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Topic: My meter bites the dust (Read 1137 times) previous topic - next topic

My meter bites the dust

my old fluke and i have been together now for about 15 years.  It was a fluke 77.  I was troubleshooting a microwave to see why it was not heating up food. This was a very old microwave dated 1981 on the inner cover.

anyways,, im about to check for power going into a really large capacitor.  My brain says stop but i ground out my neg lead and approach the cap with my red.  Within 2 inches of the cap terminal i see blue spark jump up to my meter lead.  My boys , who were distracted in beating eachother with sticks,, stopped dead in thier tracks and said " dad? what was that noise, it sounded cool, do it again"

I pretty much concluded that my microwave had a faulty magnatron and my meter was fried.

im now pissed cause my meter just simply flashes increasing and decreasing digits all on its own no matter the setting. 
so,, i keep the board for parts and toss the case.  Ive needed that meter a dozen times in the past three weeks and feel pretty lost without it.

Re: My meter bites the dust

Reply #1 –
Since I only have a py ~$20-ish test meter, I gotta ask:

Which costs more? A new Fluke, or a new microwave..?

That was mostly rhetorical.. I had a chance to buy someone's spare Fluke a few years back, and passed on it. Wish I hadn't.

Re: My meter bites the dust

Reply #2 –
Quote from: jcassity

im about to check for power going into a really large capacitor.  My brain says stop but i ground out my neg lead and approach the cap with my red.  Within 2 inches of the cap terminal i see blue spark jump up to my meter lead. 

im now pissed cause my meter just simply flashes increasing and decreasing digits all on its own no matter the setting. 


You're lucky you eyes arn't flashing increasing and decreasing digits. :crazy: NEVER try to read the voltage on the cap in a microwave(well you know that now), and discharge it before removing..
 

Re: My meter bites the dust

Reply #3 –
well,, see
i dont have a cap tester.  Some flukes now have the cap tester option.
ive only been able to tests caps in the past with my meter on ohms then reverse the leads.  I did discharge the cap but it wasnt really getting the full charge off my 9volt bat.  So i plugged the mic in and tested that way to see the in and out voltage.  The voltage rating on the cap was just within range of what my meter said it could handle,, i guess not.

i wish i had one of those huntrons like in the navy.  they could test most anything,, maybe an oscope but thats a bit overkill though it would be nice.