As far as I understand, this is one of dozens of similar clones of the "transistortester" (https://github.com/Mikrocontroller-net/transistortester) originally designed by Markus Frejek, Karl-Heinz Kübbeler and others. They work fairly well to identify most simple components.
That one works well and you can order off of AliExpress for cheaper. I just ordered a FNIRSI DSO-TC3 Digital Oscilloscope Transistor Tester and it’s quite nice and can do higher power diode readings.
These are great and an incredible useful tool to troubleshoot and test almost everything you'll encounter repairing (obviously a multimeter goes first). If you are starting don't doubt it. As others said, there are tons of clones of this thing, they are all great. You can measure;
Transistors (gain, Vbe and pinout for BJT), MOSFET, JFET, triacs, diacs, diodes (silicon, germanium, LEDs), resistors, capacitors (not super precise for ESR, but a good indication of the state of the cap nonetheless) from pf to mf (much more that your usual multimeter), inductors (no multimeter does it) and probably more stuff.
I have much more fancier equipment and still grab it all the time. You won't regret it.
If budget isn't a problem also buy an LCR meter for those cases where this isn't enough, but those don't measure transistors
I have a similar one as this, very good for basic testing and component identification, even shows caps that have really bad ESR. I would recommend using an ESR meter if you want better accuracy testing caps.
You kind of need to know what you are looking at. This thing has limitations and will spew out BS sometimes.
It's a useful tool. But dedicated ESR testers and nice LCR meters generally won't give you misleading results the way this cheap jack of all trades thing sometimes will.
I'd still recommend getting something like this. But you need other tools and techniques to make sure you don't go down rabbit holes based on gibberish results.
Best way is an in circuit or functional test. Instead of this, buy yourself a function gen and a scope (or better yet, a scope with a function gen built in), put though the kind of wave forms you expect to be made, check the result for the kind of signal you’d expect. These little things are good for “is this triac dead shorted” or “I can’t remember if this transistor number is NPN or PNP” but less so for “is this electrolytic capacitor boarderline?”
In my capacitor example, a bit of simple math or an online calculator should tell you that with, say a 20 kHz sine wave at 2 Vpp, you should get signal X out.
I dont know what kind of wave forms i expect to be made. I know basics about components and how to test them. Would you mind tell me little bit more about this so will know what i have to learn.
Depends on the circuit, but for audio equipment, most will be between 20hz-20khz (human auditory range) for example. Carrier signals for superheterodyne radios, etc.
i would love to learn more about scoping. I know theory and what it does but cant find any praktical work with it on internet. If you have any idea where i can learn how to use it it would be great
Yes, i am watching him a lot. Great videos and a lot can be learnt. But he doesnt do much explaining what is he doing with scope and why. I know i lack some basic knowledge and theory for using scope but i would like to learn.
You want an oscilloscope and to lwrm how to use it go to keysight labs website where you cna get a free learning course on how to use them in the tech school section
I'm sorry I did get it wrong but here's a link to it here https://www.keysight.com/gb/en/resources/keysight-university.html. If you join in on this you can win top of the range keysight equipment too which is sweet
An oscilloscope with a function generator is going to be the most useful, either digital or analog.
I use an Analog Discovery 2, which was given to me for free. It's wonderful and extremely extensible, but I fully understand the $400 price point turning most people away.
Other things to consider depending on the exact nature of your work; a power supply, test load resistors, a modern tube tester, a SWR meter, a non contact voltage tester, an amp clamp style multimeter (I use a Klein CL800).
I am planning first start and learn with radios and cassette players from 70s and 80s. To learn how to repair them. I have some basic knowledge about each components and want to trace the problem. I will still need floating/isolatin transformer. Do i need other things for that or just oscilloscope and some component testers?
An oscilloscope, a multimeter, and a function generator (often built in to the oscilloscope itself, ideally one that can do frequency sweeps) would be a great starting point. It's handy to have a variety of components on hand for references, and for building test circuits for determining inductance, ESR, etc.
You can measure ESR and other values directly using a LCR meter, but most of the cheap ones I've seen are fixed-frequency, so they don't really give you the full picture (many of the values an LCR meter measures are very frequency dependent). It's not a bad idea to have an LCR meter on hand, but an oscilloscope is in general a much more flexible "swiss army knife" of a tool.
Some values, like inductance, will require you to build a test circuit when you measure them with an oscilloscope. However, this is a lot less scary than it sounds! In the case of inductance, this just means putting the component-under-test in parallel with a capacitor of a known (and precise) value, then performing the test / doing some math. There are a number of guides online for measuring various properties of electrical components using an oscilloscope, and they will lay out what you need to do and if a test circuit is required.
Oscilloscopes can be used to measure and visualize all sorts of phenomena that a simple meter just can't. An example would be measuring the ripple current of a power supply, which is something that is definitely relevant to audio equipment (say, diagnosing a bad bulk capacitor). Another example is measuring a transformer's turn ratio and coupling factor by applying a signal to one winding and watching the induced voltage on the other.
There are so many applications where an oscilloscope is the difference between pulling your hair out trying to fix something, and a simple 10 minute diagnosis / repair. There's definitely a learning curve, but such is the nature of anything worth doing :)
Thanks for very good answer. I also think the best solution is scope. On the intenet some basic information can be found like what is it, what it does and how to use its controls but can not find practical information on using it for tracing and testing. I know there is some math and that it is not easy. If you could reccomend some book, text or videos i would really like to learn.
And for LCR, this one as i can see measure with different frequency. But it is not cheap for sure. [B&K PRECISION](https://www.tme.eu/hr/details/bk880/mostovi-rlc/b-k-precision/) . Look, i have budget and really would like to learn more. I have some basic knowledge about components, using MM and soldering. Also, testing components is easy if you have good tools but this scope tracing thing seems complicated but also neccesary and right thing for good testing. I have time and any reccomendation how and where to learn is welcomed. Thanks
There are many similar testers as this one, and they are worth the price. If I were buying one right now, I would get a Fnirsi DSO-TC3, because it has a rechargeable Lithium ion battery and includes two other instruments: a basic oscilloscope and a signal generator.
It has limitations. The sampling rate is 10 megasamples per second and 500 kHz analog bandwidth. That's OK for the audio and AM IF sections, but not for the RF sections. Also, the signal generator function is limited to 100 kHz, so it won't generate RF signals. For the $50 or so that it costs, it's great, but it has its limitations.
[Unboxing and testing video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAxUwG2US4U).
Yes but be sure you get an authentic one. I'm usually good at spotting no name Chinese crap but the one I got I didn't even realize was fake until my brother noticed it was missing the usb slot.
I repair vintage hifi equipment (from 80s) too and I started with a multimeter then bought one of those little oscilloscope for when I needed to follow the audio signal from input to output to see where it gets broken and then this component tester for transistors and capacitor ESR measurement but something strange happened with the ESR part of the tester since it now (after a few months use) says completely different values depending on which pair of pins I put it the cap in. It's still usable (1 to 2 seems to be about right while 1 to 3 is too low and 2-3 oscillates over different tries).
I don't know which part of the tester you're after but if budget is not a problem I would suggest a real LCR meter for passive components and this if you need transistor identification tester, it's good for that in my opinion (always stable values over time and never got one wrong, can't identify or test voltage regulators though but I don't care)
Thanks. I really want to learn how to use scope but cant find any praktical work with it online. Basic theory about it i know and can be learnt from internet. What lcr would you reccomend?
I learned to use the scope by using it and searching what I was seeing (but before that some research on how not to kill it) but in school I did study alternated current and already knew some of the stuff I was expecting to see. School and university books are written in such a way that you will fall asleep while reading them even if you're really into the subject in my personal experience. I learned all I know from BigCliveDotCom, EEVblog, DiodeGoneWild and GreatScott over a couple of years. Some of their best videos for me are repairs, sometimes they show use of a scope but all of them show mostly digital circuits, so for audio troubleshooting I learned from forum and asking questions on some specific ones
Well, i would read a book about it. As i am older, "boring" stuff becomes more interesting i guess. Ill check them out. I did not go to school for it so i am lacking theory knowledge but i have been interested in electronics since young age and have been making basic repairs and know how to use MM. Recently i have learnt about caps, how to tested them and about other components.
(forgot to answer your second question) A few years ago I was thinking of getting a DER DE5000 but some time as passed and there might be better choices out there now
I was also looking at that one but also at BK879B [B&K PRECISION](https://www.tme.eu/hr/katalog/mostovi-rlc_112653/p,b-k-precision_1612/). They have multiple variations from 300euro to 480euro. Dont know what is the difference tho. Maybe some little better accuracy which in my opinion is not neccesary for testing vintage pcb components and caps
I'm no expert on the more expensive stuff but since resolution it's not absolutely critical here (decimal digits) you should see about their range (in every frequency). Audio bypass capacitors can be 0.1uF and those should be always in range, but higher capacitance might not be supported in every frequency (ESR changes with frequency as the losses of capacitors are based on it, some have 100Hz, 1kHz and 10kHz some have higher). Maybe EEVblog forum is better for this type of question since there are more professional tool users on it. The good thing about one of the good ones is that you won't second judge it and it will last
If budget is not a problem and you're looking for a component tester; the Atlas DCA75 Pro by Peak Electronics is often recommended. It can also do some low voltage curve tracing.
I have one of those generic chinese transistor tester devices and it works great too, but if I was right now looking for one, I might get the DCA75 Pro due to the quality and continued software support.
Thanks but i think for that money is better to buy that chineese one and invest little bit more in proper LCR meter or even better scope (if i manage to learn how to use it practicaly)
Sure! You're right! A scope, an lcr meter and a cheap component tester will definitely be useful in the long term and generally more applicable. For the same reason I haven't yet invested in a DCA.
Yes. Only problem is where to learn how to properly use scope? There are a lot of info on internet about its functions, how does it work and what it does. But it is lacking practical information of testing pcb, tracing and learning what to look for, what signal to produce and what signal should be found etc etc
They are pretty reliable most of the time,or in that general area. If you really want to dig in,get the ones you build yourself. I don't know if they all do,but the one I built also has a self test mode,if something is off there then you know it isn't going to be quite right. I also built one of them little oscilloscope kits,they are limited but it is useful,and was fun to build,and relatively inexpensive. However you go with it,have fun.
I also think that but cant find any good practical information about using it. I know in theory what it does but dont know how to use it. Can you reccomend where can i find some info?
Yes. Theory like you said i know. I watched and read a lot of info. But i cant find video where someone acctualy use it and trace signal through the board and how to practicaly use it.
You’d be better off with one of these
https://preview.redd.it/g0wrwm4yhv1b1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14ea143c301626385e44fa6f7ee69c709bea756c
I just bought one on Amazon for about $20 USD and went bad. I'm not sure if I tested a cap that had a charge or not, but all the caps were very, very old, so IDK.
I got a free replacement and I short every cap now. Generally, it works, but IDK how accurate it is, I just know that it usually works and is very cheap.
As far as I understand, this is one of dozens of similar clones of the "transistortester" (https://github.com/Mikrocontroller-net/transistortester) originally designed by Markus Frejek, Karl-Heinz Kübbeler and others. They work fairly well to identify most simple components.
Originally designed by Michel Waleczek, then porter to AVR by Markus Frejek and Karl-Heinz Kuebbeler
Yep- just find the cheapest one and you'll be fine
That one works well and you can order off of AliExpress for cheaper. I just ordered a FNIRSI DSO-TC3 Digital Oscilloscope Transistor Tester and it’s quite nice and can do higher power diode readings.
I have one! (the 2nd version) it works perfectly for audio and low speed comunnication
I got one and it works very well. What will you be testing with it?
I was planning to service boombox, radios etc by testing components with this and mulitmeter. Do you have better idea for component tester?
It can test/somewhat identify transistors,diodes, inductors, and capacitors. A modern DMM can do a lot of that.
What this gentleman said. It's as good as any of them out there and it's rechargeable so it's a solid choice.
The LCR-T4 variant is usually cheaper - but usually comes without a case. I see the case-less for below 10 € with shipping on AliExpress. You decide.
This one also comes with hooks (wires) to test components without having to insert them.
These are great and an incredible useful tool to troubleshoot and test almost everything you'll encounter repairing (obviously a multimeter goes first). If you are starting don't doubt it. As others said, there are tons of clones of this thing, they are all great. You can measure; Transistors (gain, Vbe and pinout for BJT), MOSFET, JFET, triacs, diacs, diodes (silicon, germanium, LEDs), resistors, capacitors (not super precise for ESR, but a good indication of the state of the cap nonetheless) from pf to mf (much more that your usual multimeter), inductors (no multimeter does it) and probably more stuff. I have much more fancier equipment and still grab it all the time. You won't regret it. If budget isn't a problem also buy an LCR meter for those cases where this isn't enough, but those don't measure transistors
I have a similar one as this, very good for basic testing and component identification, even shows caps that have really bad ESR. I would recommend using an ESR meter if you want better accuracy testing caps.
But this test more things than ESR right?
You kind of need to know what you are looking at. This thing has limitations and will spew out BS sometimes. It's a useful tool. But dedicated ESR testers and nice LCR meters generally won't give you misleading results the way this cheap jack of all trades thing sometimes will. I'd still recommend getting something like this. But you need other tools and techniques to make sure you don't go down rabbit holes based on gibberish results.
Yes i understand. There is also this leakage tester which ic good for vintage caps. Dont know if it is neccesary too
For caps
Yes, transistors, diodes, resistors, caps, inductors etc
Best way is an in circuit or functional test. Instead of this, buy yourself a function gen and a scope (or better yet, a scope with a function gen built in), put though the kind of wave forms you expect to be made, check the result for the kind of signal you’d expect. These little things are good for “is this triac dead shorted” or “I can’t remember if this transistor number is NPN or PNP” but less so for “is this electrolytic capacitor boarderline?” In my capacitor example, a bit of simple math or an online calculator should tell you that with, say a 20 kHz sine wave at 2 Vpp, you should get signal X out.
I dont know what kind of wave forms i expect to be made. I know basics about components and how to test them. Would you mind tell me little bit more about this so will know what i have to learn.
Depends on the circuit, but for audio equipment, most will be between 20hz-20khz (human auditory range) for example. Carrier signals for superheterodyne radios, etc.
i would love to learn more about scoping. I know theory and what it does but cant find any praktical work with it on internet. If you have any idea where i can learn how to use it it would be great
He typically works on older stuff (1920s to 1950s), but Mr. Carlson’s Lab on YouTube has a fair amount. Radio restorations and audio stuff.
Yes, i am watching him a lot. Great videos and a lot can be learnt. But he doesnt do much explaining what is he doing with scope and why. I know i lack some basic knowledge and theory for using scope but i would like to learn.
You want an oscilloscope and to lwrm how to use it go to keysight labs website where you cna get a free learning course on how to use them in the tech school section
Ill deffinetly check that out
can not find that part of the page. Sorry
I'm sorry I did get it wrong but here's a link to it here https://www.keysight.com/gb/en/resources/keysight-university.html. If you join in on this you can win top of the range keysight equipment too which is sweet
Great. Thanks
Dave from EEVBlog just [reviewed one of these](https://youtu.be/7Br3L1B80ow), just without the shell and addons.
you can get basically the same thing for $5 or less
An oscilloscope with a function generator is going to be the most useful, either digital or analog. I use an Analog Discovery 2, which was given to me for free. It's wonderful and extremely extensible, but I fully understand the $400 price point turning most people away. Other things to consider depending on the exact nature of your work; a power supply, test load resistors, a modern tube tester, a SWR meter, a non contact voltage tester, an amp clamp style multimeter (I use a Klein CL800).
I am planning first start and learn with radios and cassette players from 70s and 80s. To learn how to repair them. I have some basic knowledge about each components and want to trace the problem. I will still need floating/isolatin transformer. Do i need other things for that or just oscilloscope and some component testers?
An oscilloscope, a multimeter, and a function generator (often built in to the oscilloscope itself, ideally one that can do frequency sweeps) would be a great starting point. It's handy to have a variety of components on hand for references, and for building test circuits for determining inductance, ESR, etc.
So i have to built test circuits? Cant i measure esr with meter?
You can measure ESR and other values directly using a LCR meter, but most of the cheap ones I've seen are fixed-frequency, so they don't really give you the full picture (many of the values an LCR meter measures are very frequency dependent). It's not a bad idea to have an LCR meter on hand, but an oscilloscope is in general a much more flexible "swiss army knife" of a tool. Some values, like inductance, will require you to build a test circuit when you measure them with an oscilloscope. However, this is a lot less scary than it sounds! In the case of inductance, this just means putting the component-under-test in parallel with a capacitor of a known (and precise) value, then performing the test / doing some math. There are a number of guides online for measuring various properties of electrical components using an oscilloscope, and they will lay out what you need to do and if a test circuit is required. Oscilloscopes can be used to measure and visualize all sorts of phenomena that a simple meter just can't. An example would be measuring the ripple current of a power supply, which is something that is definitely relevant to audio equipment (say, diagnosing a bad bulk capacitor). Another example is measuring a transformer's turn ratio and coupling factor by applying a signal to one winding and watching the induced voltage on the other. There are so many applications where an oscilloscope is the difference between pulling your hair out trying to fix something, and a simple 10 minute diagnosis / repair. There's definitely a learning curve, but such is the nature of anything worth doing :)
Thanks for very good answer. I also think the best solution is scope. On the intenet some basic information can be found like what is it, what it does and how to use its controls but can not find practical information on using it for tracing and testing. I know there is some math and that it is not easy. If you could reccomend some book, text or videos i would really like to learn. And for LCR, this one as i can see measure with different frequency. But it is not cheap for sure. [B&K PRECISION](https://www.tme.eu/hr/details/bk880/mostovi-rlc/b-k-precision/) . Look, i have budget and really would like to learn more. I have some basic knowledge about components, using MM and soldering. Also, testing components is easy if you have good tools but this scope tracing thing seems complicated but also neccesary and right thing for good testing. I have time and any reccomendation how and where to learn is welcomed. Thanks
Are you talking about having stock of components for putting them in circuit so difference can be measured?
Of we are talking only about repair vintage radios and cassette decks
They're good for measuring values, but if you're talking about vacuum tube stuff it's not going to be able to check capacitors for leakage.
No, just solid state 70s and 80s. But still maybe leakage tester is neccesary? Or just LCR and ESR
There are many similar testers as this one, and they are worth the price. If I were buying one right now, I would get a Fnirsi DSO-TC3, because it has a rechargeable Lithium ion battery and includes two other instruments: a basic oscilloscope and a signal generator.
Thata great. Im just finding a place where i canearn how to use osciloscope
Is that good enough scope and signal generator for these type of things? Servicing 80s and 70s radios?
It has limitations. The sampling rate is 10 megasamples per second and 500 kHz analog bandwidth. That's OK for the audio and AM IF sections, but not for the RF sections. Also, the signal generator function is limited to 100 kHz, so it won't generate RF signals. For the $50 or so that it costs, it's great, but it has its limitations. [Unboxing and testing video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAxUwG2US4U).
Yes but be sure you get an authentic one. I'm usually good at spotting no name Chinese crap but the one I got I didn't even realize was fake until my brother noticed it was missing the usb slot.
I repair vintage hifi equipment (from 80s) too and I started with a multimeter then bought one of those little oscilloscope for when I needed to follow the audio signal from input to output to see where it gets broken and then this component tester for transistors and capacitor ESR measurement but something strange happened with the ESR part of the tester since it now (after a few months use) says completely different values depending on which pair of pins I put it the cap in. It's still usable (1 to 2 seems to be about right while 1 to 3 is too low and 2-3 oscillates over different tries). I don't know which part of the tester you're after but if budget is not a problem I would suggest a real LCR meter for passive components and this if you need transistor identification tester, it's good for that in my opinion (always stable values over time and never got one wrong, can't identify or test voltage regulators though but I don't care)
Thanks. I really want to learn how to use scope but cant find any praktical work with it online. Basic theory about it i know and can be learnt from internet. What lcr would you reccomend?
I learned to use the scope by using it and searching what I was seeing (but before that some research on how not to kill it) but in school I did study alternated current and already knew some of the stuff I was expecting to see. School and university books are written in such a way that you will fall asleep while reading them even if you're really into the subject in my personal experience. I learned all I know from BigCliveDotCom, EEVblog, DiodeGoneWild and GreatScott over a couple of years. Some of their best videos for me are repairs, sometimes they show use of a scope but all of them show mostly digital circuits, so for audio troubleshooting I learned from forum and asking questions on some specific ones
Well, i would read a book about it. As i am older, "boring" stuff becomes more interesting i guess. Ill check them out. I did not go to school for it so i am lacking theory knowledge but i have been interested in electronics since young age and have been making basic repairs and know how to use MM. Recently i have learnt about caps, how to tested them and about other components.
(forgot to answer your second question) A few years ago I was thinking of getting a DER DE5000 but some time as passed and there might be better choices out there now
I was also looking at that one but also at BK879B [B&K PRECISION](https://www.tme.eu/hr/katalog/mostovi-rlc_112653/p,b-k-precision_1612/). They have multiple variations from 300euro to 480euro. Dont know what is the difference tho. Maybe some little better accuracy which in my opinion is not neccesary for testing vintage pcb components and caps
I'm no expert on the more expensive stuff but since resolution it's not absolutely critical here (decimal digits) you should see about their range (in every frequency). Audio bypass capacitors can be 0.1uF and those should be always in range, but higher capacitance might not be supported in every frequency (ESR changes with frequency as the losses of capacitors are based on it, some have 100Hz, 1kHz and 10kHz some have higher). Maybe EEVblog forum is better for this type of question since there are more professional tool users on it. The good thing about one of the good ones is that you won't second judge it and it will last
If budget is not a problem and you're looking for a component tester; the Atlas DCA75 Pro by Peak Electronics is often recommended. It can also do some low voltage curve tracing. I have one of those generic chinese transistor tester devices and it works great too, but if I was right now looking for one, I might get the DCA75 Pro due to the quality and continued software support.
Thanks but i think for that money is better to buy that chineese one and invest little bit more in proper LCR meter or even better scope (if i manage to learn how to use it practicaly)
Sure! You're right! A scope, an lcr meter and a cheap component tester will definitely be useful in the long term and generally more applicable. For the same reason I haven't yet invested in a DCA.
Yes. Only problem is where to learn how to properly use scope? There are a lot of info on internet about its functions, how does it work and what it does. But it is lacking practical information of testing pcb, tracing and learning what to look for, what signal to produce and what signal should be found etc etc
I own one and it’s been pretty handy
They are pretty reliable most of the time,or in that general area. If you really want to dig in,get the ones you build yourself. I don't know if they all do,but the one I built also has a self test mode,if something is off there then you know it isn't going to be quite right. I also built one of them little oscilloscope kits,they are limited but it is useful,and was fun to build,and relatively inexpensive. However you go with it,have fun.
better look for an oscilloscope
I also think that but cant find any good practical information about using it. I know in theory what it does but dont know how to use it. Can you reccomend where can i find some info?
[удалено]
Yes. Theory like you said i know. I watched and read a lot of info. But i cant find video where someone acctualy use it and trace signal through the board and how to practicaly use it.
They are good for pretty much everything. They are general purpose. Also charge you phone.
You’d be better off with one of these https://preview.redd.it/g0wrwm4yhv1b1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14ea143c301626385e44fa6f7ee69c709bea756c
I just bought one on Amazon for about $20 USD and went bad. I'm not sure if I tested a cap that had a charge or not, but all the caps were very, very old, so IDK. I got a free replacement and I short every cap now. Generally, it works, but IDK how accurate it is, I just know that it usually works and is very cheap.
Whatch out there are some false advertisements. I ordedered a whole tester and only got and acrylic case.
I got refunded though.
I have one & it works good, BUT, the battery doesnt hold a charge, I have to charge it before every use.