# My Fluke won't work



## randyjaco (Feb 27, 2018)

I have a Fluke 87 III that has been a great piece of equipment. I tried to use it the other day  when the battery was low. I managed to blow both fuses. It now has a new battery and 2 new(very expensive) fuses. The problem is that it's still not working. All I get when I turn it on, is the start up screen. It won't measure anything. I added some pictures of the screen. I am hoping that one of ya'll can tell me what is wrong?


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## markba633csi (Feb 27, 2018)

Is there a reset button (or reset procedure described in the manual, maybe using the power on button) ?  If not, you may have really zapped it
and it needs to go back to the factory
Mark


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## tweinke (Feb 27, 2018)

I use a Fluke meter at work, and had an issue with water entry into the meter due to an over exuberant clean up guy practically filling one of my toolbox drawers with water. I gave them a call and sent the meter for repair and it was returned quickly at very little cost with a certified calibration sticker. They seemed very nice to deal with on the phone to boot.


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## Dhector (Feb 27, 2018)

I don't have the same model fluke as you but I toasted mine 20 years ago on a John deer bug zapper. Yes, a John Deere bug zapper. The only two I have ever seen in my life. Anyway. I gave mine to my snap on dealer in town and he sent it in. Got it back repaired and no charge. May not be the same situation these days but maybe worth a try.


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## Tony Wells (Feb 27, 2018)

Fluke service centers are great to deal with. If you can't reset it, definitely let them have a look at it. Don't just tear into it.


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## Eddyde (Feb 27, 2018)

After about 10 years my Fluke 179 started acting up, giving wildly fluctuating readings. I called them up and they said, send it in, I did, they returned it week later fixed at no cost.


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## Bi11Hudson (Feb 28, 2018)

Gotta get my two cents worth in on this one.....

In the first place, a *Fluke* is the *standard* by which most other digital meters are judged. In electronics, and especially computers, there is no better. The models with 4-1/2 digits and true RMS do particularly well in mill trouble shooting and calibration of 4-20 mA current loops. I have used them since they had Nixie tubes for the display and while slow, they were extremely accurate even then.

However, when dealing with motors and motor controls, nothing beats my *Simpson 260*. Mine is a Series 4, a really archaic one, because this has been my mainstay meter since the 1960s. At only 20K ohms per volt, it will load the circuit enough to give accurate readings. So you don't need a battery. And don't get knocked off the bridge deck of a crane or off the mast of a ship.

It is *very important* to know that the sensitivity of a Fluke is so high, several hundred K ohms per volt,  that it will give a false, or seemingly false, indication in certain circumstances It could get you zapped, but more importantly, when troubleshooting it can give a false indication. As in false test results..... I made repairs to a hard disk drive on Palau with a couple of light bulbs and sockets and a few pieces of wire. An old style CDC stand alone drive..... The tech I was bailing out was using a Fluke and couldn't make sense of the capacitor start motor with an electronic relay.(SCRs) He was getting false results...... (Verifiable at Pacific Data Systems, ca.1985)

I also use an older Micronta meter with the same impedence as the Simpson. It isn't near as rugged so I wouldn't want to drop it off an overhead crane. But I can trust the results and that's what counts.

BTW, this works for many high impedence electronics devices, even with gold plated contacts. Use a pencil eraser to polish the contact fingers. That will clear up many unanswerable questions. And a dollar bill to polish contacts. A fifty works even better but is harder to come by. Currency paper* is *rather abrasive.

Although meters aren't specifically noted there, I posted a writing on *Home Shop Electrics* a few years ago.
*http://www.hudsontelcom.com/*
Down the home page a little. It may prove useful.....

The ramblings of an old school electrician;
Bill Hudson​


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## markba633csi (Feb 28, 2018)

I use a little Radio Shack analog meter as my "sacrificial" meter when dealing with power stuff.  I save my digital for when I need an exact reading, which is seldom.
Most of the time in the shop you just need a "is it there or isn't it?"  type of reading, you don't need 3 decimal precision. In fact, a neon lamp tester will often serve.
Mark


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## kd4gij (Feb 28, 2018)

your Fluke has a fluke.


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## randyjaco (Feb 28, 2018)

Hey Guys, thanks for the info. I'll give Fluke a call in the morning. 

To


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