Test/review of DMM Aneng AN8002

HKJ · 2018-03-12T14:22:36.000Z

DMM Aneng AN8002

This is a cheap DMM with all common function.

There was no box included with the DMM, only a plastic bag with everything inside.

It included the DMM, a pair of probes, a thermocoupler, a bag and a manual.

The standard probes has removable tip covers.

The plug is fully shrouded.

The thermocoupler is the usual cheap type.

The body of the DMM feels solid, the plastic is rather smooth, i.e. the DMM can easily slide on a surface. The tilting bale is a bit flimsy and do not give enough support for pressing buttons and turning the range switch.

Display

The above picture shows all the segments on the display.

Typical display during usage, it will show the number and what measurement is selected.

Functions

Buttons:

Hold (Blue): Will freeze display, press again to unfreeze, hold down to activate background light.
Sel (Yellow): Select the ranges printed with yellow.

Rotary switch:

Off: Meter is turned off
V % Hz: Show voltage, using the yellow button will cycle between VDC, VAC, freq. and duty cycle.
mV: Show millivolt, using the yellow button will cycle between VDC and VAC
ohm: Resistance, continuity, diode and capacitance, use yellow button to select.
Hz: Frequency and duty cycle, this is fairly low input impedance above 2V
A mA: Current AC and DC.
°C °F: Temperature, will show DMM temperature when no probe is mounted.

Input

A: The two A ranges.
COM: The common terminal for all ranges.
xxx: All other ranges, including mA. It is always problematic when a current range shares connector with a voltage range, if the switch is in the wrong position the (hard to replace) fuse will blow (at least). This will only affect current, voltage will still work.

Measurements

Volt and frequency
- 1 VAC is 5% down at 2.1kHz (RMS will not work at the frequency).
- Input impedance is 10-11Mohm on DC and AC
- mV range is high input impedance for DC and 10Mohm for AC below 1.5V, above they wil soon drop to 2kohm
- At 100mVrms input the frequency counter works from 1Hz to 4MHz
- 1Vrms input will extend the frequency range to 7MHz
- Frequency counter and duty cycle need a zero crossing in both Hz and AC range.
- Duty cycle works from 2% to above 99% at 100kHz with 1Vpp, precision is within 0.5.
- V input works with a blown mA fuse.
- Frequency input is 10Mohm below 1.5V and drops to 2kohm at about 3V
Current
- 10A range is badly calibrated at high current.
- 10A range will change some percent at 5-10A current due to heating.
- 10A range will give an audible alarm when current is above 10A
- 600mA range will give an audible alarm when current is above 600mA
- mA range is protected with 0.6A/250V 3.6x10mm fuse
- 10A range is protected with 10A/250V 3.6x10mm fuse
Ohm, continuity, diode and capacity
- Ohm needs about 2.7s to measure 100ohm
- Ohm voltage is 1V open and 0.40mA shorted
- Continuity is fast (About 10ms).
- Continuity beeps when resistance is below 50ohm.
- Continuity is 1V open and 0.40mA shorted
- Diode voltage is 3.2V with display of up to 3.000V with 0.2mA, maximum current is 1.8mA shorted
- 70000uF takes about 10 seconds to measure.
- No protection level is specified, only that not voltage must be present.
Miscellaneous
- Current consumption of meter is 1.6mA (7mA with backlight)
- Meter works down to 2.2V where it turns off, battery symbol show at 2.4V.
- Readings are stable with changing battery voltage.
- Backlight only works down to about 2.6V where it is fairly dim.
- Viewing angle is good.
- Display updates around 3 times/sec
- A beeper will sound shortly before the meter turns itself off
- Backlight will automatic turn off in about 15 seconds.
- Will automatic turn power off in about 15 minutes.
- The meter usual need a couple of display update to reach the final value.
- Standard probes fits fine, but cannot be seated fully.
- Weight is 135g without accessories, but with batteries.
- Size is 130.2 x 65 x 32.3mm
Probes
- Probe resistance 55mOhm for one.
- Probe wire is fairly soft and 65cm long.

A look at the capacity measurement waveform.

Frequency input resistance. mV looks similar, except DC is high impedance at low voltage.

Tear down

Four screws and the back could be removed.

Three more for the circuit board and two for the display.

On this side there is only the switches and the connection to the display. The 10A current shunt is missing a solder joint on this side.

The two small fuses are not designed for high CAT ratings.
R24 is a 1ohm resistor for mA current range and R23 is a 99ohm resistor for the missing uA range. R29 and R30 is the 10Mohm input divider.
D5 is a bidirectional zener diode to protect the mA current shunt.
Q3 & Q4 is input protection together with PTC1. The DMM chip is under the black blob and the IC1 (24C02) beside it is a EEPROM to store functions and calibration in.

Conclusion

The meter is easily within the specified tolerances (Except 10A) and it has lot of functions and ranges, but the CAT rating is fake.

This is a small DMM in size, but has most of the expected functions in a universal DMM. It is missing the uA current range,

I do not like the small fuse size, they cannot break high voltage or high current and they can be hard to source. The current range on the voltage input is also a bad idea.

I will call it good DMM for hobby use, but keep it away from anything with mains voltage and lots of amps.

Notes

This meter exist with many different names on it and small variations in functions.

How do I review a DMM
More DMM reviews

Barkuti · 2020-02-09T03:09:41.000Z

Hello! :-)

Managed to blow up both fuses in my Bside ZT102 recently off my usual tinkerings, another Zotek ZT102 rewrap as this one.

Ultra cheap tiny fuses galore on eBay, for example.

However, is it possible to get any safety advantage by modifying the thing and cramming in more standard, higher voltage rating fuses? I say this because it seems this meter did ludicrously well safety wise:

Related review: Aneng AN8002 multimeter @ Mark Hennessy

:-)

Tue, 10/23/2018 - 11:12

HKJ · 2018-10-23T10:05:34.000Z

The correct fuse is a fast blow fuses, they are more tricky to find, but it is possible to modify for standard 20mm glass fuses, it will not really improve safety, but make it much easier to get spare fuses.

Joe’s testing has nothing with the fuses to do and it not really a safety test either (He says that often).

The best safety advice with this and many other cheap meters is to keep them away from high voltage and also high energy circuits.

Barkuti · 2018-10-23T12:29:47.000Z

HKJ:

…

The best safety advice with this and many other cheap meters is to keep them away from high voltage and also high energy circuits.

Well you're right on that I think. And it remembers me a few months ago when I decided to measure mains input voltage over an AC transformer's terminals with my old Mastech M92A. Problem was the last time I used the meter previous to that I used it to measure current in the unfused 10A range and its leads were… :facepalm: :-D

Fortunately my hair's close-cropped, if not it may have looked like Doc's hair in Back to the Future.

Cheers :-)

klrman · 2019-04-14T06:16:44.000Z

Does the AN8002 have a Peak Hold Feature? I suspect a bad cell on my car battery and just eyeing the DMM display for lowest voltage whilst cranking is not going to do the job for me. I only have the AN8002 DMM at the moment.

Also wondering if I need to use the 10A slot when testing cranking voltage? Don't want my little dmm going boom!

HKJ · 2019-04-14T06:18:33.000Z

klrman:

Does the AN8002 have a Peak Hold Feature? I suspect a bad cell on my car battery and just eyeing the DMM display for lowest voltage whilst cranking is not going to do the job for me. I only have the AN8002 DMM at the moment.

It do not.

klrman:

Also wondering if I need to use the 10A slot when testing cranking voltage? Don’t want my little dmm going boom!

The 10A connection is only for measuring current, the meter will go boom if you use it for voltage in a car.

Barkuti · 2019-04-14T06:59:55.000Z

That small board button pad by the right side up of the battery carrier at the rear is for manual range selection. If a switch is soldered there or a rubber “gamepad” button is used such feature could be available, but I guess it is a lot of work modding work for little benefit :-)

The DMM could be used for monitoring the battery output voltage while cranking, but this meter (like many others) is not well suited for such a thing due to very low LCD update/refresh rate.

I also find the auto power-off thing a sucking trait, makes it inadequate as a measuring monitor.

Cheers ^:)

klrman · 2019-04-14T07:11:22.000Z

HKJ:

klrman:

Does the AN8002 have a Peak Hold Feature? I suspect a bad cell on my car battery and just eyeing the DMM display for lowest voltage whilst cranking is not going to do the job for me. I only have the AN8002 DMM at the moment.

It do not.

klrman:

Also wondering if I need to use the 10A slot when testing cranking voltage? Don't want my little dmm going boom!

The 10A connection is only for measuring current, the meter will go boom if you use it for voltage in a car.

Thanks! I need to learn more.

klrman · 2019-04-14T08:11:33.000Z

Barkuti:

That small board button pad by the right side up of the battery carrier at the rear is for manual range selection. If a switch is soldered there or a rubber “gamepad” button is used such feature could be available, but I guess it is a lot of work modding work for little benefit :-)

The DMM could be used for monitoring the battery output voltage while cranking, but this meter (like many others) is not well suited for such a thing due to very low LCD update/refresh rate.

I also find the auto power-off thing a sucking trait, makes it inadequate as a measuring monitor.

Cheers ^:)

Thanks for the help I'll have to look around then for something else. I did get voltage reading whilst cranking but I didn't feel I could follow the changes in V well just by looking at the display.

Barkuti · 2019-04-14T11:39:15.000Z

For monitoring purposes I have one of the following:

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/DC-0-33V-3-Wire-0-36-Inch-LED-Digital-Voltmeter-Voltage-Meter-Volt-Panel-5V/2162059_32844639838.html

My yellow one starts measuring a bit above 3.2V, measures/updates its display ≈4 times per second and draws a little above 10mA if I recall correctly.

Available also in power source isolated (!) 4-wire versions:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DC-0-33V-4-Wires-0-36-Inch-Digital-Voltmeter-Voltage-Meter-5V-12V-24V-Volt/32843036408.html

Cool little gadgets.

:-)

klrman · 2019-04-14T18:07:41.000Z

Thanks Barkuti, I've seen those around for years and was always thinking about getting them.

Barkuti · 2019-04-15T05:15:29.000Z

So which one did you ordered, klrman? A 4-wire blue one or maybe the standard 3-wire? :-D

On the underside of my yellow submarine one I found an ST Microelectronics 8S003F3P6 microcontroller and a razor claw AMC7136 linear regulator near a corner. Current draw starts at ≈4.8mA and goes up to 10.2+mA at close to 30V, this was measured with my ZT102 in the mA range (power consumption does not seem to wander significantly with the displayed figure).

Accuracy measurements in case you are ;-) wondering, all values in volts:

Voltmeter	Bside ZT102	KPS3010DF
3.221	3.219	3.23
6.186	6.180	6.17
12.707	12.69	12.71
20.941	20.92	20.96
31.564	31.53	31.58

The KPS3010DF column shows my power supply's output display values.

I'd say it is a pretty good device.

Cheers :-)

Mon, 04/15/2019 - 04:44

klrman · 2019-04-15T03:01:30.000Z

From your chart they are pretty accurate Barkuti! I was always thinking about ordering them but have not as of yet. Today I borrowed a battery load tester to test my battery instead of buying one. Cheers

Pete7874 · 2019-04-15T14:23:48.000Z

klrman:

I did get voltage reading whilst cranking but I didn’t feel I could follow the changes in V well just by looking at the display.

Find a DMM that has the ability to record minimum value.

Unfortunately, for the price of such DMM, you can typically just buy a dedicated car battery tester that automatically tests for cranking voltage, among many other things.

klrman · 2019-04-15T19:16:02.000Z

Pete7874:

klrman:

I did get voltage reading whilst cranking but I didn’t feel I could follow the changes in V well just by looking at the display.

Find a DMM that has the ability to record minimum value. Unfortunately, for the price of such DMM, you can typically just buy a dedicated car battery tester that automatically tests for cranking voltage, among many other things.

Yes, they are all very expensive so I went to plan b and swapped my battery into my brothers car to see if he has problems since nothing acts now that I try and test things. In time if it is the battery it will show in his car and I'll know.

Pete7874 · 2019-04-15T19:21:58.000Z

klrman:

Pete7874:

klrman:

I did get voltage reading whilst cranking but I didn’t feel I could follow the changes in V well just by looking at the display.

Find a DMM that has the ability to record minimum value. Unfortunately, for the price of such DMM, you can typically just buy a dedicated car battery tester that automatically tests for cranking voltage, among many other things.

Yes, they are all very expensive

It’s all relative, I guess. The Uni-T UT61E DMM I got for $35 can record max/min values, but then again, something like Ancel BA101 battery tester is only a few bucks more.

klrman · 2019-04-16T00:26:41.000Z

$35 is fine but I really like that Ancel BA101 for my tool collection! I need to check if it can do a decent load test. I know it will never replace a $1,000 tester but it should be good for some things. I'm a little disappointed that the problem isn't repeating itself now that I am constantly running tests though.

Barkuti · 2020-02-09T03:08:01.000Z

The following is a question for reviewer Henrik. Would you say the ADC/AAC accuracy of this meter is fine? I recently used it for calibrating an EBD-M05 battery tester, took a reading at 100 mA and another at 5 A. I took the precaution to read the high current value on the meter as soon as possible to avoid any deviation…

Well, just connected the thing again to observe the measured figures at 3, 4 and 5 A, to check if the drift is proportional. And so it looks. So I guess this meter is fine for measuring current for as long as its shunts remain cool, doesn't it?

P.S.: There's a way to disable auto power-off on this meter, it is said in its review by Mark Hennessy. Hold select button while powering on; it will still beep every 15 minutes.

HKJ · 2020-02-09T06:28:07.000Z

Most meters today has good calibration, especially meters with electronic calibration like this meter.
The problem is heat in the 10A shunt, when using it at 5A you only have 1/4 the power, this means heat problem will be considerable less and the change will be much slower.

Barkuti · 2020-02-09T07:41:50.000Z

So meters overall have good calibration for as long as the internal shunt doesn't overheats. Thanks for answering.

The room was cold and after heating it a little bit I noticed the readings had already changed, from 4.985 A to 5.005 A with less than a ≈3°C increase in temperature, if I'm not mistaken. Unexpected, honestly speaking, in something which theoretically should be using a manganin current resistor.

If required, buying a current shunt will make current measurements a lot easier, doesn't it? With a 10 µV resolution, the meter should do fine in this regard.