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DIY Clip Lead Adapter (TL-21) for DE-5000 LCR?
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mawyatt:
You are quite welcome!!

The little OEM TL-21 with Gator Clips works quite well indeed, it was as good as the modified TL-21 with proper Kelvin Clips added. We almost never used the DIY Kelvin modded TL-21 version and removed the Kelvin clips and added the BNC connectors shown in the above image for use with various SMD fixtures, which have seen much more use!!

Best,
TimFox:

--- Quote from: mawyatt on February 21, 2023, 02:59:07 pm ---The female banana connectors on our DE-5000 are definitely "split" with two separate electrical "half-pipe" contacts on each side (you can see this by looking down the banana "barrel" on the DE-5000. There also are separate contacts on the PCB, two for each banana. The "blade" connectors would require separation with a blank insert to use the 4-wire setup with the split contact banana connectors, so we just modified the TL-21s as mentioned.

Best,

--- End quote ---

My mistake:  I had never seen "split banana jacks" before, but they would be required not to short out the two blades.
That only takes "4-wire connections" up to the jacks, and any banana plug connections would be "2-wire" thereafter, since "split banana plugs" are not practicable.
I had thought that with nothing connected to the blades, they would short out vertically and that the banana jacks were only connected to the "lower" blades.
The TL-21 boxes have plastic dummy banana plugs that are only there for mechanical support.
For making ones own fixtures, modifying a TL-21 box for its blades is the way to go.
Inserting a leaded part with thin wire leads works with the Digibridge split blades, but is probably mechanically unwise for the DE-5000.
mawyatt:

--- Quote from: TimFox on February 22, 2023, 05:47:11 pm ---
--- Quote from: mawyatt on February 21, 2023, 02:59:07 pm ---The female banana connectors on our DE-5000 are definitely "split" with two separate electrical "half-pipe" contacts on each side (you can see this by looking down the banana "barrel" on the DE-5000. There also are separate contacts on the PCB, two for each banana. The "blade" connectors would require separation with a blank insert to use the 4-wire setup with the split contact banana connectors, so we just modified the TL-21s as mentioned.

Best,

--- End quote ---

My mistake:  I had never seen "split banana jacks" before, but they would be required not to short out the two blades.
That only takes "4-wire connections" up to the jacks, and any banana plug connections would be "2-wire" thereafter, since "split banana plugs" are not practicable.
I had thought that with nothing connected to the blades, they would short out vertically and that the banana jacks were only connected to the "lower" blades.
The TL-21 boxes have plastic dummy banana plugs that are only there for mechanical support.
For making ones own fixtures, modifying a TL-21 box for its blades is the way to go.
Inserting a leaded part with thin wire leads works with the Digibridge split blades, but is probably mechanically unwise for the DE-5000.

--- End quote ---

Even tho the manual shows using the blades for direct insertion of leaded components, I agree as this could damage the internal blades and/or if one jams long leads they could do damage to the internal PCB. We've done it a couple times carefully but now since we've got one of the modded DL-21 with BNCs we can use the standard fixtures for bench Lab LCR meters instead, like these shown. With these fixtures and the SMA fixture shown earlier, the DE-5000 qualifies as an entry level bench type LCR meter IMO. We get excellent repeatability, for example within 0.01pF repeatability with a quality Venkel 0603 COG 4.7pF, and same for agreement with our Lab Grade Hioki IM3536 or Tonghui TH2830 LCR meters, the DE-5000 is that good with a proper fixture and Open/Short Cal.

Best,

TimFox:
Grayhill used to make a useful component test adapter with two standard banana plugs on 3/4 inch centers connected laterally to two component lead clips on 1-3/4 inch centers.
I found two of these adapters on eBay, and they are very useful for quick sorting of leaded components on devices with two banana jacks.
(Capacitors on the DE-5000 and resistors on normal DMMs.)
They still make the component lead clips, but their catalog does not show the assembly.
See p/n 02-1 and 02-0 on this datasheet:  https://www.grayhill.com/documents/Test-Clips-Datasheet
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