Damaged DMM worth the trouble?

[selfdestroyer]

I know this can be a loaded question and without pictures it will be hard to see the damage but I just wanted to get some opinions if I should even put the effort in. Heres the background story.

My dad got a Fluke 867B that a tech had and left the batteries in for a long period of time and it leaked. It looks like the original battery was a NiCad so I am thinking some IPA would clean up the white crystals left behind with a soft toothbrush. I figured the 440 mA fuse & the 1000V 11A fuse would need to be replaced.

Manual  - http://www.avionteq.com/Document/Fluke-867B-Graphical-Multimeter-User-Manual-AvionTEq.pdf
Service Manual - http://assets.fluke.com/manuals/863_867_smeng0000.pdf

I have searched a few forums and most say its possible to revive a DMM with leaked batteries but a few people state that the unit might not be trusted after such an invasive fix.

The Fluke unit sure looks like a cool unit to add to anyones bench and they seem to go for $250 - $500 used on eBay. (Check closed/sold auctions)

Anyone have any experience with this or care to take some non/educated guesses? I get the unit on Thursday to play with and will keep updating this thread with progress if I decided to take a stab at it.

Fix it or sell it as parts?

Cody

[drolo]

Not sure what the intervention does to make it untrusty but for what it's worth it might just not be safe any longer for handling high voltages and currents. If you just use it in our low voltage stompbox environments there should be no major issues.

[wgc]

Try some baking soda and di water for cleanup. I'd say it's worth trying. Might even be worth contacting fluke with the reliability question.

[slimtriggers]

The IPA is probably too hoppy to be of any use.  I'd go for a nice, malty brown ale

[pickdropper]

It sounds like you already have the DMM.  If that is true, it's absolutely worth trying to fix it. 

If you can't get it running, I would contact Fluke and see how much they would charge to fix it.  It looks a very mixed meter and would be worth salvaging.

[selfdestroyer]

Got the meter tonight.. I am really happy with the condition. Hard to tell with these pictures but this thing is HUGE, in a good way. lol

Pretty clean all around


Shield was in place and there was only a little corrosion on the NiCad batt leads. Easily cleaned.


Insides look immaculate


The battery compartment is pretty full of batt acid and it is currently being cleaned. I found out it will use 6 AA batteries or the NiCad battery. I will need to rig up something to get the AA to work to finally test this thing.

I hope this thing fires up and passes the self test.

Really excited.

Cody

[stevie1556]

Really nice meter there! Hope ya get it working properly with minimal fuss!

[selfdestroyer]

I rebuilt the springs and leads in the battery compartment and we have lift off!



Time to get to know this beast.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Cody

[alanp]

Good stuff!

Someone on another forum described having to get DMM's recalibrated when they were dropped on the ground... I hate to imagine what leaky batteries would need!

[pickdropper]

I *highly* recommend dropping the money on a set of Pomona 6341 test probes.  The tips are interchangeable, most of which are very very sharp, which is great for testing as they break through any oxidation on the pads.  They also help you get in tight spots.  My favorite are the pogo pin tips; they are sharp and spring-loaded.

[selfdestroyer]

Good stuff!

Someone on another forum described having to get DMM's recalibrated when they were dropped on the ground... I hate to imagine what leaky batteries would need!

I tested it with a few caps and resistors and it identified them properly. Next I will test it with some current along side with my other DMM to compare. I really think I lucked out with this.

Pickdropper, I will definitely upgrade the probes and will take a look at the Pomona 6341 test probes.

Thanks guys

Cody

[peterc]

Cody

Check with Fluke, some of their meters carry a lifetime warranty, one of the reasons they are so expensive.

I doubt whether the warranty would cover battery damage, but worthwhile asking anyway for future issues.

Good to see it is up and running, it should last most of your life, great score.

Peter