Oddball #1 - Vici VC8145 Dual Display Bench Multimeter

[@EEVblog]

Without a uA range IMO it can't be classed as an "electronics" multimeter, and that's a shame. We need a teardown!

[@stevecoatesdotnet]

Looks good. I'd gladly see a more detailed review/teardown.

[@paulversteeg8581]

I’ve had this DMM for about 3-4 years now and I very much like it. I have several hand-held DMM’s but this is the one I always use. After only a little while using it, I opened it up and removed the darn beeper. I wanted to unsolder it, but the cheapo thing lost a leg in the process. I’m now trying to learn about the software to do logging, and I was looking for people that have used it, which is how I found this review.

[@EEVblog]

I'm interested in this $150 price category too because there is a new meter coming out that's in that category (60,000 count, 0.05% DCV and 0.075% DCA nominal) and I'm looking at stocking it. Handheld though, not bench. But it's kinda that price point were $50 more can get you better, and $50 less gets you most of what you need. We'll see when I get one.

[@mjlorton]

This is an interesting price category. When I was looking at other meters that might compare near this point, the Brymen / EEVBlog DMM came up. I've always been impressed with what Brymen has to offer for relatively good value for money.

[@guychaboteaux5187]

Very interesting device. Thank you for this review. I would like to see a tear down.

[@giovannimercuri5168]

I think it looks like a great value. I always love the in depth reviews on your channel...I am in!

[@yambo59]

I was already interested in these so YES I would like very much to see a review and teardown - especially after getting this quick overview/teaser, PLEASE REVIEW-!! Looks like a good value from here -- Thanks-!!

[@rcmorri223]

I found the Vici Multimeter interesting. I also like that it has a very reasonable price.

[@tonysfun]

Nice quick review and honesty also that I like to see on every video, even if the "meter" was donated by manufacture! But that is for another day and place. Thanks and I'm glad that you are making videos again!

[@dimbulb330]

I like the idea of the format you want to try out. Test down will be nice but there might not be much to see the way things are made today. Looking forward to the owan. Good show.

[@borayurt66]

Definitely needs a full review and testing. I am looking for a budget desktop DMM, this can be it.

[@kungfumaster8171]

Nice idea. I like it. For the money you can’t go wrong with that meter. Great hobby meter

[@w8lvradio]

It deserves a review. There's a LOT of Brand Name Monkey Business that goes on, not just with electronics, but with all kinds of products. And SURE, at work you MIGHT SOMETIMES need NIST Traceable stuff. But that's not MOST of us, and it's NONE of us in Ham Radio and/or (hopefully "and"!) playing with arduinos and raspberry Pi stuff and the like. What's more, I sure would have loved to have one of these on my bench 40+ years ago when I started in electronics: We now see now see specifications in low end equipment of all kinds that would have been not only VERY EXPENSIVE back in the day, but in actuality UNOBTANIUM. The dealbreaker as you mentioned here is no microamps. That's where the "line" is between "electronics stuff" and "electricians stuff" for the most part. You really really REALLY need a microamps scale in electronics work and experimentation.

[@aurthorthing7403]

Paul Daniels uses one of these and he wrote some software to get it to display on his computer.

[@chrispletcher6535]

I'd love to see a full review. I saw this for sale on Amazon last week too but I don't need another benchwarmer right now. I think it's great to review these outliers/oddballs for a couple reasons. A) I'm sure no one else will if you don't :-P; B) Giving some of these fringe players deserved positive or negative exposure helps the state of the art in terms of convincing manufacturers to compete; and C) Great entry level for casual hobbyists who need a decent first tool.

[@Gooberslot]

I had a Vici handheld meter. It worked good while it lasted but the selector switch wore out really fast. Also, the Brymen BM869s goes up to 500000 count is less than $250.

[@alanlondon8830]

Just picked one up on eBay in UK for £120 - an absolute bargain! Had a quick look inside to check all is secure and safe and it is. Very accurate when checked against my reference - between 0 and +7 counts. Please do an in depth review/teardown - got to be great interest in this for people with minimal budgets. Thanks and Merry Christmas!

[@Dextermorga]

I would be interested to see how idiot-proof this device is (measure some voltage on ohms... and so on) Fluke would not mind, but usually cheap multimeters would just blow.

[@ahmedalshalchi]

I would be interested to see who is the idiot to measure volts over ohms which I did couple of times in my career...

[@Dextermorga]

Ahmed AlShalchi I would guess everyone. I Personally destroyed multiple cheapo multimeters (20years ago when I have been around 12). Now I use mostly Fluke289 and it happened multiple times (scary every time). Fortunately, Fluke survived every time. There is a KZbin channel some guy is doing exactly the same thing. Putting 1kv plus over ohms. I was absolutely shocked, most of these multimeters survived with no harm.

[@ahmedalshalchi]

Karol K ... I didn't mean like that but FLUKE and other high-end manufacturers didn't make all these protections to let users using them as a normal daily use but only for a moment of mistake so the must to do is to check the selector knob first before probing , this should be a habit like pushing the clutch peddle before moving the gear stick in the car !!

[@ahmedalshalchi]

Nikki Cooper ... Thank you for sharing me your story with human fault accidents which I already said I blew up 2 multimeters in my career life yet but to make a mistake by a multi meter is different story than slipping away the probe to test or shorten wrong pins, multimeter testing needs for 2 step to do the test first is to select the range and second to probe so yo have 2 chances to think and decide what to do correctly so if you missed 2 times then you should be punished by blowing up the DUT and bear that cost of $20 or whatsoever or the multimeter itself... By the way, what is your job and qualification and where are you from and how old are you in this field ?... I am Electronics Engineer with BScEE degree and from IRAQ with over 27 years in EE...

[@phillipbartlett1819]

We need a video on inexpensive but good test equipment. I seen that meter and almost bought it. Now I will wait for your review lol

[@jct4647]

Needs a full review

[@joehubler4965]

For the price, I think it's a good meter. I have a 7.5 and 6.5 digit Keithleys and a 6.5 digit Rigol, so I would have no use for this meter, but for the price, it looks like a good buy! Rip her open and since you have a good reference I'll bet you can tweak it a bit and get the readout dead nuts! I think it's worth a full review. also, I would love to see it's stability, maybe you can hook up your reference and see if the reading drifts from cold to say an hour later

[@grantmcduling9760]

I am interested in this unit. Always wanted a bench multimeter; perhaps this time I'll get one.

[@FlyingShotsman]

Hmmm... It appears surprisingly decent. However, given the availability of used HP/Agilent and similar quality meters at decent prices on eBay (I got a very nice HP 34401A for

[@mjlorton]

Good point about used kit on ebay...I'm always a fan to see what's there. Thanks for your post.

[@miltoneduardososa378]

I am struggling a lot deciding between the VC8145 or ET3255. Since there isn't such multimeter with a continuous wide range of current measurements i.e: 40 uA - 500mA, the only solution I can think of right now is adding a low tolerance 0.1 Ohm shunt resistor in series with the load and put the multimeter in the millivolts range. Will the Vici give me trustable measurements between 4uV - 50 mV? I will appreciate your personal opinion on this.

[@robertcalkjr.8325]

Thanks Martin! I am always interested in test equipment!

[@reg123able]

I have had one of them meters for about 2 years now and I can honestly say I haven't had any problems with it. I had it crash on start up once and the screen just went blank but as soon as I turned it off and on again it was fine and hasn't done it since. I would recommend it to anyone that wants a cheap meter that get most jobs done :) but don't get me wrong I still love my flukes lol

[@leonardbutcher8555]

It seems to be reasonable and is well worth a full review and tear down.

[@petaks01]

Looks like a device worth looking closer at, I don't need graphs and flashy displays.

[@CDN_Torsten]

Would be interesting to see the internals to see the build quality and options for Vref/calibration improvements.

[@mikesradiorepair]

He has a link in the description to a full teardown of the meter.

[@CDN_Torsten]

@@mikesradiorepair Thanks I completely missed that...

[@CliveTrezona]

Hi Martin, I have one of these. And i must say i really love using it.

[@jimquinn]

Always nice videos from you. Looking forward to teardown and more. Thank you!!!

[@pomonabill220]

Very interesting meter with some good points, AND some not so good. The beeper... YES that HAS to go! I did notice the possible averaging or capacitance on the input when a large change was made. The backlight is nice. the display is nice too although the bar graph is kind of "thin". A real power switch too. WHY oh WHY RS232????? and NOT USB??? They need to get in the the 21st century! Of course, you can use a converter, but still!?!?! I would love to see inside. Thanks Martin for the first review! and DANG you! NOW I just MAY have to get one! Still can't touch my Fluke 289 / HP 3457A, but still a strong contender!

[@mjlorton]

The Fluke 289 / HP 3457A do best it...but at a price! There are some on eBay around the $155 mark.

[@NiHaoMike64]

Tape over the buzzer to make it not so loud.

[@ct1igu401]

Hi, Thanks for all the good videos. Yes please do a further review.

[@tonysfun]

Have you tested or look at Multicomp PRO MP730028 benchtop DMM? Thanks for your videos!

[@ulrichfrank4270]

Look at innards would surely be interesting. On the other hand, it was suggested that the case might be largely empty - why then would it be it so space-consuming on bench or shelf? And the case sort of looks yellowed already - or is this just the lighting?

[@amitmeyuhas6216]

Thanks, It worth full review

[@Cagruntas]

Hi good day, for someone who is just starting a electronics lab and wants a bench multi meter, is this a good one to start with? I will be using it for motherboard repairs and some small projects with microcontrollers

[@PapasDino]

I'll vote for a review...if warranted I'll recommend it to our newest club hams who are just starting outfitting their workbenches. 73 - Dino KL0S

[@salvamipc]

Hi, how would the compare with the OWON XDM1041 or the OWON XDM1241 this are both 55k counts

[@benvarela134]

I like it. Please do more. And, is there an 'isolation transformer' setting and if so ranges and capabilities. Thank you. Yes, this could be my desktop DMM, also.

[@Kaizensan1775]

How does it compare with Brymen 839s if portability is NOT an issue?

[@mauricepetit9986]

Great video; I've been looking for buying that bench multimeter, so I would like to know more about it. Thank you.

[@964tractorboy]

Surprisingly, very interesting for the reasons you outlined; except I don't own a dead Siglent!

[@electronone5219]

I'm interested--full review Thanks for all the review both present and past.

[@mjlorton]

My pleasure, thanks for your post.

[@antraciet]

Would also be interesting to see the fault (and repair ?) on the Siglent.

[@mjlorton]

Yup..that's certainly on the cards. Good to hear from you.

[@mtkoslowski]

I bought one the other day and would like to see much more please!

[@T2D.SteveArcs]

Full review please. ... nice little meter for the home gamer. ..

[@davidlee876]

Would like to see a full review, looks very interesting for the price, as I do not have a bench meter at the moment .

[@T2D.SteveArcs]

Like it , what is it using for a reference? Can we mod it for even better accuracy? Nice video thanks

[@johneckert1690]

I would like to see a full review (AND I DO MEAN FULL REVIEW) please test everything. ALSO do you still have a way to get Brymen DMM's. I think the fellows name was frank, but I'm now sure. THANKS.

[@mjlorton]

Hi John, I don't have a direct means of getting Brymen DMM's. There are a few models sold on Amazon under the "Greenlee" brand name...or have a look at Dave Jones' EEVBlog DMM, it's a Brymen.

[@MalagasOnFire]

The oddball of the oddball is lacking the uA scale as said in comments below. Thanks for the review. Open the cover :P

[@electronic7979]

Good item 👍

[@HagarVikin]

i would like to see a more indepth review on features from min to max scale testing with tear down , what software it using ?

[@ppdan]

dBm is for radio and is a ratio in reference to 1mW.

[@ghostrider090]

Pretty interesting at this price

That's interesting. Also the needs is similar to mine, I do not mind fancy features etc, I just want a handheld-like functionality in a bench form :) Errr, well, "for cheap" ;-P etc.

[@tubeDude48]

Quite nice! Only concern is weather it has a *Linear* or *Switching* Power Supply.

[@NiHaoMike64]

Almost certainly linear, very few low power switchers need manual voltage selection.

[@phildavies5833]

Definitely has a simple linear supply, i have one of these on my bench along with the Siglent SDM3055

[@sampathkuruwita]

Please be kind enough to post a full review of this multimeter

[@borysandreyev9717]

Clear! Good multimeter

[@K2teknik.]

I got one of these a few years ago, and yes the beeper is a pain so first modification was to place a piece of scotch on the sound outlet, I did the reversing of the back-light too so the thing starts up with the back-light on, so if I do not want back-light then I have to turn it off. There is few few people out there that have reverse engineered the RS232 communication and made some different PC programs to remote control the unit, but as I remember it is not 100% fully remote controllable regarding all functions, but data logging is properly what most people want and it works for most programs except the supplied program that came with the instrument, it was a joke. As to expect then these kind of cheap meters divide people into those against anything that do not have an expensive price tag, and those that just want to hear about these cheap meters performance from people with hand-on experience with the real cheap deal, but there is always these idiots that need to brag about how bad cheap stuff is and that "they will never buy such a thing" so they pollute an otherwise good discussion, in this www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/vc8145-thread-it_s-here-finally/ it did go bad in the start but later things got on track. And a review of the device would be nice, Paul Daniels have some stuff regarding this meter kzbin.infosearch?query=VC8145+

[@ronwatkins5775]

Ive seen other reviews of this meter seeming to show it's pretty decent.

[@Flip-Flop-Rio]

How much is one of these new there? It seems to have a great cost benefit.

[@TradieTrev]

He tells you in the video.

[@samsami1130]

thanks dear, appreciate your effort always..... for senior's and pro's -------> 7:40

[@hakanhas1837]

I think its not functionality for bench because i think band width not respond for high frequency but It's good for beginners

[@pintail120]

Martin Lorton you rock, do you remember Gavin Beverley ?

[@mjlorton]

Gavin! I most certainly do! What a blast from the past. Pop me an email on martin(at)mjlorton.com

[@thomasleerriem6872]

Would be nice to see a more detailed review/teardown.

[@washerdryeradvicechannel8041]

Keep up the good work

[@donnierobertson3088]

Great job

[@malgailany]

It seems interesting. The accompanying SW will make it clear if it's worth the ~160$ Thanks.

[@curtislucka9954]

Teardown please! Thanks!

[@stephenbruce8320]

I say review it because someone on a tight budget might find it useful. Open that sucker up and lets see what surprises it has instore!

[@andyhello23]

I would like to see a review, if you go over the protections it has, and how safe it is, as a device. With such devices from countries that have no real regulations, you need to know exactly what it really is protected for, not what they claim. If you go over the safety of the device, and explain if its safe with in a range, and what ranges, i would be interesting to see. The chinese are only now starting to push regulation in there industries. So it will be interesting to see what you find inside, and how you view its real limits. This oddball thing, is a good idea. Will be interesting if you release your full review, and what you think of it. I am assuming with full review your going to open it up.

[@mjlorton]

Thanks for your post.

[@BJcanal270]

Very nice content. 👍🏽

[@elresre]

Please do a full review.

[@szabolcsmate5254]

Well done. on EEVBlog this would have been dismissed as junk. Clearly if you have been earning $50+ an hour doing this stuff for 20+ years then this is not for you. You need top quality tools to get the most out of your time, but not everyone on here is like that. Horses for courses. This looks like a good horse. It shouldn't be killed by brand snobs.

[@gordonLP]

Full review please.

[@WaschyNumber1]

Cool 👍

[@mogouk]

Teardown Please, Full Review, Thanks!

[@kaybhee6]

xdm 1041 and vc 8045... both are not too bad, ...and cheaper

[@paul-c7541]

Full review please, I'm in the real world can't justify buying the overpriced Fluke bench meter.

[@martinbondesson7414]

Pse , do a full rewiew.

[@boonedockjourneyman7979]

Teardown. Review second. It’s more important to see it than see the manual. Show, not tell.

[@kaybhee6]

ut61e... u no like huh

[@klassichd10]

Sorry to say: Not too impressed. I read the review on lygte-info.dk/review/DMMVici VC8145 UK.html with tear down, images etc. In Europe you get the BM869s for a similar price and that is more versatile and more decent. Just 50,000 vs 80,000 but better accuracy. For my applications a bench meter should have more resolution and dynamic range also in current ranges. I want to measure e.g. RF transmitting sensor units with µA or even sub µA quiescent current and pulses with 20mA, 80mA or so. I need a low burden voltage. And I expect statistics, histogram etc. If I do not get this, a BM 869s would be the better choise for me.

[@mjlorton]

Fair comment, and it's hard to go wrong with a Brymen...I wish they did a bench meter...

[@kaybhee6]

do please please try mv

[@pomonabill220]

Currently unavailable on Amazon... rats!

[@FlyingShotsman]

Plenty of them on eBay for as low as $157, or on AliExpress for as low as $147.25.

[@gojohnnygo6869]

Yes it is a "piece of rubbish" as all the multi-meters are that cost under $200. I have been searching for a decent one in this price range but they always have multiple issues. I think most people would be better off spending this $150 on a quality handheld meter or save your money and get a $40 to $50 handheld of about the same quality. My thoughts are that if you need a bench multi-meter you probably need accuracy and reliability. I'm just a hobbyist but I still want the accuracy, resolution and the luxury of a bench meter. It's just that the cost of a quality bench multi-meter starts at about $300 and the the cost of a "piece of rubbish" bench multi-meter cost more than some quality handheld multi-meters. So I've decided to use my Fluke handheld for a while longer and save for a "BK 2831E" or "Instek GDM-8341". Both of those can be found for less than $350 each with free shipping. The OWON XDM2041 is a very nice quality bench multi-meter for a hobbyist at $250 but is lacking in tech support and repairs ship to China which can be costly if needed. I cant see paying $150 for "Rubbish". My advice is to save and get a lower-end brand name bench multi-meter of decent quality or buy the best handheld that is in your price range.

[@mikenagoya]

Hardly rubbish, full review please, cheers.

[@Brian_Of_Melbourne]

Martin, whilst I appeciate that narrating videos is difficult, perhaps you could try harder not to repeatedly say the wrong thing. Specifically saying "barograph" (a machine for measuring and/or recording air pressure) when you mean "bargraph". Also you seem to often confuse the terms digit and count. The accuracy figures include counts (like 10), these are NOT digits. Saying thigs like "the accuracy quoted at this voltage level is zero point zero five percent plus five digits" makes us all wonder if you really understand your material. Cheers, Brian.

[@relampago1381]

HOLA AMIGO, ESO NO VALE NI UN DURO, MENUDA PRECISIÓN. UN SALUDO DESDE ESPAÑA. LAS APARÊNCIAS ENGAÑAN.

[@relampago1381]

NO LO RECOMIENDO Y CARO.

[@qguitar1]

Teardown please T Y