What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[beanflying]

Boy could I have used this Jul, 2014.  I built a L-C meter from scratch but couldn't calibrate it any better than about 5-10% for lack of a standard.
How do you know how accurate it is?  What do you have to compare it with?

I have a HM8018. Some measurements, with the fine-tune knob at 40 pF, measured with my shielded Kelvin probes and 100 Hz measurement frequency:

- 0 pF (plus the fine tune knob and the cable etc.) : 48 pF
- 100 pF: 150 pF
- 900 pF: 951 pF
- 12.3 nF: 12.36 nF
- 765.4 nF: 765.5 nF
- 1.1 uF: 1.100 uF

Looks like it is dead on. I guess the trick is to use high quality capacitors, which doesn't need to be very accurate, but with very good long term stability, and then trim each capacitor with parallel variable capacitors. You can trim each of the bigger capacitors, as shown in the schematic in the manual linked in the article from beanflying. I didn't trim it so far, but maybe the seller did.

I have done some more testing against my both of my new LCR Tweezers and 34461A and it stacks up well. Part of the problem comes up you would need a calibrated Capacitance meter a lot better to even prove it's spec of 0.25% was good or bad and at best my gear only matches with and agrees with it's spec. The Yokogawa Caps seem to hold up really well over time is the nuts and bolts of it.

[Housedad]

PACE ComForm 1 Lead Bending and Component Forming Tool.

I want my friends PIDP computers to be nice and neat on the board.

I like it a lot. 

[windsmurf]

An all-yellow Fluke...

[tautech]

An all-yellow Fluke...

Good DMM. 
Had a Chinese 15B for some years now and 100% pleased with it.

[maginnovision]

Ok, so sooner than expected I bought an ESI RV726. Looks a lot like the fluke 720a but darker colored.

[GreyWoolfe]

PACE ComForm 1 Lead Bending and Component Forming Tool.

I want my friends PIDP computers to be nice and neat on the board.

I like it a lot. 

I have one also and I like it.  Nice and neat looking passives.  I paid $10 for mine.

[Miyuki]

A have a "new" car with fancy features like phone and all rotted wiring so all things go randomly on and off 

[PA0PBZ]

A have a "new" car with fancy features like phone and all rotted wiring so all things go randomly on and off 

Wow, an NMT telephone, those where already obsolete 20 years ago!

[alank2]

The construction looks very nice:

I love how that is built; a work of art.

[McBryce]

After many years of positive experience with my Ersa i-Con Nano, I decided to upgrade.

McBryce.

[bitseeker]

Ooh, very nice, McBryce!

[Kjelt]

Very nice station.
Except for the marketing dept. the picture looks like it is batterry powerede without cables 

[McBryce]

Yes the cables just magically disappear to the right, never to return. The station is a pleasure to use and the tweezer iron makes SMD work so much easier than before. It was expensive, but as the iron is the second most used device (after the multimeter) I think it's a good investment.
Also, the cables to the two irons are a really soft, flexible silicon, the i-Con Nano had a more plastic cable that tended to get in the way.

McBryce.

[beanflying]

Just keep repeating I will not become a HAM, I am not becoming a HAM, I will avoid at risk of starvation becoming a HAM.

To go with my SDR Dongle and Baofeng HH I brought 'them' a Discone Antenna and Coax........ I do not need another Rabbit Hole more than my current TEA one

[tautech]

Thanks to Beanflying's review, and thanks to my fault selling my Smart Tweezers ST-5S, today I bought an LCR Research Pro 1 Plus.

Yes, I do have a better one, I designed a few based on AWG+DSO, VNA S11+tuner, VNA S12 and single slope, but none of them is portable, and both run on IVI.NET with a bunch of measurement cards required. Those are designed for measuring extreme cases (sub-10nH), but not for casual 100uH-range measurements.

So, I think it's time for a small, grab-n-go LCR meter for building transformers.

Good on ya BS. 
Despite the price of these teeny wheeny smart tweezers I dunno why others don't switch onto them too. 

Weeks will go by before DMM usage exceeds these tweezers here.
I'll be very interested in your comments of the LCR's after having had the ST5's before. 

[beanflying]

Thanks to Beanflying's review, and thanks to my fault selling my Smart Tweezers ST-5S, today I bought an LCR Research Pro 1 Plus.

Yes, I do have a better one, I designed a few based on AWG+DSO, VNA S11+tuner, VNA S12 and single slope, but none of them is portable, and both run on IVI.NET with a bunch of measurement cards required. Those are designed for measuring extreme cases (sub-10nH), but not for casual 100uH-range measurements.

So, I think it's time for a small, grab-n-go LCR meter for building transformers.

Jump into that thread of mine with your thoughts too. I must get back to putting mine there but the LCR Research ones are my go to.

[GreyWoolfe]

Just keep repeating I will not become a HAM, I am not becoming a HAM, I will avoid at risk of starvation becoming a HAM.

You keep telling yourself that, see how far it gets you.

GreyWoolfe
NW0LF
Absorbing RF since 1999.

[VK5RC]

Come to the dark side Luke - sorry beanflying!
Seriously - the ACMA has just changed the way you get your Ham licence in  VK land. It used to be the WIA - now it is a commercial arm of the Uni of Tasmania - Marine licencing guys. I am the past president of the North East Radio Club in south Australia - we have a couple of guys who are examiners and always keen to get more guys out there.
In South Australia - the most technical ham group is the Adelaide Radio Experimenters Group - guests are welcome to any of the meetings of any ham clubs.
Regards Rob

[beanflying]

Come to the dark side Luke - sorry beanflying!
Seriously - the ACMA has just changed the way you get your Ham licence in  VK land. It used to be the WIA - now it is a commercial arm of the Uni of Tasmania - Marine licencing guys. I am the past president of the North East Radio Club in south Australia - we have a couple of guys who are examiners and always keen to get more guys out there.
In South Australia - the most technical ham group is the Adelaide Radio Experimenters Group - guests are welcome to any of the meetings of any ham clubs.
Regards Rob

Lucky I live in the land of VK3. I have avoided talking HAM with a nearby one in VK3ZQB who I know fairly well as it is what he lives sleeps and breathes  I should get a marine operators licence minimum and depending on how serious I get with Drones look at an Air one too 

[CJay]

Lucky I live in the land of VK3. I have avoided talking HAM with a nearby one in VK3ZQB who I know fairly well as it is what he lives sleeps and breathes  I should get a marine operators licence minimum and depending on how serious I get with Drones look at an Air one too 

Like all things, in moderation.

Ham radio does attract a 'certain type' and it's quite an experience when you meet them.

for me, it's a way to legitimise my hobby, I've been tinkering with radio for decades and I really enjoy building stuff (if and when I ever get time) plus there's lots of ways to not have to actually talk to people yet still make use of the licence

[VK5RC]

Come to the dark side Luke - sorry beanflying!
Seriously - the ACMA has just changed the way you get your Ham licence in  VK land. It used to be the WIA - now it is a commercial arm of the Uni of Tasmania - Marine licencing guys. I am the past president of the North East Radio Club in south Australia - we have a couple of guys who are examiners and always keen to get more guys out there.
In South Australia - the most technical ham group is the Adelaide Radio Experimenters Group - guests are welcome to any of the meetings of any ham clubs.
Regards Rob

Lucky I live in the land of VK3. I have avoided talking HAM with a nearby one in VK3ZQB who I know fairly well as it is what he lives sleeps and breathes  I should get a marine operators licence minimum and depending on how serious I get with Drones look at an Air one too 

For some funny I thought you were VK5 - bad news though, there are even more Hams there ! HeHe.
There  are lots of interesting hobbies competing for our time (and $) I suppose we are really spoilt by the choices but it can get confusing - too much choice.
Rob

[beanflying]

Lucky I live in the land of VK3. I have avoided talking HAM with a nearby one in VK3ZQB who I know fairly well as it is what he lives sleeps and breathes  I should get a marine operators licence minimum and depending on how serious I get with Drones look at an Air one too 

Like all things, in moderation.

Ham radio does attract a 'certain type' and it's quite an experience when you meet them.

for me, it's a way to legitimise my hobby, I've been tinkering with radio for decades and I really enjoy building stuff (if and when I ever get time) plus there's lots of ways to not have to actually talk to people yet still make use of the licence

My name is BF and I have a problem  Apart from my TEA one I have a very very major R/C and Coffee problem without adding others to it 

[CJay]

Lucky I live in the land of VK3. I have avoided talking HAM with a nearby one in VK3ZQB who I know fairly well as it is what he lives sleeps and breathes  I should get a marine operators licence minimum and depending on how serious I get with Drones look at an Air one too 

Like all things, in moderation.

My name is BF and I have a problem  Apart from my TEA one I have a very very major R/C and Coffee problem without adding others to it 

Nah, dig in, you can use it to justify and enable your TEA, think of all those lovely test applications and new equipment you need to buy

[beanflying]

Come to the dark side Luke - sorry beanflying!
Seriously - the ACMA has just changed the way you get your Ham licence in  VK land. It used to be the WIA - now it is a commercial arm of the Uni of Tasmania - Marine licencing guys. I am the past president of the North East Radio Club in south Australia - we have a couple of guys who are examiners and always keen to get more guys out there.
In South Australia - the most technical ham group is the Adelaide Radio Experimenters Group - guests are welcome to any of the meetings of any ham clubs.
Regards Rob

Lucky I live in the land of VK3. I have avoided talking HAM with a nearby one in VK3ZQB who I know fairly well as it is what he lives sleeps and breathes  I should get a marine operators licence minimum and depending on how serious I get with Drones look at an Air one too 

For some funny I thought you were VK5 - bad news though, there are even more Hams there ! HeHe.
There  are lots of interesting hobbies competing for our time (and $) I suppose we are really spoilt by the choices but it can get confusing - too much choice.
Rob

The Ex is VK5 Marion and still far to close for comfort.

Having fun with the little SDR dongle eBay auction: #172813499296 and the Discone will do for 'now' 

[VK5RC]

@beanflying - essential to avoid vk5 territory!
Re Hams - it is a broad 'church', some just passed the foundation - others were boffins in the Defense Dept. Generally I have found them a good hearted bunch.
PS Have you tried listening to FT8?