The purpose of this article is to review why the Fluke-381 will not power up correctly and what you can do to fix the issue.
Remember the Fluke-381 has two battery compartments and both of them have to be managed.
Check both battery compartments to verify if the batteries are ok by checking orientation and if any corrosion on the battery tabs clean off the corrosion. Also make sure the battery tabs fit tight against the batteries, you might have to bend the metal battery tabs slightly to give a snug fit for the batteries.
One battery compartment is inside the removable display and the other is in the main section of the meter.
In review:
If one or more batteries in either of the battery compartments are not at full capacity can cause the problem.
If one or more batteries in either of the battery compartments are not oriented properly related to the positive/negative orientation can cause the problem.
If one or more batteries in either of the battery compartments have a contact problem related to battery leakage or corrosion. You need to clean the battery acid and or clean the corrosion.
Sometimes the battery contacts might not have enough pressure on the batteries, so you can attempt to carefully bend the battery contacts slightly to improve the pressure they make on the batteries.
If none of the above suggestions fix the issue you need to send the meter back to Fluke Service Center for evaluation.
The Fluke Service Center can be reached by calling 1-888-993-5853