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Rant: I chose a multimeter with analog display over digital
Ngl, everyone at the hangar in Phoenix laughed when I brought in an analog Fluke 27 for line work. But after 6 months troubleshooting interference in a Gulfstream, that needle helped me catch a 5-volt drop that a digital readout would have smoothed over. Anyone else stick with old school gear for signal work?
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jamie7942d ago
Used to be all digital all the way, thought analog was just nostalgia bait. But your Gulfstream story actually makes a ton of sense. Digital displays average things out, so you miss those tiny fluctuations that a needle can show in real time. Never really thought about how a digital readout can hide a slow drift or a quick drop like that. Can't argue with a 5 volt catch on a bird like that, that's a serious win for the old school way. Might have to dig out my dad's old Simpson 260 and give it a shot on some signal work. Makes me wonder how many other guys are running analog on the quiet.
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the_kevin1d ago
Man I gotta push back a little on this one. Yeah the Gulfstream story is cool and all but people act like digital is just a random number generator these days. A good fluke meter updates fast enough to catch a dip if you know what you're looking at. Plus those old Simpson meters drift like crazy if you drop them or they sit in a hot truck. I've seen guys chase their tails for hours on a bad ground because their "trusty" analog meter was reading a couple volts high from a worn out battery.
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