Handheld LCR Meter - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Legion
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2014, 10:34:34 pm
content: I'm looking for a decent handheld LCR meter for under $500. How does the BK Precision 879B compare to Agilent's U1733C? U1733C seems to have wider measurement range, but 20000 counts to BK's 40000. Any other models I should look at?

author: Pasky
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 20, 2014, 10:38:23 pm
content: DE-5000:http://www.ebay.com/itm/DER-EE-DE-5000-High-Accuracy-Handheld-LCR-Meter-with-TL-21-TL-22-New-Japan-/161104294237Great meter, been using it a lot since Ive bought it.

author: AutomationDude
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 03:41:26 am
content: Quote from: Pasky on March 20, 2014, 10:38:23 pmI can second this meter. Recently bought one from this seller as well and haven't put it down much since.

author: rstoer
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 01:59:20 pm
content: I also have a DER EE DE-5000 and it works great. It has everything you would want in an LCR meter (including 100kHz). Plus, even if you buy one with all the bells and whistles, you'll still have $300 to spend on something else!

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 04:06:28 pm
content: From a quick glance at the 879B specs it is not half as good as the DE-5000. The extra resolution on the 1733C is of no value when you look at the number of counts added in those ranges. The DE-5000 and the 1733C are basically equivalent accuracy meaning each has ranges that are better than the other and visa versa. The 1733C is not 4 wire measurement.Buy a DE-5000 and be happy

author: Carrington
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 05:26:31 pm
content: Quote from: robrenz on March 21, 2014, 04:06:28 pmHi Robrenz.What do you think about of these two AT825 and U822C compared with the DE-5000?Thanks.Spec:http://www.applent.com/products/detail.aspx?familyid=lcr&model=AT825http://www.gilwoo.co.kr/product/APPLENT/Applent%20Manual-ENGLISH/AT824%20825%20826%20User%27s%20Guide%20RevA.pdfhttp://www.eucol.com.cn/html/en/index.php?ac=article&at=read&did=250http://www.eucol.com.cn/upfile/2012/09/02/20120902132419_640.pdfEdit: Added full spec. for AT825 (pag 47, pdf) and U822C (pag 27 pdf).AT826 -> 100KHz 3%+10 @ 5pF.U822C -> The same @ 4pF.DE-5000 -> @ 4pF or 5pF, no idea, but probably very similar.

author: rstoer
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 05:42:32 pm
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on March 21, 2014, 03:56:37 pmI don't think that's true. The Agilent he's considering is the same resolution and although the B&K has twice the resolution, the accuracy is slightly worse; plus it doesn't have the 100kHz mode that the DE-5000 does.I shopped around quite a bit before buying one, including used units. I found the DE-5000 is hard to beat at anywhere near the money.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 05:50:43 pm
content: No clueThe DE-5000 can be had very cheap and performs more than adequately for all practical use. It has pretty good cred on the forum.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 05:51:25 pm
content: Quote from: mojo-chan on March 21, 2014, 03:56:37 pmthe OP first sentance is : lcr meter for under $500I dont think he will find something better than a der ee 5000 for less than $500 !

author: Carrington
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 05:55:43 pm
content: Quote from: kripton2035 on March 21, 2014, 05:51:25 pmWell, I'm looking for the better LCR with a price < 300€ (USD 415).And for now I like more the U822C, but the DE-5000 is not bad, and it's cheap.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2014, 08:05:39 pm
content: AT82x, UT82x and de5000 all share the same cyrustek specialized lcr meter chip insidethey almost have the same display, they are basically the same metersbut I think the de5000 is the cheapest of them (?)take care to get good probes with the meter, it will be very difficult (and expensive) to get them after.

author: mainman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 06:44:29 am
content: How about the LCR200, unlike the de5000 the LCR200 goes down to the 20 picofarads range which is vital when working with SMD caps that more than often fall within the 10 to 150 pico range. The lowest value the De5000 will measure is 200 pico.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006WBTZ0W/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_6?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

author: The Electrician
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 08:51:28 am
content: Quote from: mainman on March 22, 2014, 06:44:29 am200 pF is the lowest range, not the lowest value the DE-5000 can measure.

author: The Electrician
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 09:56:32 am
content: I did some measurements on the DE-5000 with small capacitors. I don't have any very small SMD caps, so I used leaded ceramic and silver mica caps. The measurements were made at 100 kHz, after performing the open/short cal procedure. The caps were inserted into the DE-5000 blade connections.I compared the results with measurements made on a Wayne-Kerr 6440B.Code:W-K DE-500031.28 pF 31.36 pF15.24 pF 15.26 pF3.969 pF 4.01 pFI did try using the SMD tweezers, but I couldn't get equally good results. It's difficult to do the open cal procedure consistent with the tweezer opening when the caps are leaded caps.A person can't complain too much about this performance.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 10:23:09 am
content: I suppose you're talking about the DerEE-5000 from taiwanese company ?please make a difference, for me the DE-5000 is the one from IET Labs and the two meters surely don't have the same accuracy.

author: The Electrician
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 10:32:00 am
content: This is the one I have:http://www.ebay.com/itm/DER-EE-DE-5000-High-Accuracy-Handheld-LCR-Meter-with-TL-21-TL-22-NEW-/141232095225?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20e216bff9It took less than a week to get it. I paid the extra US$5 to get faster shipping with a tracking number.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 11:08:49 am
content: One thing that intrigues me between theDER DE-5000and theIET DE-5000is the difference in price. Looking closer at their spec sheets, I can see the IET mentions 4-wire Kelvin measurements, while the DER does not. For the owners of the DER, do you know if this is possible with this meter?The reason is that I have aReed R5001that has the same outputs of the DER/IET (guard, minus and plus) but it does not allow for Kelvin measurements.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 11:12:17 am
content: Quote from: kripton2035 on March 22, 2014, 10:23:09 amSimple question, did you compare both side by side already ?

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 11:16:57 am
content: Quote from: BravoV on March 22, 2014, 11:12:17 amno but I would like to see a comparaison.also someone who buys the de5000 will surely not buy also the deree5000 and vice versa.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 11:23:09 am
content: Quoteyes the deree has 4 wires kelvin probes (tweezers)I opened the TL21 croc probes and they are connected with 4 wires + ground inside

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 12:05:34 pm
content: Just to throw a spanner in the works, here the VA520B:(I have no idea of how much it costs or if it does proper 4-wire measurements yet)update: best price so far 138$.http://www.mastech.com.cn/html/en/products-va520.htm

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 12:27:02 pm
content: This version of the VA520 has a 4-wire set-up with the proper Kelvin clips, also for 138$, but may not have the USB connection:

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 12:38:47 pm
content: Quote from: kripton2035 on March 22, 2014, 11:16:57 amJust curious, which or what kind of differences of accuracies between those two as you claimed ?Are you saying IET's version has better accuracy ?

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 12:47:22 pm
content: Wytnucls, thanks for the updates on Mastech LCRs, look interesting, new "case"for MS5308 ?Looking at the buttons and the lcd display, I guess they're still using the popular Cyrustek chipset, aren't they ?Ok, maybe minor updates like 4 wires setup & probe, and from IR to USB interface, but thats not a big deal.

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 12:56:53 pm
content: Yi Hua in Shanghai has split up from Mastech (on friendly terms it seems) and are now producing their own meters.Cyrustek chips of course, same as Sanwa and many others.

author: The Electrician
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 02:35:39 pm
content: I'm going to start a new thread with DE-5000 measurement comparisons.

author: Legion
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 22, 2014, 05:03:00 pm
content: I ended up getting the DER EE 5000. At first I was a bit skeptical cause I thought it was a cheap chinese knock off. But after a bit of reading it looks like it's the same thing as the IET. I considered the BK Precision 879B and the Agilent U1733C as well. The BK costs about $350 with tax and shipping. But I was little put off by the min max avg problem Dave ran into in his review. Couldn't find any info about whether the problem was corrected so I decided to avoid the unit. The Agilent looks good, but it's $400 plus shipping and taxes. I like Agilent, but their stuff is really hard to buy in Toronto. No one carries it. So without a cost advantage or the convenience of being able to pick it up in store today I decided to pass on it.The DER was so cheap and the feedback about it was good so I picked it up off ebay for $140 with all the accessories. Even if it's not the most accurate I'm sure it'll be fine for my purposes. I just want to use it to sort through unmarked caps and inductors to determine their nominal values.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 23, 2014, 12:54:10 pm
content: Yihua means something like Foreignization in Chinese.So there is:Guangzhou Yihua Electronic Equipment Co (soldering and rework stations, power supplies)Shanghai Yihua V&A Instrument Co (test equipment and power supplies)