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25th Apr 2021, 12:45 pm | #1 |
Hexode
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Lugo, Spain
Posts: 477
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LC Meter Arduino
Has anyone built an Arduino LC meter ?.
If so can you suggest which arduino please. I am looking to build one as i do not have any way to measure L or C, in the shack or the field. I need something portable. Cheers |
25th Apr 2021, 2:00 pm | #2 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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Re: LC Meter Arduino
I have been playing with Arduinos recently, the best bit is all the lovely libraries out there. For an LC meter https://circuitdigest.com/microcontr...ance%20display.
edit, forgot the suggestion, Get a Mega, loads of pins and not much more than a nano or uno. The nano-every is also good and has interrupts on all pins with a faster processor. |
25th Apr 2021, 2:17 pm | #3 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Oban, Scotland, UK.
Posts: 1,118
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Re: LC Meter Arduino
There are LCD multi test meters that are far east origin but measure not only semiconductor parameters but also L and C to pretty reliable levels - these days unless you seek precision measurement the ready-made devices are too cheap to ignore.
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25th Apr 2021, 3:45 pm | #4 |
Hexode
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Lugo, Spain
Posts: 477
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Re: LC Meter Arduino
Thanks for the suggestions , more to look into.
Just a thought , if the Arduino UNO has gone through some iterations will old source codes still work or will new codes work on older versions of the UNO. ?. Just looked at the Arduino family of boards , there is such a selection , oohhh?. |
25th Apr 2021, 5:56 pm | #5 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Seaford, East Sussex, UK.
Posts: 5,997
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Re: LC Meter Arduino
I have just bought an ESP32 dev kit which seems to work OK and they are very cheap for something wifi capable. Regarding the LC meter, I would recommend those cheap chinese LCR and everything else meters.
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25th Apr 2021, 6:28 pm | #6 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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Re: LC Meter Arduino
The Arduino code is portable twixt all boards (unless you use a pin that isn't there!). I have found some old boards have an old boot loader, even this is in the "tools" menu as a selection.
They are great things with all sorts of "shields", things that merrily plug on top, like LCDs, motor controllers et al and lots of separate boards with things like optical sensors, encoders, OLED displays, the list just goes on and on. All at "hobby" prices (i.e. a bit more than the bare chip) and with easy solder 0.1" pins and fantastic software libraries with super community support. Plenty of very cheap Chinese rip offs too (it is open source so rip off may be a bit harsh) if you want to wait a few weeks, I buy the genuine ones for fast delivery and to support them. Not to forget is the inbuilt serial terminal in the IDE (Integrated Development Environment, programming thingy in real speak), marvellous for debugging and playing. |
25th Apr 2021, 9:18 pm | #7 |
Hexode
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Lugo, Spain
Posts: 477
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Re: LC Meter Arduino
Well that all sounds good. Not sure which route yet i will go but it all looks very interesting.
Re ; Arduino vs ESP32 , i don't suppose the operating system matters does it , like Microsoft or Linux ? for the down or up loading of the source code to the different micro controllers. Point taken about buying a ready made one as well. pros and cons time i think. |
30th Apr 2021, 4:15 am | #8 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Northampton, Northamptonshire, UK.
Posts: 1,394
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Re: LC Meter Arduino
It's going to be a lot easier (and cheaper) to just buy an assembled board Module that does this, which uses the Arduino ATMega328 and a precision reference etc. + has the display mounted on it + ZIF socket etc.
The original AVR ATmega based LCR + Semiconductor Tester project (by Markus Frejek) just used only two-line text LCD display. But an improved version of the tester (by Karl-Heinz Kübbeler) software allows the use of a graphic display. More or less all the Chinese versions and clones are based on the software by Karl-Heinz Kübbeler. - The backlit Graphic-LCD ones are usually called an LCR-T4 or GM628A This bit of a review of this open-source design I found, was a useful source of info on these (as ones from China don't come with any): https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testge...-project/2625/ And has links to software repository / original manual, like:: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sv...er_eng112k.pdf https://cdn.instructables.com/ORIG/F...VAJ7AQQ3VD.pdf The later software, that needed 32K (rather than original 8K FLASH Memory Atmel uC), also measures ESR. In 2015 I bought the LCR-T4 as well as earlier 2-line 16char LCD assembled-board modules, very-cheap (< £10) form China. But I'd accidentally bought a slightly-cheaper / older one with only an ATMega8 on it, so I bought a cheap Arduino Pro-Mini clone and swapped its ATMega328 (cheapest source was to have it on a board!) over, so I could upgrade the LCR Meter's firmware for later version with ESR display. And they still work OK. There are now ones with even more functions versions like the TC-1 / TC-T7-H Colour TFT Graphic Display Multifunction Testers that decode InfraRed Remote Codes and measure Zener-diode voltages upto 30V etc, that are available for a few £'s more than LCR-T4, as a cased unit with built-in USB-charged Li-Ion Battery. So I'll probably get one of these as well. - Although it seems they are quite easy to damage, so may need some spare parts: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testge...or-tester-fix/ |
2nd May 2021, 9:23 am | #9 |
Hexode
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Lugo, Spain
Posts: 477
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Re: LC Meter Arduino
Well thanks for the info. Its a world awash with choices now.
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2nd May 2021, 5:27 pm | #10 |
Heptode
Join Date: Sep 2018
Location: Twickenham, London, UK.
Posts: 536
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Re: LC Meter Arduino
If you want to construct something yourself, some of these far eastern instruments are available as reasonably priced kits from Banggood and elsewhere.
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Alan G6PUB, BVWS |
6th May 2021, 5:44 am | #11 |
Octode
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Northampton, Northamptonshire, UK.
Posts: 1,394
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Re: LC Meter Arduino
Yes, the GM328(A) one is widely available as a kit on the usual online marketplaces. And that uses the same DIL package ATMega328 that the original Arduino's did.
- but it actually costs slightly more than the assembled version from most suppliers! It seem that these days it's often more effort to sort out all the components and provide instructions than it takes for them to assemble these. Whereas back in the first days of Sinclair / Home computers, you often got a substantial discount buying the kit (even if they often machine-soldered these, but maybe component-insertion was still being done by hand) |