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MLC-500 LC Meter
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Lee,
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Sorry, no first hand experience here. However, that does look like a reasonably well made device. A google search does not turn up much; there are two videos on youtube but not in english and everything else returned by google were just sellers and advertising. If it were me, I would spend a bit more and get the DER DE-5000 (search on eBay and I think you may find some Amazon sellers as well).? There are lots of postings and reviews on the eevblog forum and on various other online forums. General consensus is that it is good value for the money. I am biased however, I have my trusty ole AADE as well as the DE-5000, the DE-5000 does everything the AADE and quite a bit more. cheers, Graham ve3gtc On 2017-11-11 20:16, Leland L. Bahr wrote:
Has anyone on here have an opinion on the MLC-500 LC meter sold on Ebay? |
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Well, I just ordered a MLC 500 and we will see how good or bad it is.? I do own an AADE meter.? It has been a real work horse.? I also have a LC-200.
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Lee, w0vt On 11/11/2017 2:16 PM, Leland L. Bahr wrote:
Has anyone on here have an opinion on the MLC-500 LC meter sold on Ebay? |
开云体育The key to any of these, as has been said before, is calibration using reference standard inductors and capacitors in the range over which you will use the meter.?Dr.?William J. Schmidt - K9HZ J68HZ 8P6HK ZF2HZ PJ4/K9HZ VP5/K9HZ PJ2/K9HZ ? Owner - Operator Big Signal Ranch – K9ZC Staunton, Illinois ? Owner – Operator Villa Grand Piton - J68HZ Soufriere, St. Lucia W.I. Rent it: email:??bill@... ? On Nov 11, 2017, at 10:42 AM, N8DAH <Dherron@...> wrote:
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There was a review on eevblog about this awhile back. To be honest, if you intend on being in the ham radio hobby for quite some time, just get an instrument grade meter.A DER DE-5000 will be very pleasing - for about $120 or so.? The tweezer probes for measuring SMDs are a joy. Because the meter will sample at 100 kHz, you'll get some nice measurements of Q and D as well as L for balun winding.The only thing better than an a DE-5000 is going to be an outrageously expensive Agilent or Keithley. You dont even want to know how well those things hold their value... You'll find 25 year old LCR instruments well over a thousand dollars. Consider the DE-5000 to be a gift from Asia! Cheers! On Sat, Nov 11, 2017 at 5:56 PM, J68HZ <bill@...> wrote:
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if the family members of? (AADE) Neil? Heckt could find the hex file, ? they could well manage to sell the master chip pre-programmed with code lock. It would really fetch them as perhaps many people would like? to buy original program , if not in kit form. ?We lost an eminent designer and still the wound appears? recent.regards Sarma ? On Sun, Nov 12, 2017 at 3:33 PM, <mike@...> wrote: Hi lee |
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Amazon also sells a MLC-500 meter and this LCR meter that has decent reviews. I don't have one so I can't comment on it's performance.
I've been using this one which appears to work well, but have no standard to comment on accuracy. It's also handy to check to see if you blew the final power transistor (again). |
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Bought one via AliExpress.? It arrived with a scratched display... possibly used/returned/refurbished??? don't know, and don't care ... it seems to work OK and being somewhat pragmatic I'm not going to go to the expense of returning the unit just for the sake of a few scratches, simply left a poor feedback rating as a warning to others and will not deal with that seller again.? It is the first time I have been mildly displeased with a purchase from Asia out of perhaps a hundred purchases over the years, about the same ratio as with local purchases.
However it measured low value capacitors (3pF and 39pF) consistently and within their tolerance (10%),? and low value inductors (various numbers of turns wound on a T68-2 powdered iron core) were within 10% according to theoretical inductance calculated using an on-line calculator... a fair result considering that the material in the cores is not consistent anyway and the unknown effect of stray capacitance between the turns.? From an operational point of view I am satisfied with it as a ball-park measurement device for relatively low values of L and C ... better than a multimeter with capacitance function that I was using previously which would not give a believable reading on such low values. There is also a DM4070 LC meter on the way (which is suspect is a variation of the same system inside a different case???), and will report on that when it arrives. 73, Bob? ZL1RS |
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David Latchum
Big boys toys Bob! Love it! Looking forward to your next review!! Cheers!On Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 3:41 PM, Bob Sutton via Groups.Io <zl1rs@...> wrote: Bought one via AliExpress.? It arrived with a scratched display... possibly used/returned/refurbished??? don't know, and don't care ... it seems to work OK and being somewhat pragmatic I'm not going to go to the expense of returning the unit just for the sake of a few scratches, simply left a poor feedback rating as a warning to others and will not deal with that seller again.? It is the first time I have been mildly displeased with a purchase from Asia out of perhaps a hundred purchases over the years, about the same ratio as with local purchases. |
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Karl Schwab
Thanks Bob; I am looking for a LC meter your post about this item is a good tip!? Keep us posted on your next LC meter (review).? 73, de Karl, KO8S On Friday, November 17, 2017 3:54 PM, David Latchum <w1vr73@...> wrote: Big boys toys Bob! Love it! Looking forward to your next review!! Cheers!On Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 3:41 PM, Bob Sutton via Groups.Io <zl1rs@...> wrote: Bought one via AliExpress.? It arrived with a scratched display... possibly used/returned/refurbished??? don't know, and don't care ... it seems to work OK and being somewhat pragmatic I'm not going to go to the expense of returning the unit just for the sake of a few scratches, simply left a poor feedback rating as a warning to others and will not deal with that seller again.? It is the first time I have been mildly displeased with a purchase from Asia out of perhaps a hundred purchases over the years, about the same ratio as with local purchases. |
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w7aqk
开云体育Bob, ? Check closely and make sure that “scratched display” isn’t really a sheet of protective film over the display!? Mine came that way, and I had exactly the same initial reaction you did. ?Peeling the film away uncovered a clean display that looks fine. ? Dave W7AQK ? ? ? From: David Latchum
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2017 1:54 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [QRPLabs] MLC-500 LC Meter ? Big boys toys Bob! Love it! Looking forward to your next review!! Cheers! Dave W1VR ? On Fri, Nov 17, 2017 at 3:41 PM, Bob Sutton via Groups.Io <zl1rs@...> wrote:
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开云体育Thanks Dave.? Yes, the protective film was partly the 'scratched' display ... but there is still some glue-like residue on the underside of the plastic screen between it and the LCD or TFT screen itself which someone had tried to wipe off and left small scratches, a partially torn sticker over one of the sockets, and some scuffs on the case which still makes me think it is not 'brand new'.? In the end, it works so I am not worried.73, Bob? ZL1RS On 18/11/2017 11:38 AM, w7aqk wrote:
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Bob, you may not have to send it back to get at least a partial refund. You may want to check the AliExpress listing (right now I?can only find one listing for the MLC-500, and it says "Full or?Partial Refund?, if the item is not as described" under "Buyer Protection". A scratched display would definitely fall under "not as described" for a device that is listed as new. Good luck.?
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Bob, With respect 10% is not really good enough for a review. At the price I see I would hope someone could confirm that they are never far from the quoted best of 1%. Can you find some closer tolerance components to test with? I checked my home built version of VK3BHR's AADE inspired meter yesterday. I tested with 1% and 2% capacitors. Up to 5000pF it was reading 1% high, getting worse until at 100n it was showing readings 7% high. Inductors, 1uH, 5uH and 15uH checked with a dip oscillator and 1% capacitor showed within 1%. I would guess that the MLC-500 LC Meter is an AADE copy and should be similar. I will be getting one of the cheaper barebone LC100s and will test that similarly. I'm sure someone will think 1 and 2% capacitors from the junk box are not really good enough:-) 73 Alan G4ZFQ |
开云体育It is not a review Alan, just some comments.? My goal in looking at these LC meters (and perhaps others this topic?) was to get a meter that gives reasonable readings at low-ish values of C and L as compared to other LC meter offerings whose resolution is more coarse making it difficult to measure small values of L and C reliably (for example, the components in QRP-Labs LPFs).? To my way of thinking, getting 1% accuracy from a $40 - $50 meter is a bit optimistic, no mater what is claimed.?However, to go a little better than 10%, I had a scratch around in my components and the best found were some SMD capacitors marked as +-5% ... I checked 10pF, 120pF, 560pF and 0.01uF items off the reels and all measured within their 5% tolerance (most were slightly on the high side of their nominal value).? Also 100nF at 10% tolerance measured within that range (slightly on the low side of 100nF). Curiosity got the better, and the meter's case was opened up.? The 'glue' contamination on the inside of the screen turned out to be some dried up muck that was water soluble, so it cleaned off fairly easily.? For info, the PCB is marked "M4070M LC Meter v1.43" and for interest there is a photo of the component side at 73, Bob? ZL1RS |
To my way of thinking, getting 1% accuracy from a $40 - $50 meter is a bit optimistic, no mater what is claimed.Bob, I agree, but how close is it? My meter is not complicated but is maybe 2% at low values. I'm thinking the Mk2 version which has software trimming might get closer if I had a suitable standard. At 10% a LPF might still need trimming, at 2% it should not. I see it at over ?35 UKP without SMD adaptor cheapest on Ebay. Curiosity got the better, and the meter's case was opened up.Thanks, interesting 4 relays, wonder what they do. 73 Alan G4ZFQ |
开云体育On 19/11/2017 6:13 AM, Alan G4ZFQ wrote:>>Thanks, interesting 4 relays, wonder what they do. Listening to the relay clicks and when they happen along with the information on the display at the time,? it seems for the zeroing (internal calibration) and auto ranging functions of the MLC500. 73, Bob? ZL1RS |
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Bob Benedict, KD8CGH