Norma DM950

Norma DM950

Status	supported
Counts	21000
IEC 61010-1	CAT II 600 V, CAT III 300 V
Connectivity	RS232, proprietary cable
Measurements	voltage, current, resistance, capacitance, temperature, diode, continuity
Features	autorange, data hold, bargraph, (backlight)
Website	set.nl

The Norma DM950 is a 21000 counts, handheld digital multimeter with RS232 connectivity.

Models

The LEM Norma DM9x0 series of multimeters are 21000 count CAT II/CAT III hand multimeters with optional RS232 connectivity. The models differ by precision and feature set.

They were also sold as OEM devices by Siemens. The manufacturer was a company named Norma, later LEM Norma in Austria.

It seems that the same device series was sold with two different names and designs:

• Norma Normameter 910..950 (red company sign and bumper; earlier)
• LEM Norma DM910..950 (turquoise company sign and bumper, see pics; newer)

Norma	LEM Norma	Siemens OEM	Precision (DC)	Backlight	RMS	TRMS	R 20 MΩ	R 200 MΩ	U AC 1 kΩ/V	I 10A	f	C
Normameter 910	Norma DM910	B1024	±(0.5% +2d)				●		●
Normameter 920	Norma DM920	B1025	±(0.5% +2d)				●		●	●
Normameter 930	Norma DM930	B1026	±(0.3% +3d/+2d)	●	●		●		●	●	●	●
Normameter 940	Norma DM940	B1027	±(0.1% +3d/+2d)	●	●		●	●		●	●	●
Normameter 950	Norma DM950	B1028	±(0.06% +3d/+2d)	●	●	●	●	●		●	●	●

The RS232 interface is optional. All models were available with or without RS232 interface. The RS232 interface was also available separately as an accessory.

These Norma multimeters use the term RMS for correct measurement of possibly non-sinusoid AC and TRMS for correct measurement of mixed-mode (AC+DC) voltages and currents.

Hardware

Interface

The RS232 interface consists of the following components:

1. Interface board (installed inside of multimeter, based on a NEC 75P116 microcontroller)
2. Printer cable 5-pin to DB9
3. PC adaptor (null-modem plug with slightly unusal pinout)

The RS232 interface is designed to allow a direct connection to a serial printer or data recorder. Therefore an adaptor is required to connect it to a PC.

Comm parameters (PC): DTR on, RTS off, RTS/CTS flow control (!).

If the interface cannot be powered from RS232 (e.g. RS232-USB converter with too low voltage), switching on the multimeter with the FUNC button pressed powers the interface from multimeter.

The interface board contains a battery-buffered clock and NVRAM memory.

The printer cable has got a power connector (10-16 V DC, 50 mA; coaxial power connector 5,5/2,1 mm) to power the multimeter and the interface externally. Opening the plug on multimeter side should be avoided, if possible, because the nut on the opposite to the screw is loose beneath the rubber bumper and it can be a bit tricky to get it closed again without removing the glued bumper.

Photos

Multimeter:

• 

  Front (with rubber holster)

• 

  Front and sides (with holster)

• 

  Back (with holster)

• 

  Front (without holster)

• 

  Back (without holster)

• 

  Battery case opened

• 

  Board without RS232 interface board

• 

  Inside with RS232 interface board installed

• 

  Interface board, back side

• 

  Interface board, front side

RS232 cable:

• 

  Printer Cable (original) and PC Adaptor (look-alike)

• 

  Printer Cable, multimeter side opened, components side.

• 

  Wires, contact pins, power plug side

• 

  Different angle

Protocol

Printer Mode

TODO.

PC communication mode

The multimeter supports about 50 commands, most functions that do not require changing the position of the rotary switch can be remote controlled.

Command	Reply	Example	Remarks
IDN?\n	Device id and rev., interface rev.	1834 065 V1.06,IF V1.02\r	ID string of a LEM Norma DM950, multimeter firmware version 1.06, interface firmware version 1.02
DATA?\n	27 chars ASCII + \r	R␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣149.10E+3␣OHM\r	Similar to common 14 char protocol, but more verbose. ␣ means space.
STATUS?\n	20 hex chars + \r	03030024913100400040\r	Binary data, value + status flags.
...	..	....	More to do.

Status in sigrok

The device is supported by the driver norma-dmm that was added on 2013-10-25. The driver has been tested with a Norma DM950 DMM. If you have a different multimeter of the series, we would welcome information if it works and what the ID string looks like.

Remarks

If the device does not work on an USB to RS232 converter or some other serial port, see here or try an external power supply.

Usage example

sigrok-cli --driver=norma-dmm:conn=/dev/tty.usbserial --time 10s --loglevel=5 -O analog

Please adopt the name of the COM port for your operating system and device.

Resources

• http://www.set.nl/LEM/dmm.htm