Uni T UT61e Review and Teardown
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- Опубліковано 2 жов 2024
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IN this video we do an in depth review and teardown of the Uni-T UT61e DMM. The UT61e is an excellent quality autoranging meter with 22000 counts. It tested well within spec on every test. During the teardown it showed to be well designed and built with some input protection and actual HRC fuses.
UNI-T UT61E Auto Range Digital Multimeter -- goo.gl/6u7bBK
More Professional Tools -- goo.gl/TVmV8D
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Bro, I love your channel. You are honest and with no airs and graces. Don't give any heed to these WANNABE electronics engineers and their snotty remarks.
I think the small capacitors are best measured with that little adapter rather than the leads. That's what the manual says, anyway.
"The bitchy Australian". That made me laugh. Always happy to see a multimeter review! Great as always!
Yes that D.J. from Australia is a perfectionist and quite spoiled at that. If it's not what he says, it;s wrong. I stopped watching his videos because he actually thinks he knows just about everything or he sounds like he does anyway. I worked with many Engineers and most are actually idiots when it come to common sense.
I also think he's way too critical over multimeter build quality, particularly with mains voltage. The market is flooded with far lower quality multimeters, yet has anyone heard of any incident involving using a multimeter to check mains voltage? Sure many cheap multimeters will go bang on the wrong dial position when measuring mains power and the same goes with being forgetful with many other appliances. A microwave oven can explode causing serious injury if someone is forgetful and tries heating a sealed can of soup. Does that mean people should never use a microwave for heating soup? As for the UT61e, I found this review very helpful and went ahead with purchasing it.
Sorry but that comment does not cut the mustard when it comes to mains and CAT III and CAT IV device standards. It can mean the difference between life and death in some circumstances. There's no fucking around or "good enough" with this.
However, for everything else DJ was just having a pissy day it seems. The UT61E on his own forums is praised to this day, mid 2018. He did a recenty multimeter teardown and he's a lot more open minded.
youtube celebs can become assholes when their channels get large.
I have this meter, and for it's price, it's very difficult to knock. The biggest selling feature is obviously it's 22,000 count precision. I don't think there's a meter on the market in this price range that beats it's precision.
Two other things that stand out about the ut61e are it's ability to read quite large capacitance, and it does data logging.
The meter you show in your video is obviously newer than mine which came with only two PTC's on it's input, and a pair of cheap 250volt non-HRC fuses. To be fair, input protection is not a concern for me, so long as the meter can hold up during proper use. I've been using meters heavily for 40 years, and have yet to pop a single fuse. My Simpson 260, 1963 vintage has the fuses that it came with when it was given to me.
I was a little confused about a few points in your video, and wonder if maybe your ut61e is defective, or maybe you were measuring one thing but talking about something else.
The open circuit voltage on my ut61e is nearly 2.9 volts, which means that it will lite common LED's from red to white. Unfortunately, this meter is no better than my 30 year old RadioShack Micronta in that while it puts out enough voltage in diode mode to light any standard LED's, it only shows the voltage drop for red and yellow, 1.7v and 1.8 respectively. So I was confused why your blue LED didn't light, but showed a 1.8volt drop, even more confused that you expected that. I'd have expected a voltage drop of somewhere near 2.5volts on a meter that could handle a blue LED...
I was also a little wierded out about your surprise in the meters ability to read static resistance immediately. I don't think I've ever used a meter that didn't read resistance instantly, and that's going back to my Simpson analog...
Good call, not using the leads that came with this meter for testing. I am a fan of Uni-T meters, I think they're great, but I must say that their leads are the worst quality leads of ANY meter I have EVER used... Seriously, I own 3 Uni-T meters, all of which I immediately replaced the leads as they were so bad out of the package. Maybe they should sell their meters without leads since most people will probably be buying them elsewhere anyways, or thinking their meters suck because they got a bad set of leads...
Heck, in the case of the UT60's, they could leave out the leads and supply a UART for that data logging interface cable...
Great video BTW, I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who tears everything apart before ever using it... :)
Steve
Correct me if im wrong, but doesnt the 22,000 count spec speak more to the meters resolution than actual accuracy-? I really wanted to buy this one until I saw the weak input protection and no backlight, I ended up settling for the 139C instead but have to say im pretty pleased with it. Only 6,000 count and no data logging but it has bettery input protection and also a backlight - for me its all I need. I was also interested in the Voltcraft meters but they look exactly like the Uni-t meter except white rubber instead of red and twice the price.
Hi, in the price range of the UT61-E is it the best or is it better ?
TVS diodes get overlooked because they look like other diodes and sometimes the part numbers are hard to read. TVS diodes do the same thing a MOV does but around 600 volts is their limit. I have seen one on a CAT II meter I bought but sold. Some of the building controllers I worked on had about 20 TVS diodes with spark gaps to protect them from lightning strikes on the 24-volt side of things.
Man, that fuse is broken, I'd send it back.
I have one of these and I absolutely love it. It was an upgrade from a cheap, $20 DMM. It was definitely
Been (ab)using mine for almost a decade now and it's still going strong :)
I have one on the way from Banggood - I know it limitations and have a Siglent SDM-3055 as my main meter. The 22000 count for low level voltage is what I need. I know who "The Bitchy Australian" is, in fact he is just up the main road from here - we are in the same city. Doesn't he have one of the worst pitch voices you have ever heard? Aussie twang in the key of Chinese? That is what it sounds like! :)
I just bought a TENMA 72-10415 (which is a rebranded UT61E) from Farnell and, as usual, I tore it apart before turning it on! It has better protections, with MOVs too (4 of them as I counted), beefier HRC fuses. The PCB is marked 61E NEW CE, and that makes me think this is a bit redesigned to meet at least some of the requirements of the European market (a wild guess is that CE stands for Conformité Européene or European Comformity). Now, I did pay the equivalent of 88.5 Euros according to today's exchange rate (I'm from Romania), but Farnell is known to be on the expensiv side, at least as far as I'm concerned! So yeah, wonderful meter, excellent for the electronics hobbits!
I bought a UNI T61A. It broke down in no time .
I bough another in the belief that the breaking of the first was a fluke occurrence. My new one is now broken too. It refuses to read ohms , on dialling resistance, it displays volts.
I wonder if I should try again, third time may be lucky hey 😁.
PS I think your meter does have a back light. Keep the yellow button depressed for a few seconds.
UNI T again ? No.
Please make a video on its software
And please compare owon b35t and uni-t ut61e along with software
And also which multimeter is best among these to getvan idea of pulse/waveform
Please i request you please help me in selecting multimeter
yes should make a video on this
Actually, at 10:33, the meter showed .375, but relative to .296, that should make it 79pF. I think if you had rel'ed out again it would be spot on. Very nice little meter. Cheers!
Caps measurement "is a little bit off" 😂... due to the human failure.
Do You think it make sense to buy ut61e over ut61e+ nowadays?
Might be interesting to install MOVs in the unpopulated slots!
I work on Tube Guitar Amplifiers and will test it in the 300+ DC volt range and let you know if it self destructs.
Knew the fuse would be ok, BS1362 is a British standard and they are used in most of their power plugs, usually 13A.
Had me when you started handling the probes and the components. Those hands have worked hard; your opinions mean a lot to me. However note the UT61E specs are as follows:
DC Voltage (V) 220mV/2.2V/22V/220V/1000V ±(0.1%+2)
AC Voltage (V) 220mV/2.2V/22V/220V/750V ±(0.8%+10)
DC Current (A) 200μA/2200μA/22mA/220mA/2.2A/10A ± (0.5%+10)
AC Current (A) 200μA/2200μA/22mA/220mA/2.2A/10A ±(0.8%+10)
Resistance (Ω) 220Ω/2.2kΩ/22kΩ/220kΩ/2.2MΩ/22MΩ/220MΩ ±(0.5%+10)
*Capacitance (F) 22nF/220nF/2.2μF/22μF/220μF/2.2mF/22mF/220mF ±(3.0%+5)*
*Frequency (Hz) 10Hz-220MHz ±(0.01%+5)*
..the capacitance is spec'ed down to 22nF -- that's 22,000 pF! It's a wonder you got a reading down at the pF level. And, typically, DMMs only handle stuff down to around 10-20 nF. You need to get a specialized cap checker for lower values. That the frequency meter handles all of the waveforms you slammed into it means the algorithm is True RMS. Handling 10 Hz to 220 Mhz is pretty damned good -- as good as a lot of older Fluke or B&K freq counters.)
It's a solid buy ~~ and thanks for shaking it out!
~K6WHP
+War Planner Thank you for your kind words. Hey, I see your ham radio call sign. I should have one in about a week. I just passed my technician and general exams! Any words of advice for a new ham? I'm kinda on my own here...
Only to offer my sincere congratulations! Actually, you are a valuable addition to the ranks of amateur radio with your analytical skills and ability to review/teach/recommend. You will do very well! If I can offer more send me a PM -- my call sign at ARRL dot NET. I will be only too happy to help -- if i can.
Best of luck es 73,
de William, k6whp
dit dit
+War Planner thank you
It matters that they are split. My COM jack is very loose after a couple of years of usage, this is unacceptable.
Ok
Great review Paul - it is always educational, inspiring and entertaining to watch & listen to you sir!
I guess I could graduate to a grown up meter, having a couple of baby ones (Mastech & Extech and my old Avo 8).
So what would you recommend a newbie/returnee ol' fella Paul, with all, or most of those functionalities of the UT, but preferably resolving my passion (obsession!) for Green stuff?
Nice review...thanks for sharing! She's a beauty...gotta love those BS fuses! Too bad about the backlight.
Well specs say backlight perhaps this meter is a copy
That's what I like about your reviews and exactly what I need to hear. We don't need to compare the instrument with a meter that stands extreme conditions. But what we really want to know is...¿Is it reliable and is it very accurate for general electronic use?
That's what I'm looking for in the reviews and that you make it very good.
Thanks a lot. I love to watch your down to earth comments and honest reviews for the people who can't afford extremely high end instruments but is still looking for something that meets the standards for a good price and reliable enough for serious everyday use workbench stuff.
Thanks so much as always. Thumbs up!
Is it possible to measure voltage drop peak lasting 1 ms using PEAK option?
Burden Voltage is a big burden on this meter.
it is a nice and decent multimeter for those who want something good and not so expensive like a fluke, this multimeter costs here in Colombia around USD 100 and a fluke the cheapest one with less features around USD 200
are the leads crappy?
The input sockets, a lot of Chinese products have some pretty crap quality hardware like plugs, sockets, wires, probes etc!
Shame really I don't get it, like brewing some top quality tea and then putting it in a crap plastic cup.
Thanks for cracking open that fuse for us! mystery solved. Also there's another video about by Joe Smith where he mods a 61E to get better input protection. Those unpopulated spaces at the input where it says "SG" (i guess meant for spark gap) are the perfect place to tack in some MOVs. He did a couple of other modifications to to make it properly withstand an ESD test.
Anyway, thank you for your review, I just bought this meter (it's in the mail) and I'm pretty confident it will suit a poor low voltage hobbyist such as myself. Cheers.
It is a a great meter.
Be nice sometime to watch a youtube video and not hear dave jones brought up.
Well I have 1500 videos. I can pretty much guarantee I mention him in like 4 or 5. So maybe try to not be so hyperbolic.
Like looking and fairly good quality meter, i agree. I have a UniT one i like also.
Great review...one important spec not covered is the input impedance on these meters, not 10Mohm like most other but 3000Mohm...!!!! for my application, measuring electric fields on the ground, it is a BIG plus. Thanks again for your work.
Have you tried the UNI-T UT125C ?
excellent, what about max. frequency measurement?1 MHZ is max?
Have you tried holding the yellow button for the backlight?
video is too dark
Disculpa la molestia quisiera saber si una vez conectaste el tester a una pc. Si podrías darme una mano por que no me da la lectura en tres computadoras diferentes. Te dejo el link, saludos.
www.yoreparo.com/es/computadoras/preguntas/6270310/necesito-solucion-el-software-del-unit-ut61c-no-funciona
LOL.. I really like and appreciate your simple, honest and unpretentious reviews…. Keep it up
Where can I get your Master probes ?
They are very good.
BR
Probemaster.com
This is an important review because Uni-T is a major meter manufacturer that is sold under many brand names but there are few fair and accurate reviews of their products. Many of the reviews that are out there are biased against the brand for no clear reason. One reviewer in Australia called one Uni-T meter "junk" and then went on to confirm that it met every specification. His observations did not support his conclusions about the meter. As near as I can tell the Uni-T meters are safe, rugged, reliable, and accurate meters for a reasonable price. This review confirms my belief. Thanks for posting it.
Welcome.
Curiosity finally got the better of my meter fetish and I went looking at prices on these. To my astonishment I found the 61-E on Newegg's site for $36.53 delivered-! Well needless to say that was too hard to pass up and it took a bit to get it but I have to say its well worth it for this price for sure, though I miss the backlight - but I love the 22,000 count display. Must have been the only one they had as it says out of stock now, I was going to buy another as a gift had they had any more. One cant really fault meters in this price range for not having more input protection, it costs money and meters in this price range are built to a price. Its a nice versatile home/hobby meter but stay away from high current and high voltage its just not a Fluke no matter how much we would like it to be - if we want a Flukes build quality we simply have to pay more for it. Other than missing a backlight I have no real complaints, especially for what I paid.
Yep, it's a great meter.
YAMM! Keep them coming,thanks.
ANOTHER multimeter?!?! Isn't this like 10? I thought I was bad with 6...not counting free harror freight meters
James Kerns Jr. I may have test equipment addiction issues.
Did you try those "chinesium" leads I gave you the link for in your lead test video? The "bitchy Australian" wouldn't approve of them but for me they work good, and in the small size you can jam them down in a breadboard! And they pass his nonsense .0001ms response time check.
James Kerns Jr. Still waiting on the slow boat...
Hello sir I want to buy this one but on some sites in their description says "One Piece of 9V Under the influence of radiated Radio-Frequency electromagnetic Field phenomenon. (The captioned model have a measurement error. It will be back to normal when the interference is removed with relevant Measurement)" Does this mean they are selling defective multi meter?
Ive had this dmm for over a year and have never had a problem with it.
lool, that hurtz a lot :D
Hi, where can I find a tester board like the one you use for voltage misurement in your video?
Hi brother I want to buy this probe where can I find it?
Is it safe enough to check for car wiring?
Yrs
@@learnelectronics Ok. Thanks. 😁
No problem. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I'm here to help.
I love ur channel tho. Very nice stuff.
+Mini Tamm Thank you
What do you think about 71 series ?
What was your reference source for mA and uA?
Nice job on the review. I had a 61e some time ago but it turned out to be a dud. It's DC voltage readings was a whopping 13 % off. I returned it but maybe I should try one again.
+TheRadiogeek QC is the one thing far east manufacturers don't seem to have a handle on. I'm glad you liked the video.
This multimeter will show wrong measurements if the battery is low
Have a fiddle with VR1, it's the blue multi- turn pot you can see in the video. Make sure you don't reverse the battery if you need to power it up with the back off because it will not work again as I found out, drilling a small hole in the case for voltage calibration is the way to go.
Nice little meter. A lot more than the Aneng and NkTech type cheapy hobby meters though.
+Moonbrony yes, it's pricier than the Aneng , but it's nice.
looks like my Amprobe AM-570.
Good Video but why you break the fuse ? don't waste anything
Can you please do a review on the Brymen BM231? It is pretty cheap and definitely better than uni t.
I'll look into it
@@learnelectronics please I am thinking about buying one. Your review is important and test it like you did with uni t.
Better? Probably not. The BM231 is in the low end of the Byrmen range. It is also just a 6000 count meter, while the UNI-T UT61E is 22,000 count. It is not even in the same class as the UNI-T UT61E.
@@tomsamplonius5988 by better I meant about safety and lifespan of it's accuracy. Although i would probably buy a uni t multimeter.
UT139e should be doing 1pF nicely
well it did not
what is the port with the com adapter for
Data logging to a PC app
A bit more expensive but still great value methinks!
gartmorn This one is really nice, it's my new favorite. Well, until I get another one.
Good Job....😁👊👍
Puffs or PicoFarads
Where to get the gold test leads?
+vessk000 probemaster.com/8000-series-test-leads-only/
Are those fuses 5x20mm size?
yes
@@learnelectronics At 20mm length, the distance between the terminals are so close to each other it makes me wonder if that would cause an arc even if the fuse blew :P
I wish it had a damn back light. I really need that feature
+Jon easy to add one. The chip supports it
Can you please show us how to do it?. I've recently bought one, waiting for arrival.
But maybe you could do measurements with better components. aste testing 5% 20% percent parts with a 22k count and say that are good...it's kind of pointless
I watched until you tested the 1 ohm resistor without shorting the probes and hitting the REL button to null out the probe lead resistance first.
When you didn't do that, I typed this comment and switched channels......
Woop de Doo ! Do you feel better now ? Grow up already !
When we are not going to use this multimeter for high voltages then no need for more input protection.
What if you don't know the voltage?
Regarding the input jacks, what most dont notice is on almost any meter with jacks like this the jacks are captured in between the top and bottom of the case when its tightened, there are bosses on the inside of the back case half that support the jacks and keep them in place when cables are being inserted and removed.
Yep. They are more than up to the duty.
Hi. Why does this meter have so many frequency measuring choices, like under amps or milliamps u can choose also frequency?
+Mini Tamm it's for convenience, if you are measuring AC volts or amps for instance...you can just hit one button while your leads are attached and look at the frequency, then hit the button and you are back where you started.
Excellent honest review!
Excellent honest review!
Eevblog haha
Please give review of mastech ms 8340B