A cheap very accurate LC meter with RS232 interface

I have updated the website, and the software ,AND the hardware.

formatting link

As promised I wrote a Linux program that does the calculations on the PC, extending the measurement range to > 1 H and > 1 uF. The source code is in C, and it is included in the tgz archive on the site. It is released under GPL license, but the parsing and calculation part is released freely into the public domain. You can see from that how to parse the output or use it in any way you want.

The calibration switch is no longer needed, hitting the space bar in the software will start calibration. You can still use LC pic with a terminal too, but now the baud rate is set to

9600 Bd. For me I consider this project finished.

Some remarks about measuring huge inductors (1H etc), you may get a too big reading. this is because these coils often have considerable capacitance between the layers, lowering the oscillator frequency more than if it was a pure L. For example I had one 390 mH measure as 430 mH, and 2 in series as 1 H. LOL

And for capacitors, it measures a Siemens MKL 1uF / 100V as exactly 1 uF, but a MKH +/-10% as 830 nF.. Measuring some 1 uF electrolytic shows 800 some nF, and measuring a very old 100 uF shows nF... That one probably has some high losses (30 years old cap), so you may get fooled. I still have to measure some tantalums, should be better.

Overall it is a great gadget to have!

Reply to
Jan Panteltje
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released freely into the public domain.

software will start calibration.

9600 Bd.

considerable capacitance between the layers,

MKH +/-10% as 830 nF..

100 uF shows nF...

fooled.

Thanks for this work, another backburner project, I'll get to it.

A readable circuit would be nice? You knocked out too much contrast, or something :(

Grant.

Reply to
Grant

On a sunny day (Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:52:36 +1000) it happened Grant wrote in :

released freely into the public domain.

software will start calibration.

9600 Bd.

considerable capacitance between the layers,

a MKH +/-10% as 830 nF..

100 uF shows nF...

fooled.

I think you need a better viewer. In Opera web browser you can just hit the + button to magnify. I magnified about 50x before the pixels became really visible. If you have any decent viewing software, and still have problems, use 'gamma', to make the paper more white.

The reason I publish the paper snapshots is that those likely are correct. And easy to change for me. I guess people who really are interested and about to build the thing, will take some time studying the diagram, and can also ask questions here. The rest is just lurking and maybe buying a $$$$$$$$$$++ big heavy box that cannot even log results on a PC. And finally, there are a lot of those diagrams on my site, so if you think you can improve those, you have some work to do. Also I do not HAVE to publish anything, it is more work to keep up the site and make the downloadable archives, than to actually build it. So stop complaining, the world if full of complainers, they achieve nothing. If I really get pissed I would add a httpd redirect for your IP to a nice BW chess board. I once did one to a picture of tree frogs for somebody. LOL

Reply to
Jan Panteltje

"Jan Panteltje" schreef in bericht news:i4b8go$irb$ snipped-for-privacy@news.albasani.net...

Maybe we can find a volunteer to redraw the schematics in - let's say - Eagle format? Or can we make a paid service of it? After all those poor complainers will have to take *some* action to handle the given horse. :)

petrus bitbyter

Reply to
petrus bitbyter

On a sunny day (Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:04:35 +0200) it happened "petrus bitbyter" wrote in :

That would be cheap knokoffs. You do not redraw a Rembrandt or vGogh either.

Reply to
Jan Panteltje

Only cheap if the originals were better.

I know a lot of sucky songs that were awesome, remixed or covered by others. From the complaints, it sounds like this is the case here.

Hey Jan... I draw all my circuits in high-contrast black and white, 100 DPI, easy to read, easy to write, easy to print...... and the symbols are GPL. How can you resist? ;-)

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms
Reply to
Tim Williams

On a sunny day (Mon, 16 Aug 2010 11:41:33 -0500) it happened "Tim Williams" wrote in :

You are not an art expert I take it:-)

Complainers never publish anything useful.

Easy, because they do not work any better than when drawn with pencil and paper and corrected with a Staedtler.

Reply to
Jan Panteltje

If you mean a snob, no. I listen to and watch what I enjoy, not what people tell me to enjoy.

Doubtful. I complain about things all the time, and I've made lots of useful things. That seems to quite effectively disprove your "never".

You also miss the whole point of complaining, which is, even if the complainer *doesn't* do anything useful, directly, they can sometimes cause the complainee to do something useful. Second degree usefulness isn't as useful, but it's not entirely useless. Besides, complaining is healthy.

Tim

--
Deep Friar: a very philosophical monk.
Website: http://webpages.charter.net/dawill/tmoranwms
Reply to
Tim Williams

Ah, so I'm not a complainer after all ;)

I work with pencil & paper too, so don't kid me you're trying to publish clear diagrams. Your low contrast is a deliberate choice.

There's too much information out there to be fussed over one person's web publishing habits.

Grant.

Reply to
Grant

On a sunny day (Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:03:43 -0500) it happened "Tim Williams" wrote in :

See below.

OK.

There exists these guys who write about plays amd movies in the paper. What it comes down to is that if they do not like it, or do not get it, that opinion is imposed upon others. Other people listen to, or read their rants, they are the 'experts', in Dutch we say 'De beste schippers staan aan de wal,' or freely translated: The best captains are on the shore (they know exactly what the guy at sea should do or should have done etc...). Pub talk. Pulp talk too :-)

I am not into philosphy.

healthy.

Actually it a sick state of mind, but not always (or almost never ) recognised as such by the complainer himself. Some people are like a siff, they keep the bad, and let the good go. Like with coffee, they keep the drab stuff, and let the coffee go.

A healty person (of mind) will keep the coffe and let the drab go.

Example of a good response to this: The gut who build frequncy_pic (the frequency counter), made a nice diagram and send it to me. I published it, but I later found an error in it. I left the error. Why?

WHOOAA!

1+1 != 2
Reply to
Jan Panteltje

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