Maintenance and repair of radio-electronic equipment, measuring instruments and laboratory equipment. Repair of laboratory power supplies Mastech HY series Problems associated with resistance testing

Multifunctional calibrators are an integral part of the toolkit of specialists employed in production and research laboratories, repair shops and service centers. These are compact reference devices used for checking and adjusting various measuring instruments. They are used both in laboratory and field conditions. Among the most popular and well-known devices of this kind is equipment manufactured by Fluke. It has proven itself to be extremely reliable and safe to use.

However, like any equipment, Fluke universal calibrators may break, malfunction and exhibit operational inaccuracies. In particular, their individual electronic components are damaged and the main elements become unusable. As a result, the device begins to act up, it is still unable to quickly and clearly solve the tasks assigned to it, and in rare cases it stops working altogether. The causes of breakdowns can be very different - from improper handling, banal exhaustion of parts, to mechanical and other influences.

The reliability of modern measuring instruments, like any other equipment, directly depends on their operating conditions. Various shocks, changes in temperature, relative humidity - all this leads to premature failure of the device. And although the manufacturer tries to increase reliability by various means, the device can still break down sooner or later due to banal oxidation of the contacts of the measuring range switch or protection relay. Perhaps a question asked to the owner of a digital multimeter about whether he carries out preventative maintenance on his device will confuse him, or most likely make him laugh - no matter what they say, we begin to disassemble the device only when it is no longer possible to measure with it. And here I would like to immediately tell the reader, do you know how to do this? If you do, then this article will not be interesting to you. But we will continue anyway.

So, first, let's select the tools. Of course, a Phillips screwdriver with a long and thin blade, tweezers, a flat thin medical spatula (optional, you can use anything instead - a knife, for example), a rubber eraser. That's all. Besides this, some more chemistry is needed. Ask at Eastern Department something for cleaning circuit boards - they will offer you a lot of things. Perfect option - isopropyl alcohol- cheap, removes dirt well and dissolves flux. In addition, you should stock up on any silicone grease. You need very little of it - to cover the contacts with a thin film and prevent oxidation. I categorically do not recommend using cyatim, litol, grease for this purpose - they collect a lot of dirt on themselves, and cyatim will dry out altogether and will contribute to the breakdown of contacts in the future. Well, don’t forget some rag. Wipe your hands.

Let's think that your favorite digital multimeter is out of order and its segments do not display some information - as shown in the figure below (ugh, ugh, although one friend gave this multimeter for repair - this is not yours :) We will repair it and at the same time carry out preventive maintenance .

Let's get started. To begin with, without disassembling the device, we try to press our fingers on the front panel just below the indicator glass - great, the indicators are now displayed, which means that the device can be repaired 100% if nothing is accidentally broken during the repair process. Now, if with this method of checking not a single segment begins to be displayed, you will have to scratch your head - the ADC of the multimeter may be faulty.

We remove the back cover of our Mastech, find the screws that secure the board to the front of the case. This multimeter turned out to have only two of them, but the second one simultaneously attached the board and the buzzer - that big black round thing. Carefully remove the board from the case. You can use whatever you want, the main thing is to avoid bending the board - because of this, you can get additional problems in the form of microcracks on the tracks.

Here he is - M-832 in disassembled form. Check if the metal balls of the range switch, springs and switch contacts were lost during disassembly. Lost????? In this case, you need an LED flashlight - it’s much more convenient to crawl on the floor with it :)

Next, you need to remove the LCD display itself from the board. This should be done carefully, bending each of the three clamps one by one. In general, you need to act extremely carefully in this place, otherwise there is a risk of breaking off the fasteners themselves. It is they who create all the main force of pressing the LCD display to the conductive rubber band, as well as the rubber band to the contacts of the board. If you break it off, that's okay too - superglue is a pretty effective remedy.

When the latches are released from the board, remove the display by turning it and removing it from the grooves - oops. Oh no no no. It seems to be a well-known company, but here it is - there are improvements to the device in the form of a wire jumper soldered directly to the contacts intended for conductive rubber. In addition, white stains on the board indicate violations of storage conditions (the flux was poorly washed or not washed at all, but the device was lying somewhere, lying in a warehouse). All this is clearly visible in the bottom two pictures.

Let's fix this situation. We take our pre-prepared isopropyl and apply it to the board with a brush. If you have a big bottle like me, you won't regret it. We are trying to clean all the dirt from the board, so it is better to use a brush as hard as possible. I want to say that electronics really love alcohol in any form and this makes them work very well. Well, now it’s okay to wait for the isopropyl to evaporate.

Now we take the eraser and begin to methodically rub it along the contacts. Wow, how they sparkled. But I don’t recommend doing this with sandpaper - if you remove a thin layer of gold, at first everything will be fine, but then you get into the device again, the contacts will oxidize very quickly. You also need to remember to remove wear products from the eraser.

Now you can install the display back. You can put pieces of electrical tape under the clamps to slightly increase the force of pressing the display to the contacts.

Here are pieces of electrical tape under the display latches on four sides:

You can also stick strips of electrical tape onto the front of the display. It won't be redundant. I did:

Now my favorite job is to lubricate and adjust everything. Apply a thin layer of silicone grease to the contacts of the measuring range switch. I hope they realized that they could also be rubbed with an eraser. Prevention is prevention :) By the way, I cheated a little here. The fact is that I lubricate everything when the multimeter is already working properly. Of course, I assembled the multimeter, checked it, and then took it apart again to lubricate it and take a picture at the same time. Why? But if the multimeter did not work, you would have to look for the reason, and this would mean removing the grease. What if it's nonsense? I won't remove the grease. As a result, the entire table, hands and other places are covered in grease :) Therefore, we assemble, check, disassemble, and lubricate. We collect. I almost forgot - the range switch (yes, that same knob with small steel balls) - usually the manufacturer doesn’t spare any grease there, but still - if it’s not enough, don’t forget to apply it.

Now let's collect. We check the rotation and fixation of the switch. If it gets stuck, don't put in extra effort. Just disassemble the multimeter and check that the switch is assembled correctly - the metal balls should be on different sides, each in its own hole. And don't forget about the springs. It worked for me. And you?

Additionally:

Visually detectable defects (manufacturing defects)

It is most convenient to check the serviceability of the device at the initial stage of repair by examining its electronic circuit. For this case, the following troubleshooting rules have been developed:

If the multimeter gives incorrect readings in all modes and the IC1 chip heats up, then you need to inspect the connectors to check the transistors. If the long leads are shorted, then the repair will simply consist of opening them.

In total, there can be a sufficient number of visually detectable faults. You can familiarize yourself with some of them in the table and then eliminate them yourself. (at: http://myfta.ru/articles/remont-multimetrov.) Before repairs, you need to study, which is usually given in the passport.

Checking the display

If they want to check the serviceability and repair the multimeter indicator, they usually resort to the help of an additional device that produces a signal of a suitable frequency and amplitude (50-60 Hz and units of volts). If it is not available, you can use a multimeter type M832 with the function of generating rectangular pulses (meander).

To diagnose and repair the multimeter display, you need to remove the working board from the device body and select a position convenient for checking the indicator contacts (screen up). After this, you should connect the end of one probe to the common terminal of the indicator under study (it is located in the bottom row, far left), and with the other end, alternately touch the signal terminals of the display. In this case, all its segments should light up one after another according to the wiring of the signal buses, which should be read separately. Normal “activation” of the tested segments in all modes indicates that the display is working properly.

Additional Information. This malfunction most often manifests itself during the operation of a digital multimeter, in which its measuring part fails and requires repair extremely rarely (provided that the requirements of the instructions are met).

The last remark concerns only constant quantities, when measuring which the multimeter is well protected against overloads. Serious difficulties in identifying the causes of device failure most often occur when determining the resistance of a circuit section and in testing mode.

Problems related to resistance testing

In this mode, characteristic faults, as a rule, appear in measuring ranges up to 200 and up to 2000 Ohms. When extraneous voltage comes into contact with the input, as a rule, resistors designated R5, R6, R10, R18, as well as transistor Q1, burn out. In addition, capacitor C6 often breaks through. The consequences of exposure to extraneous potential are manifested as follows:

Note! In other measurement modes, this transistor is short-circuited and therefore does not affect the display readings.

In the event of a breakdown of C6, the multimeter will not work at the measuring limits of 20, 200 and 1000 Volts (the possibility of a strong underestimation of readings is not excluded).

If the multimeter constantly beeps when dialing or is silent, then the cause may be poor-quality soldering of the pins of the IC2 microcircuit. Repair involves careful soldering.

Problems with the ADC

It is recommended to begin the inspection and repair of a non-working multimeter, the malfunction of which is not related to the cases already considered, by checking the 3 Volt voltage on the ADC supply bus. In this case, first of all, you need to make sure that there is no breakdown between the supply terminal and the common terminal of the converter.

The disappearance of indication elements on the display screen in the presence of a supply voltage to the converter most likely indicates damage to its circuit. The same conclusion can be drawn if a significant number of circuit elements located near the ADC burn out.

Important! In practice, this unit “burns out” only when a sufficiently high voltage (more than 220 Volts) is applied to its input, which manifests itself visually in the form of cracks in the module’s compound.

ADC testing

Before we talk about repairs, it is necessary to carry out an inspection. A simple way to test an ADC for suitability for further operation is to test its outputs using a known-good multimeter of the same class. Note that the case when the second multimeter incorrectly displays measurement results is not suitable for such a test.

When preparing for operation, the device is switched to the diode “testing” mode, and the measuring end of the wire in red insulation is connected to the “minus power” terminal of the microcircuit. Following this, each of its signal legs is successively touched with a black probe. Since the circuit inputs have protective diodes connected in the reverse direction, they should open after applying forward voltage from a third-party multimeter.

The fact of their opening is recorded on the display in the form of a voltage drop across the junction of the semiconductor element. The circuit is checked in the same way by connecting a probe in black insulation to pin 1 (+ ADC power supply) and then touching all other pins. In this case, the readings on the display screen should be the same as in the first case.

When changing the polarity of the connection of the second measuring device, its indicator always shows a break, since the input resistance of the working microcircuit is quite high. In this case, the terminals that in both cases show the final resistance value will be considered faulty. If, with any of the described connection options, the multimeter shows a break, this most likely indicates an internal break in the circuit.

Is repair possible in this case?

Since modern ADCs are most often produced in an integrated version (without a housing), rarely can anyone replace them. So if the converter burns out, then it will not be possible to repair the multimeter; it cannot be repaired.

Problems with the rotary switch

Repair will be required if problems arise due to loss of contact in the circular biscuit switch. This manifests itself not only in the fact that the multimeter does not turn on, but also in the inability to obtain a normal connection without pressing hard on the biscuit. This is explained by the fact that the contact tracks are rarely covered with high-quality lubricant, which leads to their rapid oxidation.

When used in dusty conditions, for example, after some time they become dirty and lose contact with the switch bar. To repair this multimeter assembly, it is enough to remove the printed circuit board from its body and wipe the contact tracks with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. Then a thin layer of high-quality technical Vaseline should be applied to them.

In conclusion, we note that if factory “missing connections” or shorted contacts in the multimeter are detected, these defects should be eliminated by using a low-voltage soldering iron with a well-sharpened tip. If you are not completely sure of the cause of the device failure, you should contact a specialist in the repair of measuring equipment.

Like any other item, a multimeter can fail during operation or have an initial, factory defect that went undetected during production. In order to find out how to repair a multimeter, you should first understand the nature of the damage.

Experts advise starting the search for the cause of the malfunction with a thorough inspection of the printed circuit board, since short circuits and poor soldering are possible, as well as defective pins of elements at the edges of the board.

Manufacturing defects in these devices appear mainly on the display. There can be up to ten species (see table). Therefore, it is better to repair digital multimeters using the instructions that come with the device.

Defect	Cause	Solution
When the device starts up, the screen lights up and slowly goes out.	Indicates a breakdown of the master oscillator, from where the signal is supplied to the screen substrate	It is necessary to check two elements: C1 and R15
During startup, the screen lights up and slowly goes out, but without the back cover the problem does not occur	When the lid is closed, the contact coil spring presses on resistor R15 and closes the master oscillator circuit	You can bend or shorten the spring itself
The screen indicators change from 0 to 1 when the device is turned on in voltage measurement mode	The reason may be poorly soldered, defective capacitors: C4, C5 and C2 and resistor R14	You need to solder them or install new ones
The device takes too long to reset to zero	Reason: poor quality capacitor SZ at the input
The readings on the screen take a long time to set when changing resistances	This happens due to a poor-quality capacitor C5	It is worth replacing it with another one with a lower absorption coefficient
The device does not work correctly when each mode is turned on. IC1 is overheating	This occurs due to the shorting of the long pins of the transistor test connector	You just need to open the leads
The readings jump when the voltage changes: instead of 220 volts they show from 200 to 240 volts	The reason is the loss of capacitance of the SZ capacitor due to its poor soldering, soldering of leads, or the absence of the capacitor itself	It is necessary to replace a working capacitor with a low absorption coefficient
When turned on, the device either beeps or is silent during dialing	Occurs due to poor-quality soldering of the pins of the IC2 chip	To solve, you need to solder the pins
Disappearing segments on the screen	Poor contact of the screen with the board contacts through the conductive inserts	It is necessary to correct the conductive rubber inserts, clean the contacts with alcohol and tin the contacts on the board

The same breakdowns can occur after use. The malfunctions described above may also appear during operation. However, if the device operates in constant voltage measurement mode, it rarely breaks down.

The reason for this is its overload protection. Also, repairing a faulty device should begin with checking the supply voltage and the functionality of the ADC: stabilization voltage of 3 V and the absence of breakdown between the power pins and the common pin of the ADC.

Experienced users and professionals have repeatedly stated that one of the most likely causes of frequent breakdowns in the device is poor quality manufacturing. Namely, soldering contacts using acid. As a result, the contacts simply oxidize.

However, if you are not sure what kind of breakdown caused the device to not work, you should still contact a specialist for advice or help.