I recently purchased a multimeter from Amazon UK which I found by accident.
Considering the price of under £25 at the time of ordering (October 2025), It turned out to be one of the best purchases I have ever made.
The meter is decribed as Amazon Basics Commercial Multimeter 6000 count, True RMS, IP67.
The Amazon model number is 90DM610.
The unit is in fact made by CEM Instruments in China and I believe it is the DT-9562 model (Link Below).
https://www.cem-instruments.com/en/product-id-1434
CEM is a brand the parent company is SHENZHEN EVERBEST MACHINERY INDUSTRY CO., LTD
CEM is the instrumentation division. A link below shows company information details.
https://www.cem-instruments.com/en/content.html
User Manual
DT-9561
Their meters are sometimes branded for other sellers, Amazon being one but also PeakTech in Germany
On to the Amazon meter I received and WOW what a surprise !
First thing you notice is the weight of the box, something substantial is inside !
The zipped case is nicely padded unlike other cheap (and much more expensive) meters and here is a photo of the items received.
Accessories included, a decent 9V battery by GP Alkaline too !
Some test leads which are average in quality, No they are not of Amprobe USA standard which are excellent but they will do and for the price paid Im not complaining !
A photo of the leads supplied and others of much higher quality.
More on inexpensive test leads here in another post linked below
https://www.merseyradar.co.uk/uncategorized/cheap-multimeter-test-lead-kit-via-aliexpress/
At last a 6F22E powered meter that will last a while, just like the old days. No crappy AAA types found in cheap meters.
First impressions after insterting the battery are “WOW this is good”, the rotary switch has a first class mechanical feel and clunk at each stop.
The backlight is good and consistent over the LCD panel. The display lacks a bargraph but I can more than live with that, the numerals are large and clear.
Initial readings against my trusty and recenly claibrated (and considerably more expensive) Chauvin Arnoux Metrix MX44 and MX26 meters were all good.
On to opening her up and see the inside, and here is where it gets impressive.
And on the subject of opening up, the meter is very solidly built and IP67 so the case took a little while to open, a credit card helped to prise it open from the seals and on the subject of seals, the case screws each have a silicone seal as does the battery cable.
Tip : If you split the casing to reach the inner boards when re-assembling be sure to pull the battery wire gently back through the seal back into meter body first as the battery will not fit into the bay with excess cabling.
As shown above there are 2 high quality fuse links for protection 800ma 1000v rated, and 10A 1000v rated.
The fuses are mounted onto their own PCB leaving an air gap separation between the main PCB and Fuses.
The terminal posts are bolted yes bolted (just like Metrix Multimeters) to their own mini “busbars”, very impressive !
I note that locking washers are used also which is something metrix meters do not have but I wish they did.
The PTC protection is also visible to the right of the 800ma fuselink in photo below.
All round the construction and finishing is excellent.
A more deailed view of protection, 10 amp current shunt and input posts.
The rear of the meter there is a sturdy stand and battery door. A single screw secures the battery door.
On the subject of quality, I was so impressed with this meter.
As mentioned, The display is clear and backlight very even.
On the rear there is a marking/logo “ETL” for Intertek independent testing labs.
It seems that unlike cheaper meters that state accreditations that are frankly fantasy at best, this one CEM DT-9562 actually has credible credentials (Link Below).
Negatives : 1. Test lead set could be a whole lot better on a meter of this quality. 2. On fresh power up and selecting the Ohms setting the meter does not automatically enter continuity/beep mode, you have to press “MODE” button twice to reach this. 3. Similarly On fresh power up selecting Current ranges 10A, ma and µa the meter defaults to AC measurements, pressing the “MODE” button once reverts to DC which again I prefer to be the default choice. 4. No bargraph but I can live without that.
It is quite feasible that points 2 and 3 of the above could be resolved by re-programming the EEPROM (See Modifications section below)
Conclusion
An excellent buy. Amazon “BASICS”…this meter is far from basic !
Stupidly cheap for what you get. £25 GBP at the moment but the price has risen in recent days, I obtained mine for just under £22 GBP.
Verdict/Bottom Line : Just Buy One ! Thank me later….:0)
I have a suspicion that the 90DM610/CEM DT-9562 offered here is excess stock and I also have a suspicion that the manufacturer of this unit (CEM Instuments/SHENZHEN EVERBEST MACHINERY INDUSTRY CO LTD also manufacture similar units for Chauvin Arnoux rebadged as their “Multimetrix” range , see brochure page below.
https://www.chauvin-arnoux.com/sites/default/files/D01ABN50.PDF
PURCHASING
I purchased this meter from Amazon UK, I will provide a link to the item below.
Please note I provide the link in good faith to other hobbyists and not for any financial, commission or other gain what so ever.
I assume this low price is while stocks last. Good Luck in obtaining yours.
MODIFICATIONS
This meter can (as I understand it) be modified from 6000 count to 9999 count using a CH341A modification programming clip and a single 1k resistor and free software.
The modes the meter selects by default on power up on a given swtich position can be modified.
A forum thread from 2020 on the fantastic EEVblog website by Australian Engineer Dave Jones shows some modifications to the earlier CEM D-9560 meter/Amazon Model 90DM600 available at the time. There is some great work in this thread by some very smart guys. The DMM model featured did not have a Temperature function which the current and improved DT-9562/90DM610 has already.
The thread below features older model 90DM600 NOT 90DM610.
Hacks included using the Frequency Hz switch position for Temperature. This is not needed for 90DM610.
The EEVblog thread is linked below for your reference. Use this resource at your own risk.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/amazon-commercial-90dm600-multimeter-hacks/
I am tempted to change the EEPROM programming but for the gain of a few counts is it worth the risk of rendering the meter useless ?
I have to confess I am a newbie here when it comes to this.
The EEPROM seems to be a 24LC02B which could be re-programmed by a low cost clip such as this one
https://www.amazon.co.uk/DollaTek-SOIC8-EEPROM-CH341A-Programmer/dp/B08HQB1VL8/ref=sr_1_3
This type of clip and programmer has some traits, namely poor quality pin grabs and the 5 volts and 3.3 volt operation. Much has been written about this including several cases of fried EEPROMS.
The ch341a usb programmer board may have to be modified to provide 3.3 volts before using it on this multimeter.
Youtube has lots of suggestions/modifications to ensure 3.3v operations.
The main multimeter IC is used in this multimeter is used in more expensive mid range UNI-T models , Aneng (Who do not actually manufacture meters) and others.
I have obtained the required items and I may try and re-program it but for now I am more than happy with this meter.
If I do modify it, this article will be added to.
If you have any luck in the meantime, please inform/report back in the comments. Many Thanks.