#290

If you ask me which instruments I regularly use in the lab, you will hear Multimeter, Oscilloscope, Transistor or Component Tester. And since quite some time I ask myself: How is it possible to build such a versatile component tester for less than 10 dollars. After looking at the minimal parts count of such a device, I am convinced: The inventor was a Genius. Let’s have a closer look.
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Description: www.mikrocontroller.net/artic...
Manual: github.com/svn2github/transis...
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[@GlennHamblin]

Yup. We need to find a way to credit the genius that figured this out as well as those who put the effort into improving it. Thanks for letting us know who they are! Great video 👍

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@WorkinDuck]

You can find the guy in the comments of the EEVBlog video about this tester

[@GlennHamblin]

@@WorkinDuck Thanks, WorkinDuck!

[@netpilot5]

A person who claims to have invented this device commented in another video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXPVZH9nd51jpdk

[@newburypi]

I will display their names prominently in my display of lab equipment.

[@mikerufty1307]

I like the new dark themed slides. Easier on the eyes.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for your feedback!

[@tengelgeer]

Thanks Andreas for crediting the original designers! And for convincing me to get one (after 15 years of hobby0 electronics :D) 15:25 Switching to GND is not off ;) That would be float :) 18:30 Do note the current capabilities are a little bit more limited with a IRLZ44 on 3,3V and a IRF540 on 5V. It has a higher Ron because you run out of the linear region quicker.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right.

[@petrondracek4256]

Big hello from Czech republic. I love your videos. Two years ago when I was doing my bachelor thesis with ESP32 as a low energy detector I found out about your channel and a lot of information about ESP32, which was rare back then as the chip was relatively new. I got an A grade, red diploma and a deans award for it. Now I just started doing my Master thesis again with ESP32, now as a device for automatic measurement of volt-ampere characteristics of components with voltage range +-20Volts (which has a number of similarities with component tester) and you just uploaded this video with a LOT of relevant and easily digestible information for me. I dont know how you do it, but I wanted to thank you. You are making a really good job and also making my life much easier. Thank you :)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for your feedback. So the video will appear in the bibliography of your Master thesis;-)

[@tenoirab]

Great Video, as usual Andreas! Perhaps you could mention, that the Transistor Tester can and should be calibrated. At least my later chinese clone-version has this functionality, which is also described in the fine manual (Chapter 5.5). Properly calibrated mine comes quite close to my bench-top multimeter, when testing capacitors and resistors. I guess with the calibration you can eliminate offsets in the 680 Ohm and 470kOhm resistors, so they don't need to be spot on (which allows our Chinese friends to use standard SMD components ;-) Thank you Andreas to give credit to the inventors of this truly remarkable, helpful little device!

[@AndreasSpiess]

I tried the calibration and was not sure if it works on all devices. This is why I leave it to the description of the manufacturers.

[@1pcfred]

There's two basic types of testers. Ones that use a zener diode and ones that use an TL431 voltage reference. The latter variety is generally more precise. I don't want to take any credit away from anyone but I wouldn't say anyone invented anything here either. They merely conceived of and designed the device using readily available off the shelf components. Which is not really fundamental invention. It is also an open source project so lots were involved.

[@johncoops6897]

The calibration only adjusts the offsets for the PCB races and connection leads (or socket). The device cannot and does *NOT* separately calibrate individual inputs, of which there are 2 resistors on each (680R and 470K). It also cannot know if the voltage references (VCC and or TL431 etc) are accurate or not. Therefore, most importantly you need to use accurate an VCC. Simply change the voltage regulator to a high precision device, something under 0.5% accuracy. Once done, you can eliminate the separate voltage reference (TL431). It is more important to have an accurate VCC than just a accurate Reference device. If you can accurately measure the "exact" VCC and/or Vref, you can also adjust the respective values in firmware and improve accuracy even more (eg: change VCC variable from 5.0V to 5.006V in firmware). For the 3 inputs, the assumption is made that the 6 input resistors are exactly 680R and 470K. The only way to get close is to use 0.1% tolerance parts. Those cost a lot more than usual 1% parts, but you can work around it by measuring (using a known accurate and high precision multimeter) a large quantity of resistors and finding 3 + 3 that are very close to the specified values. The other way you can "calibrate" is to change the respective High and Low resistor variables in firmware. For example, 0.1% 681R resistors might be must cheaper than 680R, so if you find (for example) 3 perfectly matching 681R resistors you can change the firmware so it uses 681 instead of 680 as the divider integer.

[@Valenorious]

@@johncoops6897 If your 681 1% resistors are actually higher than the perfect 680 then you can also parallel them with a much higher order resistance to get the right equivalent resistance. This should allow you to fine tune it, depending on the space on the PCB. I suppose it is more tricky to increase the resistance of resistors smaller than 680. For that you would need to add very small resistance values in series. That would result in a PCB looking more like a hedgehog I guess. (resistors pointing up) But in the end you have to accept that the ADC has offset and linearity errors of it's own that you cannot do much about externally. (same goes for 470k resistors, but there are less orders above it to choose from I suppose)

[@johncoops6897]

@@Valenorious - I have found that the easiest way is to buy a pack of 100 x 680 Ohm 1% 1/8W through-hole resistors from eBay, then measure them all with a 5-digit or better meter. Find the 4 with the closest values and use those. The actual value doesn't matter as much as having the tolerance between them as minimal as possible. The firmware can be set to the actual value if you are keen. The calibration procedure will help remove the aggregated ADC errors, but note that it assumes that all the resistors are the same and has no way of calibrating each of the voltage dividers (680R/470k) individually. This circuit was never intended to be a precision device anyway, so there's no point in getting too anal about all of this stuff. A standard $10 multimeter has a higher accuracy for resistance and voltage, however it's absolutely incredible that such high performance can be achieved by the very simple hardware of these testers!

[@acestudioscouk-Ace-G0ACE]

This is a really helpful video. There are many videos on this tester but yours is the only one I have found which goes into the history and then tells how and why the tester works. So good, thank-you.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You're welcome!

[@umutk5614]

Thanks for this great video Andreas. And especially for properly crediting the inventors.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@cfusername]

I love these little devices, too. I recently even updated the software on some of them. But be careful with electrolytic capacitors, always discharge them before testing!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good practice with the electrolytic caps, right!

[@stefanmarinescu5086]

Wow! I did not expect that such a device is relatively New in concept (2015). Hat off for the inventor and also thank you for a very educational video to watch on a sunny autumn Sunday.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@MarcelHuguenin]

Excellent video Andreas! Thank you for giving us these insights and crediting the original creator(s). I also use one of those and it is very convenient to use. The production of your video is also of outstanding quality. Danke schön 👍🏻

[@AndreasSpiess]

Bitte, gern geschehen!

[@georgeprout42]

Thank you for this video! I had found the original creators of the project some time ago, but lost the details. It is a very useful device, it is shame that the Chinese companies brand it as "theirs", but publicity like this can only help give credit to the correct people.

[@AndreasSpiess]

That was one of the reasons for the video.

[@hansschroder4643]

Great video again! I have now one of these testers and it is a very helpful device. All the credits to the original inventor!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@chuxxsss]

I love my tester too. Thanks to you years ago I have a case too. Have a good week Andreas.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thanks. Same to you!

[@stephang5671]

Absolutely outstanding, thank you. Very well explained. My wife is smiling at me, when I watch the video on iPad in Bed on Sunday morning... But sometimes they are too rich to be watched only once! E schöne Herbst-Start

[@AndreasSpiess]

The "Herbst-Start" here was very nice. Good for a bicycle tour ;-)

[@Arrowtake]

Great explanation how this works. I have the rotary version and been very usefull for quick check for parts.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I ordered one to check it out...

[@lukecorkill]

Another excellent video - thank you & those who originally designed the device

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@DanielLopez-kt1xt]

I do agree, i have another version of this device, where i had to solder almost all the pcb (the ICs were already in the pcb). It was quite fun to build, a good soldering practice and in the end, you end up with a very usefull device. It is good to know all the hard work that allowed this device to work, nice video as allways.

[@juststeve5542]

Ditto! I love soldering, so invariably go for kits with something for me to do!

[@AndreasSpiess]

I did not know they also sold them as kits!

[@juststeve5542]

Full sized and socketed 328 too... www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mega328-Transistor-Tester-LCR-Capacitance-ESR-meter-PWM-DIY-TFT-LCD-Generator/401239859328 It's even the rotary encoder version. I feel very lazy for not attempting an upgrade flash given I specifically went for one with a socketed and full size ATmega specifically for that reason!

[@DanielLopez-kt1xt]

@@AndreasSpiess Yes they do, one of the first things i bought from aliexpress... here you have the link, they still sell it (exactly the same one i ordered). My first kit, with an old Lidl soldering station... a horrible job, now i see my old soldering skills and... well, better not to look at it. Here you have a link to the one i took: es.aliexpress.com/item/32675418755.html

[@gordonwedman3179]

I much prefer the large green display to the small dark display that comes on the version with the rotary encoder (which I built from kit).

[@manuelhuitrado2094]

I love your videos; giving credit to the inventor is so cool. Greetings from Mexico

[@AndreasSpiess]

I think they deserve it!

[@zikermu]

I bought this device a few years ago and I'm really happy with it. Your video is very interesting both educationally and graphically. I knew that Mr Markus FREJEK and Karl Heinz Kubbeler were the creators of this device and it is important to remember this. Thank you for everything .

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome! And I agree: Sources are important.

[@BerndFelsche]

Many years ago, I hacked a power supply adapter from my mobile phone to also be able to power my Psion 3a. The Psion input voltage was nominally 9 to 10V so I planned to use 3 plain old diodes in series to reduce the power supply voltage from 12V to below 10. Alas, on open circuit, the output voltage was still nearly 12V. It wasn't until I was drawing milliampere that the voltage sank low enough. So I find the multitester quite clever too. In a flash of inspiration with my PDA voltage dropper, I parallelled the diodes with a green LED as a current indicator... It was off when the Psion was disconnected, lit up when powering the PDA and flashed brightly when the device was drawing hesvy current, typically when connected to a modem, transferring data.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Also sounds like a simple and cheap solution!

[@harviecz]

16:08 it should be able to detect FET by going tri-state on gate. FET gate will remain charged and transistor open, while BJT will close since there will be no current anymore.

[@bspringer]

It probably uses this technique. However, those small MOSFETs can have quite a high gate resistance so they might be measured as BJTs

[@AndreasSpiess]

hfe was very high. This is why I thought it classified wrongly.

[@Vintage_USA_Tech]

Thanks so much for this video It answered all the questions I ever had about this device and then some a few years ago when I started messing with Arduino I searched for the software for device in hopes to build my own and possibility of adding some ideas to the software but I could never find much about this device other than the fact that the Chinese made it and I don't speak Chinese. This is the most informative video ever on this device and my hats off to these two great inventors!

[@AndreasSpiess]

I knew since some time that it was invented by Germans, but not how it works.

[@Vintage_USA_Tech]

@@AndreasSpiess Thanks to these 2 fine Germans and you to you my friend.

[@tombouie]

Amazingly Well Done, most of it was over my head but with time one day I might understand it all.

[@AndreasSpiess]

My father said: If there is a will there is a way. You already did a very important thing: You started watching this video and commenting it!

[@raguaviva]

very useful video, this is getting better every time!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@electron-1979]

Great video! Makes sense. Please differentiate capacity with capacitance

[@christosmoutevelis4896]

Great Video, as usual Andreas! Thank you

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@sseppel76]

My tester (also a china „clone“) got the extended menu with frequency generator and so on, even though it’s not a rotary encoder version. It can be accessed by long pressing the test button when powering on the tester. Pretty sure it‘s in your tester too. Try it 😏

[@AndreasSpiess]

I tried it and a menu showed up. But I have no idea on how to enter values with only one button. Do you have a link for the commands?

[@sseppel76]

Andreas Spiess I only stumbled across it by accident 😂 for the f-generator i.e. you can switch values by a slightly longer button press. Long press returns to main menu. Looks like you have to do stuff by varying the button press time.

[@EvenTheDogAgrees]

@@sseppel76 Reminds me of a certain smart bulb... ;) kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z3OlZ6qga7esgdE

[@1pcfred]

@@sseppel76 yeah the rotary encoder models are worth the premium price. Actually I'd say the best models are the kit versions that you can assemble yourself. That way you can test each component and make sure it is up to spec. Some QC never hurts a device.

[@electrotsmishar]

Thank you and Markus. I made a DIY version with more precise resistors, calibrated it and now I am astonished with the accuracy

[@AndreasSpiess]

Very good!

[@WacKEDmaN]

useful && interesting = 1 great video once again Andreas..all the facts without the BS!.. Excellent!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@RichardBronosky]

I LOVE THIS VIDEO! So much better than other "review" videos.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad you like it!

[@kenseastrand7428]

I have one and I love it! I have tested lots of stuff with it, I think like you said some of the triac stuff might not read but I would say about 98% of the time it is right on. I think that I have successfully tested scr s, and triacs, I find that there is no one single tool that does it all anyway, but this thing is pretty amazing best $15 I spent.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Bigger triacs need more current than the device can supply. This is the reason they are not detected. Otherwise a great tool, I agree.

[@juststeve5542]

I bought one of these Chinese boxes a couple of years ago, and found the original project due to curiousity how it works. Truly fascinating little devices, and so useful! I noticed the original project is/was still going, and had added support for the various displays the Chinese have bolted on. I did mean to flash an update onto it, but never got round to it (would have involved some board surgery, and my German improving!).

[@AndreasSpiess]

This is why I avoided recommending that possibility ;-)

[@IrishvintageTVRadio]

They are really handy, have a few of them. Nice video👍

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@duncanx99]

Excellent video Andreas - thank you...

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@AjinkyaMahajan]

Amazing content ✨👌. After watching this video, I really learned a lot

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@mahudson3547]

After modifying a pair of SMD tweezers to work with this gadget, I watched this again. What an inspirational piece of engineering. And beautifully described by a true engineer. (It takes one to know one!)

[@AndreasSpiess]

A good idea! Handy and cheap! Because SMD is a nightmare without tweezers...

[@mahudson3547]

Andreas Spiess - one for your post bag. They are available. Coax unnecessary and a bit stiff. I used super flex. Good with multimeter as well as component tester. m.aliexpress.com/item/33051938845.html

[@AndreasSpiess]

I have one here. Just did not have the idea to combine it with the transistor tester...

[@joymakerRC]

dude you are awesome , im gonna try to watch all your vids, love the swiss accent, im american, obviously, thanks for all the help in the past and the help you will give me in the future

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome. Glad you like my work!

[@gaborungvari784]

cool! thanks (again) for the video with full of useful details!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@jlegen]

I would also add Markus Reschke (madires) to the ones deserving the credits; he not only did advance the software significantly, he also provides prompt support since many years...

[@AndreasSpiess]

I do not know the details. Thank you for the addition!

[@jlegen]

@@AndreasSpiess afaik, the "$20 LCR ESR Transistor checker project"-thread on EEVBlog holds the record of being the biggest thread there :-) - and madires is one of the main contributors

[@Willam_J]

Here’s a link, for anyone interested. It has 237 pages of information. It’s a great resource. www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/$20-lcr-esr-transistor-checker-project/

[@technixbul]

@@Willam_J you should see the Russian forums ... they had thousands of pages on this multitester, but they always mention that Markus is designer. They always provide source of every project, so author can benefit and gather the result of his fruits.

[@tobuboghundi9952]

It's great to see the designers of this open source getting credit for their work. It is definitely deserved. I do not know why all those chinese shops don't add a little reference in their descriptions. It's not like they would lose any business. How could anyone source the parts and the PCB for their own use at the prices they sell the whole thing assembled?!? But... There is a lot more history to this idea. You make it sound like they invented the whole concept. Perhaps they never knew of the previous devices and really did [re]invent the whole concept from scratch but I doubt it. Check this out: As early as 2005 there was a magazine project to build a very similar device using a PIC instead of an AVR. www.elektormagazine.com/magazine/elektor-200504/17935 That was not an open source project. You had to get the pre-compiled hex code from them and were encouraged to just buy their PCB and chip. Also it only worked with semiconductors, it did not test any passive components. Still, most of the same concepts were there. Later there was another PIC based tester offered commercially. web.archive.org/web/20060518065316/www.m3electronix.com/sa.html I am not sure. This may have been a new iteration of the same design. Perhaps the M3 people licensed the idea or perhaps someone at M3 was the author of the original Elektor article. Or... maybe they designed their own version from scratch. I don't know. Well, anyway, I don't mean to take anything away from what the good folks at the AVR Transistor Testor group have created and shared with us. I just wanted to point out that there is a longer history behind the idea.

[@sebastian19745]

For a project at Uni, I and 3 colleagues tried to do something like this. The project was far too ambitious and was simply impractical as it growed up and up ...and more complicated with every step. All we had at the time was I8031 or early PICs as microcontrollers. Finally, we gave up of measuring and testing analog components and went to digital ICs. That was way simpler. And we used a parallel port interface in a XT (later 386) PC. At first we tried an Spectrum but it needed to load from tape (or to program a EPROM with the software ant those were quite expensive) so we moved to PC. In the end, we made a device that identified most of the 74 TTL and 4000 CMOS ICs and tested them using a database stored on HDD; the programming was in Turbo Pascal. Also it tested the small RAM ICs found in 8-bit computers at the time. All I know is that some professor took the idea a bit further and made a 16bit ISA board and added some functionality. All started with the need to replace a full lab bench with one lighter instrument (the oscilloscope, LRC meter, transistor meter were old, huge beasts at the time)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Cool project! AFAIK you still can buy such a TTL tester with all the info about the chips. I do not own one.

[@certified-forklifter]

i also have one. good to know how it works now. thank you

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@avejst]

Impressive design 👍 Thanks for sharing 👍😀

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@ebraxcomx8865]

Thank you again for all this valuable lessons.

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@ebraxcomx8865]

Andreas Spiess thank you Sir, you inspire so much people like me

[@igor_timofeev]

Excellent structured matters. Thank you!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@Rcbeacon]

These are useful devices. Way back in the early 1980s I bought a device which I still use about once a year to program a couple of fusible link ROM chips. It is a HiLo model ALL-01 Universal Programmer - from Taiwan I think. The programmer is a box containing pin driver, pin sense and power supply circuits for the 40-pin ZIF socket. This connects to a dedicated AT expansion board in the PC via a 25-pin cable. The software runs in DOS and needs a CPU running at 8 or 12 MHz. To operate the programmer I keep a dedicated 386 12MHz PC running Novel DOS-7 on a CF card pretending to be a hard drive. Another feature of the ALL-01 that I didn't seriously use is that it came with software that makes it a universal chip tester, at least for the limited range of chips from the early 1980s - mostly TTL from memory. With modern microcontrollers with analog inputs much less circuitry is needed and we no longer need to be programming and erasing EPROM chips to make our projects work.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe you laugh now: Some EEPROMs including a UV eraser are in the mail. I plan to show the younger how this worked in the 80s...

[@subhasarkar8823]

Nicely explained.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@superdau]

I repair a lot of stuff (mostly consumer electronics/appliances) and a cheap component tester like this is one of my most used devices for that. What's also nice are those cheap microcontroller based oscilloscopes (I have a JYETech DSO Shell, that I use more often than my "proper" scope).

[@AndreasSpiess]

I still use my normal oscilloscope most of the time because I am used to it and know the dials ;-)

[@electronic7979]

Helpful information

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@PauloSantos-cv1bi]

Great work! Thank you

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@MalagasOnFire]

Thanks for the video, letting us know the great project they made. The tester struggles to test some triacs such as BT136 because of required current gate which the tester can't give and as result a transistor is represented. But this isn't a bad thing since it is in the specs and for its price it performs pretty good with other components. to test triacs use a simple dimmer circuit as described in the app note of datasheet of the triac.

[@AndreasSpiess]

As you said, it is written in the documentation that it will fail with many triacs.

[@harviecz]

8:40 there is actually one more possibility: using internal pullup (or even pullups in combination with these external resistors)

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right. But I am not sure if it is used in this setup. Because the pullups are not very precise

[@peppiino]

Thanks again, Andreas!

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@laobaivoid4999]

thx,it really do lots of help for me.im designing a multifunctional elec tester.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Glad the video was helpful!

[@peterjansen5498]

Love the comment, "If you are interested in accuracy, RTFM". I remember my technical instructor saying that nearly every day. "Go and RTFM", LOL

[@AndreasSpiess]

I even created a hoody with that text ;-)

[@GreenOpposite]

Nice video! Thanks!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@ShimaKiyoshi]

A nice insight Andreas, and all credit to the creator of the project, but it appears it was something of a 're-inventon' of the existing DCA55 Transistor Analyser, which uses the same efficient micro port techniques you described here.

[@AndreasSpiess]

According to some other comments, there are many "fathers" of this project. Sometimes it is not clear who learned from whom ;-)

[@maxtester8824]

Fünfter ist auch nicht übel. Danke für deine Verlässlichkeit! Richtig schweizerisch... Sehr interessantes Video mal wieder!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Und diesmal haben's die Deutschen erfunden...

[@renelefebvre53]

Super vidéo ! merci

[@AndreasSpiess]

Danke!

[@georgelewisray]

ON SO MANY LEVELS >> Thanks So Much !!

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@stealthblade2992]

Danke Andreas für das tolle Video! Auch die Erwähnung der echten Entwickler - hätte mich auch gewundert, wenn diese Entwicklung aus cn wäre 😉. Ich hatte mir mal vor einem halben Jahr auch ein paar bestellt - 2 monochrom und 2 mit Farbdisplay - sie messen relativ genau und für den Preis unschlagbar.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Wenn man all den Kommentaren glaubt werden diese Dinger überall genutzt :-)

[@davidpyper1688]

Great video. Hopefully those guys get credit in the history books of Electrical Engineering. They may not have gotten money for their work, but it sure is one hell of a resume.

[@AndreasSpiess]

My videos are free of charge, too. I also only get "glory and honor". For me that is ok ;-)

[@ralfjahns3777]

I knew the mikrocontroller.net thread and article for a long time but I learned from you, that I can buy this for cheap from chinese sellers like aliexpress :-)

[@AndreasSpiess]

At least something ;-)

[@freedom2000]

Thanks so much Andreas, I didn't even know that these tester existed ! I will for sure buy one. But could you tell me which one is "the best" in terms of fucntionalities ? Thanks JP

[@AndreasSpiess]

They seem to be similar, I did not do any tests.

[@freedom2000]

@@AndreasSpiess Ok I will just buy the cheapest then !

[@U8uxa8SP]

It's criminal that the inventors aren't credited and earn royalties from such a brilliant invention.

[@AndreasSpiess]

This is how things happen these days... Not good, I agree.

[@keithking1985]

He put the design online for anyone to use. I think that was very cool of him to do that for all our benefit. It's a must have devise for any electronics hobbyist to have. I blow the main chip in my one by connecting it to a fully loaded capacitor like a fool. I was checking zener diodes on a board with the little hook leads that came with it, and the I checked some normal diodes that were unfortunately open and the hook leads were still in the zener section of the tester which can put out up to 30 volts. And that's how the capacitor was charged up. Oh well ya learn from you mistakes. Need to get a new one!! I have my eye on the one he showed in this video at 19:45 the GM 328A that has the PWM and signal generator built in. Looks nice. I'll just make a zener tester up from scratch. Kasan tv channel shows how to make a nice little one if any is interested in making one!!!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe you want to leave a link to this video?

[@keithking1985]

@@AndreasSpiess I don't use any other form of social media apart from this (commenting on videos) and I hate Facebook so much that I won't log on long enough to delete my profile.. no bull.. plus I don't know anyone who is into electronics. (Its far to complicated for "everyone" i know) All I can do is mention it in some furture comments on simular videos. 👍

[@arthurmorgan8966]

I like how you gave credit to inventors. Salute

[@AndreasSpiess]

That is how it should always be done, I think...

[@arthurmorgan8966]

@@AndreasSpiess Unfortunately no such culture in China

[@connecticutaggie]

I really need to get one of these; but, I keep procrastinating. In a pinch I just use my DMM. I even sometimes use the diode test mode for transistors. With my eyesight not as good as it once was, I find myself using the DMM more and more and the color code less and less. BTW, if I was making one of these, I would use the non-linear behavior of semiconductors as a first check for classification. This might have been a nice opportunity to introduce linear vs non-linear devices; but, I also appreciate that you are keeping you videos short.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I think it uses the "non-linearity" a lot because knowing where diodes are is essential to detect the parts. But of course, it is not a curve tracer. Maybe I do once something like that.

[@gacherumburu9958]

Thanks for the info. i've always wondered how they work. Now i know..

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@ranger81de]

Dear Andreas, great video as always. Could you please check the link for the component tester on AliExpress? Did not work for me. I was looking for the tester with rotary encoder. Thanks!

[@DazzaDirect]

try typing "LC4" ;-]

[@AndreasSpiess]

My link should also have a few with rotary encoders. I did not distinguish.

[@ranger81de]

@@AndreasSpiess Sorry Andreas, I found them! Thanks again!

[@evananderson8452]

THis is a great tool. Beautiful

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@iot_enthusiast]

Hi Andreas...what is the name of the conference you are presenting at in Hyderabad, India

[@AndreasSpiess]

It is Thethingsconference

[@ginogalimberti2847]

Grandios! Zwei Fragen: - Welches Programm verwendest Du für die Skizzen auf dem Bildschirm? - Welches Programm für die (animierten) Schemas? Danke!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Ich verwende PowerPoint wie im „wirklichen“ Leben

[@Scrogan]

I have one of these with the ZIF socket and it’s great. But since I don’t have a 3D printer and didn’t buy one with a case I had the problem of the corners of the little LCD screen snapping off when I tossed it in my luggage when moving flats. Hence only half the rows on the LCD work anymore, so I have to infer where a decimal place is on a value, and sometimes have to swap components to be across pins 1 and 3 to get the value at the right height to not be obscured. So I would recommend getting or making a case for one of these. I’d buy another one, but ever since I got an oscilloscope I’ve been using that with a capacitor and resistor to measure inductances, and I’ve been putting a bit of work into being able to use the XY mode as a curve tracer, so I doubt I’ll be using my part tester for characterising 2-pin components anymore.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Also an interesting project. Did you document the curve tracer for others?

[@FixDaily]

Arduino accuracy can be increasing by adding a Voltage reference to the AREF pin, with a lower voltage you increase the precision, for example if you add 1V to AREF, 1024 value would be 1V instead of the default 5V, so you gain 0,00098V per step instead of 0,0049V (from the 5V default reference ) But of course you''ll not be able to read more than 1V, but in this situation you probably don't need to. BTW you can update the firmware on those testers (with the original one) and get more features like the counter and individual testing components, pwm generator and so on.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I think, I covered the facts about the improved accuracy in the video I proposed here ;-)

[@FixDaily]

@@AndreasSpiess You did, i just had comment along the video :) Great work sir

[@timnaami2307]

Can you put a LC combo, either series or parallel, to find resonance?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Yes

[@vidasvv]

Excellent exploration ! TNX 4 the upload! 73 N8AUM

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@javierignaciovaldesvaldes2850]

I saw this tool for the first time in 2014, do not hesitate to buy it, it is very effective for diagnosing components quickly, but I still have my component testing guidelines as in the old school. It seems to me that this device gets dizzy with the triacs according to the position placed, it happened to me on one occasion.

[@AndreasSpiess]

As I mentioned, it does often not work for triacs because of its limited current and voltage capabilities. It is described in the manual.

[@darkstar2111]

Recognition of the original authors is very important. Either useful and interesting video!

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you!

[@duality4y]

i have one of those with a color display but it can not test FET's and I don't understand why not?

[@AndreasSpiess]

That is strange. Never heard of such a „defect“

[@uvatham]

In-depth knowledge

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-)

[@mdaslamknl]

Hi Do you have stl file of 3d printed case Can you share please Thanks

[@AndreasSpiess]

Unfortunately not. I usually share everything I have :-(

[@an1rb]

Any ideas on how to update the code to fix the mis-identification of the small signal MOSFET?

[@AndreasSpiess]

No, unfortunately not.

[@VikiLab]

Thanks a lot... 😊

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are welcome!

[@bloguetronica]

A device such as this is on my wish list. However, in this case, I prefer to buy from the original makers. It is a great gesture of you to give them credit.

[@AndreasSpiess]

I do not think they sell it anymore.

[@bloguetronica]

@@AndreasSpiess Well, I guess I'll have to buy a clone, then.

[@bloguetronica]

@@AndreasSpiess Managed to buy one from the Netherlands, on eBay. I'll keep you informed.

[@StephenMannUSA]

Where can I get the stl files for the case?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I do not have them anymore. But you can get cheap plastic housings online now.

[@StephenMannUSA]

@@AndreasSpiess I haven't been able to find them anywhere. I've searched all the 3D sites like Thingverse and just can't find one. If any of your followers know where I can buy the parts or get the STL files, I would appreciate it.

[@uK8cvPAq]

I've got one of these its great, a hobbyists wet dream!

[@AndreasSpiess]

:-))

[@erhardfalkenberg4469]

Dankeschön, Du 'guy mit dem swiss accent'. So viel Herzblut in den Videos und genau so viel Fachwissen. Man lernt in jedem Video etwas Neues. Hast Du schon mal Annex Wifi-RDS ausprobiert? Ich halte es für ein ausgezeichnetes Projekt, mit dem sich alle möglichen DIY-Lösungen mit ESP8266 in Windeseile erstellen, testen und modifizieren lassen. (btw: 'accurate' and 'accuracy' are both stressed on the first syllabus in contrast to 'developers' - sorry about that....)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Bitte, gern geschehen. Nein, ich habe noch nie etwas von Annex Wifi-RDS gehört.Vielleicht probiere ich es mal aus.

[@erhardfalkenberg4469]

@@AndreasSpiess, lohnt sich wirklich. ist ein Basic-ähnlicher Interpreter, der auf dem Chip läuft ähnlich Lua, nur viel leichter zu editieren/debuggen. Läuft bei mir in verschiedenen Projekten tadellos und hat schon die meisten Tasmotas oder EspEasys ersetzt, weil das Skripting viel 'freundlicher' ist. Mqtt, Interrupts, OTA ....was man will. Soeben einen Stromzähler-metrologische LED -Ausleser mit einfachsten Mitteln gebastelt.

[@RandomFAI]

how come this tool can find out the component it is measuring, for example resistors and other components?

[@AndreasSpiess]

It knows the behavior of the different parts.

[@lucysluckyday]

How to test an old junction tetrode? Or a 3N80-series mosfet with 4 leads?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I assume manually with the data sheet and the right power supplies/multimeters. I never searched for an automated device for these use cases.

[@StefanoBettega]

Really interesting! I bought a tester on Aliexpress, and brought it to work. After some time the display had an accident and broke, so I bought an identical new one, so I have two testers now, but only a display. It's a really good device, and I'm glad to have heard it's history. Thanks!

[@AndreasSpiess]

I think the "inventors" deserved to be named (including the history)

[@davidstonier-gibson5852]

Danke, noch einmal. I too find the tester extremely impressive, and I made a career of creative designs. And to think the genius who invented was 16 at the time! Did you ever double-check your BS108s? Say plug in only the "gate" and one other pin and see if it reports a diode? I have received several fake parts from China, and the tester has revealed them. It's in fact one of the principle uses I have for the tester.

[@AndreasSpiess]

The "BS108" were recognized by all testers as NPN. So they are either fake or very special. I bought them because I wanted a small through hole FET switch which they obviously are not. This is why they are in the bin now.

[@cor9344]

Thank you, very interesting! Just ordered one again, the previous one did not survive a charged capacitor... For me serial output instead of a display would be sufficient.

[@AndreasSpiess]

Bad luck. Fortunately, they are not too expensive.

[@kirillsh8383]

I have one, it is really good component detecter and useful measurement device for such a low price. It was invented like 10 years ago, riight? do you know is there are projects and does it worse it to replace atmega by some more powerful chip with more accurate ADC or use more precise voltage reference. It is so good that I am curious is it possible to improve it and produce version 2.0 ?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe you try?

[@kirillsh8383]

@@AndreasSpiess I am not so good at it, but does it worse it?

[@AndreasSpiess]

For me: No.

[@kirillsh8383]

@@AndreasSpiess because it is good enough for now?

[@debihsofiane3229]

Thank you

[@AndreasSpiess]

You're welcome

[@NullPointer]

If I'm not mistaken, the creator of this device commented on a EEVblog's video similar to this one

[@AndreasSpiess]

You are right, there is a big discussion going on.

[@erintyres3609]

If the tester was built with 1% resistors, would they introduce up to 2% measurement error? Or could inaccurate resistors cause a much greater measurement error?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Not easy to answer...

[@iliazark1]

Connecting an electrolytic capacitor the wrong way around would obviously charge it with the reverse voltage from what it is expecting...Would't that damage the cap?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Good question I asked myself, too. I did not look into it. Maybe somebody knows. I tested a few and they showed a very similar capacity in both directions. However, you see on the oscilloscope, that it uses pin 2 as ground if you connect the cap between 1 and 2. This is how I do it from now on.

[@LeifNelandDk]

Can you recommend (or "dis-commend") certain versions?

[@AndreasSpiess]

I did not do a test (I only have 2 recent ones). But I assume they are similar (if the photo is the same). As mentioned, some have more features, but it should be in the "feature list". I use the second one if the first one did not "convince" me. Sometimes they agree, sometimes not...

[@raykent3211]

Why the big zif socket if only three pins are needed and not order dependent? Maybe you can't get smaller ones?

[@AndreasSpiess]

Maybe they are cheap?

[@killymxi]

Pins in the socket are interleaved to allow parts of different sizes to be inserted. (Choosing an interleave pattern is actually an interesting optimisation problem. Different clones solve it with varied success.) Zif socket also allows to hold legs of different thickness securely.

[@raykent3211]

@@killymxi thanks for that. For maximum flexibility each zif pin needs it's own io port... unless some are marked as unusable. Hard wiring some together would lead to the possibility of two legs of a component being connected to the same port, which couldn't work. Plus, I think only two ports are assignable to the adc, so the plot thickens. Just for amusement, years ago I was sent free samples of an 80 pin microcontroller. Scared of sub millimeter soldering I asked the price of a zif socket. I think it was about 200 pounds. Gave new meaning to the phrase "cheap as chips". But not cheap as sockets....

[@kruppin]

You have function gen etc on your model too, just hold the button down and you will enter menu, then press to go down and hold to select. ;)

[@AndreasSpiess]

Thank you for the information. Found!