Firstly: my apologies if this tester has previously been reviewed here.
I sold off my Peak DCA and LCR a while back thinking I could replace them with other things. The DCA I was mostly done with because I thought I'd never be dealing with germanium transistors again, and without leakage, there's no need for a fancy transistor tester (in my opinion). Well, I found myself with a giant pile of germanium trannies, so I went out on the hunt.
Since my last search for a good tester, there have apparently been some developments. There is a great open source microcontroller based project that has been in development over the past year or two, and it has spawned a wide array of cheap but comprehensive component tester products (mostly out of China).
Testers based on this project will test just about everything a DIY pedal junkie could want, and some things you may not even know you want yet. It does BJT transistors (including leakage), FETs, caps, resistors, inductors, diodes, diacs, triacs, thyristors, and a couple other things.
Here's the one I got:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HHPVX2U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I originally ordered the one with a nice enclosure that has a separate set of test leads, but it arrived in non-working condition and I was afraid to order the same one again. So I went with the cheaper unit with no case, and that one worked just fine. There are several options on eBay that use this same code. Some have larger fancier displays, but they all do the same thing.
• For BJTs, it does most of what the Peak DCA does. It determines PNP or NPN, shows which lead is CBE, gives leakage (if any is detected), hFE, and collector-emitter voltage. It doesn't measure the base-emitter voltage drop like the Peak unit, and this is what the Peak uses to determine Germanium vs Silicon (which is a good measure, but can give false positives). But basically you can use this simple rule of thumb: if leakage is detectable, it's a germanium device.
• For FETs, it shows N or P-channel, gate resistance, and a parameter it calls simply "VG", which I hope is VGs. pickdropper and I are going to do some experiments to see how this reading matches up with his Peak DCA Pro.
•Caps are pretty straightforward. You get capacitance rating, and for caps 2u and greater it also measures ESR (equivalent series resistance). It also measures something it calls "Vloss" expressed as a percentage. I'm still trying to figure out what that means, but I will report back on that.
Resistors are very simple: resistance in ohms. :)
Inductors are measured for inductance and effective resistance as well.
I haven't tested anything else yet. For $29, I'm beyond thrilled with the results so far. Seems very consistent and accurate. I would recommend getting one of the models with a case as I previously bought, as I think the finished version is ultimately more usable (and the extra probes are handy).
Here's a pic of mine in action:
(http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh218/reverse_engineer/tester_zps162ac353.jpg)
Quote from: culturejam on July 08, 2014, 03:33:58 AM
It also measures something it calls "Vloss" expressed as a percentage. I'm still trying to figure out what that means, but I will report back on that.
Voltage loss, maybe? Granted, I don't know enough to know if that's even a thing, but it's my best guess.
Thanks for the review, I may pick one of these up.
Looks like a great tool! I might need to look into getting one too
Again, I recommend you guys get the bigger version with the extra leads and the nice case:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GD4HX98/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I just got a bum one when I first ordered and got spooked. But it's a great product.
I've been wanting a new meter.
I bought one when they first came out and while testing transistors it gives Hfe and Vf a forward Voltage reading.
I don't see any leakage reading or can that be determined from the above information?
Anybody know?
You've just saved me a heap of money as i was about to buy the LCR & DCA! :)
I think I mentioned this a few weeks back, I got me this one. Mainly to test smd components (nicely tested on exposed metal bits) and capacitors, but hfe is a nice bonus. :)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/171310003614?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649
Quote from: blearyeyes on July 08, 2014, 05:30:22 PM
I don't see any leakage reading or can that be determined from the above information?
If no leakage is detected, it doesn't show anything and just goes straight to displaying hFE. If it does detect leakage, it shows that first (ICEO) and then after about 5 seconds the screen scrolls to hFE and VCE.
Quote from: muddyfox on July 08, 2014, 07:14:22 PMMainly to test smd components (nicely tested on exposed metal bits)
The SMD pads are a nice addition, I must say. Most of the newer units based on that same firmware have the SMD pads as well.
I just bought one of these kits:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/181303499014?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_sacat%3D0%26_from%3DR40%26_nkw%3D181303499014%26_rdc%3D1
I also have a Peak DCA and the readings have been pretty similar.
Is there anything specific that you want me to compare?
Peter
Quote from: peterc on July 09, 2014, 02:35:00 PM
I also have a Peak DCA and the readings have been pretty similar.
Good to know.
Quote from: petercIs there anything specific that you want me to compare?
Mostly just the VGs reading of JFETs. I'm curious if the cheap tester's "VG" parameter is VGs or something else.
I've just received the boxed model to try out.
Seems to work well with most components but struggles with some tayda J201s. Pinouts vary, sometimes display as transistors. "Vg" when shown is consistent though.
I was going to spend some money on a Peak but saw this post.
One of these should be arriving quite soon :)
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=281331999069
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
This came through the post this morning :)
It works well but one problem - it doesn't like fresh 9V batteries!
At first I thought it was DOA. Swapped a few batteries and it worked with one that had about 8V.
I'll probably solder a diode to a battery clip and use it to drop the voltage. No point in sending it back to China!
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l160/twin1965/Mobile%20Uploads/20140730_123226_zps9929a30f.jpg) (http://s95.photobucket.com/user/twin1965/media/Mobile%20Uploads/20140730_123226_zps9929a30f.jpg.html) :)
yep, that's what i have. no such battery issues, though?
When using a fresh 9V battery the 5V regulator on the PCB outputs under 0.7V. It outputs 5V when using 8V. Dodgy 78L05?
How ironic: trouble shooting a tester :-\
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
What's the hFe readout on this thing?
As far as I can tell it doesn't take into account ge transistor leakage. Although the gt108v's that I have test quite close to the RG Keen method but I think its because they have very low leakage.
It's still very useful and much quicker to use than a standard multi meter when testing components.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2
I wouldn't worry about the leakage in terms of the gain calculation. Gain is extremely relative. So if you measure a big group of trannies on the same tester, you'll have a good idea of what is going on and which ones are the cherries. Just keep the leakage in mind when picking out a transistor for a given use.
http://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/$20-lcr-esr-transistor-checker-project/
This tester is a Chinese PCB design based on an open source AVR transistor tester project. You can check out this 40+ page thread for a bunch of information about the tester - some of it from the designer. With the version linked in the first page (and very likely the cased version of the same 16x2 LCD model) you can actually upload the firmware to a version that includes some additional features and bug fixes with the addition of an ISP header (or by programming the AVR out of circuit; mine was socketed anyway).
I'm glad some pedal folks stumbled upon this tester. I've been meaning to throw the link around.
I got one myself and it really is a usable tool. (Looks like in the first picture)