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LC Meter


 

Greetings,

I recently built an LC Meter, designed by a fellow called coreWeaver,
which he based on Neil Heckt's AADE LC Meter.

coreWeaver made the hardware Open Source.
His software is also Open Source, but is written in BASCOM BASIC, and
uses the AVR BASCOM compiler.

The LC Meter uses an Atmel ATmega328P-PU microcontroller, the one used
by the Arduino UNO.
However, instead of the crystal being 16 MHz, as is the MCU in the
UNO, coreWeaver uses an 8 MHz crystal.
Some of the components he uses were rather hard-to-find here in the USA.

More information about the coreWeaver LC Meter can be found here:
Hackaday article:

Hackaday project:

GitHub repository:

4-part video tutorial at YouTube:


When I decided to try and build coreWeaver's LC Meter, I ordered the
PCBs from OSH Park:


They sent some very nice PCBs to me, and I sent one to Bruce W8BH.
Bruce built his and wrote a very nice document about his build:


However, the coolest thing that Bruce did was to write Arduino IDE
compatible code for the ATmega328P-PU.


I was able to compile and upload Bruce's LC Meter code to my LC Meter
and it works GREAT!

Neil Heckt, the designer of the AADE LC Meter passed away on August 19th, 2015.
The AADE LC Meter has been discontinued and is no longer available.

I think that the coreWeaver LC Meter with Bruce's LC Meter Arduino
sketch is a good replacement for the AADE LC Meter.
If you build your own radios, or any other electronics that require
hand-wound toroids, then you need a good LC Meter.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


 

开云体育

Ken,

how do you like that LC meter?? I ordered a few boards from JLCPCB that I hope will be here tomorrow.? What did you use for a case/enclosure?

How does it do with low value L and or C?? I have several of the Chinese GM328's and none of them measure below about 30uh or 30pf and if they do the value is wrong.? I know VK3BHR had a variation of the GM328 that reads low values.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/2/2022 8:20 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:

Greetings,

I recently built an LC Meter, designed by a fellow called coreWeaver,
which he based on Neil Heckt's AADE LC Meter.

coreWeaver made the hardware Open Source.
His software is also Open Source, but is written in BASCOM BASIC, and
uses the AVR BASCOM compiler.

The LC Meter uses an Atmel ATmega328P-PU microcontroller, the one used
by the Arduino UNO.
However, instead of the crystal being 16 MHz, as is the MCU in the
UNO, coreWeaver uses an 8 MHz crystal.
Some of the components he uses were rather hard-to-find here in the USA.

More information about the coreWeaver LC Meter can be found here:
Hackaday article:

Hackaday project:

GitHub repository:

4-part video tutorial at YouTube:


When I decided to try and build coreWeaver's LC Meter, I ordered the
PCBs from OSH Park:


They sent some very nice PCBs to me, and I sent one to Bruce W8BH.
Bruce built his and wrote a very nice document about his build:


However, the coolest thing that Bruce did was to write Arduino IDE
compatible code for the ATmega328P-PU.


I was able to compile and upload Bruce's LC Meter code to my LC Meter
and it works GREAT!

Neil Heckt, the designer of the AADE LC Meter passed away on August 19th, 2015.
The AADE LC Meter has been discontinued and is no longer available.

I think that the coreWeaver LC Meter with Bruce's LC Meter Arduino
sketch is a good replacement for the AADE LC Meter.
If you build your own radios, or any other electronics that require
hand-wound toroids, then you need a good LC Meter.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor







 

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I like my new LC Meter very much.
My LC Meter has stand-offs, but no enclosure.
I do not have access to a 3D printer.
I keep it in a small cardboard box when it is not in use.

lc-meter.png
The smallest capacitor I have is marked 2.2pF.
It measures that at 2.173 pF
The smallest inductor I have is marked 1 uH.
It measure that at 809.6 nH (0.8096 uH)

I am not familiar with the GM.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Thu, Feb 3, 2022 at 3:11 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,

how do you like that LC meter?? I ordered a few boards from JLCPCB that I hope will be here tomorrow.? What did you use for a case/enclosure?

How does it do with low value L and or C?? I have several of the Chinese GM328's and none of them measure below about 30uh or 30pf and if they do the value is wrong.? I know VK3BHR had a variation of the GM328 that reads low values.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/2/2022 8:20 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Greetings,

I recently built an LC Meter, designed by a fellow called coreWeaver,
which he based on Neil Heckt's AADE LC Meter.

coreWeaver made the hardware Open Source.
His software is also Open Source, but is written in BASCOM BASIC, and
uses the AVR BASCOM compiler.

The LC Meter uses an Atmel ATmega328P-PU microcontroller, the one used
by the Arduino UNO.
However, instead of the crystal being 16 MHz, as is the MCU in the
UNO, coreWeaver uses an 8 MHz crystal.
Some of the components he uses were rather hard-to-find here in the USA.

More information about the coreWeaver LC Meter can be found here:
Hackaday article:

Hackaday project:

GitHub repository:

4-part video tutorial at YouTube:


When I decided to try and build coreWeaver's LC Meter, I ordered the
PCBs from OSH Park:


They sent some very nice PCBs to me, and I sent one to Bruce W8BH.
Bruce built his and wrote a very nice document about his build:


However, the coolest thing that Bruce did was to write Arduino IDE
compatible code for the ATmega328P-PU.


I was able to compile and upload Bruce's LC Meter code to my LC Meter
and it works GREAT!

Neil Heckt, the designer of the AADE LC Meter passed away on August 19th, 2015.
The AADE LC Meter has been discontinued and is no longer available.

I think that the coreWeaver LC Meter with Bruce's LC Meter Arduino
sketch is a good replacement for the AADE LC Meter.
If you build your own radios, or any other electronics that require
hand-wound toroids, then you need a good LC Meter.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor







 

开云体育

Hello Ken.

I suspect that you are familiar with the GM328 testers I mention but may not have ever heard them called by that name.? Here is one of which there are a gazillion on ebay and Amazon and AliExpress and Banggood and...!




They do transistors as well ad resistors, capacitors, and inductors





the above are only samples of the many links and pages but these testers are the $15 or so general purpose testers sometimes with cases and sometimes not. They use an AVR chip (ATMega328P or ATMega32U)

My JLCPCB boards still have not arrived although tracking said 2 days ago that it was "tendered for delivery" but no clue what that really means or who the carrier is.

I would be very interested in seeing your 3D enclosure.? Hopefully it is not like the GM328 plexiglass enclosure I have that is not big enough to also include the 9v battery in the case.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/3/2022 5:18 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I like my new LC Meter very much.
My LC Meter has stand-offs, but no enclosure.
I do not have access to a 3D printer.
I keep it in a small cardboard box when it is not in use.

lc-meter.png
The smallest capacitor I have is marked 2.2pF.
It measures that at 2.173 pF
The smallest inductor I have is marked 1 uH.
It measure that at 809.6 nH (0.8096 uH)

I am not familiar with the GM.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Thu, Feb 3, 2022 at 3:11 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,

how do you like that LC meter?? I ordered a few boards from JLCPCB that I hope will be here tomorrow.? What did you use for a case/enclosure?

How does it do with low value L and or C?? I have several of the Chinese GM328's and none of them measure below about 30uh or 30pf and if they do the value is wrong.? I know VK3BHR had a variation of the GM328 that reads low values.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/2/2022 8:20 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Greetings,

I recently built an LC Meter, designed by a fellow called coreWeaver,
which he based on Neil Heckt's AADE LC Meter.

coreWeaver made the hardware Open Source.
His software is also Open Source, but is written in BASCOM BASIC, and
uses the AVR BASCOM compiler.

The LC Meter uses an Atmel ATmega328P-PU microcontroller, the one used
by the Arduino UNO.
However, instead of the crystal being 16 MHz, as is the MCU in the
UNO, coreWeaver uses an 8 MHz crystal.
Some of the components he uses were rather hard-to-find here in the USA.

More information about the coreWeaver LC Meter can be found here:
Hackaday article:

Hackaday project:

GitHub repository:

4-part video tutorial at YouTube:


When I decided to try and build coreWeaver's LC Meter, I ordered the
PCBs from OSH Park:


They sent some very nice PCBs to me, and I sent one to Bruce W8BH.
Bruce built his and wrote a very nice document about his build:


However, the coolest thing that Bruce did was to write Arduino IDE
compatible code for the ATmega328P-PU.


I was able to compile and upload Bruce's LC Meter code to my LC Meter
and it works GREAT!

Neil Heckt, the designer of the AADE LC Meter passed away on August 19th, 2015.
The AADE LC Meter has been discontinued and is no longer available.

I think that the coreWeaver LC Meter with Bruce's LC Meter Arduino
sketch is a good replacement for the AADE LC Meter.
If you build your own radios, or any other electronics that require
hand-wound toroids, then you need a good LC Meter.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor








 

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

Thank you for the information about the GM328.

I do not have a 3D enclosure for my coreWeaver LC Meter.
My LC Meter has standoffs, and I keep it in a cardboard box when not in use.

Here is a snapshot of my coreWeaver LC Meter set up with a fixture for testing capacitors:

snapshot.png
This is a closeup of the fixture:

fixture-cu.png
I keep the meter in a cardboard box when not in use so that stray clippings won't get on the PCB and short something out.
I now use a AA six-pack battery to power the meter. The 9V battery I started with, died.

Bruce's code does a warmup first, then it gives a few seconds to remove the DUT.
After that, it does a calibration. Once calibrated, it displays DONE.
Once the calibration is done, I place the DUT in the clips/fixture and press the right hand button for caps.
It analyses the DUT and gives a reading which displays DONE when finished.
Bruce wrote a nice PDF about the challenges he had to deal with when writing the code for the coreWeaver LC Meter hardware.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Fri, Feb 4, 2022 at 8:10 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Hello Ken.

I suspect that you are familiar with the GM328 testers I mention but may not have ever heard them called by that name.? Here is one of which there are a gazillion on ebay and Amazon and AliExpress and Banggood and...!




They do transistors as well ad resistors, capacitors, and inductors





the above are only samples of the many links and pages but these testers are the $15 or so general purpose testers sometimes with cases and sometimes not. They use an AVR chip (ATMega328P or ATMega32U)

My JLCPCB boards still have not arrived although tracking said 2 days ago that it was "tendered for delivery" but no clue what that really means or who the carrier is.

I would be very interested in seeing your 3D enclosure.? Hopefully it is not like the GM328 plexiglass enclosure I have that is not big enough to also include the 9v battery in the case.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/3/2022 5:18 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I like my new LC Meter very much.
My LC Meter has stand-offs, but no enclosure.
I do not have access to a 3D printer.
I keep it in a small cardboard box when it is not in use.


The smallest capacitor I have is marked 2.2pF.
It measures that at 2.173 pF
The smallest inductor I have is marked 1 uH.
It measure that at 809.6 nH (0.8096 uH)

I am not familiar with the GM.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Thu, Feb 3, 2022 at 3:11 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,

how do you like that LC meter?? I ordered a few boards from JLCPCB that I hope will be here tomorrow.? What did you use for a case/enclosure?

How does it do with low value L and or C?? I have several of the Chinese GM328's and none of them measure below about 30uh or 30pf and if they do the value is wrong.? I know VK3BHR had a variation of the GM328 that reads low values.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/2/2022 8:20 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Greetings,

I recently built an LC Meter, designed by a fellow called coreWeaver,
which he based on Neil Heckt's AADE LC Meter.

coreWeaver made the hardware Open Source.
His software is also Open Source, but is written in BASCOM BASIC, and
uses the AVR BASCOM compiler.

The LC Meter uses an Atmel ATmega328P-PU microcontroller, the one used
by the Arduino UNO.
However, instead of the crystal being 16 MHz, as is the MCU in the
UNO, coreWeaver uses an 8 MHz crystal.
Some of the components he uses were rather hard-to-find here in the USA.

More information about the coreWeaver LC Meter can be found here:
Hackaday article:

Hackaday project:

GitHub repository:

4-part video tutorial at YouTube:


When I decided to try and build coreWeaver's LC Meter, I ordered the
PCBs from OSH Park:


They sent some very nice PCBs to me, and I sent one to Bruce W8BH.
Bruce built his and wrote a very nice document about his build:


However, the coolest thing that Bruce did was to write Arduino IDE
compatible code for the ATmega328P-PU.


I was able to compile and upload Bruce's LC Meter code to my LC Meter
and it works GREAT!

Neil Heckt, the designer of the AADE LC Meter passed away on August 19th, 2015.
The AADE LC Meter has been discontinued and is no longer available.

I think that the coreWeaver LC Meter with Bruce's LC Meter Arduino
sketch is a good replacement for the AADE LC Meter.
If you build your own radios, or any other electronics that require
hand-wound toroids, then you need a good LC Meter.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor








 

开云体育

Ken,? can you tell me where the schematic for the LC meter is located?? I received the pc boards today from JLCPCB but I can not find either the schematic or a parts list.? Yes I see the bill of materials but that does not tell you which resistors have which value and the bill of materials only list 3 resistors but the board is silkscreened for 24 resistors as well as 8 capacitors of which only 2 are shown on the bill of materials.? These boards say V1.1 of the LCM and I got the gerbers off of the coreweaver github page at
but I see no schematic or parts list and the PDF on Bruce's page at


has the bill of materials but no schematic or parts list.

and his github page at



only has the INO for the AVR (as would be expected)

What am I missing?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/4/2022 6:42 PM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

Thank you for the information about the GM328.

I do not have a 3D enclosure for my coreWeaver LC Meter.
My LC Meter has standoffs, and I keep it in a cardboard box when not in use.

Here is a snapshot of my coreWeaver LC Meter set up with a fixture for testing capacitors:

snapshot.png
This is a closeup of the fixture:

fixture-cu.png
I keep the meter in a cardboard box when not in use so that stray clippings won't get on the PCB and short something out.
I now use a AA six-pack battery to power the meter. The 9V battery I started with, died.

Bruce's code does a warmup first, then it gives a few seconds to remove the DUT.
After that, it does a calibration. Once calibrated, it displays DONE.
Once the calibration is done, I place the DUT in the clips/fixture and press the right hand button for caps.
It analyses the DUT and gives a reading which displays DONE when finished.
Bruce wrote a nice PDF about the challenges he had to deal with when writing the code for the coreWeaver LC Meter hardware.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Fri, Feb 4, 2022 at 8:10 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Hello Ken.

I suspect that you are familiar with the GM328 testers I mention but may not have ever heard them called by that name.? Here is one of which there are a gazillion on ebay and Amazon and AliExpress and Banggood and...!




They do transistors as well ad resistors, capacitors, and inductors





the above are only samples of the many links and pages but these testers are the $15 or so general purpose testers sometimes with cases and sometimes not. They use an AVR chip (ATMega328P or ATMega32U)

My JLCPCB boards still have not arrived although tracking said 2 days ago that it was "tendered for delivery" but no clue what that really means or who the carrier is.

I would be very interested in seeing your 3D enclosure.? Hopefully it is not like the GM328 plexiglass enclosure I have that is not big enough to also include the 9v battery in the case.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/3/2022 5:18 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I like my new LC Meter very much.
My LC Meter has stand-offs, but no enclosure.
I do not have access to a 3D printer.
I keep it in a small cardboard box when it is not in use.


The smallest capacitor I have is marked 2.2pF.
It measures that at 2.173 pF
The smallest inductor I have is marked 1 uH.
It measure that at 809.6 nH (0.8096 uH)

I am not familiar with the GM.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Thu, Feb 3, 2022 at 3:11 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,

how do you like that LC meter?? I ordered a few boards from JLCPCB that I hope will be here tomorrow.? What did you use for a case/enclosure?

How does it do with low value L and or C?? I have several of the Chinese GM328's and none of them measure below about 30uh or 30pf and if they do the value is wrong.? I know VK3BHR had a variation of the GM328 that reads low values.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/2/2022 8:20 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Greetings,

I recently built an LC Meter, designed by a fellow called coreWeaver,
which he based on Neil Heckt's AADE LC Meter.

coreWeaver made the hardware Open Source.
His software is also Open Source, but is written in BASCOM BASIC, and
uses the AVR BASCOM compiler.

The LC Meter uses an Atmel ATmega328P-PU microcontroller, the one used
by the Arduino UNO.
However, instead of the crystal being 16 MHz, as is the MCU in the
UNO, coreWeaver uses an 8 MHz crystal.
Some of the components he uses were rather hard-to-find here in the USA.

More information about the coreWeaver LC Meter can be found here:
Hackaday article:

Hackaday project:

GitHub repository:

4-part video tutorial at YouTube:


When I decided to try and build coreWeaver's LC Meter, I ordered the
PCBs from OSH Park:


They sent some very nice PCBs to me, and I sent one to Bruce W8BH.
Bruce built his and wrote a very nice document about his build:


However, the coolest thing that Bruce did was to write Arduino IDE
compatible code for the ATmega328P-PU.


I was able to compile and upload Bruce's LC Meter code to my LC Meter
and it works GREAT!

Neil Heckt, the designer of the AADE LC Meter passed away on August 19th, 2015.
The AADE LC Meter has been discontinued and is no longer available.

I think that the coreWeaver LC Meter with Bruce's LC Meter Arduino
sketch is a good replacement for the AADE LC Meter.
If you build your own radios, or any other electronics that require
hand-wound toroids, then you need a good LC Meter.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor









 

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

My PCB also says "LCM v1.1".

Here is the schematic for the coreWeaver LC Meter:


Click on "Download: right above the schematic on the right side to save it to your PC.

Here is the PCB layout and BOM/parts list:


Click on "Download: right above the layout on the right side to save it to your PC.

The BOM headings are: QTY VALUE PACKAGE PARTS
For example:
QTY VALUE PACKAGE ? ? ?PARTS
8 ? 2k2 ? R-US_0204/7 ?R5, R6, R8, R9, R11, R12, R15, R22

There are eight 2.2K Ohm resistors in a R-US_0204/7 package, labeled R5, R6, .... R22.

They are located (highlighted in red) at:

2k2ohm.png
The above image is from my build notes.
The parts that are grayed-out had already been soldered to the PCB.
I added parts as I found them, or as they came in from a distributor.

Hopefully helpful?

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Tue, Feb 8, 2022 at 7:23 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,? can you tell me where the schematic for the LC meter is located?? I received the pc boards today from JLCPCB but I can not find either the schematic or a parts list.? Yes I see the bill of materials but that does not tell you which resistors have which value and the bill of materials only list 3 resistors but the board is silkscreened for 24 resistors as well as 8 capacitors of which only 2 are shown on the bill of materials.? These boards say V1.1 of the LCM and I got the gerbers off of the coreweaver github page at
but I see no schematic or parts list and the PDF on Bruce's page at


has the bill of materials but no schematic or parts list.

and his github page at



only has the INO for the AVR (as would be expected)

What am I missing?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/4/2022 6:42 PM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

Thank you for the information about the GM328.

I do not have a 3D enclosure for my coreWeaver LC Meter.
My LC Meter has standoffs, and I keep it in a cardboard box when not in use.

Here is a snapshot of my coreWeaver LC Meter set up with a fixture for testing capacitors:

snapshot.png
This is a closeup of the fixture:

fixture-cu.png
I keep the meter in a cardboard box when not in use so that stray clippings won't get on the PCB and short something out.
I now use a AA six-pack battery to power the meter. The 9V battery I started with, died.

Bruce's code does a warmup first, then it gives a few seconds to remove the DUT.
After that, it does a calibration. Once calibrated, it displays DONE.
Once the calibration is done, I place the DUT in the clips/fixture and press the right hand button for caps.
It analyses the DUT and gives a reading which displays DONE when finished.
Bruce wrote a nice PDF about the challenges he had to deal with when writing the code for the coreWeaver LC Meter hardware.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Fri, Feb 4, 2022 at 8:10 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Hello Ken.

I suspect that you are familiar with the GM328 testers I mention but may not have ever heard them called by that name.? Here is one of which there are a gazillion on ebay and Amazon and AliExpress and Banggood and...!




They do transistors as well ad resistors, capacitors, and inductors





the above are only samples of the many links and pages but these testers are the $15 or so general purpose testers sometimes with cases and sometimes not. They use an AVR chip (ATMega328P or ATMega32U)

My JLCPCB boards still have not arrived although tracking said 2 days ago that it was "tendered for delivery" but no clue what that really means or who the carrier is.

I would be very interested in seeing your 3D enclosure.? Hopefully it is not like the GM328 plexiglass enclosure I have that is not big enough to also include the 9v battery in the case.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/3/2022 5:18 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I like my new LC Meter very much.
My LC Meter has stand-offs, but no enclosure.
I do not have access to a 3D printer.
I keep it in a small cardboard box when it is not in use.


The smallest capacitor I have is marked 2.2pF.
It measures that at 2.173 pF
The smallest inductor I have is marked 1 uH.
It measure that at 809.6 nH (0.8096 uH)

I am not familiar with the GM.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Thu, Feb 3, 2022 at 3:11 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,

how do you like that LC meter?? I ordered a few boards from JLCPCB that I hope will be here tomorrow.? What did you use for a case/enclosure?

How does it do with low value L and or C?? I have several of the Chinese GM328's and none of them measure below about 30uh or 30pf and if they do the value is wrong.? I know VK3BHR had a variation of the GM328 that reads low values.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/2/2022 8:20 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Greetings,

I recently built an LC Meter, designed by a fellow called coreWeaver,
which he based on Neil Heckt's AADE LC Meter.

coreWeaver made the hardware Open Source.
His software is also Open Source, but is written in BASCOM BASIC, and
uses the AVR BASCOM compiler.

The LC Meter uses an Atmel ATmega328P-PU microcontroller, the one used
by the Arduino UNO.
However, instead of the crystal being 16 MHz, as is the MCU in the
UNO, coreWeaver uses an 8 MHz crystal.
Some of the components he uses were rather hard-to-find here in the USA.

More information about the coreWeaver LC Meter can be found here:
Hackaday article:

Hackaday project:

GitHub repository:

4-part video tutorial at YouTube:


When I decided to try and build coreWeaver's LC Meter, I ordered the
PCBs from OSH Park:


They sent some very nice PCBs to me, and I sent one to Bruce W8BH.
Bruce built his and wrote a very nice document about his build:


However, the coolest thing that Bruce did was to write Arduino IDE
compatible code for the ATmega328P-PU.


I was able to compile and upload Bruce's LC Meter code to my LC Meter
and it works GREAT!

Neil Heckt, the designer of the AADE LC Meter passed away on August 19th, 2015.
The AADE LC Meter has been discontinued and is no longer available.

I think that the coreWeaver LC Meter with Bruce's LC Meter Arduino
sketch is a good replacement for the AADE LC Meter.
If you build your own radios, or any other electronics that require
hand-wound toroids, then you need a good LC Meter.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor









 

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but ...? Does anyone have an extra PCB they'd be willing to sell?

73s

jim? W4BEA

On Wed, Feb 9, 2022 at 6:19 AM Ken KM4NFQ <km4nfq@...> wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

My PCB also says "LCM v1.1".

Here is the schematic for the coreWeaver LC Meter:


Click on "Download: right above the schematic on the right side to save it to your PC.

Here is the PCB layout and BOM/parts list:


Click on "Download: right above the layout on the right side to save it to your PC.

The BOM headings are: QTY VALUE PACKAGE PARTS
For example:
QTY VALUE PACKAGE ? ? ?PARTS
8 ? 2k2 ? R-US_0204/7 ?R5, R6, R8, R9, R11, R12, R15, R22

There are eight 2.2K Ohm resistors in a R-US_0204/7 package, labeled R5, R6, .... R22.

They are located (highlighted in red) at:

2k2ohm.png
The above image is from my build notes.
The parts that are grayed-out had already been soldered to the PCB.
I added parts as I found them, or as they came in from a distributor.

Hopefully helpful?

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Tue, Feb 8, 2022 at 7:23 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,? can you tell me where the schematic for the LC meter is located?? I received the pc boards today from JLCPCB but I can not find either the schematic or a parts list.? Yes I see the bill of materials but that does not tell you which resistors have which value and the bill of materials only list 3 resistors but the board is silkscreened for 24 resistors as well as 8 capacitors of which only 2 are shown on the bill of materials.? These boards say V1.1 of the LCM and I got the gerbers off of the coreweaver github page at
but I see no schematic or parts list and the PDF on Bruce's page at


has the bill of materials but no schematic or parts list.

and his github page at



only has the INO for the AVR (as would be expected)

What am I missing?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/4/2022 6:42 PM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

Thank you for the information about the GM328.

I do not have a 3D enclosure for my coreWeaver LC Meter.
My LC Meter has standoffs, and I keep it in a cardboard box when not in use.

Here is a snapshot of my coreWeaver LC Meter set up with a fixture for testing capacitors:

snapshot.png
This is a closeup of the fixture:

fixture-cu.png
I keep the meter in a cardboard box when not in use so that stray clippings won't get on the PCB and short something out.
I now use a AA six-pack battery to power the meter. The 9V battery I started with, died.

Bruce's code does a warmup first, then it gives a few seconds to remove the DUT.
After that, it does a calibration. Once calibrated, it displays DONE.
Once the calibration is done, I place the DUT in the clips/fixture and press the right hand button for caps.
It analyses the DUT and gives a reading which displays DONE when finished.
Bruce wrote a nice PDF about the challenges he had to deal with when writing the code for the coreWeaver LC Meter hardware.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Fri, Feb 4, 2022 at 8:10 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Hello Ken.

I suspect that you are familiar with the GM328 testers I mention but may not have ever heard them called by that name.? Here is one of which there are a gazillion on ebay and Amazon and AliExpress and Banggood and...!




They do transistors as well ad resistors, capacitors, and inductors





the above are only samples of the many links and pages but these testers are the $15 or so general purpose testers sometimes with cases and sometimes not. They use an AVR chip (ATMega328P or ATMega32U)

My JLCPCB boards still have not arrived although tracking said 2 days ago that it was "tendered for delivery" but no clue what that really means or who the carrier is.

I would be very interested in seeing your 3D enclosure.? Hopefully it is not like the GM328 plexiglass enclosure I have that is not big enough to also include the 9v battery in the case.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/3/2022 5:18 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I like my new LC Meter very much.
My LC Meter has stand-offs, but no enclosure.
I do not have access to a 3D printer.
I keep it in a small cardboard box when it is not in use.


The smallest capacitor I have is marked 2.2pF.
It measures that at 2.173 pF
The smallest inductor I have is marked 1 uH.
It measure that at 809.6 nH (0.8096 uH)

I am not familiar with the GM.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Thu, Feb 3, 2022 at 3:11 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,

how do you like that LC meter?? I ordered a few boards from JLCPCB that I hope will be here tomorrow.? What did you use for a case/enclosure?

How does it do with low value L and or C?? I have several of the Chinese GM328's and none of them measure below about 30uh or 30pf and if they do the value is wrong.? I know VK3BHR had a variation of the GM328 that reads low values.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/2/2022 8:20 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Greetings,

I recently built an LC Meter, designed by a fellow called coreWeaver,
which he based on Neil Heckt's AADE LC Meter.

coreWeaver made the hardware Open Source.
His software is also Open Source, but is written in BASCOM BASIC, and
uses the AVR BASCOM compiler.

The LC Meter uses an Atmel ATmega328P-PU microcontroller, the one used
by the Arduino UNO.
However, instead of the crystal being 16 MHz, as is the MCU in the
UNO, coreWeaver uses an 8 MHz crystal.
Some of the components he uses were rather hard-to-find here in the USA.

More information about the coreWeaver LC Meter can be found here:
Hackaday article:

Hackaday project:

GitHub repository:

4-part video tutorial at YouTube:


When I decided to try and build coreWeaver's LC Meter, I ordered the
PCBs from OSH Park:


They sent some very nice PCBs to me, and I sent one to Bruce W8BH.
Bruce built his and wrote a very nice document about his build:


However, the coolest thing that Bruce did was to write Arduino IDE
compatible code for the ATmega328P-PU.


I was able to compile and upload Bruce's LC Meter code to my LC Meter
and it works GREAT!

Neil Heckt, the designer of the AADE LC Meter passed away on August 19th, 2015.
The AADE LC Meter has been discontinued and is no longer available.

I think that the coreWeaver LC Meter with Bruce's LC Meter Arduino
sketch is a good replacement for the AADE LC Meter.
If you build your own radios, or any other electronics that require
hand-wound toroids, then you need a good LC Meter.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor










--
jim? W4BEA

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas Jefferson

I sometimes feel bad for the smart people - being simple-minded and easily entertained is totally the way to go! ;-)
J. Stoll


 

开云体育

Hello Ken (KN4NFQ) and Bruce (W8BH).

I was able to find the schematic and parts list on CoreWeaver's github page.? Thank you.? Now I have a few other questions for you and Bruce and anyone else that built it.

Where did you find the 540 ohm resistor CoreWeaver used to set the LM317LZ output voltage?? I can not find that value as a standard value for 5% or 1% resistors.? Only Digikey listed a single 540 ohm ? watt 1% resistor and no stock and required 1000 minimum order and 90 cents per resistor at that quantity!? Should it actually be the standard 560 ohms?? I also question why he used an LM317LZ instead of one of the 3.3 volt LDO regulators. Does anyone know?? I assume (yes I know what they say about that) that it was because that was what he had in his junkbox but that is only a guess.? Did anyone happen to use one of the TO92 footprint 3.3v ldo's there instead of the LM317?

Also I did not find any SIL 7271-L 5 volt reed relays but bought a Coto 2101 with diode.? The footprint is the same but the datasheet does not help me with orientation.? The relay is symmetrical? and datasheet does not indicate polarity but with a diode across it I would think it would have to follow the correct voltage polarity.? What did others use?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY

On 2/9/2022 3:18 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

My PCB also says "LCM v1.1".

Here is the schematic for the coreWeaver LC Meter:


Click on "Download: right above the schematic on the right side to save it to your PC.

Here is the PCB layout and BOM/parts list:


Click on "Download: right above the layout on the right side to save it to your PC.

The BOM headings are: QTY VALUE PACKAGE PARTS
For example:
QTY VALUE PACKAGE ? ? ?PARTS
8 ? 2k2 ? R-US_0204/7 ?R5, R6, R8, R9, R11, R12, R15, R22

There are eight 2.2K Ohm resistors in a R-US_0204/7 package, labeled R5, R6, .... R22.

They are located (highlighted in red) at:

2k2ohm.png
The above image is from my build notes.
The parts that are grayed-out had already been soldered to the PCB.
I added parts as I found them, or as they came in from a distributor.

Hopefully helpful?

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Tue, Feb 8, 2022 at 7:23 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,? can you tell me where the schematic for the LC meter is located?? I received the pc boards today from JLCPCB but I can not find either the schematic or a parts list.? Yes I see the bill of materials but that does not tell you which resistors have which value and the bill of materials only list 3 resistors but the board is silkscreened for 24 resistors as well as 8 capacitors of which only 2 are shown on the bill of materials.? These boards say V1.1 of the LCM and I got the gerbers off of the coreweaver github page at
but I see no schematic or parts list and the PDF on Bruce's page at


has the bill of materials but no schematic or parts list.

and his github page at



only has the INO for the AVR (as would be expected)

What am I missing?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/4/2022 6:42 PM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

Thank you for the information about the GM328.

I do not have a 3D enclosure for my coreWeaver LC Meter.
My LC Meter has standoffs, and I keep it in a cardboard box when not in use.

Here is a snapshot of my coreWeaver LC Meter set up with a fixture for testing capacitors:

snapshot.png
This is a closeup of the fixture:

fixture-cu.png
I keep the meter in a cardboard box when not in use so that stray clippings won't get on the PCB and short something out.
I now use a AA six-pack battery to power the meter. The 9V battery I started with, died.

Bruce's code does a warmup first, then it gives a few seconds to remove the DUT.
After that, it does a calibration. Once calibrated, it displays DONE.
Once the calibration is done, I place the DUT in the clips/fixture and press the right hand button for caps.
It analyses the DUT and gives a reading which displays DONE when finished.
Bruce wrote a nice PDF about the challenges he had to deal with when writing the code for the coreWeaver LC Meter hardware.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Fri, Feb 4, 2022 at 8:10 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Hello Ken.

I suspect that you are familiar with the GM328 testers I mention but may not have ever heard them called by that name.? Here is one of which there are a gazillion on ebay and Amazon and AliExpress and Banggood and...!




They do transistors as well ad resistors, capacitors, and inductors





the above are only samples of the many links and pages but these testers are the $15 or so general purpose testers sometimes with cases and sometimes not. They use an AVR chip (ATMega328P or ATMega32U)

My JLCPCB boards still have not arrived although tracking said 2 days ago that it was "tendered for delivery" but no clue what that really means or who the carrier is.

I would be very interested in seeing your 3D enclosure.? Hopefully it is not like the GM328 plexiglass enclosure I have that is not big enough to also include the 9v battery in the case.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/3/2022 5:18 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I like my new LC Meter very much.
My LC Meter has stand-offs, but no enclosure.
I do not have access to a 3D printer.
I keep it in a small cardboard box when it is not in use.


The smallest capacitor I have is marked 2.2pF.
It measures that at 2.173 pF
The smallest inductor I have is marked 1 uH.
It measure that at 809.6 nH (0.8096 uH)

I am not familiar with the GM.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Thu, Feb 3, 2022 at 3:11 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,

how do you like that LC meter?? I ordered a few boards from JLCPCB that I hope will be here tomorrow.? What did you use for a case/enclosure?

How does it do with low value L and or C?? I have several of the Chinese GM328's and none of them measure below about 30uh or 30pf and if they do the value is wrong.? I know VK3BHR had a variation of the GM328 that reads low values.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/2/2022 8:20 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Greetings,

I recently built an LC Meter, designed by a fellow called coreWeaver,
which he based on Neil Heckt's AADE LC Meter.

coreWeaver made the hardware Open Source.
His software is also Open Source, but is written in BASCOM BASIC, and
uses the AVR BASCOM compiler.

The LC Meter uses an Atmel ATmega328P-PU microcontroller, the one used
by the Arduino UNO.
However, instead of the crystal being 16 MHz, as is the MCU in the
UNO, coreWeaver uses an 8 MHz crystal.
Some of the components he uses were rather hard-to-find here in the USA.

More information about the coreWeaver LC Meter can be found here:
Hackaday article:

Hackaday project:

GitHub repository:

4-part video tutorial at YouTube:


When I decided to try and build coreWeaver's LC Meter, I ordered the
PCBs from OSH Park:


They sent some very nice PCBs to me, and I sent one to Bruce W8BH.
Bruce built his and wrote a very nice document about his build:


However, the coolest thing that Bruce did was to write Arduino IDE
compatible code for the ATmega328P-PU.


I was able to compile and upload Bruce's LC Meter code to my LC Meter
and it works GREAT!

Neil Heckt, the designer of the AADE LC Meter passed away on August 19th, 2015.
The AADE LC Meter has been discontinued and is no longer available.

I think that the coreWeaver LC Meter with Bruce's LC Meter Arduino
sketch is a good replacement for the AADE LC Meter.
If you build your own radios, or any other electronics that require
hand-wound toroids, then you need a good LC Meter.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor










 

Jim,

First, as you are experiencing, some of the components are hard to find in the US, which is only made worse by the current global chip shortage.? ?

Regarding the coil:? I was lucky to find the specified part.? ?If you substitute a relay with a built-in protection diode, it is important that it is reversed-biased.? ?Otherwise, the diode will preferentially conduct when the circuit is energized, resulting in excessive current flow (through the diode) and not through the coil.? ?Relays with diodes usually have some marker on the body - perhaps a dot or nub - to help you with orientation.? The marker might be difficult to see without lots of light and magnification.?

Regarding the resistor:? I used a 560-ohm 1/4 watt resistor with no ill effects.? ?I did find a 540-ohm 1/6 watt resistor at Mouser for 11 cents each (YAGEO/CFR-12JT-52-540R) if you are interested in using an exact value.

Regarding the voltage regulator:? I do not recommend trying to use a different regulator than the one the author specified.? It is a common part.? Yes, you could probably use a different one, but the PCB does not give you much wiggle room to hack-in another regulator?+/- input/output caps.?

The author did a yeoman's job with this project, but there are a few things I'd change on the PCB.? I am currently tinkering with a design of my own.

Bruce

On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 5:19 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Hello Ken (KN4NFQ) and Bruce (W8BH).

I was able to find the schematic and parts list on CoreWeaver's github page.? Thank you.? Now I have a few other questions for you and Bruce and anyone else that built it.

Where did you find the 540 ohm resistor CoreWeaver used to set the LM317LZ output voltage?? I can not find that value as a standard value for 5% or 1% resistors.? Only Digikey listed a single 540 ohm ? watt 1% resistor and no stock and required 1000 minimum order and 90 cents per resistor at that quantity!? Should it actually be the standard 560 ohms?? I also question why he used an LM317LZ instead of one of the 3.3 volt LDO regulators. Does anyone know?? I assume (yes I know what they say about that) that it was because that was what he had in his junkbox but that is only a guess.? Did anyone happen to use one of the TO92 footprint 3.3v ldo's there instead of the LM317?

Also I did not find any SIL 7271-L 5 volt reed relays but bought a Coto 2101 with diode.? The footprint is the same but the datasheet does not help me with orientation.? The relay is symmetrical? and datasheet does not indicate polarity but with a diode across it I would think it would have to follow the correct voltage polarity.? What did others use?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY

On 2/9/2022 3:18 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

My PCB also says "LCM v1.1".

Here is the schematic for the coreWeaver LC Meter:


Click on "Download: right above the schematic on the right side to save it to your PC.

Here is the PCB layout and BOM/parts list:


Click on "Download: right above the layout on the right side to save it to your PC.

The BOM headings are: QTY VALUE PACKAGE PARTS
For example:
QTY VALUE PACKAGE ? ? ?PARTS
8 ? 2k2 ? R-US_0204/7 ?R5, R6, R8, R9, R11, R12, R15, R22

There are eight 2.2K Ohm resistors in a R-US_0204/7 package, labeled R5, R6, .... R22.

They are located (highlighted in red) at:

2k2ohm.png
The above image is from my build notes.
The parts that are grayed-out had already been soldered to the PCB.
I added parts as I found them, or as they came in from a distributor.

Hopefully helpful?

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Tue, Feb 8, 2022 at 7:23 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,? can you tell me where the schematic for the LC meter is located?? I received the pc boards today from JLCPCB but I can not find either the schematic or a parts list.? Yes I see the bill of materials but that does not tell you which resistors have which value and the bill of materials only list 3 resistors but the board is silkscreened for 24 resistors as well as 8 capacitors of which only 2 are shown on the bill of materials.? These boards say V1.1 of the LCM and I got the gerbers off of the coreweaver github page at
but I see no schematic or parts list and the PDF on Bruce's page at


has the bill of materials but no schematic or parts list.

and his github page at



only has the INO for the AVR (as would be expected)

What am I missing?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/4/2022 6:42 PM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

Thank you for the information about the GM328.

I do not have a 3D enclosure for my coreWeaver LC Meter.
My LC Meter has standoffs, and I keep it in a cardboard box when not in use.

Here is a snapshot of my coreWeaver LC Meter set up with a fixture for testing capacitors:

snapshot.png
This is a closeup of the fixture:

fixture-cu.png
I keep the meter in a cardboard box when not in use so that stray clippings won't get on the PCB and short something out.
I now use a AA six-pack battery to power the meter. The 9V battery I started with, died.

Bruce's code does a warmup first, then it gives a few seconds to remove the DUT.
After that, it does a calibration. Once calibrated, it displays DONE.
Once the calibration is done, I place the DUT in the clips/fixture and press the right hand button for caps.
It analyses the DUT and gives a reading which displays DONE when finished.
Bruce wrote a nice PDF about the challenges he had to deal with when writing the code for the coreWeaver LC Meter hardware.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Fri, Feb 4, 2022 at 8:10 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Hello Ken.

I suspect that you are familiar with the GM328 testers I mention but may not have ever heard them called by that name.? Here is one of which there are a gazillion on ebay and Amazon and AliExpress and Banggood and...!




They do transistors as well ad resistors, capacitors, and inductors





the above are only samples of the many links and pages but these testers are the $15 or so general purpose testers sometimes with cases and sometimes not. They use an AVR chip (ATMega328P or ATMega32U)

My JLCPCB boards still have not arrived although tracking said 2 days ago that it was "tendered for delivery" but no clue what that really means or who the carrier is.

I would be very interested in seeing your 3D enclosure.? Hopefully it is not like the GM328 plexiglass enclosure I have that is not big enough to also include the 9v battery in the case.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/3/2022 5:18 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I like my new LC Meter very much.
My LC Meter has stand-offs, but no enclosure.
I do not have access to a 3D printer.
I keep it in a small cardboard box when it is not in use.


The smallest capacitor I have is marked 2.2pF.
It measures that at 2.173 pF
The smallest inductor I have is marked 1 uH.
It measure that at 809.6 nH (0.8096 uH)

I am not familiar with the GM.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Thu, Feb 3, 2022 at 3:11 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Ken,

how do you like that LC meter?? I ordered a few boards from JLCPCB that I hope will be here tomorrow.? What did you use for a case/enclosure?

How does it do with low value L and or C?? I have several of the Chinese GM328's and none of them measure below about 30uh or 30pf and if they do the value is wrong.? I know VK3BHR had a variation of the GM328 that reads low values.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/2/2022 8:20 AM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
Greetings,

I recently built an LC Meter, designed by a fellow called coreWeaver,
which he based on Neil Heckt's AADE LC Meter.

coreWeaver made the hardware Open Source.
His software is also Open Source, but is written in BASCOM BASIC, and
uses the AVR BASCOM compiler.

The LC Meter uses an Atmel ATmega328P-PU microcontroller, the one used
by the Arduino UNO.
However, instead of the crystal being 16 MHz, as is the MCU in the
UNO, coreWeaver uses an 8 MHz crystal.
Some of the components he uses were rather hard-to-find here in the USA.

More information about the coreWeaver LC Meter can be found here:
Hackaday article:

Hackaday project:

GitHub repository:

4-part video tutorial at YouTube:


When I decided to try and build coreWeaver's LC Meter, I ordered the
PCBs from OSH Park:


They sent some very nice PCBs to me, and I sent one to Bruce W8BH.
Bruce built his and wrote a very nice document about his build:


However, the coolest thing that Bruce did was to write Arduino IDE
compatible code for the ATmega328P-PU.


I was able to compile and upload Bruce's LC Meter code to my LC Meter
and it works GREAT!

Neil Heckt, the designer of the AADE LC Meter passed away on August 19th, 2015.
The AADE LC Meter has been discontinued and is no longer available.

I think that the coreWeaver LC Meter with Bruce's LC Meter Arduino
sketch is a good replacement for the AADE LC Meter.
If you build your own radios, or any other electronics that require
hand-wound toroids, then you need a good LC Meter.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor










 

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

Some parts were difficult for ME to find.
I do not know if any of these parts are still in stock at Mouser Electronics?
The datasheets should still be available for substitution purposes.

Reed Relay
Mouser P/N: 876-SIL05-1A7271L

Takamisawa NA5W-K Relay
Mouser P/N: 817-NA-5W-K

1000pF Capacitor
Mouser P/N: 80-PFR5102F100J11L4B
(Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
ordering.)

1000pF Capacitor
Mouser P/N: 75-KP1830210631
(Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
ordering.)

Crystal 8MHz
Mouser P/N: 559-FC4STCBMF80B2

LM317 Linear Voltage Regulator
Mouser P/N: 595-LM317LCLPRE3

LM311N Voltage Comparator
Mouser P/N: 926-LM311N/NOPB

BAT42 Scottky Diode
Mouser P/N: 511-BAT42

As Bruce suggested, I used a 560 Ohm resistor in place of the 540 Ohm resistor.

Hopefully helpful.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 5:19 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:

Hello Ken (KN4NFQ) and Bruce (W8BH).

I was able to find the schematic and parts list on CoreWeaver's github page. Thank you. Now I have a few other questions for you and Bruce and anyone else that built it.

Where did you find the 540 ohm resistor CoreWeaver used to set the LM317LZ output voltage? I can not find that value as a standard value for 5% or 1% resistors. Only Digikey listed a single 540 ohm ? watt 1% resistor and no stock and required 1000 minimum order and 90 cents per resistor at that quantity! Should it actually be the standard 560 ohms? I also question why he used an LM317LZ instead of one of the 3.3 volt LDO regulators. Does anyone know? I assume (yes I know what they say about that) that it was because that was what he had in his junkbox but that is only a guess. Did anyone happen to use one of the TO92 footprint 3.3v ldo's there instead of the LM317?

Also I did not find any SIL 7271-L 5 volt reed relays but bought a Coto 2101 with diode. The footprint is the same but the datasheet does not help me with orientation. The relay is symmetrical and datasheet does not indicate polarity but with a diode across it I would think it would have to follow the correct voltage polarity. What did others use?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


 

开云体育

Hello Ken.

I bought the Coto relay from Mouser because they showed no stock on the Sil05-1A7271L and the Sil05-1A7271D relays.? Both Mouser and Digikey list the NA05WK 5v DPTD relay as obsolete and no longer available but their searches gave no alternatives.

I have no objection to using a 560 ohm resistor instead of the 540 ohm called out in the parts list.? I thought 540 was an odd value anyway but thought it might be a standard 1% value but apparently not.? My guess is that the 540 ohm value is the mathematical calculation to get the desired 3.3v out of the LM317LZ with the 330 ohm that they used in the divider and just verified that with the LM317 calculator at:

If 560 is substituted for R2 instead of 540 then R1 comes out at 340 ohms (another non standard value). With R1 at 330 ohms and R2 at 560 ohms then LM317 should deliver 3.7v.

Any suggestions on the DPDT 5v relay substitute of the Fujitsu NA05WK is not available and is in fact obsolete?? I do see that Newark has some of the Sil05-7271L single inline relays in stock.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/10/2022 7:11 PM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

Some parts were difficult for ME to find.
I do not know if any of these parts are still in stock at Mouser Electronics?
The datasheets should still be available for substitution purposes.

Reed Relay
Mouser P/N: 876-SIL05-1A7271L

Takamisawa NA5W-K Relay
Mouser P/N: 817-NA-5W-K

1000pF Capacitor
Mouser P/N: 80-PFR5102F100J11L4B
(Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
ordering.)

1000pF Capacitor
Mouser P/N: 75-KP1830210631
(Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
ordering.)

Crystal 8MHz
Mouser P/N: 559-FC4STCBMF80B2

LM317 Linear Voltage Regulator
Mouser P/N: 595-LM317LCLPRE3

LM311N Voltage Comparator
Mouser P/N: 926-LM311N/NOPB

BAT42 Scottky Diode
Mouser P/N: 511-BAT42

As Bruce suggested, I used a 560 Ohm resistor in place of the 540 Ohm resistor.

Hopefully helpful.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 5:19 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
Hello Ken (KN4NFQ) and Bruce (W8BH).

I was able to find the schematic and parts list on CoreWeaver's github page.  Thank you.  Now I have a few other questions for you and Bruce and anyone else that built it.

Where did you find the 540 ohm resistor CoreWeaver used to set the LM317LZ output voltage?  I can not find that value as a standard value for 5% or 1% resistors.  Only Digikey listed a single 540 ohm ? watt 1% resistor and no stock and required 1000 minimum order and 90 cents per resistor at that quantity!  Should it actually be the standard 560 ohms?  I also question why he used an LM317LZ instead of one of the 3.3 volt LDO regulators. Does anyone know?  I assume (yes I know what they say about that) that it was because that was what he had in his junkbox but that is only a guess.  Did anyone happen to use one of the TO92 footprint 3.3v ldo's there instead of the LM317?

Also I did not find any SIL 7271-L 5 volt reed relays but bought a Coto 2101 with diode.  The footprint is the same but the datasheet does not help me with orientation.  The relay is symmetrical  and datasheet does not indicate polarity but with a diode across it I would think it would have to follow the correct voltage polarity.  What did others use?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY




 

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I guess I was lucky to find the relays in stock.
I have ordered from Newark before, although it was many years ago.
You just have to go with the distributor that carries the part.
I suggest that you order as many parts from one distributor as you can
to save on S&H.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

On Fri, Feb 11, 2022 at 2:23 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:

Hello Ken.

I bought the Coto relay from Mouser because they showed no stock on the Sil05-1A7271L and the Sil05-1A7271D relays. Both Mouser and Digikey list the NA05WK 5v DPTD relay as obsolete and no longer available but their searches gave no alternatives.

I have no objection to using a 560 ohm resistor instead of the 540 ohm called out in the parts list. I thought 540 was an odd value anyway but thought it might be a standard 1% value but apparently not. My guess is that the 540 ohm value is the mathematical calculation to get the desired 3.3v out of the LM317LZ with the 330 ohm that they used in the divider and just verified that with the LM317 calculator at:

If 560 is substituted for R2 instead of 540 then R1 comes out at 340 ohms (another non standard value). With R1 at 330 ohms and R2 at 560 ohms then LM317 should deliver 3.7v.

Any suggestions on the DPDT 5v relay substitute of the Fujitsu NA05WK is not available and is in fact obsolete? I do see that Newark has some of the Sil05-7271L single inline relays in stock.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/10/2022 7:11 PM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

Some parts were difficult for ME to find.
I do not know if any of these parts are still in stock at Mouser Electronics?
The datasheets should still be available for substitution purposes.

Reed Relay
Mouser P/N: 876-SIL05-1A7271L

Takamisawa NA5W-K Relay
Mouser P/N: 817-NA-5W-K

1000pF Capacitor
Mouser P/N: 80-PFR5102F100J11L4B
(Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
ordering.)

1000pF Capacitor
Mouser P/N: 75-KP1830210631
(Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
ordering.)

Crystal 8MHz
Mouser P/N: 559-FC4STCBMF80B2

LM317 Linear Voltage Regulator
Mouser P/N: 595-LM317LCLPRE3

LM311N Voltage Comparator
Mouser P/N: 926-LM311N/NOPB

BAT42 Scottky Diode
Mouser P/N: 511-BAT42

As Bruce suggested, I used a 560 Ohm resistor in place of the 540 Ohm resistor.

Hopefully helpful.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 5:19 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:

Hello Ken (KN4NFQ) and Bruce (W8BH).

I was able to find the schematic and parts list on CoreWeaver's github page. Thank you. Now I have a few other questions for you and Bruce and anyone else that built it.

Where did you find the 540 ohm resistor CoreWeaver used to set the LM317LZ output voltage? I can not find that value as a standard value for 5% or 1% resistors. Only Digikey listed a single 540 ohm ? watt 1% resistor and no stock and required 1000 minimum order and 90 cents per resistor at that quantity! Should it actually be the standard 560 ohms? I also question why he used an LM317LZ instead of one of the 3.3 volt LDO regulators. Does anyone know? I assume (yes I know what they say about that) that it was because that was what he had in his junkbox but that is only a guess. Did anyone happen to use one of the TO92 footprint 3.3v ldo's there instead of the LM317?

Also I did not find any SIL 7271-L 5 volt reed relays but bought a Coto 2101 with diode. The footprint is the same but the datasheet does not help me with orientation. The relay is symmetrical and datasheet does not indicate polarity but with a diode across it I would think it would have to follow the correct voltage polarity. What did others use?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY




 




Bruce


On Fri, Feb 11, 2022 at 10:06 AM Ken KM4NFQ <km4nfq@...> wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I guess I was lucky to find the relays in stock.
I have ordered from Newark before, although it was many years ago.
You just have to go with the distributor that carries the part.
I suggest that you order as many parts from one distributor as you can
to save on S&H.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

On Fri, Feb 11, 2022 at 2:23 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Ken.
>
> I bought the Coto relay from Mouser because they showed no stock on the Sil05-1A7271L and the Sil05-1A7271D relays.? Both Mouser and Digikey list the NA05WK 5v DPTD relay as obsolete and no longer available but their searches gave no alternatives.
>
> I have no objection to using a 560 ohm resistor instead of the 540 ohm called out in the parts list.? I thought 540 was an odd value anyway but thought it might be a standard 1% value but apparently not.? My guess is that the 540 ohm value is the mathematical calculation to get the desired 3.3v out of the LM317LZ with the 330 ohm that they used in the divider and just verified that with the LM317 calculator at:
>
> If 560 is substituted for R2 instead of 540 then R1 comes out at 340 ohms (another non standard value). With R1 at 330 ohms and R2 at 560 ohms then LM317 should deliver 3.7v.
>
> Any suggestions on the DPDT 5v relay substitute of the Fujitsu NA05WK is not available and is in fact obsolete?? I do see that Newark has some of the Sil05-7271L single inline relays in stock.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Jim Pruitt
> WA7DUY
>
>
> On 2/10/2022 7:11 PM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
>
> Hello Jim WA7DUY,
>
> Some parts were difficult for ME to find.
> I do not know if any of these parts are still in stock at Mouser Electronics?
> The datasheets should still be available for substitution purposes.
>
> Reed Relay
> Mouser P/N: 876-SIL05-1A7271L
>
> Takamisawa NA5W-K Relay
> Mouser P/N: 817-NA-5W-K
>
> 1000pF Capacitor
> Mouser P/N: 80-PFR5102F100J11L4B
> (Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
> ordering.)
>
> 1000pF Capacitor
> Mouser P/N: 75-KP1830210631
> (Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
> ordering.)
>
> Crystal 8MHz
> Mouser P/N: 559-FC4STCBMF80B2
>
> LM317 Linear Voltage Regulator
> Mouser P/N: 595-LM317LCLPRE3
>
> LM311N Voltage Comparator
> Mouser P/N: 926-LM311N/NOPB
>
> BAT42 Scottky Diode
> Mouser P/N: 511-BAT42
>
> As Bruce suggested, I used a 560 Ohm resistor in place of the 540 Ohm resistor.
>
> Hopefully helpful.
>
> Regards,
> Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
> /g/w8bhMorseTutor
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 5:19 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Ken (KN4NFQ) and Bruce (W8BH).
>
> I was able to find the schematic and parts list on CoreWeaver's github page.? Thank you.? Now I have a few other questions for you and Bruce and anyone else that built it.
>
> Where did you find the 540 ohm resistor CoreWeaver used to set the LM317LZ output voltage?? I can not find that value as a standard value for 5% or 1% resistors.? Only Digikey listed a single 540 ohm ? watt 1% resistor and no stock and required 1000 minimum order and 90 cents per resistor at that quantity!? Should it actually be the standard 560 ohms?? I also question why he used an LM317LZ instead of one of the 3.3 volt LDO regulators. Does anyone know?? I assume (yes I know what they say about that) that it was because that was what he had in his junkbox but that is only a guess.? Did anyone happen to use one of the TO92 footprint 3.3v ldo's there instead of the LM317?
>
> Also I did not find any SIL 7271-L 5 volt reed relays but bought a Coto 2101 with diode.? The footprint is the same but the datasheet does not help me with orientation.? The relay is symmetrical? and datasheet does not indicate polarity but with a diode across it I would think it would have to follow the correct voltage polarity.? What did others use?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Jim Pruitt
> WA7DUY
>
>
>
>






 

开云体育

What are CoreWeaver/W8BH LC meter builders using for LED's?? Are the 3mm or are they 5mm?

Also,? has anyone had trouble getting the CC capacitor to fit the footprint?? What did you do? Did you just spread the capacitor wires more?

What are you using for the M1 and M2 pins?? What are you using for the test leads or test sockets?

Has anyone laid out a 3D case for this and made it yet?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY

On 2/12/2022 4:47 AM, Bruce Hall wrote:




Bruce


On Fri, Feb 11, 2022 at 10:06 AM Ken KM4NFQ <km4nfq@...> wrote:
Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I guess I was lucky to find the relays in stock.
I have ordered from Newark before, although it was many years ago.
You just have to go with the distributor that carries the part.
I suggest that you order as many parts from one distributor as you can
to save on S&H.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

On Fri, Feb 11, 2022 at 2:23 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Ken.
>
> I bought the Coto relay from Mouser because they showed no stock on the Sil05-1A7271L and the Sil05-1A7271D relays.? Both Mouser and Digikey list the NA05WK 5v DPTD relay as obsolete and no longer available but their searches gave no alternatives.
>
> I have no objection to using a 560 ohm resistor instead of the 540 ohm called out in the parts list.? I thought 540 was an odd value anyway but thought it might be a standard 1% value but apparently not.? My guess is that the 540 ohm value is the mathematical calculation to get the desired 3.3v out of the LM317LZ with the 330 ohm that they used in the divider and just verified that with the LM317 calculator at:
>
> If 560 is substituted for R2 instead of 540 then R1 comes out at 340 ohms (another non standard value). With R1 at 330 ohms and R2 at 560 ohms then LM317 should deliver 3.7v.
>
> Any suggestions on the DPDT 5v relay substitute of the Fujitsu NA05WK is not available and is in fact obsolete?? I do see that Newark has some of the Sil05-7271L single inline relays in stock.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Jim Pruitt
> WA7DUY
>
>
> On 2/10/2022 7:11 PM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:
>
> Hello Jim WA7DUY,
>
> Some parts were difficult for ME to find.
> I do not know if any of these parts are still in stock at Mouser Electronics?
> The datasheets should still be available for substitution purposes.
>
> Reed Relay
> Mouser P/N: 876-SIL05-1A7271L
>
> Takamisawa NA5W-K Relay
> Mouser P/N: 817-NA-5W-K
>
> 1000pF Capacitor
> Mouser P/N: 80-PFR5102F100J11L4B
> (Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
> ordering.)
>
> 1000pF Capacitor
> Mouser P/N: 75-KP1830210631
> (Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
> ordering.)
>
> Crystal 8MHz
> Mouser P/N: 559-FC4STCBMF80B2
>
> LM317 Linear Voltage Regulator
> Mouser P/N: 595-LM317LCLPRE3
>
> LM311N Voltage Comparator
> Mouser P/N: 926-LM311N/NOPB
>
> BAT42 Scottky Diode
> Mouser P/N: 511-BAT42
>
> As Bruce suggested, I used a 560 Ohm resistor in place of the 540 Ohm resistor.
>
> Hopefully helpful.
>
> Regards,
> Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
> /g/w8bhMorseTutor
>
>
> On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 5:19 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Ken (KN4NFQ) and Bruce (W8BH).
>
> I was able to find the schematic and parts list on CoreWeaver's github page.? Thank you.? Now I have a few other questions for you and Bruce and anyone else that built it.
>
> Where did you find the 540 ohm resistor CoreWeaver used to set the LM317LZ output voltage?? I can not find that value as a standard value for 5% or 1% resistors.? Only Digikey listed a single 540 ohm ? watt 1% resistor and no stock and required 1000 minimum order and 90 cents per resistor at that quantity!? Should it actually be the standard 560 ohms?? I also question why he used an LM317LZ instead of one of the 3.3 volt LDO regulators. Does anyone know?? I assume (yes I know what they say about that) that it was because that was what he had in his junkbox but that is only a guess.? Did anyone happen to use one of the TO92 footprint 3.3v ldo's there instead of the LM317?
>
> Also I did not find any SIL 7271-L 5 volt reed relays but bought a Coto 2101 with diode.? The footprint is the same but the datasheet does not help me with orientation.? The relay is symmetrical? and datasheet does not indicate polarity but with a diode across it I would think it would have to follow the correct voltage polarity.? What did others use?
>
> Thank you.
>
> Jim Pruitt
> WA7DUY
>
>
>
>







 

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

Attached is a snapshot of my coreWeaver LC Meter (running W8BH's LC
Meter source code).

I did not have too much trouble getting the CC capacitor to fit... I
just bent the leads slightly.
I got one lead soldered, then adjusted the other lead so the cap was
as even as I could get.

I have alligator clips on short pieces of wire soldered to M1 and M2,
used as test leads.
I also made a simple test socket with copper-clad board and a female header.
The alligator clips attach to each side of the socket, on loops.
This makes it easier for me to test a bunch of caps, whatever.

MY "3D enclosure" is an old cardboard battery box, labeled "LC Meter".
It keeps the dust and stray resistor clippings off the LC Meter when
it is not in use.
I take it out of the battery box to use it, and put it back in the box
when I'm finished.

I do not have easy access to a 3D printer, so I am not going to 3D
print an enclosure for my LC Meter.
Many of my pieces of test equipment were built from kits, and no not
have enclosures.
They are kept in a box until I need them. That is the path of least
resistance, for me.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

On Thu, Mar 3, 2022 at 5:40 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:

What are CoreWeaver/W8BH LC meter builders using for LED's? Are the 3mm or are they 5mm?

Also, has anyone had trouble getting the CC capacitor to fit the footprint? What did you do? Did you just spread the capacitor wires more?

What are you using for the M1 and M2 pins? What are you using for the test leads or test sockets?

Has anyone laid out a 3D case for this and made it yet?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY

On 2/12/2022 4:47 AM, Bruce Hall wrote:




Bruce
w8bh.net


On Fri, Feb 11, 2022 at 10:06 AM Ken KM4NFQ <km4nfq@...> wrote:

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

I guess I was lucky to find the relays in stock.
I have ordered from Newark before, although it was many years ago.
You just have to go with the distributor that carries the part.
I suggest that you order as many parts from one distributor as you can
to save on S&H.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor

On Fri, Feb 11, 2022 at 2:23 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:

Hello Ken.

I bought the Coto relay from Mouser because they showed no stock on the Sil05-1A7271L and the Sil05-1A7271D relays. Both Mouser and Digikey list the NA05WK 5v DPTD relay as obsolete and no longer available but their searches gave no alternatives.

I have no objection to using a 560 ohm resistor instead of the 540 ohm called out in the parts list. I thought 540 was an odd value anyway but thought it might be a standard 1% value but apparently not. My guess is that the 540 ohm value is the mathematical calculation to get the desired 3.3v out of the LM317LZ with the 330 ohm that they used in the divider and just verified that with the LM317 calculator at:

If 560 is substituted for R2 instead of 540 then R1 comes out at 340 ohms (another non standard value). With R1 at 330 ohms and R2 at 560 ohms then LM317 should deliver 3.7v.

Any suggestions on the DPDT 5v relay substitute of the Fujitsu NA05WK is not available and is in fact obsolete? I do see that Newark has some of the Sil05-7271L single inline relays in stock.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY


On 2/10/2022 7:11 PM, Ken KM4NFQ wrote:

Hello Jim WA7DUY,

Some parts were difficult for ME to find.
I do not know if any of these parts are still in stock at Mouser Electronics?
The datasheets should still be available for substitution purposes.

Reed Relay
Mouser P/N: 876-SIL05-1A7271L

Takamisawa NA5W-K Relay
Mouser P/N: 817-NA-5W-K

1000pF Capacitor
Mouser P/N: 80-PFR5102F100J11L4B
(Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
ordering.)

1000pF Capacitor
Mouser P/N: 75-KP1830210631
(Check the spacing of the capacitor leads against the PCB holes before
ordering.)

Crystal 8MHz
Mouser P/N: 559-FC4STCBMF80B2

LM317 Linear Voltage Regulator
Mouser P/N: 595-LM317LCLPRE3

LM311N Voltage Comparator
Mouser P/N: 926-LM311N/NOPB

BAT42 Scottky Diode
Mouser P/N: 511-BAT42

As Bruce suggested, I used a 560 Ohm resistor in place of the 540 Ohm resistor.

Hopefully helpful.

Regards,
Ken, KM4NFQ "Not Fully Qualified"
/g/w8bhMorseTutor


On Thu, Feb 10, 2022 at 5:19 PM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@...> wrote:

Hello Ken (KN4NFQ) and Bruce (W8BH).

I was able to find the schematic and parts list on CoreWeaver's github page. Thank you. Now I have a few other questions for you and Bruce and anyone else that built it.

Where did you find the 540 ohm resistor CoreWeaver used to set the LM317LZ output voltage? I can not find that value as a standard value for 5% or 1% resistors. Only Digikey listed a single 540 ohm ? watt 1% resistor and no stock and required 1000 minimum order and 90 cents per resistor at that quantity! Should it actually be the standard 560 ohms? I also question why he used an LM317LZ instead of one of the 3.3 volt LDO regulators. Does anyone know? I assume (yes I know what they say about that) that it was because that was what he had in his junkbox but that is only a guess. Did anyone happen to use one of the TO92 footprint 3.3v ldo's there instead of the LM317?

Also I did not find any SIL 7271-L 5 volt reed relays but bought a Coto 2101 with diode. The footprint is the same but the datasheet does not help me with orientation. The relay is symmetrical and datasheet does not indicate polarity but with a diode across it I would think it would have to follow the correct voltage polarity. What did others use?

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY