$20 LCR ESR Transistor checker project

[stj]

i would just cut the knob off of the socket lever and extend the shaft a bit with some tubing.

it looks like it has a divider to hold the battery away from the pcb btw.

[Pukker]

@ flywheelz
I used an mini iron-saw and a file to clean up.

@ stj
Yes, there is room for an battery,
the pcb has connections for it.
To access the battery you have to unscrew the bottomplate,
four screws.

"i would just cut the knob off of the socket lever and extend the shaft a bit with some tubing."
Yes is possible,
but no access to SMD pads then.

[madires]

With the calibration, does it have to be 100nf or anything above? just looking for a cap here with 5-10% tolerance.

It doesn't have to be a 100nF cap, any film cap between 100nF and 1µF is fine (larger values work too). The tolerance doesn't matter either.

[Monroe]

I have a bit of a problem I was wondering if help might attract :0 lol.

Yeah I bought one of these kits before I found out much about them.

I got this kit from ebay with no instructions on assembly. I suppose I could figure it out from a schematic but I would prefer if someone could point me too a drawing of parts placement or perhaps kit instructions?

[vinceroger]

I have a bit of a problem I was wondering if help might attract :0 lol.

Yeah I bought one of these kits before I found out much about them.

I got this kit from ebay with no instructions on assembly. I suppose I could figure it out from a schematic but I would prefer if someone could point me too a drawing of parts placement or perhaps kit instructions?

i have two of these testers if you read back a few pages stj helped me with the parts list and what went where etc its all in this thread including the firmware too as most of these tester have come with no firmware anything you need too know just ask

edit here you go should help you
----------------------------------------
r1 - 680r sensing circuit
r2 - 470k sensing circuit
r3 - 680r sensing circuit
r4 - 470k sensing circuit
r5 - 680r sensing circuit
r6 - 470k sensing circuit
r7 - 10k reset pullup
r8 - 33k power control
r9 - 3k3 power control
r10 - 27k
r11 - 100k (says r1 but is next to r10)
r12 - 10k voltage divider for battery sense
r13 - 3k3 voltage divider for battery sense
r14 - 560r display related - led current limit
r15 - 27k
r16 - 0r jumper for AVCC
r17 - 2k2 from tl431 to vcc
r18 - 1k rotary encoder current limit
r19 - 1k rotary encoder current limit
r20 - 10k rotary encoder pullup
r21 - 10k rotary encoder pullup
r22 - 470r frequency input dropper
r23 - 10k frequency input voltage divider
r24 - 10k frequency input voltage divider

rv1 - 10k preset frequency input voltage divider

u3 = tl431

q1 - 4673 (bc557c)
q2 - c945 (bc547)
q3 - c945 (bc547)

c1 - 22pf for crystal
c2 - 22pf for crystal
c3 - 100nf
c4 - 10nf
c5 - 10uf 16v
c6 - 10uf 16v
c7 - 100nf
c8 - 100nf
c9 - 100n frequency input DC blocker

and post 349 in this thread has a good picture you can zoom in on and see the colours of the resistors if needed
http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=50720&highlight=esr+tester&page=18

[TheOnlyDocc]

Hello,
a few days ago i ordered my first ESR Meter (http://www.ebay.de/itm/182153844649 ) ~15€ inkl. case. Now i have read that it is possible to incrase the accuracy by changing the 8MHz crystall with a 16MHz one. But i do not know which new FW i have to use. Maybe someone can give me a hint. And if someone have any other helpfull tips i am open for informations. Hopefully the Kit will arrive in the next few weeks. So now i have the time to get parts (like the new 16MHz crystall) if needed.
 

[Monroe]

vinceroger

Hey thanks! My first post and made to feel welcome thank you.

I'm sorry I had to bother I thought I had searched pretty well and had also given up on google fu. Thanks again

Monroe King

[stj]

Hello,
a few days ago i ordered my first ESR Meter (http://www.ebay.de/itm/182153844649 ) ~15€ inkl. case. Now i have read that it is possible to incrase the accuracy by changing the 8MHz crystall with a 16MHz one. But i do not know which new FW i have to use. Maybe someone can give me a hint. And if someone have any other helpfull tips i am open for informations. Hopefully the Kit will arrive in the next few weeks. So now i have the time to get parts (like the new 16MHz crystall) if needed.

that's the "AY-AT" kit - lots about it in previous posts.

[stj]

vinceroger

Hey thanks! My first post and made to feel welcome thank you.

I'm sorry I had to bother I thought I had searched pretty well and had also given up on google fu. Thanks again

Monroe King

forget google,
use https://duckduckgo.com
and https://www.yandex.com/yandsearch?
and for chinese stuff: https://www.baidu.com

[Monroe]

Well I soldered up the board and plugged in the battery.

Pushed the test button and only the back light came on? I guess this means the 328 is not programmed?

[flywheelz]

Well I soldered up the board and plugged in the battery.

Pushed the test button and only the back light came on? I guess this means the 328 is not programmed?

99.99% Yes.


Firmware, here.


Program with Arduino, here, or you can also use USBasp, but with command

Code: [Select]

avrdude -c USBasp -P usb -p m328p -e -U flash:w:TransistorTester.hex -U eeprom:w:TransistorTester.eep -U lfuse:w:0xf7:m -U hfuse:w:0xd9:m -U efuse:w:0x04:m
You could build simple programmer, here.

Or perhaps you have TL866A which also can be used.

[Monroe]

MAJOR bummer!

Let me see what programmers I have: Crap

lol

[roli_bark]

Hello,
a few days ago i ordered my first ESR Meter (http://www.ebay.de/itm/182153844649 ) ~15€ inkl. case. Now i have read that it is possible to incrase the accuracy by changing the 8MHz crystall with a 16MHz one. But i do not know which new FW i have to use. Maybe someone can give me a hint. And if someone have any other helpfull tips i am open for informations. Hopefully the Kit will arrive in the next few weeks. So now i have the time to get parts (like the new 16MHz crystall) if needed.

You can start here:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/$20-lcr-esr-transistor-checker-project/msg1016572/#msg1016572

[jleg]

i just also got a AY-AT kit - it came with a similar "manual" which already has been posted here, and additionally with a schematic - i added it below...

Btw, last words in that "manual" are

At last: For more information about the Transistortester, please visit http://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/AVR-Transistortester

 

[vinceroger]

Well I soldered up the board and plugged in the battery.

Pushed the test button and only the back light came on? I guess this means the 328 is not programmed?

have you got a link to the one you brought from ebay as i emailed the seller and i know a few others have regarding no firmware being on these atmega328p ics if its the same seller im suprised they havnt stopped selling them as they did seem concerned when mentioned about the non firmware issue.

A good upgrade for these meters too once you get it working is swop the crystal to a 16 mhz one with the correct firmware too as it seems a lot more accurate then.

[Monroe]

Here is a link http://www.ebay.com/itm/331873736187?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I guess I might as well try the 16mhz now that I have to load firmware anyway Gezzzzzz.

Monroe
 Team Prometheus

[vinceroger]

Here is a link http://www.ebay.com/itm/331873736187?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I guess I might as well try the 16mhz now that I have to load firmware anyway Gezzzzzz.

Monroe
 Team Prometheus

Yes thats the same seller maybe worth you too sending them a email too say theres no firmware on the ic so basically you cant use it. (well you can once you upload the firmware etc ) have you got a programmer?

[Monroe]

I have sent a scathing email to the seller. I would not have minded so much if it had stated that the chip was not programmed in the ad.

Yeah, I have some programmers around here just didn't want to dig one out for this project.

Didn't want to figure out what IDE to use or any of that time consuming MESS!

I only program chips when I absolutely have too.

I'll get on it here in a few-

Hey if it had not been for you guy's I'd have been out of luck! So would this seller.

Monroe   

[stj]

you wont need an IDE / compiler, we can give you the hex.
all you need is AVRdude programming software.

[Monroe]

"you wont need an IDE / compiler"

Uh hu  that sounds familiar

Ok I've got a USBTinyISP haven't used it since windblows 10 came out. Blew that off went for the XP machine in the shop I think the little programmer seems to work.

Now I gotta break out the soldering iron figure out what pins to hook up to. Looks like you guys just solder the header to the back side of the chip and power the board is this correct?

[vinceroger]

"you wont need an IDE / compiler"

Uh hu  that sounds familiar

Ok I've got a USBTinyISP haven't used it since windblows 10 came out. Blew that off went for the XP machine in the shop I think the little programmer seems to work.

Now I gotta break out the soldering iron figure out what pins to hook up to. Looks like you guys just solder the header to the back side of the chip and power the board is this correct?

this may help

[flywheelz]

Looks like you guys just solder the header to the back side of the chip and power the board is this correct?

Thats what I did.  As soon as the programmer is plugged in the usb it will provide 5v to the testers and lcd back light will go on. 

[flywheelz]

Want to update you guys, 

When I was putting my AY-AT kit, I found out that I installed the protection 6-pin diode pack suppressor backwards due to poor markings on the chip causing VCC short GND  (credit: stj).  After removing the suppressor, the tester started working.  I lost the original suppressor and the replacement just arrived. 

Installed the replacement V05 suppressor without issues.  On first power-on, the LED turned on, tester enters the menu , then showed Bat. 8.3V OK, flashing Vext=0mV.    I tried disconnecting the battery few times with no help.  I decided to remove the LCD.  As I was lifting the top right corner of the LCD the tester went into Testing...  I pushed the LCD back down and the tester is still working fine.     I am not sure what really happened.  The good thing is its working now

Thank you all.

[Monroe]

Progress but no cigar yet

I flashed the 328 with the 8Mhz firmware from the zip file "GM328x ESR tester (SVN684) - v2.zip" vinceroger so kindly provided all I had to do was change usbasp to usbtiny and the flash seemed fine.

I connected the battery and hit the test button and the display and the led came on after about 5-10 seconds the display went dark on all pixels (backlight stayed on) and then a few seconds later the screen started flashing at 5-10hz on and off as well as the led.

I checked my solder joints no joy.

Any thoughts?

Monroe 

[flywheelz]

Did you set the fuses and no errors in process?

Code: [Select]

-U lfuse:w:0xf7:m -U hfuse:w:0xd9:m -U efuse:w:0x04:m
edit: Is the battery good under load?

edit2:  Did you see any image?