December 1, 2019

Graphical Component Tester

I've got this amazing tool for a while, I never really talked about it, so I think it's time. It's a component tester, relatively cheap, but quite surprising in terms of capabilities. It works on transistors, LEDs, inductors, capacitors, resistors, diodes, among a few others. It can detect the component and present it in a graphical way, providing its basic properties. For instance, it can give you LCR meter readings, distinguish between BJT and MOSFET transistors, NPN or PNP transistors, detect their gain and threshold voltage, and measure a diode's forward voltage. It's quite useful actually, although it typically comes just as a PCB with an LCD, which makes it a bit unpractical to use. And for that reason, I decided to design a 3D printed case for it and the 9V battery that powers it.