Case or pouch for Fluke 87 + probes?

Drill in on the Pelican Cases and look around. I saw a case for an Ipod.

My wife was looking for a custom case for her Blackberry and some other stuff. She found a lady on internet who would make anything you want. I cut out a block of wood the size of what she wanted, we mailed it to the lady and she sent us the case back for $30. Search custom leather bags or something similar. You will get lots of hits. The advantage is you are helping an American cottage industry not some offshore sweat shop..

Have a look at makeup/toilet bags. Or perhaps give your wife the dimensions and ask her to. ;-) Other possibility is outdoor purses or wallets - the sort of thing climbers or cyclists etc might wear.

I use pencil boxes with custom cut foam inserts for various test equipment. For my DMM that I carry around a lot I bought a genuine Fluke case, it was only $25 on ebay, which for protecting a $250 instrument seemed like a small price to pay.

But the night is still young. ;-)

I use the velvet bags that a small bottle of Chivas Regal comes in. It makes me look neat and tidy and a fancy drinker.
So far I only have two of them.

This is looking good:
If I can learn to like the red, $10.
But I like the suggestion of a hand-made custom case made by a cottage industry.

Dave
When my daughter needed a case for her digital camer she went to a nice WalMart and they had a great selection. How big or large is the fluke 87?
Bob AZ

I found some zippered calculator cases at 'Dollar Tree' a few years ago that will hold a small DMM. I should have bought a couple dozen when they had them. :(

8.25" x 4" x 2.25"
Plus room for a few sets of test probes.

I'm sure you can find something wandering around the local purse department of your local store. Lots of extra pockets for storing probes, clamp-on ampsguesser, spare fuses, Hi-V probe, etc. However, it will probably cost more than the stock case. So, try the local thrift shop. They usually have a box of old purses.
I've had to make my own cases a few times. I usually start with heavy cotton canvas or calendared waterproof canvas. Old tent and upholstery scrap will also work. For padding, I sometimes include a sheepskin layer (or just bubble pack). If I want it to last, I sew it together with a sewing machine. (I was a mechanic at my fathers lingerie factory). If I'm in a rush or the material is too thick to sew effectively, I glue it together with contact cement and plenty of pressure with a wood clamps. For closure, forget about using snaps and just glue on some Velcro.
If you're really cheap and lazy, cut a piece of 2x4 (wood) to approximately the size of your Fluke 87. Add scrap wood to build up lumpy areas. Find something about the same volume as the probes. Wrap in cellophane plastic. That's your mold form. You have many options:
1. Make a 2 part plaster of Paris casting and you'll have a very heavy, rugged, cheap, and strong case. Put hinges on it the two halves to make it look professional. Urethane foam (or fence post compound) can also be used. For extra strength, use concrete mix.
2. Cover the wood mold with plastic, plastic weave cloth, blue tarp material, or whatever material you can find. Slop some glue on top to hold it in place. Don't worry about being neat here. Add some foam rubber of padding. Cover the foam with a neat looking cloth or plastic outer cover. Use contact cement to hold it together.
3. Find a wood shop that has a pattern tracer. Give them the simulated wooden Fluke 87 and have them gouge you out a 2 part case with hinges. Use green felt for wear protection. If the shop wants too much money to for the pattern tracing job, do it yourself with a router.
4. You can also build a suitable box out of heavy duty corrugated box cardboard. Not the stuff you find behind the market, but the really heavy duty industrial strength stuff. Make an outline pattern to follow with the Fluke 87. Get a razor knife, cut a hole in each sheet of cardboard, and build up a box to surround the Fluke 87, gluing the layers together. Green felt should make it look presentable.
Anyway, if you can't use your wallet to protect your DVM, use your imagination.

I always kept mine in a Fluke C20 hard case. There is a storage compartment built into the case and you can kick them around quite a bit without damaging them.

But it's not an 87 is it?
I like the small-ish size of the C20. But the one that fits the 87 is closer to a full-on suitcase.

Targus used to make a good selection of such cases very inexpensive. I have been unable to find aything to carry my Palm Pilot on my belt for several years.... Good Luck! John Ferrell W8CCW

It is made for the Fluke 87, or the meters that have the same footprint.

If you aren't able to find something suitable for meter storage/protection at retail or flea market, thrift shops, try a place that has military new/surplus items.
There are a lot of rugged portable, belt or strap held utility pouches and ammo or tool holder type pouches. Many milsurp places have new items that were made for actual mil issue, but there are also a lot of China stuff looky-like real products, too.
I bought some new, heavy duty pouches, velcro closure, large belt loop/handle and a small D-ring on the back, water resistant material.. labeled 1964 French Ammo Pouch. The interior had 3 vertical dividers that I cut out, which leaves an open cavity that's ideal for a handheld DMM-sized instrument and a couple of sets of test leads. The overall size is about 9.5" x 4.5" x 2", price was $5.
-- Cheers, WB .............

In article , DaveC wrote:
Dave-
I found a set of three small Craftsman canvas zippered bags at Sears in the tool department. Product number 9-48426 for $11.99. The three are slightly different, and one might be suitable for your meter.
Fred

Bet you wish your were a kangaroo about now..... ;)