LCR-Reader
Made in North America by Inventors of Smart Tweezers
Consumer's choice LCR-meter, the most light-weight, small and affordable member of Smart Tweezers LCR-meter family is finally available for sale.
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| LCR-Reader, the Lightest LCR-meter, Released, August 31, 2013 | |
After a few months of final debugging and fine-tuning LCR-Reader, a new, low cost member of Smart Tweezers LCR-meter family is available for distribution.
This new design with a record low weight and size, is a budget model of the popular professional device. It maximizes operation simplicity and ease-of-use complimented with affordable price while still keeping high basic accuracy.
Tests performed on the first few hundred units demonstrated basic accuracy variations fitting the targeted 1% accuracy specifications. The accuracy issues were overcome by individual calibration of every unit using calibration fixture.
The manufacturing team is very happy with the new device. Customer satisfaction is their main priority. Therefore they took additional measures to ensure high measurement accuracy of the LCR-Reader before mass production of this model have been started. Basic accuracy of 1% was the target and we eventually have been able to achieve it.
Compared to previous Smart Tweezers models, LCR-Reader is about two times smaller and lighter. The display is implemented using high contrast LED screen. For ultimate simplicity of the device operation, there is only control button that switches measurement mode by a single push from Automatic, to Capacitance, Inductance, Resistance, and ESR modes.
Li-Ion rechargeable battery is used to power the device with a micro-USB connector. Test signal amplitude is 0.5 Vrms, and test frequency is selected automatically.
LCR-Reader measurement example display is shown on a picture to the right. Here AM indicates the measurement mode (Automatic Mode). Like Smart Tweezers, LCR-Reader in addition to the main impedance component L, C or R it also shows the parasitic impedance component. In the example 10 kHz is the test frequency, Rs indicates parasitic series resistance of the inductor, L shows that the component type is an inductor, 104.8 uH indicates its value, and in the right bottom corner of the screen the battery charge level is shown.
This is a low cost device and the following Smart Tweezers features are not available in this model:
- Component Sorting
- Automatic offset adjustment
- Open Circuit/ Continuity/ Diode/ test
LCR-Reader Feature Summary:
- Automatic LCR and ESR measurement
- Basic accuracy of 1%
- Best range automatic selection
- Li-Ion battery with a micro-USB connector
- About 1 Oz weight
- Note: USB Charger is not included with this unit.
A detailed comparison of features of the LCR-Reader and previous models is presented in the Smart Tweezers Comparison Table shown below.
| Comparison of ST3, ST5, ST5L Model of Smart Tweezers and LCR-Reader | ||||
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| Feature | Old ST Model | New Model ST5 | New Model ST5L | LCR-Reader |
| Automatic LCR Measurement | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manual LCR Measurement | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Diode Test | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Continuity Test | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| DC Voltage Measurement | Yes | No | No | No |
| AC Voltage Measurement / Trace | Yes | No | No | No |
| Rechargeable Batteries | Optional | Standard | Standard | Standard |
| Charger and Micro-USB Cable | Optional | Standard | Standard | Optional |
| Designated ESR Measurement | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic Offset Subtraction | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Component Sorting | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Technical Specs | ||||
| Test Frequency | 0.1, 0.12, 1, 10 kHz +/- 0.25% | 0.1, 0.12, 1, 10 kHz +/- 0.005% | 0.1, 0.12, 1, 10 kHz +/- 0.005% | 0.1, 0.12, 1, 10 kHz +/- 0.5% |
| Test Signal Level | 0.32 +/- 10% Vrms | 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 +/- 5% Vrms | 0.25, 0.5 +/- 5% Vrms | 0.25, 0.5 +/- 5% Vrms |
| Source Impedance | 620 Ohms +/- 5% | 62.5Ω/1kΩ/16kΩ +/- 1% | 62.5Ω/1kΩ/16kΩ +/- 1% | 62.5Ω/1kΩ/16kΩ +/- 1% |
| Typical Accuracy | ||||
| Resistance | 1% | 0.20% | 0.50% | 1.00% |
| Capacitance | 3% | 0.50% | 0.50% | 1.00% |
| Inductance | 3% | 0.50% | 0.50% | 1.00% |
| Measurement Range | ||||
| Resistance | 0.1 Ohm to 10 Mohms | 0.1 Ohm to 10 Mohms | 0.1 Ohm to 10 Mohms | 0.1 Ohm to 10 Mohms |
| Capacitance | 0.5 pF to 5 mF | 0.5 pF to 1 mF | 0.5 pF to 1 mF | 10 pF to 1 mF |
| Inductance | 0.5 uH to 1 H | 0.5 uH to 1 H | 0.5 uH to 1 H | 0.5 uH to 1 H |
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LCR-Reader™
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Accuracy Specifications
| Resistance, 1 kHz test frequency | ||
| Typical offset 30mΩ (tips resistance) | ||
| Range | Resolution | Accuracy |
| 10 Ω | 0.01R | 1.0% + 30 |
| 100 Ω | 0.01R | 1.0% + 5 |
| 1000 Ω | 0.1R | 1.0% + 3 |
| 10 kΩ | 0.001K | 1.0% + 2 |
| 100 kΩ | 0.01K | 1.0% + 2 |
| 1000 k Ω | 0.1K | 1.0% + 5 |
| 10 MΩ | 0.001K | 2.0% + 10 |
| Accuracy for the ranges 1 R ~ 100 R is specified after subtraction of the offset resistance | ||
| Physical Specifications | ||
| Size | 14.8 x 2.0 x 1.5 cm (5.8" x 0.76" x 0.57") | |
| Weight | 29 grams (1 Oz) | |
| Operating temperature | 0°C to 50°C | |
| Battery Type | 3.7 V LiPO rechargeable 220 mAh | |
| Battery Life | Continuos 20 hours (2 hours charging cycle) | |
| Test frequency | 1 kHz, 10 kHz, 100 Hz | |
| Test signal level | 0.5 +/- 5% Vrms Sine wave | |
| Measurement Ranges | ||
| Resistance | 0.05 Ω to 9.9 MΩ | |
| Capacitance | 0.5 pF to 4999 μF | |
| Inductance | 0.5 uH to 999 mH | |
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Capacitance, automatic test frequency Typical offset 0.25pF (tips capacitance) |
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| Range | Resolution | Accuracy |
| 10 mF | 0.001 mF | 5.0% + 50 |
| 1000 μF | 0.1 μF | 2.0% + 10 |
| 100 μF | 0.01 μF | 1.0% + 10 |
| 10 μF | 0.001 μF | 1.0% + 5 |
| 1 μF | 0.1 nF | 1.0% + 5 |
| 100 nF | 0.01 nF | 1.0% + 5 |
| 10 nF | 0.001 nF | 1.0% + 5 |
| 1000 pF | 10.0 pF | 1.0% + 5 |
| 100 pF | 1.0 pF | 1.0% + 10 |
| 10 pF | 0.1 pF | 5.0% + 50 |
| Accuracy for the ranges of 10 pF~1000 pF is specified after subtraction of the stray capacitance for test leads. | ||
| Inductance, automatic test frequency | ||
| Range | Resolution | Accuracy |
| 10 μH | 0.1 μH | 1.0% + 50 |
| 100 μH | 0.1 μH | 1.0% + 20 |
| 1 mH | 0.1 μH | 1.0% + 5 |
| 10 mH | 0.001 mH | 1.0% + 5 |
| 100 mH | 0.01 mH | 1.0% + 5 |
| 1 H | 0.1 mH | 1.0% + 10 |
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Part Number | Description | Price USD |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LCR-Reader Low Cost Smart Tweezers | Precision LCR Meter Smart Tweezers Economy Model |
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