Transistor tester test and analysis
Vložit
- čas přidán 12. 06. 2022
- Testing the donated transistor tester (smart component tester) based on Atmel AVR ATmega328P microcontroller. It can auto-detect and test semiconductors - bipolar transistors (NPN, PNP), MOSFETs, thyristors (SCRs), triacs, diodes and double diodes including Schottky, LEDs and two-color LEDs, Zener diodes below 5V and even IGBT transistors with gate threshold voltage below 5V. It also tests and measures passive components - resistors, potentiometers, inductors (inductance and DC resistance), capacitors (capacitance, ESR, Vloss), and maybe more. It also has some extra functions like a voltmeter, frequency meter, signal generator and PWM generator.
Please support my channel on Patreon:
/ diodegonewild
Instagram:
/ savage_danyk - Věda a technologie
I am still blown away with my little tester. I keep imagining if I had had it in 1978 when I first started dabbling. It would have felt like a miracle. So I'm glad people appreciate these as I have a lot of respect for the person who first put these together. Kudos to him or her.
The reliability and accuracy of the testing is ( for me anyhow), beyond anything I could seriously expect. I like using my old AVO bridge and modern test equipment which show results tally fairly closely.
Mine measures down to low pF though, I am sure...
Markus Frejek and Karl-Heinz Kübbeler.
@Chals Silva He has been coming since the crusades 1022 years ago,
I've had one of these variants for a while. They are a really fantastic tool, if you understand their limitations. It's particularly interesting when prototyping and I worry that I might have blown a component. A quick test will confirm or rule that out.
@Chals Silva Make this comment on an appropriate video about religion. This video is about electronics, which can't be further from religion if you tried. Stop spamming other people's comments. Your comment is completely inappropriate and inconsiderate.
I have the "cheaper" style of those testers (monochrome LCD and no menu system), and it's been really useful for testing components, from finding LED voltages to figuring out if I ave a dead part or not, they're handy little gadgets... :D
@Chals Silva I've just fed you through my tester and you come back as 'failed/defective'
Yes it is a comment bot
@Chals Silva After the rail strike I would guess. If he walks on water across the English Channel he will be sent to Rwanda. Mind you with current price rises we could do with that loaves and fishes trick.
I really love these little testers and got mine years ago. It has less options but is very similar. It just doesn't show leakage currents of transistors. You really have to know the restrictions of the measurement and that the accuracy can be very poor in the low or high end of the measuring scale. But you get a lot of valuable information on many components for little money! Your investigation about how it works is great - as always!
What a detailed amazing tutorial!
All in one testing device !. This magical device should be on every electronics testing bench :D
11:35 A small note - these meters can measure uH inductors, at least after updating firmware. For that it needs capacitor in parallel. It assumes same exact capacitor as used during calibration, in 4..30 nF range
My huge respect to you mr DGW. I'm always amazed how you explain everything so well and know so much about electronics. 👏😌
I don't understand much but i like to listen to you and i like to learn ☺️
I've had this model of tester for some years now. On mine the display is well readable, especially if I set it to black background and green text.
It also has a calibration mode. You can enter it by shorting out all 3 terminals, or using the 'selftest' option in the menu. Especially useful if you modified it which changed the capacitance on the terminals for example. (I added some aligator clips to the terminals to test bigger components, and a battery case and kick stand so it doesnt have to lie flat on the desk).
If you enter capacitance mode manually, you can measure down to 1pF resolution, although it's not super accurate probably.
I did gloss over calibration (well, I did do one in the 1st video). What I like is that the "m" versions of the firmware allow to save 2 sets of cal data, one for the ZIF socket and one for probes.
DHT11 is a simple temperature/humidity sensor
I love mine! I got one of those and love it. Mine is the recent version and upgraded, it has a much faster rotary encoder reaction time and also has a true OLED screen on it! it's amazing! Great video.
Is your LCR-TC2 ?
which do you have?
I have one like this one, it was the first I've bought several years ago and it came disassembled. The problem is, the top LED went broken, than I thought it wasn't needed and let it aside. The tester never worked, only kept on if I hold the rotary encoder button pressed, but doesn't test anything. After like a year of this on the side, I seen one in operation and saw that the LED blinks when in use, than I thought: let me see if mine does the same, than I soldered the LED and boom! The tester started working for the first time. After that I bought others, by the model of TC1/TC7 something like that, that can decode simple IR remote hexadec codes and test zeners at up to 30V (using a dedicated zener K/A pins).
These are a great basic tool. My favorite purpose it to test components quickly before installing/soldering the part into a project or circuit board for a repair. This gives you a fair level of confidence that you have a working part. If a circuit fails at least you can be pretty sure the components are not the problem. I like the idea of viewing outputs on a scope. I will have to try this. Great idea.
As always interesting and instructive!
To make the display brighter, you need to check and remove if present the second resistor in the backlight circuit (one on the main board and one on the display board - remove one of them).
I soldered one myself, bought as a kit in the full set with the acrylic case. Has only one SMD component, quite easy to solder in.
The case's front panel isn't usually suited to let the ZIF panel lever in or out, so you'll have to account for that.
Having one of these testers is a MUST! With a price like that they are invaluably useful, especially if you try to repair circuits. Of course you have to know their limitations (which aren't that limiting at all for all those components from low voltage circuits), but for those parts that they work with they are astonishingly reliable and accurate.
Nothing is really a MUST unless people went extinct without it, but it's definitely quite convenient ;). But you still have to use your brain to rule out some false readings. Tools should help your brain, but not replace it!
I bought one of the clones of this to review - it worked well. especially given the price. One thing it would not test is small inductors in the uH range - it thought they were low ohms resistors and there was no way to tell it to measure the inductance. It also got confused by Darlington Transistors.
Having said that I also have a Peak DCA55 and I always grab that for checking transistors - it just seems easier to use and nicer to use.
I have the LCR-T4 version (monochrome display, green backlight). It displays fewer parameters, but generally works fine. Though it doesn't recognise germanium transistors (tested with AC125 and MP16A) and struggles with darlingtons.
Can it measure wild diodes?
Only if the Cat 1 supervision is active.
HAHAHAHAH ... Good one
Very creative test - thanks.
Since I got a transistor tester Life is much easier when diagnosing.
i have the very same one. got it after i blow up my Daniu one with the 30V zener tester on it . the one you can recharge. was testing zener diodes i circuit, ten started checking diodes that were broken but didn't change back out of the zener testing part allowing the 30v to pass back through them and was filling up some 3300uF caps i parallel. so like a fool i tested the caps in circuit .. and SPARKS FLEW... i realized my mistake right away and felt like crying. BUT YOU LIVE AND LEARN. (never sent off to Danui for a new chip but might look for one online coz the warranty would be well up be now) but the one in the video is i very good one with the Square wave output, the PWM output, & DC voltage readout. not to mention the tester for SMD's.
but then again the ones for 7 bucks do the job just as good too. GREAT VIDEO THANK YOU..
P.S. THE GUY WHO INVENTED THIS TYPE ON COMPONENT TESTER LEFT IT AS OPEN SOURCE SO EVERY ONE COULD USE AND IMPROVE ON IT. HE COULD OF GOT A PATTON FOR AND MADE LOTS OF MONEY BUT DIDN'T.. THAT'S ONE COOL DUDE...
That's a cool tester!
I want one now :D
I've got a variant with no menu and the PCB for an Open Source one with a rotary controller.... I must get around to build it, especially after seeing the additional menu options you show us here
Great video, I have one myself which has proved invaluable for testing little odds and sods. Mine also has an IR receiver for testing remote controls too. Best bit of the video at 10:11 for all you cat watchers out there. :)
Great review. Thank you.
these things are so cool. one of the few things you can built from a cheap electronics kit thats genuinely worth having. Im on my second one, I nuked the first by forgetting to discharge a capacitor before measuring it.
Yeah, always remember to short them out first.
I have one of these which I have had for years now.
Sometimes when I can't get a reading for a component or it shows up something weird I will go into the menu and go manual mode... I seem to do this a lot with my LCR meter as the components that I'm testing are in pretty bad shape and they tend to show up as different devices other than what they really are...
These semiconductor testers are a useful instrument. I have couple of them, the one that you tested in your video, and a cheaper version LCR-T4. The accuracy can vary a bit, one of mine tends to read capacitors a little on the lower side.
There is a LCR-T7 and the newest is LCR-TC2
@@lucasrocha4329 is there any new version after LCR-TC2?
@@nahidreza7751 Yes. MTT- V1 is the newest version.
@@nahidreza7751 There are these versions. LCT TC4, LCR TC1, LCR T7, LCR T7H, LCR TC2 and LCR MTT V1
I just started trying mine with semiconductors. Found a box of some not-so-clear TO92 stuff. The tester identifies PNP darlingtons as P-channel JFETs. Testing the junctions separately finds a 600 mv diode and a 1.1 volt diode, so a darlington it is just as the markings claim.
And the tester claims to have found a bunch of PUT (programmable uni-junction transistors) - which I doubt.
It is similar tester, but without the encoder and menu, but it has a higher voltage for zener measurement on some extra contacts.
Oh that box has a number of ON877 transistors. I think that's really old stuff.
I managed to destroy mine within a few minutes of getting it, by testing a high voltage capacitor without checking it was fully discharged. There is no over-voltage protection on the Atmel's pins. I did eventually replace the chip, and programme it with the latest firmware (quite a complex procedure which I can't remember.)
excellent explanation
I have this tester in a kit that I'm working up to building. Just starting out. My multimeter does just fine for most components.
Got one. Great unit.
My unit has a function generator where you can select the frequency precisely (sort of): by entering the number with the rotary encoder, digit by digit.
Yes, there are different fg-versions you can select in the config. The simple one doesn't need much memory but is rather limited. It all depends how important that capability is for you and how much FLASH / EEPROM you want to give to this function
Its a 'Tricked out' Arduino ! (Atmel 328P) these look great I keep meaning to get one...cheers.
Is there an easy way to connect it to a larger screen than the one it comes with?
I would love to install mine in a desktop enclosure and sit it in and amongst the rest of my test equipment but that small screen is only useful when you are practically right above it ..
Those "very weird" frequencies look like they might be for tuning audio to musical scales (like concert pitch)
Maybe useful for building a synthesizer.
Most of the ones I’ve seen have a tiny surface mount potentiometer to adjust the brightness
I have two versions of the tester one with mono chrome display and fly leads for connection and another with a zif connector that also reads IR codes and has a colour screen.
I’ve been using mine for basic component testing and identification. I’m curious now to see if I can access other features
A press and hold of the push button on the rotary switch on some models will let you switch into main menu where you can also find a signal generator, a frequency counter, a 1-wire digital thermometer tester (mine doesn't detect my DS18B20 units) some settings and some other functions too.
@@jkobain Hey, that's just what DGW said in the video I just watched! Thanks for letting me know! ;)
Entertaining and informative as usual. By the way, I can't see your Zebra Cat in this video. Please make sure he or she is present in next video. Thanks for regularly uploading videos!
Nice video
Fantastic devices
20:08 How to exit this mode?
Maybe by selecting ‘Switch off’ at the top of the menu.
Have a different Version and has no Settings Menu. Otherwise all good except for the Tansistor Test. With some Transitors it shows this as something else. This one in the video is very good because you can still set some things / calibrate.
What happens if you put a battery in the test terminals or a high voltage charged cap? Would it blow the resistor its also connected to?
Yes, maximum voltage that the Arduino supports is 5v so you need to discharge capacitors first or the Arduino will be destroyed...
(As an aside that was the tiny chip below the socket that Danny did not elaborate on at 15:43 SVR5-04 it is for voltage protection...)
Uma vez fiz o download dos esquemas e fotos de todos esses medidores (uns 25 modelos completos) em um vídeo aqui pelo youtube a uns 2 anos atrás e esta guardado aqui numa pasta zipada... todos os modelos inclusive o código fonte compilado, mas eu não sei fazer nada com isso... estou criando uma pasta no google Driver pra disponibilizar (nem sei se posso, mas estava público então fiz o download kkk)... gostaria de pedir um favor, eu gosto muito das análises de carregadores de celular e os esquemáticos... mas mesmo aqui no Brasil o pessoal não demonstra a forma de onda com carga de output nos carregadores conectados... se puder trazer pra gente as formas de onda de saída conectados com cargas (output) ficaria ainda mais top... os arquivos são 170MB mais ou menos... vou deixar o link assim que subir os arquivos... Valew...
Can you please a link to the particular model of tester in video or the better one if possible? I consider buying one, just afaird of getting old/bad one.
@@TheHWcave thanks
Good luck! 👍
How do you test a transistor tester without a transistor tester tester?
it has options and you can choose text and background colors
the backlit lcd is directly connect to battery voltage and of course series with resistor, your battery is low..
Try setting BackColor to 0,0,0 and FrontColor to 31,63,31. Very readable IMHO. The inverted color scheme is indeed a bit sheit.
The one I had stopped being able to detect inductors, and just calls them low value resistors.
It's not related to the value of inductor because I tested quite a range, and ones I know were detected properly when I first got it.
I don't know what caused it.
Probably it has been damaged somehow. You may need to replace the microcontroller. You can find the schematic and code on the internet if you search for "AVR TransistorTester".
Look for TVS or protection diodes.
Some models have them to protect some MCU pins. If they are gone, the MCU port is damaged.
Very nice video as always👍
Those brown Russian resistors reminded me of one strange mystery. I have a early 90's Russian tube PA amp which has k574ud1 or К574УД1 8-pin DIL op amps as phase inverters. The mystery is that + and - supply voltages go to pins 3 and 7 which is against all the datasheet info I have managed to get of those Russian opamps. I do not understand why. You seem to have knowledge of Russian components. Have you any idea why that pinout does not seem to follow any datasheet available in the web?
I don't know this chip. Maybe it comes in more packages (DIL, metal can,...) and they have different pin numbering. Maybe some input is connected directly to the supply voltage and so you confuse it with a supply pin.
@@DiodeGoneWild Yes there seems to be two different versions, DIL and metal can, but the data available for either version does not match at all. And that circuit has some unclear parallel RC compensation or offset null circuits or something as well and I don't understand it at all. 😁
Maybe I can figure it out some day.
Amazing video 😁
Please make a lab Powersupply
these things are great.
espero que não seja deletado pois vi nos comentários abaixo que o TY não aceita... mas ta aqui o link da pasta no google driver com uns 170MB de arquivos sobre uns 25 modelos de medidores ESR...
drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Ox9OGJAvRqNYEgvktEjJHGWFJMntD1BV?usp=sharing
Hi, brings more info than the tc1?
Nice meter :-)
those are a must have tool...sadly mine screen stopped working
Where can I buy one of these testers?
please brother, can you inform me the measurement of IGBT TRANSISTOR 60n60 that shows the symbol
So cool
Is it possible to pull hex code from Atmega ic ?
This is based on an Open Source design... you can just download the Source code.
@@edgeeffect
But I didn't find for version T4
The fuse is usually set so that you can't read the flash content. Same as in PIC mcu.
The Chinese copycats fear some other copycat would steal their theft.
whats the model or version of this tester? is this LCR meter?
There’s updated firmware out there for it. It’s a bit of a rabbit hole though
Yeah, It's a bit of a rabbithole, and newer versions might take a bit more space, so you might have to disable certain features, I have a brief blogpost/tutorial on my website on how to upgrade it, I've also replaced the voltage regulator on mine, as the original became a space heater :D
@@the_maxus link to your blog?
@@Anjum9694 You can find it on my profile in About section
@@Anjum9694 Follow the "website" link from czcams.com/users/themaxus2012about
Je to celkom dobra pomocka na testovanie suciastok. Bateriu si mohol pripojit na piny na to urcene, kedze DC konektor po pripojeni odpaja bateriu. Tiez sa da tako odpojit pripojena bateria len tym ze sa v konektore necha DC Jack z univerzalnej nabijacky. Povodne je to vyvinute ako open source a na internete to najdes casto ako avr transistor tester. Inak darca ti pomenil parametre farby pisma a pozadia. Ak by si chcel original tak "FrontColor"´R=0 G=63 B=0 a "BackColor R=0 B=0 G=0.
Can you try to make one of these and maybe improve it and make a video for us?
does anyone have the default firmware of this type tester? or the download link? my atmega328 is broken while measuring the capacitor.
Of course: github.com/blurpy/transistor-tester At the end is link to v1.12k or ...transistor-tester/firmware/original/
@@techstuffguy8230 thank you
Quite impressive device, especially seeing as it uses the same MCU as an Arduino Uno.
Hey Diode, how accurate is the capacitor ESR measurement? That's what I usually test with mine and it seems to at least identify the high ESR ones.
The ESR measurements with this tester are OK but unfortunately not directly comparable with values from datasheets or measured by proper (expensive) LCR meters. The reason is that ESR is usually measured using a sine wave at certain fixed frequencies, 100Hz, 120Hz, 1KHz, 10K, 100K. The tester is not using sine waves and not the correct frequency either. It is sufficient to tell you if the ESR is unusually high or not and of course it is perfectly usable to compare ESR of two caps but the absolute value shown is usually quite different from LCR meter readouts.
@@TheHWcave Wow thanks for the information, I have a better understanding of what to expect from this thing now. And yes, it has helped me identify caps with very high ESR (supposedly 140 ohms in one instance).
So it can tell if your diodes have gone wild? :)
I have a tester, which has "IR" Function for showing waveforms of the IR Transmitter of a remote control, But its not reading it..!!!!
Can you make subtitles, because I have some difficulties with your English. Thanks.
Jewel!.
I can also add that it is quite good with testing old paper capacitors that have developed leakage. It will show as Vloss and increased capacitance readout. For instance a leaky 10nF cap will test as 18nF and 15% Vloss, and if the cap is heated up, the Vloss would go even higher. Good cap would read spot on value, with no Vloss.
Try testing IR sensor
Same story all over again, the device was developed by Markus Frejek and Karl-Heinz Kübbeller, but because the West has no longer any manufacturing industrial base, the device became "Chinese" and all the money from its sales went also there... I've seen already that same story so many times...
Thanks my God! I missed Danyk's bad English. :D
❤️❤️❤️
I like how you carefully arranged every components for the thumbnail picture but in the video it's a huge mess :D
@13:14 It sounds like a Geiger counter
Where can one be obtained
If it was a question, then in China - I bought mine as a kit (you can sometimes even buy them with an acrylic case kit in a single lot), soldered it, calibrated it following the on-screen instructions, and it works quite well.
Ebay, AliExpress, Banggood, almost any online place.
Beware there are different versions, and it is best to get the GM328 with DIP socketted processor. The GM328A with SMD processor is harder to service.
@13:07 RADIOACTIVE :)
yes, it also reminds me of a geiger counter ;)
I your audio flaky or is it my setup?
I think it's your setup. :(
@@edgeeffect You're correct. It WAS my setup. I had a buzz coming from the signal cable to my amp. All good now.
What language is this?
Very funny 😄
I am here for the accent
I thought you'll get into the open source code to explain how it works.
This is another review of these component testers. There are thousands of videos like this on YT.
hi friend,how can i contact to you?
danyk at centrum dot cz
@@DiodeGoneWild do you want to cooperation with us?
The Ziff component is not durable.
It's eprom based, which makes it very versatile, an 'upgradebale' tester... 😀👍
🤣
Beethoven string trio 1
10:39 Not so accurate 😂
Io da bravo idiota ho testato un mosfet collegato alla batteria e al motore .............il mosfet era buono , IL PROVACOMPONENTI NON PIÙ 😱 R.I.P. (perdonami 🙏)
What language is it?
😂
No "Bloody Hell" today. Quite boring😄