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This mirrors the development of the SW from Markus for the ComponentTester (https://github.com/Mikrocontroller-net/transistortester/tree/master/Software/Markus and https://github.com/madires/Transistortester-Warehouse)
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------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ReadMe for the Component Tester firmware (m-firmware)
(c) 2012-2021 by Markus Reschke ([email protected])
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last edit: 2021-12-06
Content
- About
- Safety Advice
- License
- Additional Disclaimer
- Whats different?
- Source Code
- Supported Hardware
- Building the Firmware
- Busses & Interfaces
- I2C/SPI
- TTL Serial
- OneWire
- Displays
- HD44780
- ILI9163
- ILI9341/ILI9342
- ILI9481
- ILI9486
- ILI9488
- PCD8544
- PCF8814
- SH1106
- SSD1306
- ST7036
- ST7565R
- ST7735
- ST7920
- STE2007/HX1230
- VT100 Terminal
- Test push button and other input options
- Test Key
- Rotary Encoder
- Increase/Decrease Buttons
- Touch Screen
- User Interface
- Buzzer
- Communication with PC
- Serial Output
- Automation
- VT100 Output
- Power-On
- Probing
- Battery Monitoring
- Power Off
- Menu
- PWM Tool
- Square Wave Generator
- Zener Tool
- Logic Probe
- Continuity Check
- ESR Tool
- Capacitor Leakage Check
- R/C/L Monitors
- LC Meter
- Frequency Counter
- Basic Counter
- Extended Counter
- Ring Tester
- Event Counter
- Trigger Output
- Rotary Encoder
- Contrast
- IR RC Detector/Decoder
- IR RC Transmitter
- Opto Coupler Tool
- Servo Check
- OneWire Scan
- DS18B20 Temperature Sensor
- DHTxx Sensors
- MAX6675/MAX31855 Thermocouple Converters
- Self Test
- Self Adjustment
- Save/Load
- Show Values
- Power Off
- Exit
- Resistors
- Capacitors
- Inductors
- Discharging Components
- ADC Oversampling
- Displaying Results
- Additional Hints
- BJTs
- TRIACs
- CLDs
- Unsupported Components
- Workarounds for some Testers
- Known Issues
- Support
- Change Log
- Remote Commands
- Helpful Links
- References
* About
The Component Tester is based on the project of Markus Frejek [1&2] and the
successor of Karl-Heinz Kübbeler [3&4]. It's an alternative firmware for
Karl-Heinz' current Transistortester circuit and comes with several changes in
the user interface and the methods used for probing and measuring. It also
offers a few additional features. While Karl-Heinz provides an official
release supporting also older ATmega MCUs, this firmware does require an
ATmega with 32kB flash at least.
Hint: Run the self-adjustment for a new tester or if you've done any
modifications, like a firmware update or changing probe leads.
* Safety Advice
The Component Tester is no DMM! It's a simple tester for components capable
of measuring several things. The probes aren't protected in any way and
won't survive higher voltages than 5V. Don't use the tester for live circuits!
Just use it for unsoldered electronic components! If you test a capacitor make
sure it's discharged before connecting the probes. This isn't just the Safety
Sally, your life may be at risk if you connect the probes to a live circuit
or a power supply (or even mains).
* License
The original author hasn't provided any information about the licence under
which the firmware is distributed. He only stated that it's open source and
any commercial user should contact him. Unfortunately we (Karl-Heinz and I)
haven't found any way to contact him. To remedy this problem I've chosen an
open source license at 2016-01-01, after giving the original author more than
sufficient time to tell us his wishes regarding the license. Since the source
code of this firmware version is a major rewrite with tons of new code and
features, I think that this approach is justified.
Licensed under the EUPL V.1.1
+ Additional Disclaimer
Product or company names are possibly trademarks of the respective owners.
* What's different?
Karl-Heinz has done a really great documentation of the tester. I recommend
to read it. Therefore I'll tell you just about the major differences to the
k-firmware:
- user interface
+ No worries! ;)
+ touch screen
+ remote commands
+ two sets of adjustment values
- adaptive component discharge function
- resistance measurement
+ dedicated method for resistances <10 Ohms (instead of using ESR check)
- capacitance measurement
+ starts at 5pF
+ additional method for caps from 4.7µF up to 47µF
+ correction/compensation method
- no SamplingADC() for very low capacitance or inductance
- diodes
+ detection logic
- BJTs
+ V_f is interpolated for a more suitable (virtual) I_b based on hFE
+ detection of Germanium BJTs with high leakage current
+ detection of Schottky-clamped BJTs
- JFETs
+ detection of JFETs with very low I_DSS
- TRIACs
+ detection of MT1 and MT2
- IR RC detector and decoder
- IR RC transmitter
- opto coupler check
- RC servo check
- OneWire (DS18B20)
- DHTxx Sensors
- event counter
- ring tester
- logic probe
- continuity check
- MAX6675/MAX31855 thermocouple converters
- structured source code
- simple frameworks for displays and data busses
- some more I couldn't think of right now
There are more details in the sections below.
* Source Code
The first m-firmware was based on Karl-Heinz' source code. A lot of cleaning
up was done, like more remarks, renamed variables, re-structured functions,
large functions splitted up into several smaller ones and what have you. After
that the m-firmware moved on to become an independent version. For example,
simple frameworks for displays and interface busses were added. I hope the
code is easy to read and maintain.
You can download the lastest firmware from following sites:
- https://github.com/madires/Transistortester-Warehouse
- https://github.com/kubi48/TransistorTester-source/tree/master/Markus
(https://github.com/Mikrocontroller-net/transistortester/tree/master/Software/Markus)
* Supported Hardware
The firmware runs on all testers which are compatible with the standard
circuit shown in Karl-Heinz' documentation and which use one of the
following MCUs:
- ATmega 328
- ATmega 324/644/1284
- ATmega 640/1280/2560
You can customize pin assigments if required. The display may be a character
or graphic type (monochrome or color). Please see section 'Displays' for
supported controllers.
Following hardware options are supported:
user interface
- rotary encoder
- additional push buttons (in/decrease)
- touch screen
- serial interface (TTL, RS232, USB-serial adpater)
- buzzer
enhancements
- external 2.5V voltage reference
- fixed adjustment cap
- protection relay for discharging caps
additional checks and measurements
- Zener check / measurement of external voltage <50V
- basic frequency counter
- extended frequency counter
with prescaler and crystal oscillators for low and high frequencies
- fixed IR RC receiver
- LC meter
- ring tester
- logic probe
- MAX6675/MAX31855 thermocouple converters
* Building the Firmware
First edit the Makefile to specify your MCU model, frequency, oscilator
type and programmer settings. All other settings are moved to a global
config.h and a MCU specific config-<MCU>.h. The file 'Clones' lists
settings for various tester versions/clones. If you have a tester not listed,
please email the settings to the author to help other users.
In config.h please choose hardware and software options, the language for the
UI, and change any default values if required. All settings and values are
explained in the file, so I won't discuss them here in depth.
Hardware options:
- additional keys
- rotary encoder
- increase/decrease push buttons
- touch screen
- 2.5V voltage reference
- relay based cap discharger
- Zener voltage measurement
- frequency counter (basic and extendend version)
- event counter
- LC Meter
- IR detector/decoder for remote controls
(fixed IR receiver module)
- fixed cap for self-adjustment of voltage offsets
- SPI bus (bit-bang and hardware)
- I2C bus (bit-bang and hardware)
- TTL Serial (bit-bang and hardware)
- OneWire bus (bit-bang)
The external 2.5V voltage reference should be only enabled if it's at least
10 times more precise than the voltage regulator. Otherwise it would make
the results worse. If you're using an MCP1702 with a typical tolerance of
0.4% as voltage regulator you really don't need a 2.5V voltage reference.
And of course the software options:
- PWM generator (2 variants)
- inductance measurement
- ESR measurement and in-circuit ESR measurement
- check for rotary encoders
- squarewave signal generator (requires additional keys)
- IR detector/decoder for remote controls
(IR receiver module connected to probes)
- IR RC transmitter (IR LED with driver transistor)
- check for opto couplers
- servo check (requires additional keys, display with >2 lines)
- detection of UJTs
- capacitor leakage check
- DS18B20 temperature sensor
- color coding for probes (requires color graphics display)
- output of components found also via TTL serial, e.g. to a PC
- remote commands for automation via TTL serial
- output of reverse hFE for BJTs
- DHT11/22 temperature and humidity sensor
- ...
Please choose the options carefully to match your needs and the MCU's
ressources, i.e. RAM, EEPROM and flash memory. If the firmware exceeds the
MCU's flash size, try to disable some options you don't need.
Available UI languages:
- Czech
- provided by Kapa
- font based on ISO 8859-1
- Czech 2
- provided by Bohu
- font with Czech characters based on ISO 8859-2
- Danish
- provided by [email protected]
- needs minor changes in the font
- English (default)
- German
- Italian
- provided by Gino_09@EEVblog
- Polish
- provided by Szpila
- Romanian
- provided by Dumidan@EEVblog
- Russian
- provided by indman@EEVblog
- font with cyrillic characters based on Windows-1251
- Russian 2
- provided by hapless@@EEVblog
- font with cyrillic characters based on Windows-1251
- alternative text
- Spanish
- provided by pepe10000@EEVblog
For number values a decimal fraction is indicated by a dot, but you can change
that to a comma if you like by enabling the corresponding setting.
For MCU specific settings, like pin assignments and display, edit
config_<MCU>.h:
- ATmega 328 config_328.h
- ATmega 324/644/1284 config_644.h
- ATmega 640/1280/2560 config_1280.h
The display has to provide 2 lines with 16 characters each, at least. For
graphic displays select a font which is small enough to match the
requirements.
After editing the Makefile, config.h and config-<MCU>.h please run 'make' or
whatever toolchain you have to compile the firmware. This will create two
files:
- ComponentTester.hex firmware in Intel hex format
- ComponentTester.eep EEPROM data in Intel hex format
The firmware will be written to the Flash and the EEPROM data to the EEPROM.
The data contains two sets of default adjustment values, texts and tables.
When you update the firmware and like to keep the old adjustment values in the
EEPROM you can enable DATA_FLASH in config.h to move texts and tables into the
firmware. In that case only the firmwmare needs be programed, the EEPROM stays
untouched.
The Makefile provides following additional targets:
- clean to delete all object and firmware files
- fuses to set the ATmega's fuse bits (via avrdude)
- upload to program the firmware and EEPROM data (via avrdude)
- prog_fw to program only the firmware (via avrdude)
- prog_ee to program only the EEPROM data (via avrdude)
* Busses & Interfaces
+ I2C/SPI
Some displays and other hardware might need I2C or SPI for connecting to the
MCU. Therefore the firmware includes drivers for both bus systems. To cope
with different pin assignments of the various testers the bus drivers support
bit-bang and hardware operation modes. The bit-bang mode can use any IO pins
on the same port, while the hardware mode uses the dedicated bus pins of the
MCU. The drawback of the bit-bang mode is its speed, it's slow. The hardware
mode is much faster. You can spot the difference in speeds easily with a high
resolution color LCD module.
For ATmega 328 based testers the bit-bang mode is needed in most cases due to
the circuit. The ATmega 324/644/1284 has more I/O pins and the different pin
assignment for the circuit allows to use the dedicated bus pins for the
hardware mode.
Since SPI or I2C are primarily used by the LCD module, they can be configured
in the display section of config-<MCU>.h. Alternatively you can also enable I2C
and SPI in config.h, and set ports and pins in dedicated sections in
config-<MCU>.h (look for I2C_PORT or SPI_PORT).
If you select bit-bang SPI and enable the read mode (SPI_RW) please make sure
to set also SPI_PIN and SPI_MISO. See the SPI section in config-<MCU>.h for
an example.
When connecting multiple ICs to the SPI bus, each IC needs to be controlled by
a dediacted /CS signal. Only in the case of one single IC on the SPI bus that
IC's /CS can be tied to ground.
+ TTL Serial
The tester can also provide a TTL serial interface. In case it's used for
communication with a PC it should be combined with a USB to TTL serial
converter or a classic RS-232 driver. The firmware makes use of the MCU's
hardware UART or a bit-bang software UART. The TTL serial interface is enabled
in config.h (see section "Busses") and the port pins are defined in
config-<MCU>.h (look for SERIAL_PORT).
The software UART has the drawback that the TX line will not stay high all
the time when idle. This happens because of the way the MCU port pins are
driven. To remedy this the port pin driving would have to be changed causing
a larger firmware. But this issue doesn't seem to cause any trouble with most
USB to TTL serial converters. In case you see any problem try to add a pull-up
resistor (10-100k) to the TX pin to keep the signal at high level when idle.
The default setting for the TTL serial is 9600 8N1:
- 9600 bps
- 8 data bits
- no parity
- 1 stop bit
- no flow control
+ OneWire
Another supported bus is OneWire which can use either the probes/test pins (
ONEWIRE_PROBES) or a dedicated I/O pin (ONEWIRE_IO_PIN). The driver is designed
for standard bus speed and externally powered clients (not parasitic-
powered).
Pin assignment for probes:
Probe #1: Gnd
Probe #2: DQ (data)
Probe #3: Vcc (current limited by 680 ohms resistor)
An external pull-up resistor of 4.7kOhms between DQ and Vcc is required!
Related tools which require a single client to be connected to the bus can
optionally output the client's ROM code (ONEWIRE_READ_ROM). In case of a CRC
error or if multiple clients are connected the output will be '-'. When the
ROM code is zero there's a read issue. Otherwise the first part of the ROM
code shows the device family and the second part the serial number.
* Displays
At the moment following display controllers are supported:
- HD44780 (character display, 2-4 lines with 16-20 characters)
- ILI9163 (color graphic display 128x160)
- ILI9341/ILI9342 (color graphic display 240x320 or 320x240)
- ILI9481 (color graphic display 320x480, partly untested)
- ILI9486 (color graphic display 320x480, partly untested)
- ILI9488 (color graphic display 320x480, partly untested)
- PCD8544 (graphic display 84x48)
- PCF8814 (graphic display 96x65)
- SH1106 (graphic display 128x64)
- SSD1306 (graphic display 128x64)
- ST7036 (character display, 3 lines with 16 characters, untested)
- ST7565R (graphic display 128x64)
- ST7735 (color graphic display 128x160)
- ST7920 (graphic display up to 256x64)
- STE2007/HX1230 (graphic display 96x68)
- VT100 Terminal (via serial interface)
Take care about the LCD's supply voltage and logic levels! Use a level shifter
if required. A simple level shifter with in-series resistors relying on the
display controller's internal clamping diodes may work, but only for low speed
busses like bit-bang SPI. Therefore I recommend to use proper level shifter
ICs.
To save a few IO pins you can hardwire the /CS and /RES lines via pull-up/down
resistors for nearly all displays and comment out the corresponding IO pins in
the configuration (config_<MCU>.h) as long as the display is the only device
on the interface bus.
If the display doesn't show anything after double checking the wiring, please
try different contrast settings (config_<MCU>.h).
Most graphic displays provide settings to change the image orientation, e.g.
for rotating the image by 90° and mirroring the image horizontally or
vertically. That way the image can be adjusted for each tester as needed.
For color graphic displays additional settings are available. In the normal
color mode the tester uses several colors which can be changed by editing
the colors.h file. By commenting out LCD_COLOR the two-color mode is enabled
and the pen color will be COLOR_PEN, while the background color is set to
COLOR_BACKGROUND. In case the RGB base colors red and blue are reversed
enable LCD_BGR to swap the red and blue color channels. Some displays have
reversed RGB sub-pixels and the display controller doesn't know about that.
Hint for ATmega 328:
If you connect a rotary encoder to PD2/PD3, please connect the module's /CS to
PD5 and set LCD_CS in config_328.h (applies to graphic displays). Otherwise
the rotary encoder would screw up the display by interfering with the data bus.
+ HD44780
The HD44780 is driven in 4 bit mode. The pin assignment for the parallel
port is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
DB4 LCD_DB4 PD0
DB5 LCD_DB5 PD1
DB6 LCD_DB6 PD2
DB7 LCD_DB7 PD3
RS LCD_RS PD4
R/W Gnd
E LCD_EN1 PD5
You can also drive the LCD via a PCF8574 based I2C backpack which requires
I2C to be enabled. The I2C address has to be specified too. The pin
assignment defines how the LCD is connected to the PCF8574:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
---------------------------------------------------------------
DB4 LCD_DB4 PCF8574_P4
DB5 LCD_DB5 PCF8574_P5
DB6 LCD_DB6 PCF8574_P6
DB7 LCD_DB7 PCF8574_P7
RS LCD_RS PCF8574_P0
R/W LCD_RW PCF8574_P1
E LCD_EN1 PCF8574_P2
LED LCD_LED PCF8574_P3
For a low active backlight please enable LCD_BACKLIGHT_LOW.
+ ILI9163
The ILI9163 is driven by 4-wire SPI. The pin assignment is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
/RESX LCD_RES PD4 optional
/CSX LCD_CS PD5 optional
D/CX LCD_DC PD3
SCL LCD_SCL PD2 SPI clock
SDIO LCD_SDA PD1 SPI MOSI
You might need to play with the x/y flip settings to get the correct
orientation for your display. If necessary you can also offset the x
direction. With LCD_LATE_ON enabled the tester starts with a cleared display
causing a slight delay at power-on. Otherwise you'll see some random pixels
for a moment.
+ ILI9341/ILI9342
The ILI9341/ILI9342 is driven by 4-line SPI or an 8-bit parallel bus. The pin
assignment for 4-line SPI is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
/RES LCD_RES PD4 optional
/CS LCD_CS PD5 optional
D/C LCD_DC PD3
SCK LCD_SCK PD2 SPI clock
SDI LCD_SDI PD1 SPI MOSI
SDO LCD_SDO - ILI9341 only, not used yet
For 8-bit parallel:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 2560
---------------------------------------------------------------
LCD_PORT PORTB
/RESX LCD_RES PB4 optional
/CSX LCD_CS PB5 optional
D/CX LCD_DC PB7
WRX LCD_WR PB0
RDX LCD_RD PB6 optional
LCD_PORT2 PORTL
D0 LCD_DB0 PL0 LCD_PORT2 pin #0
D1 LCD_DB1 PL1 LCD_PORT2 pin #1
D2 LCD_DB2 PL2 LCD_PORT2 pin #2
D3 LCD_DB3 PL3 LCD_PORT2 pin #3
D4 LCD_DB4 PL4 LCD_PORT2 pin #4
D5 LCD_DB5 PL5 LCD_PORT2 pin #5
D6 LCD_DB6 PL6 LCD_PORT2 pin #6
D7 LCD_DB7 PL7 LCD_PORT2 pin #7
You might need to play with the x/y flip and rotate settings to get the
correct orientation for your display. And don't forget to set x and y dots
based on the controller (ILI9341 is 240x320 and ILI9342 is 320x240). Some
display modules disabled the ILI9341's extended command set (EXTC pin
connected to Gnd). In that case you might see a blurry or ghostly output
which can be fixed by enabling LCD_EXT_CMD_OFF.
Based on the relative high number of pixels the display output is somewhat
slow via SPI. A complete screen clear takes about 3 seconds for bit-bang SPI
and an 8MHz MCU clock. Better use harwdare SPI or the parallel bus.
+ ILI9481 (partly untested)
The ILI9481 is driven by an 8-bit parallel bus, 16-bit parallel bus or
4-line SPI.
The pin assignment for 8-bit parallel is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 2560
---------------------------------------------------------------
LCD_PORT PORTB
/RESX LCD_RES PB4 optional
/CSX LCD_CS PB5 optional
D/CX LCD_DC PB7
WRX LCD_WR PB0
RDX LCD_RD PB6 optional
LCD_PORT2 PORTL
DB0 LCD_DB0 PL0 LCD_PORT2 pin #0
DB1 LCD_DB1 PL1 LCD_PORT2 pin #1
DB2 LCD_DB2 PL2 LCD_PORT2 pin #2
DB3 LCD_DB3 PL3 LCD_PORT2 pin #3
DB4 LCD_DB4 PL4 LCD_PORT2 pin #4
DB5 LCD_DB5 PL5 LCD_PORT2 pin #5
DB6 LCD_DB6 PL6 LCD_PORT2 pin #6
DB7 LCD_DB7 PL7 LCD_PORT2 pin #7
The pin assignment for 16-bit parallel is the same as for 8-bit parallel
and additionally:
LCD_PORT3 PORTC
DB8 LCD_DB8 PC0 LCD_PORT3 pin #0
DB9 LCD_DB9 PC1 LCD_PORT3 pin #1
DB10 LCD_DB10 PC2 LCD_PORT3 pin #2
DB11 LCD_DB11 PC3 LCD_PORT3 pin #3
DB12 LCD_DB12 PC4 LCD_PORT3 pin #4
DB13 LCD_DB13 PC5 LCD_PORT3 pin #5
DB14 LCD_DB14 PC6 LCD_PORT3 pin #6
DB15 LCD_DB15 PC7 LCD_PORT3 pin #7
Pin assignment for 4-line SPI:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 644
---------------------------------------------------------------
/RES LCD_RES PB2 optional
/CS LCD_CS PB5 optional
D/C LCD_DC PB3
SCL LCD_SCL PB7 SPI clock
SDA LCD_SDA PB5 SPI MOSI
Because of the high resolution of the display and the RGB666 color schema (3
bytes per pixel) SPI is quite slow, even for hardware SPI and a 16 MHz MCU
clock. So I wouldn't recommend to use the SPI interface.
Usually you need to rotate the display (LCD_ROTATE) for correct output.
If neccessary you can also flip X and/or Y.
+ ILI9486 (partly untested)
The ILI9486 is driven by an 8-bit parallel bus, 16-bit parallel bus or
4-line SPI. And it uses the same pin assignment as the ILI9481.
+ ILI9488 (partly untested)
The ILI9488 is driven by an 8-bit parallel bus, 16-bit parallel bus or
4-line SPI. And it uses the same pin assignment as the ILI9481.
+ PCD8544
The PCD8544 is driven by SPI. The pin assignment is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
/RES LCD_RES PD4 optional
/SCE LCD_SCE PD5 optional
D/C LCD_DC PD3
SCL LCD_SCLK PD2 SPI clock
SDIN LCD_SDIN PD1 SPI MOSI
Since the display has just 84 pixels in x direction you'll get 14 chars per
line with a 6x8 font. So up to two chars might be not displayed. To mitigate
that you could shorten some texts in variables.h.
+ PCF8814
The PCF8814 is driven usually in the 3-wire SPI mode. The pin assignment for
the 3-wire SPI (bit-bang only) is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
/RES LCD_RESET PD4
/CS LCD_CS PD5 optional
SCLK LCD_SCLK PD2 SPI clock
SDIN LCD_SDIN PD1 SPI MOSI
If necessary you can rotate the output via the y-flip setting and pulling
the PCF8814's MX pin (x-flip) down or up.
+ SH1106 (partly untested)
The SH1106 is driven by 3-wire SPI, 4-wire SPI or I2C. 3-wire SPI requires
bit-bang mode and SPI_9 to be enabled. The pin assignment for 4-wire SPI is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
/RES LCD_RESET PD4 optional
/CS LCD_CS PD5 optional
A0 LCD_A0 PD3
SCL (D0) LCD_SCL PD2 SPI clock
SI (D1) LCD_SI PD1 SPI MOSI
For 3-wire SPI (bit-bang only):
/RES LCD_RESET PD4 optional
/CS LCD_CS PD5 optional
A0 Gnd
SCL (D0) LCD_SCL PD2 SPI clock
SI (D1) LCD_SI PD1 SPI MOSI
And for I2C:
/RES LCD_RESET PD4 optional
/CS Gnd
SCL (D0) I2C_SCL PD1
SDA (D1) I2C_SDA PD0
SA0 (A0) Gnd (0x3c) / 3.3V (0x3d)
Using the x/y flip settings you can change the output orientation if
neccessary. Many SH1106 based display modules need the x offset set to 2.
+ SSD1306
The SSD1306 is driven by 3-wire SPI, 4-wire SPI or I2C. 3-wire SPI requires
bit-bang mode and SPI_9 to be enabled. The pin assignment for 4-wire SPI is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
/RES LCD_RESET PD4 optional
/CS LCD_CS PD5 optional
DC LCD_DC PD3
SCLK (D0) LCD_SCLK PD2 SPI clock
SDIN (D1) LCD_SDIN PD1 SPI MOSI
For 3-wire SPI (bit-bang only):
/RES LCD_RESET PD4 optional
/CS LCD_CS PD5 optional
SCLK (D0) LCD_SCLK PD2 SPI clock
SDIN (D1) LCD_SDIN PD1 SPI MOSI
And for I2C:
/RES LCD_RESET PD4 optional
SCL (D0) I2C_SCL PD1
SDA (D1&2) I2C_SDA PD0
SA0 (D/C) Gnd (0x3c) / 3.3V (0x3d)
Using the x/y flip settings you can change the output orientation if
neccessary.
+ ST7036 (untested)
The ST7036 is driven by a 4-bit parallel interface or 4-wire SPI. The pin
assignment for the 4 bit parallel interface is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
DB4 LCD_DB4 PD0
DB5 LCD_DB5 PD1
DB6 LCD_DB6 PD2
DB7 LCD_DB7 PD3
RS LCD_RS PD4
R/W Gnd optional LCD_RW
E LCD_EN PD5
XRESET Vcc optional LCD_RESET
And for 4-wire SPI:
XRESET LCD_RESET PD4 optional
CSB LCD_CS PD5 optional
RS LCD_RS PD3
SCL (DB6) LCD_SCL PD2 SPI clock
SI (DB7) LCD_SI PD1 SPI MOSI
The ST7036i speaks I2C but isn't supported (yet). A special feature of the
ST7036 is a dedicated pin to enable an extended instruction set (pin EXT) which
is enabled usually. In case it's disabled the settings LCD_EXTENDED_CMD and
LCD_CONTRAST need to be commented out.
+ ST7565R
The ST7565R is driven by 4-line SPI. The pin assignment is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
/RES LCD_RESET PD0 optional
/CS1 LCD_CS PD5 optional
A0 LCD_A0 PD1
SCL (DB6) LCD_SCL PD2 SPI clock
SI (DB7) LCD_SI PD3 SPI MOSI
You might need to play with the x/y flip and x-offset settings to get
the correct orientation for your display.
+ ST7735
The ST7735 is driven by 4-wire SPI. The pin assignment is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
/RESX LCD_RES PD4 optional
/CSX LCD_CS PD5 optional
D/CX LCD_DC PD3
SCL LCD_SCL PD2 SPI clock
SDA LCD_SDA PD1 SPI MOSI
You might need to play with the x/y flip settings to get the correct
orientation for your display. With LCD_LATE_ON enabled the tester starts
with a cleared display causing a slight delay at power-on. Otherwise you'll
see some random pixels for a moment.
Meanwhile a semi-compatible LCD module appeared which won't run with the
standard driver. The solution is to use a modified driver (LCD_SEMI_ST7735
instead of LCD_ST7735) with the same settings.
+ ST7920
The ST7920 can be driven in 4 bit parallel bus mode or SPI. The pin assignment
for the 4 bit parallel interface is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
/XRESET LCD_RESET Vcc optional
E LCD_EN PD5
RS LCD_RS PD4
RW LCD_RW Gnd optional
D4 LCD_DB4 PD0
D5 LCD_DB5 PD1
D6 LCD_DB6 PD2
D7 LCD_DB7 PD3
And for SPI:
/XRESET LCD_RESET PD4 optional
CS (RS) LCD_CS PD5 optional
SCLK (E) LCD_SCLK PD2 SPI clock
SID (RW) LCD_SID PD1 SPI MOSI
Because of the ST7920's poor design only fonts with a width of 8 pixels can be
used. To cope with the horizontal 16 bit addressing grid I had to add a screen
buffer for characters.
+ STE2007/HX1230
The STE2007 is driven in the 3-wire SPI mode usually. The pin assignment for
the 3-wire SPI (bit-bang only) is:
display config-<MCU>.h default remark
ATmega 328
---------------------------------------------------------------
/RES LCD_RESET PD4 optional
/CS LCD_CS PD5 optional
SCLK LCD_SCLK PD2 SPI clock
SDIN LCD_SDIN PD1 SPI MOSI
If necessary you can rotate the output via the x/y flip settings.
+ VT100 Terminal
The VT100 driver replaces a LCD display and outputs everything to a VT100 serial
terminal. The configuration section for VT100 includes already the activation of
the TTL serial interface. Be aware that the VT100 driver will disable other
options related to the serial interface which might interfere with the output.
* Test push button and other input options
The tester's primary control is the test key, but additional input options
are supported also for a more convenient operation, while some functions
require those.
+ Test Key
The test key starts the tester and also controls the user interface. For that
purpose the tester differentiates between a short and a long key press (0.3s).
The short key press is typically used to proceed with something or to select
a menu item. The long key press performs a context specific action.
If the tester expects you to press a key it will tell you that by displaying
a cursor at bottom right of the LCD. A steady cursor signals that more
information will be displayed and a blinking cursor informs you that the tester
will resume the probing loop. The cursor is supressed for menus and some tools,
because it's obvious that a key press is neccessary.
Optionally you can enable key hints if your tester has additional keys and a
display with a sufficient number of text lines (see UI_KEY_HINTS in config.h).
A hint about the key usage is displayed instead of the cursor, if available.
At the moment there's only one such hint for the probing (Menu/Test).
+ Rotary Encoder (hardware option)
With a rotary encoder you'll get some extra functionality with the user
interface, but that's context specific. The additional functionality is
described in the sections below, if applicable. Some functions make use of
the encoder's turning velocity to allow larger changes or steps of values.
The algorithm for reading the encoder considers the number of Gray code
pulses per step or detent (ENCODER_PULSES). Most rotary encoders have 2 or 4
Gray code pulses per detent. Also the number of steps or detents per complete
360 degrees turn is taken into account (ENCODER_STEPS). You can use that
value to finetune the detection of the turning velocity to optimize the
feedback. A higher value slows the velocity down, while a lower value speeds
it up. In case the encoder's turning direction is reversed, simply swap the
MCU pin definitions for A and B in config_<MCU>.h.
The detection of the turning velocity measures the time for two steps. So you
need to turn the encoder at least by two steps for a mid-range velocity. For
very high velocities it's three steps. A single step results in the lowest
velocity.
+ Increase/Decrease Buttons (hardware option)
If you prefer push buttons over a rotary encoder you can add a pair of push
buttons as alternative. The push buttons are wired the same way as the rotary
encoder (pull-up resistors, low active). For a speed-up functionality similar
to the encoder's turning velocity keep pressing the push button. A long button
press will increase the "speed" as long as you keep pressing the button.
+ Touch Screen (hardware option)
Another input option is a touch screen. Please note that the screen should be
large enough and support approximately 8 text lines with 16 characters each.
To save precious space on the display the user interface doesn't show icons
to touch. It simply has invisible touch bars at the left and right (each 3
characters wide), also at the top and the bottom (2 lines high) and one at the
center area. The left and top bars are for decreasing a value or moving up in
a menu, while the bottom and right bars are for increasing a value or moving
down in a menu. Actually they do the same as a rotary encoder. Touching a bar
longer results in a speed-up if supported by a function or tool (similar to
turning the rotary encoder faster). The center bar acts as a software version
of the test key, but it won't power the Zener diode test option for example.
The touch screen needs an adjustment for proper operation. The adjustment is
automatically started after powering the tester on, when no adjustment values
are stored in the EEPROM. You can also run the adjustment via the main menu.
The procedure is straight forward. If you see an asterisk (yellow * on color
displays), simply touch it. After that the tester clears the asterisk and
displays the native x/y position. The first adjustment point is at the top
right, and the second point at the bottom left. Based on the result the tester
may try the adjustment up to three times. You can skip the procedure any time
by pressing the test key.
If you have problems with the adjustment like bad x/y positions or an error
after the first adjusment round, please check the orientation of the touch
screen in relation to the display. The driver has options to flip or rotate
the orientation. The display's top left is assumed to be the zero position.
Some hints about the required settings for specific values of x and y:
first adjustment point: top right
x y settings
----------------------------------------
low low TOUCH_FLIP_X
low high TOUCH_FLIP_X & TOUCH_FLIP_Y
high low none
high high TOUCH_FLIP_Y
Don't forget to save the offsets after a successful adjustemnt (main menu:
save).
Supported touch screen controllers:
- ADS7843 / XPT2046
You'll find the configuration options below the display section in
config-<MCU>.h (currently just config_644.h and config_1280.h because the
ATmega 328 doesn't provide enough IO pins).
* User Interface
There are several options to make the output for displays more fancy and easier
to read.
For displays with more then two text lines:
- show key hints instead of cursor if available (UI_KEY_HINTS)
For graphic displays:
- all options listed before
- symbols incl. pinout for three-legged semiconductors (SW_SYMBOLS, not for
low resolution diplays)
For color graphic displays:
- all options listed before
- color coding for probes/testpins (UI_PROBE_COLORS)
- dedicated color for titles (UI_COLORED_TITLES)
- dedicated color for cursor and key hints (UI_COLORED_CURSOR)
- color code for resistors (SW_R_E24_5_CC, SW_R_E24_1_CC and SW_R_E96_CC)
+ Buzzer
If you like to have an audible indicator you can add an active buzzer (with
integrated oscillator). The buzzer is controlled via a fixed pin (see
BUZZER_CTRL in config_<MCU>.h) and can be driven directly (< 20mA) or by a
transistor (NPN or n-channel MOSFET).
At the moment the buzzer is only used by the continuity check. More use cases
will be added in the future.
* Communication with PC
The tester can support a TTL serial interface for communication with a PC.
This could be a TX-only connection for outputting components found or a
bidrectional one for automation. In both cases the TTL serial interface needs
to be enabled in config.h (see section "Busses").
Special characters are replaced with standard ones, for example the omega (
Ohms) becomes a simple R.
conversion table:
diode symbols |> <|
capacitor symbol ||
omega R
micro / µ u
resistor symbol []
Hints:
- 9600 8N1
- newline is <CR><LF>
+ Serial Output
The tester outputs components found to a PC running a simple terminal program
when this feature is enabled (see UI_SERIAL_COPY in section "misc settings"
in config.h). The serial output follows the output on the LCD display but only
for the components found. There is no serial output for menus and tools besides
the results of the opto coupler check.
+ Automation
The automation feature allows you to control the tester by remote commands
via a bidirectional serial connection. For enabling this feature please see
UI_SERIAL_COMMANDS in section "misc settings" in config.h. The default
behaviour of the tester will change slightly. The automation enforces the
auto-hold mode and the tester won't automatically check for a component after
powering on.
The command interface is fairly simply. You send a command and the tester will
respond. The communication is based on ASCII textlines and the commands are
case sensitive. Each command line has to be ended by a <CR><LF> or <LF> newline.
Be aware that the tester will only accept commands when waiting for user
feedback after powering on, displaying a component or running a menu function.
Response lines end with a <CR><LF> newline. See section "Remote Commands" for
a list of commands and their explanation.
+ VT100 Output
The tester can output everything to a VT100 terminal instead of a LCD display (
see VT100 in section "Displays"). To keep the layout of the output undisturbed
all other options for the serial interface are disabled.
* Power-On
A long key press while starting the tester selects the auto-hold mode. In that
mode the tester waits for a short key press after displaying a result before
it will continue. Otherwise the tester chooses the continuous (looping) mode by
default. You can reverse the operation mode selection in config.h (UI_AUTOHOLD).
After powering on, the firmware version is shown briefly.
A very long key press (2s) will reset the tester to firmware defaults. This
might be handy if you have misadjusted the LCD contrast for example and can't
read the display anymore.
If the tester detects a problem with the stored adjustments values, it will
display a checksum error. That error indicates a corrupted EEPROM, and the
tester will use firmware defaults instead.
For a tester with a manual power switch instead of the soft-latching one used
by the reference design please enable POWER_SWITCH_MANUAL in config.c. In that
case the tester won't be able to power itself off.
* Probing
After the startup the tester looks for a connected component to check. In
continuous mode it will automatically repeat the probing after a short pause.
If no component is found for several times the tester will power itself off.
In auto-hold mode (signaled by the cursor) the tester runs one probing cycle
and waits for a key press or a right turn of the rotary encoder before it will
proceed with the next cycle.
The cycle delay and automatic power-off for the continuous mode can be adjusted
by changing CYCLE_DELAY and CYCLE_MAX in config.h. There's an optional
automatic power-off for the auto-hold mode (POWER_OFF_TIMEOUT) which is only
active during probing cycles.
In both modes you can enter a menu with additional functions or power off
the tester. For details please see below.
* Battery Monitoring
Each probing cycling starts with the display of the battery voltage and a brief
status (ok, weak, low). The tester will power off when the low voltage
threshold is reached. The battery is checked regularly during operation.
The default configuration for the battery monitoring is set for a 9V battery,
but it can be changed for most other power sources. Please see section
"power management" in config.h for all the settings.
The monitoring can be disabled by BAT_NONE, set to direct voltage check for
power sources lower than 5V by BAT_DIRECT, or set for voltage check via a
voltage divider, specified by BAT_R1 and BAT_R2, by BAT_DIVIDER. Some testers
support an optional external power supply but don't allow its monitoring. In
this case enable BAT_EXT_UNMONITORED to prevent problems with the automatic
power-off by a low battery. This will also set the "ext" battery status when
powered by the external power source.
The tresholds for a weak and a low battery are set by BAT_WEAK and BAT_LOW
while BAT_OFFSET specifies any voltage drop caused by the circuit, e.g. a
reverse polarity protection diode and a PNP power control transistor.
* Power Off
While displaying the result of the last test a long key press powers the
tester off. The tester will show a good bye message and then power off. As
long as you press the key the tester stays powered on. This is caused by the
implementaion of the power control circuit.
* Menu
You'll enter the menu by two short key presses after the display of the last
component found or function performed. Simply press the test key twice quickly
(might need some practice :). If the rotary encoder option is enabled, a left
turn will also enter the menu. The old method by short circuiting all three
probes can be enabled too (UI_SHORT_CIRCUIT_MENU).
While in the menu, a short key press shows the next item in the menu and a
long key press runs the shown item. On a 2-line display you'll see a
navigation help at the bottom right. A '>' if another item follows, or
a '<' for the very last item (will roll over to the first item). On a
display with more than 2 lines the selected item is marked with an '*' at
the left side.
With a rotary encoder you can move the items up or down based on the turning
direction and a short key press will run the displayed item, instead of moving
to the next item. Roll over is also enabled for the first item.
Normally the tester will return to the probing cycle after running a function
or tool. If you prefer to stay in the menu until an explicit "exit" you can
disable UI_MAINMENU_AUTOEXIT.
Some tools show you the pinout of the probe pins used before doing anything.
That info will be displayed for a few seconds, but can be skipped by a short
press of the test button.
For tools which generate a signal probe #2 is used as output by default. In
that case probe #1 and #3 are set to ground. If your tester is configured for a
dedicated signal output (OC1B) the probes aren't used and no probe pinout will
be displayed.
+ PWM Tool
This does what you would expect. :) Before compiling the firmware please
choose either the PWM generator with the simple user interface or the one with
the fancy interface for testers with rotary encoder and large displays. For
optional output of the pulse duration enable also PWM_SHOW_DURATION.
Pinout for signal output via probes:
Probe #2: output (with 680 Ohms resistor to limit current)
Probe #1 and #3: Ground
- Simple PWM
First you have to select the desired PWM frequency in a simple menu. Short key
press for the next frequency and a long key press starts the PWM output for
the shown frequency.
The duty ratio of the PWM starts at 50%. A short key press of the test button
increases the ratio by 5%, a long key press decreases the ratio by 5%. To exit
the PWM tool press the test key twice quickly.
If you have a rotary encoder you can use it to select the frequency in the menu
and to change the PWM ratio in 1% steps.
- Fancy PWM
Switch between frequency and ratio by pressing the test button. The selected
value is marked by an asterisk. Turn the rotary encoder clockwise to increase
the value or anti-clockwise to decrease it. As faster you turn the rotary
encoder as larger the step size becomes. A long key press sets the default
value (frequency: 1kHz, ratio: 50%). Two short button presses exit the PWM
tool.
+ Square Wave Signal Generator
The signal generator creates a square wave signal with variable frequency up
to 1/4 of the MCU clock rate (2MHz for 8MHz MCU clock). The default frequency
is 1000Hz and you can change it by turning the rotary encoder, The turning
velocity determines the frequency change, i.e. slow turning results in small
changes und fast turning in large changes. Since the signal generation is
based on the MCU's internal PWM mode you can't select the frequency
continuously, but in steps. For low frequencies the steps are quite small,
but for high frequencies they become larger and larger. A long button press
sets the frequency back to 1kHz, and two brief button presses exit the
signal generator, as usual.
Pinout for signal output via probes:
Probe #2: output (with 680 Ohms resistor to limit current)
Probe #1 and #3: Ground
Hint: Rotary encoder or other input option required!
+ Zener Tool (hardware option)
An onboard DC-DC boost converter creates a high test voltage for measuring the
breakdown voltage of a Zener diode connected to dedicated probe pins. While
the test button is pressed the boost converter runs and the tester displays
the current voltage. After releasing the test button the minimum voltage
measured is shown when the test button was pressed long enough for a stable test
voltage. You may repeat this as long as you like. :) To exit the Zener tool
press the test button twice quickly.
If your tester has just a 10:1 voltage divider without boost converter for
measuring an external voltage or the boost converter runs all the time, you
can choose the alternative mode (ZENER_UNSWITCHED) which measures the voltage
periodically without pressing the test button. When you see the cursor at the
bottom right between measurements you can exit the Zener tool by two short
presses of the test button. There's another option to run the Zener check
during normal probing (HW_PROBE_ZENER). When no component is found at the
standard probes the tester will check for a voltage at the Zener probes.
In case your tester has a non-standard voltage divider (not 10:1) enable
ZENER_DIVIDER_CUSTOM and specify the resistor values (ZENER_R1 and ZENER_R2).
How to connect the Zener diode:
Probe +: cathode
Probe -: anode
+ Logic Probe (hardware option)
The logic probe checks the state of logic signals by using a dedicated ADC
input with a voltage divider frontend. The voltage divider should be 4:1 to
support voltages up to 20V (for 15V CMOS). The ADC pin is TP_LOGIC (in
config_<MCU>.h) and the voltage divider is set in config.h (LOGIC_PROBE_R1
and LOGIC_PROBE_R2). It might be a good idea to add some additional input
protection, such as a pair of clamping diodes.
After starting, the tester automatically reads the voltage, compares the
voltage with logic level thresholds and displays the logic level plus the
voltage:
- 0 for low
- 1 for high
- Z for undefined/HiZ
For setting the logic family and Vcc/Vdd or the logic level thresholds
there's a simple menu. Use the test push button to select a specific setting (
marked by an asterisk). Then use the rotary encoder to change the setting.
When changing the logic family and Vcc/Vdd the logic level thresholds are
automatically set to default values. After that you can adjust the thresholds
if needed. In case of a non-standard Vcc/Vdd choose the next higher one and
adjust the thresholds. The standard Vcc/Vdd values are:
- TTL : 5V
- CMOS : 3.3V, 5V, 9V, 12V, 15V
And as usual, two short button presses will exit the logic probe.
+ Continuity Check
This tool checks for continuity of a circuit and gives you an audible feedback
by a buzzer while also displaying the voltage across the probes. The test
current is limited by Rl (680 Ohms) to about 7 mA. The thresholds for the
audible feedback are:
- < 100 mV continuous beep
- 100-700 mV repeating short beep
- > 700 mV no beep
The short beep is meant to indicate a possible semiconductor junction.
For an open circuit or a very high resistance the voltage will be near 5 V.
After starting the continuity check the tester displays the probe pinout for
a few seconds which can be skipped by pressing the test button. And two short
button presses will end the check.
Pinout for probes:
Probe #1: Vcc (with 680 Ohms resistor to limit current)
Probe #3: Ground
+ ESR Tool
The ESR tool measures capacitors in-circuit and displays the capacity and ESR
if the measurement detects a valid capacitor. Make sure that the capacitor is
discharged before connecting the tester! Values could differ from the standard
measurement (out-of-circuit) because any component in parallel with the
capacitor will affect the measurement.
For triggering a measurement please press the test key. Two quick short key
presses will exit the tool.
How to connect the capacitor:
Probe #1: positive
Probe #3: negative (Gnd)
+ Capacitor Leakage Check
The cap leakage check charges a cap and displays the current and the voltage
across the current shunt. It starts charging the cap using Rl (680 Ohms) and
switches to Rh (470kOhms) when the current drops below a specific threshold.
Each cycle begins with the display of the pinout. After connecting the cap
press the test button (or right turn in case of a rotary encoder) to start
the charging process. To end charging press the test button again and the
tester will discharge the cap while displaying its voltage until the voltage
drops below the discharge threshold. To exit the check press the test button
twice.
Hint: Pay attention to the polarity of polarized caps!
How to connect the capacitor:
Probe #1: positive
Probe #3: negative (Gnd)
+ R/C/L Monitors
The monitor tools measure continuously a passive component connected to
probes #1 and #3. After starting a monitor tool the tester displays the probe
pinout for a few seconds which can be skipped by pressing the test button.
There's a delay of one or two seconds between measurements, indicated by a
cursor at the bottom right, during which you can exit the monitor by two short
presses of the test button.
Available monitors:
- R Monitor (resistance)
- C Monitor (capacitance plus optionally ESR)
- L Monitor (inductance)
- R/C/L Monitor (R plus optionally L, or C plus optionally ESR)
- R/L Monitor (resistance plus optionally inductance)
+ LC Meter (hardware option)
The LC Meter hardware option is based on a simple LC oscillator circuit used
by various inexpensive PIC LC meters. The common design (82µH and 1nF) has a
base frequency of around 595 kHz, and connecting an additional capacitor or
inductor will decrease that frequency. With the help of a reference capacitor
with a known value, the measured frequencies and some math the value of the
unknown capacitor/inductor can be calculated.
The PIC LC meters usually have measurement ranges of 10nH to 100mH, and 0.1pF
to 900nF. They seem to use a gate time of 100ms for the frequency counter.
The m-firmwmare uses auto-ranging with gate times of 100ms and 1000ms to
improve the resolution for low value L/Cs. Thus the ranges start at about 1nH
and 10fF (0.01pF). The maximum inductance supported is roughly 150mH.
Regarding capacitance I've run into an issue with the circuit. At around 33nF
the output signal starts having some spurs in the rising and falling edges
causing the frequency counter to see more pulses than there really are. A user
noted that this is a known problem of the LM311 based LC oscillator circuit.
After trying a few modifications without ponderable success a second
comparator or a Schmitt trigger logic gate seem to be the best choice to clean
up the signal of the oscillator output. The CMOS quad NAND 4093 works fine for
that. With a clean output signal the maximum capacitance is around 120nF (
beyond that the LC oscillator becomes unstable). The tester enforces a lower
frequency limit of 10kHz, i.e. the maximum values are theoretically 250nH
or 3.5µF if the LC oscillator would run stable.
When starting the LC Meter the tester will run a self-adjustment indicated
by an "adjusting..." message. After that you can connect the capacitor or
inductor you like to check. A short button press switches between C and L
measurement modes (default mode is C). The frequency of the LC oscillator
drifts over time (up to 100 Hz) and needs a re-adjustment. If you see an
increasing zero value or a "-" without any component connected please run
the self-adjustment by a long key press. If there's any problem with the
self-adjustment or you abort it by pressing some button the tester will exit
the LC meter and report an error. Two short button presses will end the
LC Meter tool.
Hints:
- The reference cap should be a low tolerance 1nF film cap. You can also use
any common film cap around 1nF, measure its capacitance with a proper LCR
meter, and update LC_METER_C_REF.
- If you're interested in the LC oscillator's frequency and its drifting
enable LC_METER_SHOW_FREQ.
+ Frequency Counter (hardware option)
There are two versions of the frequency counter. The basic one is a simple
passive input for the T0 pin of the MCU. The extended version has an input
buffer, two oscillators for testing crystals (low and high frequency) and
an additional prescaler. The circuit diagrams for both are depicted in
Karl-Heinz' documentation.
- Basic Counter
With the basic frequency counter hardware option installed you can measure
frequencies from about 10Hz up to 1/4 of the MCU clock with a resolution
of 1Hz for frequencies below 10kHz. The frequency is measured and displayed
continuously until you end the measurement by two short key presses. The
autoranging algorithm selects a gate time between 10ms and 1000ms based on
the frequency. The TO pin can be shared with a display.
- Extended Counter
The extended frequency counter has an additional prescaler and allows to
measure higher frequencies. The theoretical upper limit is 1/4 of the MCU's
clock rate multiplied by the prescaler (16:1 or 32:1). The control lines
are configured in config_<mcu>.h, and don't forget to set the correct
prescaler in config.h.
The input channel (buffered input, low frequency crystal oscillator, high
frequency crystal oscillator) is changed by pressing the test push button or
turning the rotary encoder. And as always, two short button presses will exit
the frequency counter.
+ Ring Tester (hardware option)
The ring tester (LOPT/FBT tester) check chokes and transformers for shorts.
The frontend creates a trigger pulse and the tester simply counts the number
of rings which corresponds to the Q value. The frontend can be driven by a
dediated pin (RING_TESTER_PIN) or via the probes (RING_TESTER_PROBES). In
either case the ATmega's TO pin is the counter input (counts on falling edge).
The TO pin can be also shared with a display.
After starting the ring tester the pinout of the probes is shown if the control
output via probes is enabled. Then the tester automatically checks the choke
or transformer and diplays the number of rings. As usual two short key presses
will end the test.
Interpretation of the number of rings for the frontend circuit with the
Darlington stage based on Bob Parker's ring tester:
rings Q
-------------------------------
0 short or open
1 - 3 low Q (bad)
4 - 5 medium Q (unclear)
>= 6 high Q (good)
Besides the simple frontend mentioned above you can use also more sophisticated
circuits as long as they run with about 5 V, have a low current consumption (
< 20 mA) and generate a counter signal with falling edge.
Pinout for control output via probes:
Probe #1: Vcc (5 V)
Probe #2: pulse output (with 680 Ohms resistor to limit current)
Probe #3: Ground
T0: counter input
+ Event Counter (hardware option)
The event counter uses the T0 pin as dedicated input and is trigged by the
rising edge of a signal. The T0 pin can't be shared with a display. Adding
a simple input stage is recommended.
The counter is controlled by a small menu which also displays the counter
values. Menu items are selected by a short key press and settings are changed
by the rotary encoder or additional keys. The first item is the counter mode:
- Count count time and events
- Time count events for a given time period
- Events count time for a given number of events
The second item "n" is the number of events. In the events mode it will show
the trigger threshold which can be changed. A long key press resets the
threshold to a default value (100). In other counting modes this item is
blocked. The next item "t" is the time period in seconds. Same story, only
for the time mode (default value: 60s). And the last item starts or stops
counting by a long key press. When the counter runs the counted events and
time elapsed are updated each second, and after stopping the results are
displayed.
The limit for the time period is 43200s (12h) and for the events it's 4*10^9.
If any of those limits is exceeded the counting is automatically stopped.
The event limit or threshold (when in events mode) is checked every 200ms.
Therefore some overshoot may occur in case of more than 5 events/s.
- Trigger Output
Optionally you can enable a trigger output (EVENT_COUNTER_TRIGGER_OUT) to
control some other device using the probes. The trigger output is set high
while counting, i.e. rising edge at start and falling edge at stop.
Pinout for trigger output via probes:
Probe #1: Ground
Probe #2: Output (with 680 Ohms resistor to limit current)
Probe #3: Ground
+ Rotary Encoder
This test checks rotary encoders while determining the pin-out. Your job is
to connect the probes to the A, B and Common pin and to turn the encoder
a few steps clockwise. The algorithm needs four greycode steps to determine
the proper function and pin-out. The turning direction is important to
distinguish the A nd B pins, because reversed pins cause a reversed direction.
When a rotary encoder is detected the tester will display the pin-out and
wait for a key press (or a moment for continuous mode) before resuming testing.
To exit the rotary encoder test please press the test push button once while
testing.
+ Contrast
You can adjust the contrast for some graphic LCD modules. A short key press
increases the value and and a long key press decreases it. Two short key
presses will exit the tool. With a rotary encoder installed the value
can also be adjusted by turning the encoder.
+ IR RC Detector/Decoder
This function detects and decodes signals from IR remote controls, and
requires an IR receiver module, for example the TSOP series. When compiling
the firmware you can choose between two variants how the IR receiver module is
connected to the tester. The first one is to connect the IR module to the
standard testpins. The second one is a fixed IR module connected to a
dedicated MCU pin.
If a known protocol is detected the tester displays the protocol, address
(when available), command, and in some cases optional data in hexadecimal.
The format is:
<protocol> <data field(s)>
For a malformend packet a "?" is shown as data field.
For a unknown protocol the tester displays the number of pauses and pulses,
the duration of the first pulse and the first pause in units of 50µs:
? <pulses>:<first pulse>-<first pause>
When the number of pulses stays the same for different buttons of the RC, the
modulation is most likely PDM or PWM. A changing number of pulses indicates
bi-phase modulation.
To exit the tool please press the test key.
Supported protocols and their data fields:
- JVC
<address>:<command>
- Kaseikyo (aka Japanese Code, 48 bits)
<manufacturer code>:<system>-<product>:<function>
- Matsushita (Panasonic MN6014, C6D6 / 12 bits)
<custom code>:<data code>
- Motorola
<command>
- NEC (standard & extended)
<address>:<command>
R for repeat sequence
- Proton / Mitsubishi (M50560)
<address>:<command>
- RC-5 (standard)
<address>:<command>
- RC-6 (standard)
<address>:<command>
- Samsung / Toshiba (32 bits)
<custom code>:<data code>
- Sharp / Denon
<address>:<command>
- Sony SIRC (12, 15 & 20 bits)
12 & 15: <command>:<address>
20: <command>:<address>:<extended>
Optional protocols (SW_IR_RX_EXTRA):
- IR60 (SDA2008/MC14497)
<command>
- Matsushita (Panasonic MN6014, C5D6 / 11 bits)
<custom code>:<data code>
- NEC µPD1986C
<data code>
- RECS80 (standard & extended)
<address>:<command>
- RCA
<address>:<command>
- Sanyo (LC7461)
<custom code>:<key>
- Thomson
<device>:<function>
The carrier frequency of the TSOP receiver module doesn't have to match the RC
exactly. A mismatch reduces the possible range, but that doesn't matter much
for this application.
- IR receiver module connected to probes
Please connect the IR receiver module after entering the IR detector function.
How to connect the TSOP module:
Probe #1: Gnd
Probe #2: Vs (current limited by 680 ohms resistor)
Probe #3: Data/Out
Hint:
The current limiting resistor for Vs implies an IR receiver module with a
supply voltage range of about 2.5 to 5V. If you have a 5V only module you can
disable the resistor in the config.h file on your own risk. Any short
circuit may destroy the MCU.
- Fixed IR receiver module
For the fixed IR module please set the port and pin used in config_<MCU>.h
+ IR RC Transmitter
The IR RC transmitter sends RC codes you've entered, and is meant to check
IR RC receivers or remote controlled devices. This tool requires additional
keys, such as a rotary encoder, a display with more than 4 lines, and a simple
driver circuit for the IR LED.
The display shows you the protocol, the carrier frequency, the duty cycle of
the carrier and a few data fields. By a short press of the test button you
switch between the items. The selected item is indicated by an '*'. Use the
rotary encoder (or other input option) to change the setting/value of an item.
A long press of the test button and the tester sends the IR code as long as
you keep the button pressed. And as usual, two short presses exit the tool.
When you change the protocol the carrier frequency and duty cycle are set to
the protocol's default values. But you can change them if you wish. The carrier
frequency can be set to 30 up to 56 kHz and the duty cycle to 1/2 (50%),
1/3 (33%) or 1/4 (25%). The data fields are the user settable parts of the IR
code and are explained later on. In most cases it's just the address and the
command.
Supported protocols and their data fields:
- JVC
<address:8> <command:8>
- Kaseikyo (Japanese Code)
<manufacturer code:16> <system:4> <product:8> <function:8>
- Matsushita (Panasonic, MN6014 12 bits)
<custom code:6> <key data:6>
- Motorola
<command:9>
- NEC Standard
<address:8> <command:8>
- NEC Extended
<address:16)> <command:8>
- Proton / Mitsubishi (M50560)
<address:8> <command:8>
- RC-5 Standard
<address:5> <command:6>
- RC-6 Standard, Mode 0
<address:8> <command:8>
- Samsung / Toshiba (32 bits)
<custom code:8> <key data:8>
- Sharp / Denon
<address:5> <command:8> <mask:1>
- Sony SIRC-12
<command:7> <address:5>
- Sony SIRC-15
<command:7> <address:8>
- Sony SIRC-20
<command:7> <address:5> <extended:8>
Optional protocols (SW_IR_TX_EXTRA):
- Thomson
<device:4> <function:7>
The data fields are separated by spaces and their syntax is:
<field name>:<number of bits>
Pinout for signal output via probes:
Probe #2: signal output (with 680 Ohms resistor to limit current)
Probe #1 and #3: Ground
The signal output (probe #2) has a current limiting resistor and can drive an
IR LED with only about 5mA directly, which isn't sufficient for the IR LED's
typical rating of 100mA. Therefore you need a simple driver circuit based on
a switching transistor, the IR LED and a current limiting resistor for the LED.
Example for driving an IR LED (Vf 1.5V, If 100mA) with about 50mA:
+ +5V
|
|
-
| |
75 | |
| |
-
|
|
___ ->
IR LED \ / ->
---
|
| C
----- B |/
Signal ----| 3k9 |-----| NPN
----- |\
| E
BC548 |
|
- Gnd
Hint:
If the pulse/pause timing is incorrect please activate the alternative delay
loop method SW_IR_TX_ALTDELAY. This may be required when the C compiler
optimizes the standard delay loop despite specific statements to keep the
inline Assembler code.
+ Opto Coupler Tool
This tool checks opto couplers and shows you the LED's V_f, the CTR (also If),
and t_on/t_off delays (BJT types). It supports standard NPN BJTs, NPN
Darlington stages and TRIACs. For the CTR measurement the MCU's I/O pin is
overloaded for about 3ms. The datasheet specifies a maximum output current of
20mA, but we overload the I/O pin up to about 100mA. Therefore the maximal
CTR value is limited and any CTR over 2000% should be considered with caution.
The maximum drive current for the LED is about 5mA, which should be considered
for TRIAC types. Relay types (MOSFET back to back) are detected as BJT and the
CTR will be meaningless. Types with anti-parallel LEDs are ignored.
For testing you need a simple adapter with following three test points:
BJT type:
- LED's anode
- LED's cathode and BJT's emitter connected together
- BJT's collector
TRIAC type:
- LED's anode
- LED's cathode and TRIAC's MT1 connected together
- TRIAC's MT2
You may connect the adapter any way to the three probes of the component
tester. It will detect the pinout automatically.
After entering the tool please connect the adapter and press the test key
briefly to scan for an opto coupler. If one is found the tester displays
the type and various details. Or it displays "none" when no opto coupler was
detected. A blinking cursor indicates that you have to press the test key
(or turn the rotary encoder) for a new scan. Two short key presses end the
tool as usual.
+ Servo Check
This function outputs a PWM signal for RC servos which are driven by a 1-2ms
PWM pulse. It supports the typical PWM frequencies of 50, 125, 250 and 333 Hz
while the pulse length can be between 0.5 and 2.5 ms. There is also a sweep
mode for sweeping between 1 and 2 ms pulse length with an adjustable sweep
speed.
Please adjust the pulse width with the rotary encoder. Clockwise for a longer
pulse, and counter-clockwise for a shorter pulse. A long button press resets
the pulse to 1.5 ms.
You can switch between pulse and frequency selection mode with a short button
press (mode marked by an asterisk). When in frequency selection mode use the
rotary encoder to choose the PWM frequency. A long button press enables or
disables the sweep mode (marked by a "<->" after the frequency).
As long as the sweep mode is enabled, the pulse selection is replaced by the
sweep period. The rotary encoder allows you to change the period.
As usual, two short button presses exit the function.
Pinout for signal output via probes:
Probe #2: PWM output (with 680 Ohms resistor to limit current)
Probe #1 and #3: Ground
Hint: You have to provide an additional power supply for the servo.
Some pinouts of typical 3pin servo connectors:
Vendor pin 1 pin 2 pin 3
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Airtronics PWM White/Black Gnd Black Vcc Red
Futaba PWM White Vcc Red Gnd Black
hitec PWM Yellow Vcc Red Gnd Black
JR Radios PWM Orange Vcc Red Gnd Brown
+ OneWire Scan
The scanning tool for OneWire lists the ROM codes of all connected devices.
Please see section "Busses & Interfaces" for the setup of the OneWire bus.
When using the probes the tester will inform you about the pin assignment and
waits until it detects the external pull-up resistor. You can skip this by a
key press.
Each time you press the test button the tester will scan for the next device
and display its ROM code (in hexadecimal). The first part of the output is
the devices' family code and the the second part is its serial number. The
CRC is omitted. A family code >= 0x80 (bit #7 set) indicates a customer
specific code and the upper (left) three hexadecimal digits of the serial
number are the customer's ID.
After the last device is found the tester will let you know. It will also
inform you about CRC and bus errors. In case of a finished scan or bus error
you can start a completely new scan process by pressing the test button.
And as usual, two short button presses will exit the tool.
+ DS18B20 Temperature Sensor
This tool reads the OneWire temperature sensor DS18B20 and displays the
temperature. Please see section "Busses & Interfaces" for the setup of the
OneWire bus. When using the probes the tester will inform you about the pin
assignment and then waits until it detects the external pull-up resistor. You
can skip this by a key press.
After connecting the DS18B20 as the only client on the OneWire bus push the
test button for reading the sensor (this may take nearly a second). To exit
the tool press the test button twice quickly. And with a long button press
you can select the auto mode (automatic updating) which is indicated by
an "*" after the tool name.
Pin assignment for probes:
Probe #1: Gnd
Probe #2: DQ (data)
Probe #3: Vcc (current limited by 680 ohms resistor)
An external pull-up resistor of 4.7kOhms between DQ and Vcc is required!
+ DHTxx Sensors
Tool for reading DHT11, DHT22 and compatible temperature & humidity sensors.
First the tester displays the pinout and then waits for the external pull-up
resistor. After that it shows the selected sensor type (default: DHT11) and
a short press of the test button reads the sensor. On a successful read the
tester outputs the measured values, on any error the result will be a "-".
A long button press changes the sensor type, and two short button presses
exit the tool. When changing the sensor you also have the option to activate
automatic reading (each second) which is indicated by an "*" after the sensor
name.
Supported sensors:
DHT11: DHT11, RHT01
DHT22: DHT22, RHT03, AM2302
DHT21, RHT02, AM2301, HM2301
DHT33, RHT04, AM2303
DHT44, RHT05
Pin assignment for probes:
Probe #1: Gnd
Probe #2: Data
Probe #3: Vdd (current not limited)
An external pull-up resistor of 4.7kOhms between Data and Vdd is required!
Some sensor modules include already a 10kOhms pull-up resistor which works
also fine with short cables.
Hint:
Because of the sensor's power demand the 680 Ohms test resistor can't be
used to limit current. Be aware that any short circuit may destroy the MCU.
+ MAX6675/MAX31855 Thermocouple Converters
Both MAX are thermocouple converters with cold-junction compensation and are
controlled via the SPI bus. MAX6675 is just for K type thermocouples, while
there are several versions of the MAX31855 for different thermocouple types.
MAX31855 has a Vcc of 3.3V and therefore requires level shifters.
The operation of both MAX is identical. By pressing the test button a new
measurement is triggered and the temperature will be displayed. On any error
a "-" is shown instead. For automatic reading every second you can enable
the auto-mode by a long press of the test button, indicated by an "*" in after
the MAX's name. A second long key press disables the auto-mode. Two short key
presses will end the tool.
+ Self Test
If you start the self-test via the menu you'll be asked to short circuit all
three probes and the tester will wait until you have. In case of any problem
you can abort that by a key press. That will also skip the complete self-test.
The self-test function runs each test just 5 times. You can skip a test by a
short key press or skip the entire selfttest by a long key press.
In test #4 you have to remove the short circuit of the probes. The tester will
wait until you removed the short circuit.
The test steps are:
- T1 internal bandgap reference (in mV)
- T2 comparison of Rl resistors (offset in mV)
- T3 comparison of Rh resistors (offset in mV)
- T4 remove short circuit of probes
- T5 leakage check for probes in pull-down mode (voltage in mV)
- T6 leakage check for probes in pull-up mode (voltage in mV)
+ Self Adjustment
The self-adjustment measures the resistance and the capacitance of the probe
leads, i.e. the PCB, internal wiring and probe leads as a sum, for creating
a zero offset. It also measures the internal resistance of the MCU port pins
in pull-down and pull-up mode. If the tests are skipped or strange values are
measured the default values defined in config.h are used. If everything went
fine the tester will display and use the new values gained by the self
adjustment (they will be not stored automatically in the EEPROM, see
"Save/Load" below).
The voltage offset of the analog comparator is automatically adjusted by the
capacitance measurement (in normal probing mode, outside of the self
adjustment) if the capacitor is in the range of 100 nF up to 3.3 µF. Also the
offset of the internal bandgap reference is determined in the same way.
Before running the self-adjustment the first time, please measure a film
capacitor with a value between 100 nF and 3.3 µF three times at least to let
the tester self-adjust the offsets mentioned above. Typically the first
measurement will result in a slightly low value, the second in a high one
and the third will be fine. This is caused by the self adjusting offsets.
Both offsets are displayed at the end of the self-adjustment.
With a fixed cap for self-adjustment the automatic offset handling in the
capacitance measurement is replaced by a dedicated function run during the
self-adjustment procedure. So you don't have to measure a film cap before
that.
In case the capacitance offsets vary across the probe pairs you can enable
probe pair specific offsets in config.h (CAP_MULTIOFFSET). The same is
possible for resistance offsets (R_MULTIOFFSET).
The self-adjustment is very similar to the self-test regarding the procedure
and user interface.
The adjustments steps are:
- A1 offsets for bandgap reference and analog comparator
(only for fixed cap option)
- A2 resistance of probe leads/pins (in 10 mOhms)
- A3 remove short circuit of probes
- A4 MCU's internal pin resistance for Gnd (voltage across RiL)
- A5 MCU's internal pin resistance for Vcc (voltage across RiH)
- A6 capacitance of probe leads/pins (in pF)
Limits:
- probe resistance < 1.50 Ohms for two probes in series
- probe capacitance < 100 pF
- IO pin's internal resistance in low mode (RiL) < 25 Ohms
- IO pin's internal resistance in high mode (RiH) < 29 Ohms
Hint: When the resistance values for the probe leads/pins vary too much,
there could be a contact problem.
Remember: Adjustment is not calibration! Calibration is the procedure to
compare measurement results with a known traceable standard and noting the
differences. The goal is to monitor the drift over time. Adjustment is the
procedure to adjust a device to meet specific specs.
+ Save/Load
After running the self-adjustment the "Save" function will update the
adjustment values stored in the MCU's EEPROM. The next time you power on the
tester the updated values (profile #1) will be loaded and used automatically.
For your convenience you can save and load two profiles, e.g. if you have
two different probe sets. In case you need more than two profiles you can
activate a third one (UI_THREE_PROFILES).
The idea of the save function is to prevent automatic saving of adjustment
values. If you need to use other probe leads for some tests, you'd simply
adjust the tester for the temporary probe leads and perform the tests. When
you switch back to the standard probe leads you don't need to re-adjust
the tester because the old values are still stored. Just powercycle the
tester.
There is an option (UI_CHOOSE_PROFILE) to automatically enter the load menu
after powering on the tester.
+ Show Values
This displays the current adjustment values and offsets used. The usage of an
external 2.5V voltage reference is indicated by an '*' behind Vcc.
+ Power Off
This function will power off the tester if enabled by SW_POWER_OFF.
+ Exit
If you've entered the menu by mistake you can exit it by this command.
* Resistors
Resistors are measured twice (both directions) and the values are compared.
If the values differ too much the tester assumes that there are two resistors
instead of just a single one. In that case the tester displays the result as
two resistors with the same pins, like "1 -- 2 -- 1", and the two different
resistance values. For resistors lower than 10 Ohms an extra measurement with
a higher resolution is performed.
In some rare cases the tester might not be able to detect a very low
resistance. If that happens simply re-run the test.
When the optional check for E series norm values (SW_R_E*) is enabled the
tester takes the next lower and next higher norm value and compares them with
the measured resistance while also considering component tolerances. There are
two output modes. In the text mode the tester displays the E series and the
tolerance applied followed by matching norm values. A "-" indicates that no
norm value matches. In the color-code output mode the tester displays the
E series and the resistor's color code including the color band for tolerance.
Be aware that colors can differ with the display module and used color
combinations. If any color is off simply adjust the color value (COLOR_CODE_*)
in the file colors.h. An Internet search for "RGB565 tool" will list many
online tools for creating/picking RGB565 color values. Especially for
SMD resistors there's an additional output for the EIA-96 code (implies E96
1%).
* Capacitors
The measurement of capacitance is split into three methods. Large caps >47µF
are measured by the charging cycle method with 10ms pulses. Mid-sized
caps between 4.7µF and 47µF are processed the same way but with 1ms charging
pulses. And small caps are done by the analog comparator method. That
way the accuracy of the measurement of caps is optimized.
Large capacitances require a correction. Without correction the measured values
are too large. IMHO, that is caused by the measurement method, i.e. the ADC
conversion after each charging pulse needs some time and the cap looses charge
due to internal leakage during the same time. Also the ADC conversion itself
needs some charge to operate. So it takes longer to charge the cap, and the cap
seems to have a larger capacitance. A discharge measurement later on tries to
compensate this, but is able to do it just partially. The correction factors (
CAP_FACTOR_SMALL, CAP_FACTOR_MID and CAP_FACTOR_LARGE in config.c) are choosen
to work with most tester models. In some cases you might have to change them.
A logic for preventing large caps to be detected as resistors was added.
Resistors < 10 Ohms are checked for being large caps.
A measured capacitance value more than 5pF (incl. the zero offset) is
considered valid. Lower values are too uncertain and could be caused by
placing the probe leads a little bit differently and things like that.
The tester tries to measure the ESR for capacitors larger than 10nF.
Alternatively you can also enable the old ESR measurement method starting
at 180nF. But since the ESR measurement isn't done via an AC signal with a
specific frequency, please don't expect a solid result. The method used might
be comparable with a 1kHz test. Anyway, the results are good enough to check
electrolytic caps. For low value film caps you could get different results
based on the MCU clock rate. I'd guess Mr. Fourier is able to explain this.
Alternatively you can also enable the old ESR measurement method.
Another measurement taken is the self-discharge leakage current for
capacitors larger than 4.7 µF. It gives a hint about the state of an
electrolytic cap. From my tests the typical value for a good electrolytic
cap seems to be about:
- 10-220 µF 1-3 µA
- 330-470 µF 4-5 µA
- 470-820 µF 4-7 µA
- >1000 µF 5-7 µA per 1000 µF
The optional check for E series norm values is also available for capacitors (
SW_C_E*), but only in text mode because there are simply too many different
color-codes for caps.
* Inductors
The inductance measurement isn't very accurate, and things like the MCU clock
speed and the PCB layout have an impact on the results. Basically it's based
on measuring the time between switching on current flow and reaching a specific
current. For high inductances there's a low current check, and for low
inductances a high current check, which exceeds the MCU's pin drive limit
for a very short time (up to about 25 micro seconds).
While investigating the effects of the MCU clock and other things I've found a
pattern of deviations, which can be used for compensation. Based on the tester
you have some custom tweaking might be necessary. In inductance.c in the
function MeasureInductor() there the variable "Offset" for compensation. That
variable is an offset for the reference voltage. A positive offset will
decrease the inductance, and a negative value will increase the inductance.
The compensation for the high current check is based on the MCU clock, and it's
divided in three time ranges, each one with a dedicated offset. For the low
current check there's just a simple compensation at the moment, as it needs
further tests. If you see any major deviations when compairing the measurement
results with a proper LCR meter, you can adjust the offset values of your
tester.
If you like to have the check for E series norm values please enable the
SW_L_E* switches in config.h (text mode only).
Hints:
- When getting unexpected results please re-run the test.
- The inductance measurement is only performed when the inductors's
resistance is lower than 2k Ohms.
* Discharging Components
The tester tries to discharge any connected component before and while
measuring. When it can't discharge the component below a specified threshold
(CAP_DISCHARGED) it will output an error displaying the probe number and
remaining voltage.
The discharge function isn't based on a fixed timeout, it adapts itself
to the discharging rate. That way a battery will be identified faster (about
2s) and large caps have more time to discharge. If a large cap is identified
as a battery please repeat the check. In a noisy environment you might need
to adjust CAP_DISCHARGED to about 3mV. The remaining voltage displayed will
help you to choose an appropriate value.
* ADC Oversampling
The ADC function is modified to support a variable oversampling (1-255 times).
The default value is 25 samples. You can try to improve the accuracy of the
measurements by increasing the number of samples. Note that more samples will
take more time resulting in slower measurements.
* Displaying Results
Some names and abbreviations are changed. The output for several parts might
be splitted into multiple pages to support displays with just a few lines.
For a single diode the low current Vf (measured with 10µA) is shown in braces
if the voltage is below 250mV. That should give you a hint for germanium
diodes. Most datasheets of germanium diodes specify Vf at 0.1mA which the
tester doesn't support. At a higher current Vf is expected to be around 0.7V
which makes it hard to distinguish germanium from silicon diodes.
The leakage current I_R for a single diode or I_CEO for a BJT will be
displayed if it exeeds 50nA. Germanium BJTs have a leakage current of a few µA
up to around 500µA. Germanium diodes are around a few µA usually.
For some components the capacitance is shown also. In case the capacitance is
below 5pF or the measurement failed for some reason the value displayed
will be 0pF.
If a depletion-mode FET with symmetrical Drain and Source is found, e.g. a
JFET, the pinout shows an 'x' instead of a 'D' or 'S' because both can't be
distinguished, they are functionally identical. Please see the FET's datasheet
if you need more details about the pinout.
The pinout for a TRIAC is shown with the pin IDs 'G', '1' and '2'. '1' is MT1
and '2' is MT2. And for a UJT, in case the detection is enabled, it's '1' for
B1, '2' for B2 and 'E' for the Emitter.
When the fancy pinout option is enabled (by selecting a symbols file in
config.h) a component symbol with the corresponding probe pin numbers will be
shown for 3-pin semiconductors. If there's not enough space left on the display
for the symbol, the pinout will be skipped.
+ Additional Hints
BJTs
A lowercase letter following the hFE value indicates the test circuit type
used for measuring hFE:
- e: common emitter circuit
- c: common collector circuit
If you have enabled the output of the hFE test current (SW_HFE_CURRENT) then
the tester will display I_C for common emitter circuit and I_E for common
collector circuit.
When checking for diodes Vf is measured with Rl (high test current) and Rh (
low test current), and both voltages are stored. The output function for BJTs
looks up the matching diode for V_BE and interpolates the two Vf measurements
based on the transistors hFE for a virtual test current. That way we get more
suitable results for different kinds of transistors, since V_BE of a small
signal BJT isn't measured with the same test current as for a power BJT.
In case of a BJT with a base emitter resistor the tester displays that
resistor. Be aware that the B-E resistor has an impact on V_BE and hFE. If the
BJT also has a freewheeling diode the BJT might be detected as BJT or two
diodes based on the value of the base emitter resistor (low value resistor -> 2
diodes). In the latter case the tester shows the two diodes and the resistor
while hinting at a possible NPN or PNP BJT. Unfortunately a low value base
emitter resistor prevents the correct detection of the BJT.
Another special case is a BJT with an integrated freewheeling diode on the same
subtrate as the BJT. That integrated diode junction creates a parasitic
transistor. A NPN BJT will have a parasitic PNP and vice versa. If such a BJT
is found the tester shows a '+' behind the BJT type.
For a Schottky transistor (Schottky-clamped BJT) the clamping diode between
base and collector and it's V_f are displayed if the detection is enabled (
SW_SCHOTTKY_BJT). Note that a Schottky transistor has an increased I_CEO.
TRIACs
TRIACs can be used in three or four different operation modes, also known as
quadrants. Usually some parameters will differ for each quadrant, like the
gate trigger current (I_GT). In some cases it's possible that the tester's
test current is sufficient to trigger the gate in one quadrant but not in
another one. Since two test runs are needed to figure out the pins for MT1 and
MT2 the tester won't be able to distinguish between them in those cases, i.e.
the pins could be swapped.
You might also have TRIACs which can be triggered by the tester but have a too
high holding current (I_H) preventing their correct detection. If a TRIAC's
gate trigger current is too high the tester will detect just a resistor
typically.
CLDs
The diode check identifies a CLD (Current Limiting Diode) as a standard diode
and displays I_F as the leakage current. Note that anode and cathode of a CLD
are reversed vs. a standard diode. A dedicated check for a CLD is hard to
implement, since the leakage current of a Germanium or high-current Schottky
diode is in the range of I_F (>= 33µA).
If a diode has an unusual forward voltage, a quite low V_f for the low current
check (2nd value in braces) and no capacitance could be measured then it's
most likely a CLD.
* Unsupported Components
Any semiconductor which requires a high current or high voltage to trigger
conduction can't be detected, since the tester only provides about 7mA current
and 5V voltage at maximum. So components like a DIAC with a V_BO of 20-200V
can't be checked. Same for SCRs and TRIACs with a high trigger current.
* Workarounds for some Testers
If your tester has one of the following issues you can try to enable a
workaround:
- hFE way too high.
Problem:
Using the common collector circuit with Rl as base resistor the base voltage
is memasured too low for some unknown reason. So the base current appears
to be lower also, and causes a too high hFE value.
Affected testers:
Hiland M644
Workaround:
Enable NO_HFE_C_RL in config.h!
* Known Issues
- A storage cap (like Panasonic NF series) is detected as a diode or two
anti-parallel diodes. The capacitance measurement isn't able to determine
an acceptable value either.
- When using a SMPS or DC-DC converter as power supply the tester will
sometimes detect a capacitor around 50µF even if no component is connected.
- The ESR of a cap with a low capacitance may vary with the MCU clock.
- Proplem with measuring the ESR of low-ESR solid electrolytic caps.
* Support
There are two forum threads for user support:
- https://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/248078
The forum's main language is German, but English is also fine.
- https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/$20-lcr-esr-transistor-checker-project/
English only.
* Change Log
Please see the CHANGES file!
* Remote Commands
When the tester accepts remote commands it will respond with following
text strings besides command specific answers containing data:
ERR
- unknown command
- command unsupported in component specific context
- buffer overflow
OK
- command executed
(some commands may need some time for processing)
N/A
- information/value not available
Responses with data will never start with any of the standard text strings
above to prevent any possible confusion.
Basic Commands:
VER
- returns firmware version
- to verify connectivity and to determine command set based on version
- example response: "1.33m"
OFF
- powers off tester
- tester responds with an "OK" before powering off
- example response: "OK" <tester powers off>
Probing Commands:
PROBE
- probes component and skips any pauses waiting for user feedback
- tester responds with an "OK" after probing is finished
- example response: <some time elapses for probing> "OK"
COMP
- returns component type ID
- see COMP_* in common.h for IDs
- example response for BJT: "30"
MSG
- returns error message
- applies only when an error has occured (COMP: 1)
- response may vary with the language of the user interface
- example response: "Battery? 1:1500mV"
QTY
- returns component quantity
- example response for BJT: "1"
NEXT
- selects second component
- applies if two components are found (QTY: 2)
- example response: "OK"
TYPE
- returns more specific type of component
- applies to BJT, FET and IGBT
- types available:
- NPN NPN (BJT)
- PNP PNP (BJT)
- JFET JFET (FET)
- MOSFET MOSFET (FET)
- N-ch n-channel (FET, IGBT)
- P-ch p-channel (FET, IGBT)
- enh. enhancement mode (FET, IGBT)
- dep. depletion mode (FET, IGBT)
- example response for BJT: "NPN"
- example response for FET (MOSFET): "MOSFET n-ch enh."
HINT
- returns hints on special features of a component
- applies to diode, BJT, FET and IGBT
- hints available:
- NPN possibly a NPN BJT (diode)
- PNP possibly a PNP BJT (diode)
- R_BE base-emitter resistor (diode, BJT)
- BJT+ integrated flyback diode on same substrate
creating a parasitic second BJT (BJT)
- D_FB body/flyback diode (BJT, FET, IGBT)
- D_CLAMP Schottky-clamped BJT (BJT)
requires Schottky transistor detection to be enabled
- SYM symmetrical drain and source (FET)
- example response for BJT: "D_FB R_BE"
- example response for FET (MOSFET): "D_FB"
MHINT
- returns hints on measurements
- applies to BJT
- hints avaiable:
- h_FE_e h_FE measurement performed with common emitter circuit (BJT)
- h_FE_c h_FE measurement performed with common collector circuit (BJT)
- example response for BJT: "h_FE_e"
PIN
- returns pinout of component
- identifiers used:
- resistor x = connected, - = not connected
- capacitor x = connected, - = not connected
- diode A = anode, C = cathode, - = not connected
- BJT B = base, C = collector, E = emitter
- FET G = gate, S = source, D = drain, x = drain/source
- IGBT G = gate, C = collector, E = emitter
- SCR G = gate, A = anode, C = cathode
- TRIAC G = gate, 2 = MT2, 1 = MT1
- PUT G = gate, A = anode, C = cathode
- UJT E = emitter, 2 = B2, 1 = B1
- format of response:
<probe #1 identifier><probe #2 identifier><probe #3 identifier>
- example response for resistor: "xx-"
- example response for diode: "C-A"
- example response for BJT: "EBC"
R
- returns resistance value
- applies to resistor (includes inductor)
- example response: "122R"
C
- returns capacitance value
- applies to capacitor
- example responses: "98nF" "462uF"
L
- returns inductance value
- applies to resistor (includes inductor)
- example response: "115uH"
ESR
- returns ESR value (Equivalent Series Resistance)
- requires ESR measurement to be enabled
- applies to capacitor
- example response: "0.21R"
I_l
- returns I_leak value (self-discharge equivalent leakage current)
- applies to capacitor
- example response: "3.25uA"
V_F
- returns V_F value (forward voltage)
- applies to diode and PUT
- also applies to body diode of MOSFET and flyback diode of BJT or IGBT
- example response: "654mV"
V_F2
- returns V_F value of low current measurement (forward voltage)
- applies to diode
- example response: "387mV"
C_D
- returns C_D value (diode capacitance)
- applies to diode
- example response: "8pF"
I_R
- returns I_R value (reverse current)
- applies to diode
- example response: "4.89uA"
R_BE
- returns R_BE value (base-emitter resistor)
- applies to diode and BJT
- example responses: "38.2R" "5171R"
h_FE
- returns h_FE value (DC current gain)
- applies to BJT
- example response: "234"
h_FE_r
- returns reverse h_FE value (collector and emitter reversed)
- applies to BJT
- example response: "23"
I_C
- returns I_C test current for hFE measurement
- requires output of test current for hFE measurement to be enabled
- for hFE measurement with common emitter circuit
- applies to BJT
- example response: "3245uA"
I_E
- returns I_E test current for hFE measurement
- requires output of test current for hFE measurement to be enabled
- for hFE measurement with common collector circuit
- applies to BJT
- example response: "3245uA"
V_BE
- returns V_BE value (base-emitter voltage)
- applies to BJT
- example response: "657mV"
I_CEO
- returns I_CEO value (collector-emitter current, open base)
- applies to BJT
- example response: "460.0uA"
V_th
- returns V_th value (threshold voltage)
- applies to FET (MOSFET) and IGBT
- example response: "2959mV"
C_GS
- returns C_GS value (gate-source capacitance)
- applies to FET (MOSFET)
- example response: "3200pF"
R_DS
- returns R_DS_on value (drain-source on-resistance)
- applies to FET (MOSFET)
- example response: "1.20R"
V_GS_off
- returns V_GS(off) value (cutoff voltage)
- applies to FET (depletion mode)
- example response: "-3072mV"
I_DSS
- returns I_DSS value (drain-source current, zero bias / shorted gate)
- applies to FET (depletion mode)
- example response: "6430µA"
C_GE
- returns C_GE value (gate-emitter capacitance)
- applies to IGBT
- example response: "724pF"
V_GT
- returns V_GT value (gate trigger voltage)
- applies to SCR and TRIAC
- example response: "865mV"
V_T
- returns V_T value (offset voltage)
- applies to PUT
- example response: "699mV"
R_BB
- returns R_BB value (interbase resistance)
- requires UJT detection to be enabled
- applies to UJT
- example response: "4758R"
V_Z
- returns V_Z value (Zener or external voltage)
- requires Zener check during normal probing to be enabled
- applies to Zener diode or external voltage (hardware option)
- example response: "6750mV"
* Helpful Links
- German forum
https://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/248078
- English forum
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/$20-lcr-esr-transistor-checker-project/
- Russian forum
https://vrtp.ru/index.php?showtopic=16451
- Info on various clones, like images, schematics and firmwares
(by indman@EEVblog)
https://yadi.sk/d/yW8xa5NJgUo5z
- Instruction guide and files for WinAVR (by indman@EEVblog)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-IJA8uTcsCA_6SYHEuMydjfS2vNgmwdH/view?usp=sharing
- Current k-firmware
https://github.com/kubi48/TransistorTester-source
- Current documentation for k-firmware
https://github.com/kubi48/TransistorTester-documentation
* References
[1] AVR-Transistortester, Markus Frejek,
Embedded Projects Journal, 2011-11
[2] http://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/131804
thread of Markus Frejek, Forum, 2009
[3] http://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/AVR-Transistortester
Online documentation of the Transistortester, Online Article, 2009-2011
[4] http://www.mikrocontroller.net/articles/AVR_Transistortester
Short description of the TransistorTester, Karl-Heinz Kübbeler,
Online Article, 2012
------------------------------------ EOF -------------------------------------
About
This mirrors the development of the SW from Markus for the ComponentTester (https://github.com/Mikrocontroller-net/transistortester/tree/master/Software/Markus and https://github.com/madires/Transistortester-Warehouse)
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