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    #1

    Beckman Industrial 320B

    When I started doing this about 2 years back I didn't have a meter or know how to use one. Then I got one that my Mom had when she worked for AT&T. Then I bought a cheap Cen-tech from harbor freight. This week I was given this Beckman from my step dad. Still want an auto range one. Oh well I needed a hobby.
    Thought some of you might like to see this. Also I've search and can't find a manual for it. At least not a free one.
    Attached Files
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    #2
    Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

    One retiredcaps' bonus point for pictures of the Beckman and Micronta.

    You really don't need a manual since most basic manual range meters work the same way.

    As I understand it, Beckman, back in its day, was the equivalent of Fluke/Agilent today.

    modemhead has as repair of a Beckman HD110 at

    http://mrmodemhead.com/blog/beckman-...10-multimeter/
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      #3
      Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

      But if you really want an user manual, this should be close enough.

      https://cdn.badcaps-static.com/pdfs/...94739d1212.pdf

      Wow, just reading through the specs and the manual says you get 2000 hours battery life from a 9V. That is outstanding and just like the old Fluke 70 series.

      I love the older manuals that have schematics as well.
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        #4
        Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

        Thanks for the two links I may need them. It seemed to be working ok. But now the numbers on DCV and ACV are jumping around. Looks I'll need to open it up and check it.

        Comment

          #5
          Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

          I also have Beckman HD100 similar to the HD110 in the above link that was basically working, but giving an unsteady reading. Jumping around, as you say. I repaired it with a thorough alcohol cleaning of the LCD and A/D chip assembly and all the elastomeric connectors involved.

          But that stack is under compression, held together only by the barbed ends of the plastic posts that go through all of it. It can be quite a chore to get it apart and back together, so if you're inclined to try it, be very careful not to mangle the posts.

          Also, I would not recommend taking the rotary switch halves apart unless absolutely necessary. The contacts are quite fragile and easily bent.

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            #6
            Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

            Originally posted by DavidOH View Post
            But now the numbers on DCV and ACV are jumping around.
            Are they jumping around when you short the probes together?

            Modemhead's advice about IPA cleaning has help me fix a few multimeters that had erratic readings.

            You can learn a lot from reading all the posts in his blog. I re-read them over several days/weeks because many times I don't understand something or miss some nuance.
            Last edited by retiredcaps; 01-20-2013, 11:15 PM.
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              #7
              Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

              DCV settles down and ohms is ok. ACV doesn't stop. I'm only going to try to clean the LCD chip and check for loose parts. The basic lay out is just like the HD100. The pics Modemhead has will help.

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                #8
                Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                I took it apart to clean. Now I can't seem to get the strips back in to get it to work. Any way to rehab these?
                Attached Files

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                  #9
                  Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                  I own a few Beckman's and two problems they have:
                  -The rotary switch contacts - the leafs get bent or oxide on them, as they weren't gold-plated. Make sure the fingers all line up okay.
                  -The zebra-strips shrink with age, making bad connections. I've rehabilitated some by soaking them in hot water for a while and then letting them dry. It seems to rehydrate the plastic. Do not microwave them- they will blow up as they are conductive.

                  Symptoms would be a messed up decimal point, readings all over the place, won't settle down. It's been a while but I recall the zebra-strips connect the CPU and LCD, so it's more than missing segments.

                  I love these meters, they actually beat Flukes in a few ways that are important enough.

                  Comment

                    #10
                    Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                    Originally posted by DavidOH View Post
                    Now I can't seem to get the strips back in to get it to work.
                    I don't have any Beckman's,

                    1) From your pictures it looks like the corner pins in bottom left, top left and top right strips are not "sticking out" enough. They may not be making contact with the chip on board plated pins?

                    2) Is it possible you installed the "chip on board" daughterboard upside down? I don't know if yours is keyed?

                    3) Carefully check the strip to see if there is anything lodged in between or in two pins are shorted together.
                    Last edited by retiredcaps; 01-22-2013, 06:09 PM.
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                      #11
                      Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                      Originally posted by redwire View Post
                      The zebra-strips shrink with age, making bad connections. I've rehabilitated some by soaking them in hot water for a while and then letting them dry.
                      That is a great tip.

                      I love these meters, they actually beat Flukes in a few ways that are important enough.
                      I'm curious what features make them better than a Fluke?

                      I see a few Beckmans on ebay and would be interested in getting a couple possibly based on your feedback in addition to what I have seen on modemhead's blog.
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                        #12
                        Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                        Originally posted by DavidOH View Post
                        I took it apart to clean. Now I can't seem to get the strips back in to get it to work. Any way to rehab these?
                        Interesting, I've recently opened 4 of these type meters and that's the first time I've seen that particular style of connector. It appears to have wrap-around conductors with some spongy stuff in-between. (Nice pictures, BTW.)

                        In any case, skin oils and such will make a difference, so after cleaning with alcohol, handle with tweezers. With the regular elastomeric connectors I would try to get them back in the same place and orientation. So try these in different orientations?

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                          #13
                          Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                          Readings all over the place is what I was getting. I haven't removed the switch because I can't get the nob off and I'm don't want to pry on it to much. I'll try soaking the strips and see what happens.

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                            #14
                            Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                            The board is keyed so I know it's in right. The strips fell out when I took the board out so I didn't know how they were in.
                            As for the pics. That's a Canon PowerShot A450 6MP from Goodwill for $4 plus a mirco cable from same for $.99 and a 2GB SDcard form CVS $9. The battery cover was chipped but a rubber band fixed it. I only bought it so I could post good pics here. does better than my phone.

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                              #15
                              Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                              I got the LCD to work. But something isn't right. ACV isn't reading right at all. I'm thinking the contacts in the knob may need cleaned. It wouldn't hurt to change the strips either.

                              Comment

                                #16
                                Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                                Years back, I couldn't find replacement zebra strips for Beckman multimeters. Best I could do was find an LCD zebra strip manufacturer that offered a similar size, and I could maybe request samples. But the hot water trick worked, even after years...

                                Try moving the rotary switch in-between clicks and see if you can get it to behave - which means the switch contacts are dirty or bent. The leafs are very fragile, I used a piece of paper to clean them (abrasive). Contact cleaning sprays did not last more than a few months. The PCB is gold so that part is ok.

                                Here, I found the Beckman Tech 310, 320, 330 service manual & schematic pdf

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                                  #17
                                  Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                                  The Beckman Tech 310, Tech 320, Wavetech HD 110 etc. are very similar. I've used them and Fluke 80 series, 89, 867 and the Beckman (while older) has some features that beat Fluke multimeters IMO:

                                  -Beckman AC rectifier/averaging reads zero when there's no signal, as expected.
                                  -Put a Fluke multimeter on AC Amps (or any AC range) and watch it read 30-20 counts and maybe it's close to zero after 10-30 seconds. My point is the averaging takes so long to settle, meanwhile it's displaying 20-30mA which is doom if you are measuring AC leakage.
                                  -Lower shunt resistance; Fluke 0.4-1.8 ohms means more voltage drop when measuring current. 400mA at 1.8 ohms you lose 0.72V which is too much.
                                  -Fast readings A/D updates 2Hz is great for seeing varying readings and whipping through measurements. The Fluke has sluggish autoranging and 1-2 seconds to see your reading.
                                  -Doesn't have two $8 CatIII fuses.
                                  -2000hr battery life vs 72 hours (187)

                                  I know, I know- Fluke are the best new multimeters out there, very expensive as they have the market. Tried an Agilent A1213 and it wasn't so good. Would never buy a Chinese make.
                                  There are many features the Beckman does not have - capacitance, frequency, min/max, dB, bar graph, more digits, better safety, backlight, thermocouple and all that. But excellent in their time.

                                  Comment

                                    #18
                                    Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                                    Originally posted by redwire View Post
                                    -Doesn't have two $8 CatIII fuses.
                                    -2000hr battery life vs 72 hours (187)
                                    Thank for the feedback on the AC. I rarely measure AC so those things never really bothered me and I never really noticed.

                                    Yep, HRC fuses are expensive in any multimeter. I have yet to blow a fuse, but I have purchased a few multimeters with pre-blown fuses.

                                    I have a 187 and I use eneloops in them, but yes I agree the battery life is dismal.
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                                      #19
                                      Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                                      Originally posted by DavidOH View Post
                                      But something isn't right. ACV isn't reading right at all.
                                      If you can't get AC to work, don't worry. As I have mentioned a few times

                                      https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...9&postcount=12

                                      https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...30&postcount=3

                                      for the purposes of this forum and troubleshooting, we rarely need to measure AC. We assume your wall socket is working!
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                                        #20
                                        Re: Beckman Industrial 320B

                                        I got the strips working by bending them a little between my fingers. I guess that could cause the bad readings. I'm checking it against the cheap cen-tech. The cen-tech reads 120v +/-. Beckman reading 154v +/-. I wonder if I could find the strips in something with an older lcd in it. Maybe a radio or something, just a thought.

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