LCR choice - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Nuno_pt
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 23, 2014, 09:54:15 pm
content: Hi all,I need to replace my old LCR BK 875, that my kid broke.I need something that will reed down to .1uH and .1pF and with maybe the same accuracy, Auto, and it would be nice if it read the Q from the coils at the same time.The price tag it's around $200.I´ve been looking at the DER EE DE-5000.Thanks.

author: theatrus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 05:55:09 am
content: The DE-5000 or the Agilent U1733C are the choices for a handheld - the DE is of course much cheaper.

author: jeremy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 06:02:41 am
content: I have a BK 879B. It's great!

author: Nuno_pt
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 12:06:55 pm
content: HiThanks for the replays, till now the ones mentioned here it´s the ones that I´ve been looking for, and the DER EE DE-5000 it´s the first on the list, not just for the price but also for the 100kHz and accuracy.

author: Electro Fan
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 07:08:10 pm
content: +1 for the DER EE DE-5000It is as described by users here

author: bdivi
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 08:31:38 pm
content: DE-5000 hereLess than $80, accuracy is much better than specified. Can't beat the price/performance.

author: benjamin545
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: May 24, 2014, 09:11:45 pm
content: i have a De-5000 as well. its a really nice lcr meter and i feel like its pretty dependable. nothing is worse than feeling like your test equipment might be lying t oyou, as you might get with cheapy multimeters or those homebrew "lcr" meters you can buy on ebay. the de-5000 really feels like you can trust it.the only major advantage i would say that the agilent u1733c has is maybe better specs, but i don't think much, and the u1733c has actual input protection. the de-5000 does not have input protection. that being said, its not normal to have input protection on an lcr meter, but, if you wanted to use your lcr meter as a field device, where you may be testing wires through a building or a high power piece of equipment or something like that, it might be worth the extra $300-$400 for the agilent model.for home hobby use, the de-5000 is a dream come true, every home should have one.

author: Nuno_pt
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 08:59:44 am
content: Hi guys,Thanks for all the inputs on the DER EE DE-5000.It´s for hobby use, for building some coils for LPF and BPF, also some coils for tank circuit of Ham amplifiers, it´s good to have some accuracy and be able to read down to .1pF and .1uH, and be able to read the Q of the coil at the same time.So I´ll go for the DER EE DE-5000, from what I´ve read here most of the guys buy onn ebay from the seller call "japanesiana", I´ll be ordering my this week.Thanks for the help.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 03:47:49 pm
content: The DER EE looks good.But I have an CEM DT-9935, because it was super cheap back in 2012. But it is not perfect at all. No external power supply and no four wire measurement. On the other hand I like the rubber housing.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/cheap-lcr-meter-cem-dt-9935/

author: Teneyes
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 05:29:50 pm
content: Quote from: Nuno_pt on May 25, 2014, 08:59:44 amI recently received one with TL21 & TL22 from him ; even labeled plastic toy for 4980 Yen, no duty! eBay buy

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 25, 2014, 06:56:21 pm
content: +1 for der ee de 5000dont forget to buy the probes TL21 & TL22 with it, it's difficult to buy afteralso the usb cable if you need to connect it to a pc it will be difficult after

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 26, 2014, 03:40:59 am
content: Quote from: kripton2035 on May 25, 2014, 06:56:21 pmIt's not difficult any more... our friend japanesiana also has a web shop where he sells the DE-5000 and accessories:http://konelectronics.ocnk.net/product-list/4

author: skipjackrc4
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 26, 2014, 03:48:10 am
content: Go for the DE-5000. I check its capacitance measurement on all ranges against some calibration capacitors, and it was within 1 count on all readings. No idea what the drift will be, but initially mine was spot on.

author: mainman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 26, 2014, 09:10:50 am
content: I bought a DER EE DE-5000 and don't regret it. Good price performance for the price.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 26, 2014, 10:28:53 am
content: How long does that small 9V battery last? But you can always use that external 230V power supply adapter on that DER EE.My DT-9935 has no such option.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 26, 2014, 08:25:23 pm
content: der ee 5000 bought in october - 9v battery still the same !

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 27, 2014, 12:01:50 am
content: My CEM DT-9935 consumes 20mA at 9V when backlight is off.But still OK for AA 1,5V cells. What about your DER EE?

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 27, 2014, 06:35:44 am
content: just measured my der ee:2µA power off15mA power on21mA with backlightand it's a 9v battery.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 27, 2014, 12:40:53 pm
content: That is OK especially when you can use the external AC power supply adaptor.

author: ted572
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 03, 2015, 10:38:34 pm
content: The DE-5000 has been replaced with the new improved DE-6000.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 12:17:10 am
content: Quote from: ted572 on June 03, 2015, 10:38:34 pmNot really. IET is now selling the DER-EE DE-5000 as the IET DE-6000, but it's not really improved. DER-EE seems to be still selling the DE-5000.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 12:39:48 am
content: Probably better accuracy?http://www.ietlabs.com/de6000-lcr-meter.html

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 12:58:13 am
content: Another option is this one:www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Auto-LCR-Digital-Electric-Bridge-Resistance-Capacitance-Inductance-ESR-Meter-/141293309143It is intended to measure low value components so it doesn't really compare to the DE5000.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 01:58:34 am
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on June 04, 2015, 12:39:48 amWell, possibly.Here is what IET says about it:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/de-5000-vs-de-6000-lcr-showdown/msg545416/#msg545416

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 01:59:56 am
content: Quote from: nctnico on June 04, 2015, 12:58:13 amBut isn't the DE-5000 actually better for low value components, since it can measure at 100kHz

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 10:41:42 am
content: No. You want to be able to measure at various frequencies. The LCR meter I linked to has Kelvin connections all the way and probably uses a different measurement technique than the DE5000/DE6000. If you look at the specs of the DE5000 you'll see it is not very accurate for low component values. It cannot even measure low component values at low frequencies.In short: if you want to measure low component values (milli-Ohm, picofarad, sub-uH) then the LCR meter I linked to in my earlier post is a better choice than the DE5000 in the same price range.

author: macboy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 12:32:37 pm
content: Quote from: ted572 on June 03, 2015, 10:38:34 pmNo, the DE-5000 is not discontinued except by IET, and the DE-6000 is not (necessarily) better. You may want to look athttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/de-5000-vs-de-6000-lcr-showdown/The DE-6000 is IET's attempt to justify charging 3x the price for the same instrument, by increasing the model number and very slightly tightening the specs.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 01:49:38 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on June 04, 2015, 10:41:42 amI don't follow that at all. The DE-5000 has 10X higher resolution than the eBay meter for C and L, it can measure at a higher frequency, and it has actual accuracy specs. It seems like a much better choice for measuring low component values.It makes no sense to try to measure 1pF at 1kHz when you can use 100kHz.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 04, 2015, 02:05:50 pm
content: Quote from: edavid on June 04, 2015, 01:49:38 pmMany components have different values at various frequencies which is why you want various measurement frequencies. And resolution isn't accuracy. The meter I linked to claims 0.3% which is easy to achieve with the technique it uses. If I measure a 20pf capacitor with the meter I linked to it will show between 19.9pf and 20.1pf (+/-0.3% deviation). The DE5000 will show somewhere between 19.71pf and 20.29pf (1.2% +/-5 digits).