Fluke 8060A Suddenly Not Working

[Darren Harris]

I have a Fluke 8060A (True RMS) DMM.

I turned it on the other day, and nothing happened, so I changed the
battery, and when that didn't work, I tried another fuse to no avail.
There is nothing on the screen at all.

Okay, after about 8 months, I dug out the meter and turned it on to
find that it is working again. ?!?

That doesn't sound like a cold solder problem or a battery connector
problem, because if it were, would it have exhibited intermittant
operation when I was messing around with it last year?

Nevertheless, anything that happen once can happen again, so I'd
appreciate some ideas on what the problem might have been.

I don't think getting it professionally worked on is worth it because
these meters can only be gotten used, and it cost more to get them
repaired than to just get a used one from Ebay.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[gothika]

Okay, after about 8 months, I dug out the meter and turned it on to
find that it is working again. ?!?

That doesn't sound like a cold solder problem or a battery connector
problem, because if it were, would it have exhibited intermittant
operation when I was messing around with it last year?

Nevertheless, anything that happen once can happen again, so I'd
appreciate some ideas on what the problem might have been.

I don't think getting it professionally worked on is worth it because
these meters can only be gotten used, and it cost more to get them
repaired than to just get a used one from Ebay.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

I had one of these that did the same thing to me.
It'd go on and off with any type of movement etc...
While I don't recommend this type of fix I gave it a firm flat
slapdown on my work counter.(Not hard enough to cause case damage.)
After that it hasn't given me any problems.
That said the correct way to go about fixing the problem is to open it
up and look for cold solder joints or loose wiring.

 

[Darren Harris]

I had one of these that did the same thing to me.

It'd go on and off with any type of movement etc...
While I don't recommend this type of fix I gave it a firm flat
slapdown on my work counter.(Not hard enough to cause case damage.)
After that it hasn't given me any problems.
That said the correct way to go about fixing the problem is to open it
up and look for cold solder joints or loose wiring.

I don't believe it is the same problem I was having

My meter was not working at all, regardless of how much I slapped it
around. I left it untouched for months, and now it works
100%.(Regardless of how much I slap it around).

I don't believe that cold solder will correct itself like that.(But
correct me if I'm wrong).

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

I don't believe it is the same problem I was having

My meter was not working at all, regardless of how much I slapped it
around. I left it untouched for months, and now it works
100%.(Regardless of how much I slap it around).

I don't believe that cold solder will correct itself like that.(But
correct me if I'm wrong).

Could it have been some environmental issue like high humidity or cold
temperature?

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[Darren Harris]

Could it have been some environmental issue like high humidity or cold
temperature?

Well, I do reside in New York. But the meter was always kept in my
room. I just wish I new what the problem was so I can take
precautions.

It seems that resoldering at this point would constitute a shotgun
approach at best, that could end up trashing the meter instead of
being preventative maintenance.

When I was having that problem with it last year, I won another one at
auction for $35, which is about $100 less than the first one, and also
much, much cheaper than it cost to repair these meters.

Anyway, I want to just sell or trade it, but can't until I am sure the
problem won't resurface.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[gothika]

Well, I do reside in New York. But the meter was always kept in my
room. I just wish I new what the problem was so I can take
precautions.

It seems that resoldering at this point would constitute a shotgun
approach at best, that could end up trashing the meter instead of
being preventative maintenance.

When I was having that problem with it last year, I won another one at
auction for $35, which is about $100 less than the first one, and also
much, much cheaper than it cost to repair these meters.

Anyway, I want to just sell or trade it, but can't until I am sure the
problem won't resurface.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Here's something I didn't think of.
These meters have a self-check startup routine and if you have a weak
or defective battery it can cause false test results.
I had this problem with mine once. It'd power up get in the middle of
the self check then cut off.
Problem resolved itself when I replaced the battery.(The bad battery
only read 6.5 volts even though it was new.)

 

[Darren Harris]

Here's something I didn't think of.

These meters have a self-check startup routine and if you have a weak
or defective battery it can cause false test results.
I had this problem with mine once. It'd power up get in the middle of
the self check then cut off.
Problem resolved itself when I replaced the battery.(The bad battery
only read 6.5 volts even though it was new.)

It seems as though the problem has reared it's head again. The meter
comes on, but the characters only partly show on the screen. So it
seems like it is a power problem.

I did notice that the meter tended to eat batteries like crazy. I'll
have to try differnet brands of batteries to see if the problem is
solved.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

 

[PJ]

It seems as though the problem has reared it's head again. The meter
comes on, but the characters only partly show on the screen. So it
seems like it is a power problem.

I did notice that the meter tended to eat batteries like crazy. I'll
have to try differnet brands of batteries to see if the problem is
solved.

Thanks.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

I sold a dead one a few years ago. Fella that bought it said it
needed a voltage regulator chip. I had a couple more and
wasn't interested in fixing it myself...Paul