Has anyone tried this (assumed to be) recent Chinese revision? They are calling it a 2016 EZM328 (GM328R) transistor tester.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2016-EZM328-GM328R-transistor-tester-ESR-frequency-meter-square-wave-genera-/272165236396It costs a little bit more, but the unit has a socketed DIP ATmega328, A rotary encoder/test button, graphic display, headers for frequency and flying test leads, the standard ZIF socket we've seen on most of these units, and claims to have a precision reference source. The listing says it's using "the 2016 version of the latest V1.12K software".
Has anyone purchased one of these units yet, and if so, does it really have an actual voltage reference, or just a zener? Is it worth the few bucks premium over other testers? I do like the fact that it uses through hole components (good for modding), and the new screen configuration makes it no bigger than many of the SMD versions. How hard is modding these Chinese units to support things like the input protection feature I've seen elsewhere on this thread?
I'm strongly considering purchasing one.
I'm still skimming things (81 pages is a LOT
), but I'm genuinely curious if anyone has come up with a PC board that unifies all the options that are possible. Input protections, higher zener testing, support for ATmega 644 or 1284, etc? I saw a unit with built in protection quite a few pages back, but it used the text LCD, and I just like the graphic LCD too much!
These devices remind me of a more advanced version of the transistor tester on my old DMM. It was a Radio Shack 22-174 and it had a three terminal transistor tester that did not require you to know the part or pinout, You just inserted the part any way, pressed the test button, and it told you if it was PNP or NPN, told you the pin configuration, and gave an hfe measurement. Obviously, not as advanced as this unit, as it only did those two types of transistors, but this was also made way back in the 1990s.