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Old 25th Apr 2021, 12:45 pm   #1
Malcolm T
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Default 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
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Old 25th Apr 2021, 2:00 pm   #2
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Default 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.
 
Old 25th Apr 2021, 2:17 pm   #3
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Default 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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Old 25th Apr 2021, 3:45 pm   #4
Malcolm T
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Default 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?.
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Old 25th Apr 2021, 5:56 pm   #5
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Default 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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Old 25th Apr 2021, 6:28 pm   #6
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Default 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.
 
Old 25th Apr 2021, 9:18 pm   #7
Malcolm T
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Default 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.
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Old 30th Apr 2021, 4:15 am   #8
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Default 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/
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Old 2nd May 2021, 9:23 am   #9
Malcolm T
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Default Re: LC Meter Arduino

Well thanks for the info. Its a world awash with choices now.
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Old 2nd May 2021, 5:27 pm   #10
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Default Re: LC Meter Arduino

Quote:
Originally Posted by kellys_eye View Post
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.
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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Old 6th May 2021, 5:44 am   #11
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Default 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)
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