said before it is small enough for a shirt pocket so I don't have to lug around a big meter, set it down and inevitably lose it.

[Axtman]

Okay I changed my mind. After seeing a few tear down / review videos I have decided that (with the correct Fluke probes) it is safe to work on mains voltage and higher voltages with the Fluke 101 meter. I should have known that Fluke, who built their reputation on safety, would not skip on safety on their low cost multimeters.

Here is a good review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPtqSbotgps

[DrGonz78]

It’s like watching Dave on EEVlog go through all these “Dodgy” meter tear downs. Usually the cheap ones don’t decouple effectively and the name of the brand isn’t something you ever heard.

[Axtman]

Papa bear, mama bear, baby bear!

[Chuck H]

Oooh... It's so tiny! My solution has always been to wear clothes with bigger pockets and just take my 87

Anyone wearing old OP cargo pants besides me? I've been known to gripe about shirt pockets being too small too. Sometimes you need to stick something in a pocket!!! People that sacrifice practicality for fashion aren't the ones getting things done. And shame on them for being dead weight. But I digress...

Nothing at all wrong with securing a smaller but still good quality meter I can think of a few times it would have worked out for me.

On a similar note I carry a good pocket knife at all times and keep it sharp. I'll bet I hand it to people who know I carry it as much as I use it. Just sayin'. It's a useful and easy thing to maintain and keep on hand. What's happening to the world that people think all you need is a debit card and car keys only to find themselves stuck without a basic tool for survival???

[Axtman]

The Fluke 101 is small and inexpensive but has quality input protection....unlike those other cheap junk meters!

[Helmholtz]

BTW, the Fluke 87 has a lesser known but useful feature.
It can measure extremely low conductance in the nS (nanoSiemens) range.
Conductance is the inverse of resistance. Unit is 1 Siemens (S), formerly also called mho in the US.
One Ohm equals 1/S. One nS corresponds to 1 GigaOhm.

This can be used to detect the (leakage) resistance of coupling caps, boards, ESD mats etc. up to tens of GigaOhms.
Sometimes takes a while for the reading to settle.

[Axtman]

Thanks Helmholtz. There are also some "hidden" features of the Fluke 87V

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyyySNcjfzA

One thing to be aware of is the Fluke 101 is not RMS. It is an averaging meter.

[Helmholtz]

One thing to be aware of is the Fluke 101 is not RMS. It is an averaging meter.

Yes, and it doesn't measure AC or DC current and its ACV frequency limit is 500Hz.

[Helmholtz]

No one asked, but it might be useful to consider a reference example regarding the leakage conductance of coupling caps (or boards):
When a coupling cap is connected between a plate sitting at 200V and the grid of the following stage using a 1M grid leak resistor to ground, even a cap leakage resistance as high as 200M (way above the limit of typical Ohmmeters) would increase the grid voltage by 1V, significantly upsetting the bias.
Assuming a 0.1V grid voltage increase as tolerable, the leakage resistance should not be lower than 2 GigaOhm corresponding to a conductance of 0.5nS or less.

[Axtman]

If you want current measuring capability, in a pocket sized meter, I recommend Fluke 107. This meter also has a backlight and is about twice the price as the Fluke 101. I just wanted and inexpensive, yet reliable and safe, meter to do some basic measurements. If I want more accuracy then I will use my Fluke 87V.