Ultra-cheap LCR Meter - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Stephen Hill
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 02:09:03 pm
content: Hi,I'm after a really cheap LCR meter for hobby use so I know roughly what value a component is. (For example, find the value of a salvaged unmarked inductor). So on eBay I've found this incredibly cheap no-name LCR meter that looks terrible, but, it looks like it would do for my needs of simply getting a ballpark measurement.http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140968592347Has anyone used one of these cheap LCR meters? Are there any safety concerns I'm not aware of?Many ThanksStephen

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 02:22:38 pm
content: I wouldn't use that if you gave it to me. Why buy an instrument you can't trust, even if only for hobby use?

author: Stephen Hill
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 02:33:10 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on July 24, 2013, 02:22:38 pmLike I said, I only want a ballpark figure, however, what would you recommend as the cheapest LCR meter you would use?

author: Rascal
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 03:59:09 pm
content: Unfortunately these post tend to invite the wrath of the 'Fluke' brigadeAs documented else where - these type of meters are probably quite adequate for low voltage / current (battery) hobby use, and where accuracy to the Nth degree isn't required.I have used various cheap meters over a number of years without a problem.Paul

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 04:00:56 pm
content: The cheapest I'd probably recommend (DISCLAIMER: I've never used it) is:http://qsradio.com/test%20equipment.htmThese are fairly popular, probably not too bad.Otherwise you can get an Agilent for $350, and know it's good for many many years to come.

author: Stephen Hill
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 04:11:16 pm
content: Quote from: Rascal on July 24, 2013, 03:59:09 pmThanks for your encouraging commentsCan you recall any cheap LCR meters you've used in the past?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 04:28:49 pm
content: Quote from: Rascal on July 24, 2013, 03:59:09 pmThat would surprise me, since Fluke doesn't make any LCR meters, and their past LCR meters are not very popular.Safety is generally not a huge concern for LCR meters. They are generally not designed for in-circuit measurements, but you should make sure to discharge any charged caps before measuring them. This applies to most LCR meters.I would mostly be worried about a crap built quality, performance with non-ideal components (eg. cap with high ESR or leakage) and its poor specs specs. 2000 pF lowest range makes it of limited value for RF, and 200 uF max is not great for electrolytics. 20 mH lowest inductance range is also quite high, plenty of inductors are in the uH range, even without going to high frequencies.

author: carpelux
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 05:05:56 pm
content: I bought one of thisLCFesRmeters about a year ago and have been happy with it's performance. If i recall correctly I paid about 50€ for it including shipment.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 05:20:57 pm
content: http://www.peakelec.co.uk/acatalog/jz_lcr40.htmlI like these, we have a couple in work and they seem to do the job quite well. Not "ultra-cheap", but not ridiculous money either.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 08:25:53 pm
content: I'm going to incite the wrath here, but if you just want to get in the ballpark, those super cheap LCR meters work fine. Keep in mind that inductance can change significantly with frequency and they have a single fixed frequency for each range, but otherwise give you a ballpark figure. Is it better than nothing, and maybe good enough? Ya probably, especially at under 30 bucks USD. Understand what your needs are and what the capabilities and quality of the equipment are, and if they are a match I say go for it. Not everyone needs 0.001% and 11 frequency ranges.

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 08:43:08 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on July 24, 2013, 02:22:38 pmI'd say the same of pretty much any LCR meter (at any price) if the hobby was mainly RF. eg CB/ham or comms radio based.For general hobby use (eg audio, PSU and MCU related) I can't see the point of spending more than £50 on such a meter. At my place of work we have some fabulous test equipment but in the 23yrs I've worked there I think I can safely say no one has ever bought or hired an LCR meter. Obviously some people must have a use for them because you can spend over £1000 on an LCR meter and plenty of companies make them. But I suspect the expensive ones will be used by component manufacturers to help them draw component specs on a datasheet or some may use them to check custom components are in spec.For home or professional design you should be able to get all the component info you need from the component datasheet. If you can't then ask the manufacturer for the answer for ESR or parasitics etc.For hobby repairs then the £50 meter should be fine. If you want ESR as an extra function then maybe spend £80- £100 if you want to check the ESR of a suspect component reasonably accurately at typical test frequencies.

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 08:48:20 pm
content: I have a Uni-T UT602 meter, it's about 30$ on ebay. Just L, R and transistor socket and manual ranging, but it works well.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 08:49:46 pm
content: Quote from: G0HZU on July 24, 2013, 08:43:08 pmI don't totally disagree, but the unit he linked to was £11!

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 08:57:26 pm
content: Yes, for hobby use I think it's worth spending a little more to get something with a wider range but also with a reasonable ESR capability to help with repair work.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 09:11:22 pm
content: this one is the best ratio for price/performance : (costs some EUR 80, there are similars more or less)you can trust the measures it gives.http://www.gme.cz/digitalni-multimetry-s-funkci-rlc/multifunkcni-rlc-metr-cem-dt-9935-p722-436/

author: Rascal
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 24, 2013, 10:09:50 pm
content: QuoteAs with many cheaper meters, particularly the chinese variety the names / models no.s are not always relevant. I purchased an LCR from ebay probably 18 months ago - a Vichy DM4070. I think it was £20. I have no complaints with it. It isnt the finest meter, but it is adequate for the vast majority of my needs. I bought it as backup for a Peak Atlas meter i purchased some years back.

author: Spunky
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2013, 02:06:02 am
content: We use a cheap one in work for testing pump capacitors. It was around the same price £11 or thereabouts. Fine for checking whether a 16uF capacitor is 10% out or not. Those caps tend not to be 'good or bad' but just slowly drift to a lower value. We've had it about 5 years and it's fine, as long as you have something else to check it against.For electronics though I'd be tempted to get something a bit more upmarket, although not every meter needs to be Agilent or better.

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2013, 02:31:57 am
content: Quote from: Stephen Hill on July 24, 2013, 02:09:03 pmThat meter is made by Uyigao in China.Here is a similar one I reviewed a while ago:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/uyigao-ua4070l-lcr-meter-review-and-tear-down/msg191838/#msg191838http://www.uyigao.net/en/cp1.asp?page=4&order=&bid=&tid=&sid=&keyword=

author: Stephen Hill
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 25, 2013, 12:14:17 pm
content: I would like to thank everyone for their feedback, comments and suggestions - I really appreciate it. When I get paid at the end of the month I'll go shopping and will let you know what I chose.Many Thanks

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2013, 09:31:29 am
content: Quote from: Stephen Hill on July 24, 2013, 02:09:03 pmI have a similar one. It is pretty much unusable for me due to two major flaws:- No zero button, thus you cannot eliminate the effect of the cables from your measurement. That is a very big issue.- The minimal ranges make it unusable for much of my needs. 20mH is *huge* if you are working on anything RF or e.g. switching power regulators (likely where you are going to need an LCR meter most often), where the common inductances are in microhenries and even nanohenries. However you do get 20H rangeThat is probably for measuring the stator of that hydroelectric generator in your backyard ... The same for the capacitor and resistance ranges - probably your normal multimeter is more capable already.If you want a really cheap meter for ballpark measurements, I have this one:They are plentiful on eBay and work OK. It is not a high-end instrument, both build quality and accuracy-wise, but good value for the price.

author: Stephen Hill
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 26, 2013, 10:17:09 am
content: Quote from: janoc on July 26, 2013, 09:31:29 amI watched that very video last night and I'm seriously considering getting that one too.