My Uni-T died... looking for a replacement

[DanFen]

Hello people, hope you are all doing well!

I have a lovely Uni-T UT139C, which I've used during the past couple years, but has unfortunately died on me. It comes up with an ErrE error, and upon a quick search, it seems to be related to communication with the main chip (or the chip itself).

Putting it aside for the time being, I need a replacement (then possibly trying to repair this Uni-T later). And this is where I need your suggestions, because, I'm not an electronics person, but rather an IT one. I am occasionally doing basic electronic component repair to laptop boards, and occasionally trying to repair electronics on random devices for fun... time permitting!

I'll be honest, the features of the UT139C are far from what I've ever used, and probably also far from what I will ever use. So my question is, which brand/model do you suggest for my needs? Unfortunately I've had a no brand multimeter that worked for years before the Uni-T, so I'm naturally questioning the reliability of Uni-T... although this could very well be bad luck (just like with any other machine).

Thanks!

[Per Hansson]

Well the big thing is what you are willing to pay?
The new Brymen BM789 (Or EEVBlog branded Brymen BM786) are very nice meters, more aimed at electricians.
The Brymen BM869 is more for electronics work, both are really cheap for a top brand meter like this.

Otherwise you can sometimes get really great deals on eBay for a bit older test equipment.
Like this Fluke 27 that includes both high voltage & RF probes: https://www.ebay.com/itm/393592090990
However note that I am in no way recommending this specific meter for you unless you have a need for it:
It looks like military surplus and the US military sometimes uses average responding meters (not True RMS)
And they are therefore of limited use outside that niche world.
But Fluke even sells a version of this model to this day, called Fluke 27-II.
If you need the TRMS version it is called 28-II.

[DanFen]

Thanks! I'll have a look at those Brymen, never heard of that brand before.

Definitely not worth paying hundreds in my case. Maybe the cost of these Brymen would be the max I'd pay. This is because I don't use the meter on a daily basis.

Originally Posted by Per Hansson

Well the big thing is what you are willing to pay?
The new Brymen BM789 (Or EEVBlog branded Brymen BM786) are very nice meters, more aimed at electricians.
The Brymen BM869 is more for electronics work, both are really cheap for a top brand meter like this.

Otherwise you can sometimes get really great deals on eBay for a bit older test equipment.
Like this Fluke 27 that includes high voltage probes: https://www.ebay.com/itm/393592090990
However note that I am in no way recommending this specific meter for you unless you have a need for it:
It looks like military surplus and the US military sometimes uses average responding meters (not True RMS)
And they are therefore of limited use outside that niche world.
But Fluke even sells a version of this model to this day, called Fluke 27-II.
If you need the TRMS version it is called 28-II.

[stj]

for electrical work?
or electronics?

your 139c has a bad or corrupt eeprom - very unusual to happen btw

[DanFen]

Electronics. Yeah I read about it, I'll probably create a dedicated thread about this, hoping to find someone who will be willing to assist with troubleshooting

Originally Posted by stj

for electrical work?
or electronics?

your 139c has a bad or corrupt eeprom - very unusual to happen btw

[stj]

best meter for electronics IMO is UNI-T UT-61e (NOT the new mk2 version)
very good price too.

[CapLeaker]

Originally Posted by stj

best meter for electronics IMO is UNI-T UT-61e (NOT the new mk2 version)
very good price too.

That’s debatable… I’d be looking for a Brymen. Some Greenlee’s are rebranded Brymen’s over here.

[eccerr0r]

sigh. My hacked Mastech (with a data logging port) died. Now where can I get another cheap DMM that has logging or easily hacked to log. Else I might have to hack my other meter (Tenma) with logging, but it's not as straightforward to log.

[televizora]

Uni-T and MG and clones are not bad devices for their price.