Saturday, October 11, 2025

Side project - MV864A meter restoration - blocking out entire schematic

USING EXISTING MANUAL SCHEMATIC TO BLOCK OUT NON PCB PORTIONS

I chose to use the schematic in my manual, which is too modern to match the version of the meter I own, to block out the remaining functions most of which are not on the two printed circuit boards. This includes the Range Attenuator, the Function switch, the Meter, the input jacks, the zeroing pot for the meter and the pot to adjust the full scale resistance reading to 0. 

The components used for the Range Attenuator sit on the power supply PCB and are joined to the rotary switch via wiring. I used the manual version of the part numbers for the parts that will be on the power supply PCB for now. This is because the part numbers on the board don't match between the manual and the actual meter I own. As well, the numbering scheme for the rotary switch, function switch and other parts that are not on a PCB are different so I went with the manual initially.

I intend to trace out the actual meter to resolve all the numbering to match my actual meter. I will also catch any changes in the circuit that exists between the manual version and my schematic. I don't expect many differences in this part of the device but we shall see. 

NOT DONE WITH THE RANGE ATTENUATOR YET

I put in quite a few resistors and connections for the range attenuator but have not finished yet as it is tedious work with many parts that have to be wedged into the schematic around the rotary switch sections. I did complete the Function switch.

REMAINING WORK OTHER THAN RANGE ATTENUATOR AND MATCHING MY METER

I have to put in the output connector on the back that delivers a 0-1V output matching the meter deflection. The pot to zero the meter is not yet implemented. 

I then have to rationalize a connection from the Function switch to the power supply which in the version from my manual is passed a fixed current produced by the power supply. My reverse engineered power supply does not have a current source like this, so this will be a notable difference between the manual and my meter. The current is applied only in the resistance function to power the input jacks so that a voltage drop is generated on the resistor under test, which is then measured by the meter.

SCHEMATIC SO FAR


 

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