Fluke 116 Application Note

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Everyday troubleshooting
with the Fluke 116 DMM
Application Note

Testing
Functions
Case
Study

Tool: Fluke 116 HVAC Multimeter with
temperature and microamps
Profile: Robert I. Johns, ONSITE PC
Assistance
Measurements: Low voltage,
auto-ranging, min/max, temperature

Robert I. Johns is the sole
proprietor of ONSITE PC Assistance. A network administrator, Johns works on mostly low
voltage equipment for home
offices and small-to-medium
sized businesses and subcontracts on a variety of larger jobs.
In 2006, Johns started
researching new multimeters. Price and reliability were
important to him, but so were
size, resolution, battery life,
Min/Max, auto-ranging, and
temperature. He chose the Fluke
116 DMM (see specifications on
page 3).
As an independent contractor, Johns negotiates hourly
rates and minimum charges for
service calls. Since his ability to
resolve issues quickly increases
his average hourly rate, it’s
important to save as much time
as possible at every stop. Using
the Fluke 116 has helped him
identify root causes, and in
most cases, it prevents him from
having to take things apart.

Johns doesn’t always have
access to the specs (or models
numbers) of the equipment he
works on in advance of arriving at the job site, so he can’t
always check what the voltages
should be. The meter’s ability to
auto-range saves him the time
and hassles of trying different
settings.
When set to Min/Max, the
Fluke 116 can lock in on the
numbers as they change faster
than the naked eye. This allows
him to focus on making a safe
measurement, instead of directing all of his attention to the
readout.
Johns also uses the temperature function of the 116. The
temperature probe allows Johns
to diagnose thermal issues in
running PCs. He reads the CPU
and RAM surface temperatures
while the PC is running applications (normally this is done
in the system’s BIOS, which can
only be accessed before the PC
boots up).

Feature background

Success stories

“Most of the readings I take are
in the lower voltage ranges,
so I needed a high resolution
meter,” says Johns. However:
“The digital readout on the first
meter I bought was limited to
only hundreths. I wasted a lot
of time by doing that.”
Now, he says, “The features
of the 116 that I really love are
the automatic ranging, the ability to record minimum, and the
positive/secure connection of
the probes to the unit.”

Timeplex rack
This Timeplex Data/Voice
Network Exchange Unit was
located in a telcom switching office in Huntington Beach,
CA. The rack had two banks
of Pioneer Magnetics power
supplies, with two power
supplies in each bank. I had
to replace one in each bank.

From the Fluke Digital Library @ www.fluke.com/library

Once the power supplies were
changed, if the voltage output
on the primary or redundant
was more than .001 volts lower
than the other, the unit would
begin to “sing,” (a high-pitched
squeal). That meant I had to
adjust three pots on the back of
each power supply to balance
the outputs. That’s where I
needed the high resolution of
the Fluke 116.
New UPS Store, in a newly
constructed shopping center
I was scheduled to install and
configure two POS Systems (PC,
Receipt Printer, Label Printer,
Scale, Pin-Pad, Touch Screen
Monitor, all with separate
power feeds), the manager’s
office computer/monitor/printer,
and the WAN modem/ LAN
router and switch. The local
electrical company had just
finished the power to the building shortly after I arrived. Since
this was new construction and
had never been powered on,
the contractor did not want the
owner to turn on the circuits
until his team arrived. So,
during the installation, I worked
with a gasoline-powered
generator.
Once I installed the POS
equipment, I was ready to start
the software configuration(s).
But, when I powered everything
on, the battery back-up units
began singing. That meant
there was a power issue. When
I turned on the battery backups, the voltage dropped to
113.4, well below the required
120 volts we needed to insure
safe operation. But, when I
tested the voltages coming from
the generator and at all extension cords, they ranged from
126.9 to 127 volts. With the

 Fluke Corporation

116, I was able to see and show
the owner that the RPM fluctuations of the generator’s motor
were causing to voltage to fluctuate. Although this was barely
audible, it was easily seen on
the 116 display.
Since they were new battery
back-ups, their batteries were
in a relatively discharged state.
Supplying less than their rated
minimum input (120 V) exacerbated the fluctuations of the
generator, dropping the power
(from the battery back-up
receptacles) to less than enough
to run the their internal charging systems and the attached
POS System.
The Min-Max recording
feature made it very easy to
show/explain the test results to
the store owner and the project manager. All of the tests
were executed without risking
discharging the backup batteries or crashing the new equipment during the configuration
process.
Stereo receiver will not
turn on
Tested voltage from wall outlet
and then through power cord.
No shorts. Tested power on
circuit board before mounting
(good). Tested power on circuit
board after fuse (none). Visual
inspection of fuse was not
possible as it was enclosed in
a plastic shroud. Using the 116
validated opening the casing.
7-11 Store: No power at
Juniper Wireless Access
Point, ordering equipment/
ATM/Credit all offline as
result
Tested wall outlet voltage
(good). Tested voltage in power
cord, before it enters in-line
transformer (good). Tested
voltage at output tip (none).

Everyday troubleshooting with the Fluke 116 DMM

Concluded power supply was
bad thus no need to take down
wall mounted Access Point,
ordered new power supply.
No output from automotive
sub-woofer
Tested dc volts at power feed
and remote-on connection.
Tested line-level inputs for
signal. Determined that the
internal amp was burned out
without even opening it. Opening it confirmed diagnosis.
Wireless mouse intermittently
disconnects, even after
replacing batteries
Tested all batteries, all were
within 1.4-1.6 dc volts. NOT
a battery issue; was bad RF
Receiver.
PC will not boot
Wall outlet visibly damaged
so I checked ac current at the
receptacle for output/consistency before proceeding. Since
current was fine, power problem was identified as internal
to PC.
Heat failure concerns
of network equipment
(Switches/Modem/Router/
Backup Hard Drives) once
relocated inside enclosed
cabinet
Temperature measured at
floor (70.3 °F), at eye level
(73.1 °F), inside bottom of
cabinet (73.4 °F), inside top
of cabinet without drives
running (77.8 °F), with drives
running, and server plugged in
(82.4 °F). Temperatures were
within operating range(s) of
connected equipment, although
previous techs had told them
temperature was too high to
utilize cabinet. Cabinet was
used successfully and concerns
were put to rest.

Specifications for the Fluke 116 DMM

•	
•	
•	
•	
•	
•	
•	
•	
•	

Built-in thermometer for HVAC applications
Microamps to test flame sensors
Low input impedance: helps prevent false readings due to ghost voltage
Large white LED backlight to work in poorly lit areas
Resistance, continuity, frequency and capacitance
Min/Max/Average with elapsed time to record signal fluctuations
Compact ergonomic design for one-handed operation
Compatible with optional magnetic hanger (ToolPak™)
CAT III 600 V safety rated

Function

Range and resolution

Best accuracy

Volts ac/dc

600 V

0.5 % + 2

Current ac/dc

10 A

1.0 % +3

Temperature

+400 °C

1.0 % + 18

Resistance

50 kHz

0.9 % + 2

1 nF to 9,999 µF

1.9 % +2

5 Hz to 50 kHz

0.1 % +2

2V

0.9 % +2

Capacitance
Frequency
Diode

Fluke.	Keeping your world
	
up and running.®
Fluke Corporation
PO Box 9090, Everett, WA USA 98206
Fluke Europe B.V.
PO Box 1186, 5602 BD
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
For more information call:
In the U.S.A. (800) 443-5853 or
Fax (425) 446-5116
In Europe/M-East/Africa +31 (0) 40 2675 200 or
Fax +31 (0) 40 2675 222
In Canada (800)-36-FLUKE or
Fax (905) 890-6866
From other countries +1 (425) 446-5500 or
Fax +1 (425) 446-5116
Web access: http://www.fluke.com
©2007 Fluke Corporation. All rights reserved.
Specifications subject to change without notice.
Printed in U.S.A. 4/2007 3023533 AW-EN-N Rev A

 Fluke Corporation

Everyday troubleshooting with the Fluke 116 DMM



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