TDI LCR1 User manual

TDI LCR Smart Tweezers
L - C - R Meter & Component Identifier
Models #TDI LCR1 / #TDI LCR2 / #TDI LCR4
User’s Manual
TDI International, Inc.
www.tdiinternational.com
Phone [phone] / Email: [email protected]
TDI International, Inc.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Notice.............................................................................................................................................3
Warranty.........................................................................................................................................3
Safety Precautions..................................................................................................................................4
Getting Started........................................................................................................................................5
Overview.........................................................................................................................................5
Controls...........................................................................................................................................8
Power On..................................................................................................................................................9
Menu Structures and Functions................................................................................................................11
Measurement Features.........................................................................................................................22
Measuring Resistance.............................................................................................................................22
Measuring Capacitance..........................................................................................................................22
Measuring Inductance.............................................................................................................................23
Maintenance.................................................................................................................................24
Labelling&VerificationRequirements..................................................................................................25
Appendix A. Specifications..................................................................................................................26
AppendixB.DefaultSettings.................................................................................................................28
Appendix C. Accuracy Specification....................................................................................................29
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NOTICE: To the best of our knowledge this document is believed to be accurate. The manufacturer reserves
the right to change the information and does not assume responsibility for omissions and/or other errors found
in this document.
WARRANTY: Manufacturer warrants this product to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for
a period of one year from the shipment date. Manufacturer warrants the following items for ninety (90) days
from the date of shipment: rechargeable batteries, disks and documentation. During the warranty period, the
manufacturer will, at it’s discretion, either repair or replace any product that proves to be defective. To exercise
this warranty, contact TDI International, Inc. (contact info provided on the back page of this user guide). You
will be given prompt assistance and return instructions. Please send the product with shipping prepaid to the
indicated service facility. Repairs will be made and the product will be returned to you. Repaired or replaced
products are warranted for the balance of the original warranty period or ninety (90) days from the date of the
repair.
This warranty does not cover the repair of any product whose serial number has been altered, defaced or
removed. This warranty does not cover finishes (scratches on surface or screen), normal wear and tear nor
does it cover damages resulting in misuse, dirt, liquids, proximity or exposure of heat, accident, abuse, neglect,
misapplication, operation outside of the environmental specifications, tampering, unreasonable use, service
performed or attempted by unauthorized service centers, failure to provide reasonable and necessary mainte-
nance.
This warranty does not apply to defects resulting from product modification without manufacturer’s express
written consent, or misuse of any product or part. This warranty also does not apply to software, non-re-
chargeable batteries, damage from battery leakage, and improper polarity of the batteries or problems arising
from normal wear or failure to follow instructions. This warranty does not cover LCD damage, physical dam-
age to the jog dial button, slide switch and reset switch; electrical damage of the product due to high voltage or
improper battery type.
The design and implementation of any circuit based on this product is the sole responsibility of the customer.
Manufacturer does not warrant any damage that occurs as a result of the user’s circuit or any defects that re-
sult from user-supplied products, this warranty does not apply to repairs or replacements necessitated by any
cause beyond the control of factory including, but not limited to, operation contrary to furnished instructions,
shipping accidents, modification or repair by the user, neglect, accidents or other acts of god.
The foregoing is in lieu of all other expressed warranties and the manufacturer does not assume or authorize
any party to assume for it any obligation or liability. The duration of any warranties that may be implied by law
including the warranties of merchantability and fitness is limited to the term of this warranty. In no event shall
the manufacturer be liable for special, incidental or consequential damages arising from ownership or use of
this product, or for any delay in the performance of it’s obligations under this warranty due to causes beyond
it’s control. This warranty is limited in duration to one (1) year from the date of the original purchase.
This warranty is in lieu of all other warranties, expressed or implied, including any implied warranty of mer-
chantability or fitness for a particular use. The remedies provided herein are buyer’s sole and exclusive rem-
edies, neither manufacturer or any of it’s employees shall be liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental
or consequential damages arising out of the use of the devices and software even if manufacturer has been
advised in advance of the possibility of such damages. Such excluded damages shall include, but are not
limited to: costs of removal and installation, losses sustained as the result of injury to any person, or damage to
the property.

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The following safety precautions should be observed prior to using this product and
any associated accessories. Although devices and accessories would normally be
used with non-hazardous voltages, there are situations where hazardous conditions
may be present.
This product is intended for use by qualified personnel who recognize shock hazards
and are familiar with the safety precautions required to avoid possible injury. Read and
follow all installation, operation and maintenance instructions carefully before using the
product. Refer to the manual for complete product specifications.
If the product is used in a manner not specified, the protection provided by the product
may be impaired.
Inspect the TDI LCR Smart Tweezers case before using.
Do not use the device if it appears to be damaged.
• Do not use the device if it operates abnormally.
• Do not attempt to measure any components in-circuit when your circuit is alive
• or active.
To avoid possible damage to TDI LCR Smart Tweezers or to the equipment
under test, follow these guidelines:
• Disconnect circuit power supply and discharge all high-voltage capacitors before
• testing resistance, inductance or capacitance.
• Do not apply external voltages of more than 1.6V.
• Use proper terminals and functions for your measurements.
• Only supplied charger (DC 5V) should be used to charge the battery.
SAFETY SYMBOLS AND TERMS
The WARNING header in this manual indicates dangers that might result in personal
injury or death. Always read the associated information very carefully before perform-
ing the indicated procedure.
The CAUTION heading in the manual indicates hazards that could damage the device.
Such damage may invalidate the warranty.
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

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This section summarizes basic operation of TDI LCR Smart Tweezers
In this section:
OVERVIEW: Overview of the device controls - describes controls.
POWER-ON: Describes the power-on and power-off sequence, the warm up time, and
default conditions.
DISPLAY: Discusses the display format and messages that may appear while using
the device.
MENU STRUCTURE: Covers menu structure, system settings and features.
GETTING STARTED
TDI LCR Smart Tweezers (ST) is a portable impedance measuring device. ST is
capable of measuring resistance, capacitance or inductance over a range of more than
8 orders of magnitude. The device has a basic accuracy better than 0.2% (resistance)
and operates at four test frequencies.
Smart Tweezers is controlled by a microcontroller that sets measurement conditions,
processes data and operates the display and user interface. The device has a unique
mechanical design that allows manipulation of SMT components with size down to
0201.
In actual use Smart Tweezers provides more accurate results than most of the bench-
top LCR meters due to small and very predictable parasitics of it’s probes. Probability
of measurement errors associated with setup (wires, tips, probes, etc.) is minimal.
OVERVIEW

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ST evaluates impedance of a component by measuring the voltage across the com-
ponent and current through it. The complex ratio of voltage to current is equal to the
complex impedance. The unit’s processor calculates various parameters that are dis-
played i.e. R, C or L.
Voltage across the component is generated by the test signal source Vs. both the
amplitude and frequency of Vs. can be set. The voltage is applied to the device test
(DUT) through the source resistance Rs. current flows to the virtual ground of the cur-
rent amplifier AI, and through the current conversion resistor Ri. The output of AI pro-
vides a signal proportional to the current, I*Ri.
Voltage across the DUT is measured by a separate signal path (amplifier AU), thus pro-
viding a pseudo 4-wire Kelvin connection.
Voltage and current signals are processed by the A/D converter. Obtained values are
then corrected using calibration factors, converted to impedance and sent to the dis-
play.
There are four selectable frequencies: 100Hz, 120Hz, 1.0kHz and 10kHz. The out-
put frequency is accurate to 50 ppm (0.005%). Frequencies are set in the menu or by
moving the Navigation Controller to the RIGHT.
There are three output voltage levels that can be selected: 0.25 Vrms, 0.5 Vrms and
1.0 Vrms. The accuracy of the output voltage levels is 2%.
HOW IT WORKS

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The output voltage is applied to the device under test through the source of imped-
ance. The voltage across the device is always less than or equal to the output voltage.
Source impedance values are 62.5 (R1), 1k (R2) and 16k (R3).
The source impedance is selected as a function of the measurement range. For most
devices, including resistors, most capacitors and many inductors, the 1.0 Vrms setting
provide best results. For some inductors and active devices, the 0.25 or 0.5 Vrms set-
ting should be used.
Certain devices require a specific test voltage, such as Z5U ceramic capacitors (test
voltage = 0.5 Vrms for 25V parts and 1.0V for <16V parts).
Note: Use the largest voltage possible for the best SNR and accuracy.
The ST provides three measurement ranges (R1-R3). Each of the three ranges has
the source impedance of approximately the mid-scale impedance. The table below
specifies the impedance ranges for each of the measurement ranges.
Range Source R DUT Impedance
162.5 <400
21k 400 < <4k
316k >4k
Note: Measurement ranges determine an impedance range (not a value range), so
the ranges for inductance and capacitance depend upon the test frequency. In addi-
tion, the impedance for capacitors is inversely proportional to its capacitance, so larger
capacitors are measured in lower impedance ranges.
During normal operations the unit automatically changes to the optimal range for the
DUT. There is a built-in hysteresis allowing to avoid repeated range changes when a
component is near a range boundary. The auto-ranging function can be disabled by
user.
Range holding is helpful if a number of parts with similar values are being measured or
a specific measurement condition required.

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The Navigation Controller
The controller is used to select a function or to change a setting of Smart Tweezers.
The controller can be moved (rocked) in 4 directions (UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT). Se-
lection is performed by pressing along the vertical axis (PRESS).
CONTROLS
Quick Controls
The Quick Controls allow changing test parameters
or modes without entering the general menu by
moving the Navigation Controller UP, DOWN, LEFT
and RIGHT as shown below.
Note: To avoid errors do not use the Quick Controls
during component measurement.
The Navigation Controller response time depends
on the current test frequency.
The following table summarizes functions of the Navigation Controller moves:
UP - Change Test Signal Levels LEFT - Change Measurement Modes
DOWN - Change Test Ranges RIGHT - Change Test Frequencies

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POWER-ON - To Turn the Smart Tweezers ON, press the navigation controller.
Note: Once powered on, the unit will perform the last selected function.
POWER-OFF - ST powers off automatically if neither a measurement is performed or
the navigation controller is operated for approximately 30 seconds (default value).
The power off timeout value can be set by changing the TIMEOUT setting in the SYS-
TEMS menu.
The default power-off timeout is 30 seconds in a measurement mode and 30 seconds
in the MENU mode.
Note: Automatic power-off does not occur if test frequency is manually set to 10kHz.
POWER ON
The screen is divided into four areas:
• Primary Display
• Secondary Display
• Test Parameters
• Device Status with
Test Mode Indicator.
DISPLAY

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The measurement mode setting (R, L+R, C+R, C+D, L+Q, [Z], ESR and AUTO) deter-
mines the measurement type and the displayed parameters.
R MODE: Resistance is shown on the Primary Display. The resistance displayed is
either the equivalent series or parallel resistance of the DUT. Resistance units are
m , , k , or M .
L+R MODE: Inductance is shown on the Primary Display and the series resistance on
the Secondary Display. The units of inductance are H, mH or H Resistance is the
real part of the impedance. Resistance units are m or . Serial equivalent circuit is
used in this mode.
L+Q MODE: Inductance is shown on the Primary Display and the quality factor Q on
the Secondary Display. Inductance units are H, mH or H. Q is the ratio of the imagi-
nary part of the impedance to the real part of the impedance. Q is dimensionless and
the same for both series and parallel representations. A good inductance has a large L
and a small R and thus a high Q.
DISPLAYED PARAMETERS
PRIMARY DISPLAY: The Primary Display is located in the middle of the screen and
uses the largest font. It shows the dominant impedance parameter reading typically
with 5 digits displayed.
SECONDARY DISPLAY: The Secondary Display is located just above the Primary
Display. It shows the minor impedance parameter reading.
TEST PARAMETERS: The Test Parameters area is at the top of the screen and pro-
vides information about current test conditions such as Test Frequency, Range, Test
Signal Level, Test Model.
DEVICE STATUS: The Device Status area is at the bottom of the screen and provides
information about the current Test Mode settings and of the devices: Hold, Audio and
Battery Status.
TEST MODE INDICATOR: The Test Mode Indicator sign is located immediately to the
left of the Primary Display.
Symbols A, R, L, C [Z], ESR and Diode indicate Auto, Resistance, Inductance, Capaci-
tance, Impedance and ESR measurement and Diode Test mode respectively.

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This section describes menu structure and device parameters setting. Smart Tweezers
menu system contains:
• Main Menu - main menu items.
• System Menu - system menu items.
• Sound Menu - sound settings.
• Display Menu - display settings.
MENU STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS
C+R MODE: Capacitance is shown on the Primary Display and the parallel resistance
R, is shown on the Secondary Display. The units of capacitance are pF, nF or F. Re-
sistance units are or k . Parallel (C<500 pF) or serial (C>500pF) equivalent circuit
diagram is used.
C+D MODE: Capacitance is shown on the Primary Display and dissipation factor D
on the Secondary Display. The capacitance is either the equivalent series or parallel
capacitance of the DUT. The units of capacitance are pF, nF, F or mF. D is the ratio
of the real part of the impedance to the imaginary part of the impedance, or 1/Q. D is
dimensionless and the same for series and parallel representations. A good capacitor
has a large C(imaginary) and a small R (real) and thus a low D.
[Z] MODE: The impedance of the component is shown on the Primary Display. Units
are m , , k or M
ESR MODE: The equivalent series resistance of the capacitor is shown on the Primary
Display. ESR units are m , , k , or M .
AUTO MODE: ST determines which component model is the most accurate represen-
tation of the DUT and automatically selects the appropriate parameter set. The deter-
mination is made as follows:
• For [Q] <0.15 the R mode is selected.
• For Q>+0.15 the L+R or L+Q mode is selected (depends on user settings).
• For Q<0.15 the C+R or C+D mode is selected.
• For C<500 pF Parallel circuit diagram (Rp) is used.
• For C>=500 pF Serial circuit diagram (Rs) is used.

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• Service Menu - service functions.
• Measurement Menu - measurement functions and settings.
• Mode Menu - measurement modes.
• Setting Menu - measurement parameter settings.
NAVIGATING MENUS
Move the Navigation Controller UP or DOWN to move cursor to the desired menu item
and PRESS it to select the item. The Current Setting cursor indicates the current set-
ting.
MAIN MENU
Main menu is used to access System Menu, Measurement Menu or to restore mea-
surement parameters to the default state using Autoset.
• Select AUTOSET to reset parameters to the default settings.
• Select SYSTEM to change user interface operation parameters.
• Select MEASURE to specify measurement settings.

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SYSTEM MENU
System menu is used to access system
settings and functions
SOUND MENU
Sound menu is used to change the
sound setting for measurement
confirmation.
Select ON to enable the measurement
confirmation sound.
Select OFF to disable sound for all
functions except for the Navigation
Controller operation.
Select R-TONE to enable a special mode when beep frequency varies depending on
the measured resistance value in the Resistance Mode (see the Measurement Menu
section). Resistance thresholds for the R-TONE variations are preset to:
• Higher than 20 Ohm
• 10 Ohm
• 5 Ohm
• Ohm
• 0.5 Ohm and Lower
This mode could be used for locating shorted part of a circuit e.g. on a PCB.
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DISPLAY MENU
Display menu is used to change dis-
play’s settings:
• Select RIGHT to set “Right Handed”
display mode.
• Select LEFT to set “Left Handed”
display mode.
CONTRAST
Select CONTR to adjust display con-
trast. Move Navigation Controller UP
or DOWN to change contrast. PRESS
to exit menu at the adjusted contrast
level.
TIMEOUT
Select TIMEOUT to adjust the timeout
before the unit to sleep mode. Move
Navigation Controller UP or DOWN to
change timeout value (10sec-200sec)
PRESS to exit the menu.
BATTERY
Select BATTERY to measure the actual
battery voltage. PRESS to exit.
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SERIAL NUMBER
Select S/N to display the device serial
number and the firmware version.
Measurement modes and settings.
MODE MENU
The Mode menu is used to set the
measurement mode. Select RES, IND,
CAP, IMP or ESR menu items to mea-
sure desirable component or parameter
as Resistance, Inductance, Capaci-
tance, Impedance and ESR according-
ly. For automatic measurement select
AUTO (default).
AUTO MODE: Select AUTO mode (AM
sign appears at the left bottom corner of
display) for automatic measurement of
inductance, capacitance or resistance.
MEASUREMENT MENU
Note: In the AUTO mode ST uses 1k Hz test frequency by default and has a limited
sensitivity. Automatic detection may not work for small value capacitors and inductors.
In this case 10kHz test frequency must be used.

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RESISTANCE MODE: Enables Resistance measurement mode. See section MEA-
SURING FEATURES for more information.
INDUCTANCE MODE: Enables Inductance measurement mode. See section MEA-
SURING FEATURES for more information.
CAPACITANCE MODE: Enables Capacitance measurement mode. See section MEA-
SURING FEATURES for more information.
IMPEDANCE MODE: Enables the Impedance measurement mode. See section MEA-
SURING FEATURES for more information.
ESR MODE: Enables the ESR measurement mode. See section MEASURING FEA-
TURES for more information.
DIODE TEST MODE: Enables diode test mode showing diode polarity or SHORT indi-
cating a faulty diode.

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Use this menu to set specific measure-
ment parameter.
TEST FREQUENCY MENU
Use this menu to set desired test fre-
quency.
RDQ MENU
Use this menu to set secondary display
parameter.
The following combinations are allowed:
• C+R capacitance + resistance
• C+D capacitance + dissipation factor
• L+R inductance + resistances
• L+Q inductance + quality factor
SETTING MENU

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RANGE MENU
Use this menu to set desirable source
impedance range. Default value is
auto-ranging (AUTO).
Note: Auto-ranging procedure starts
from R2 (1kOhm)
LEVEL MENU
Use this menu to set desirable test sig-
nal level. Default value is 1.0 Vrms.
Note: 1.0 Vrms is equal to 2.8 Vp-p
MODEL MENU
Any non-ideal component can be repre-
sented as a resistive component in se-
ries or in parallel with a reactive compo-
nent. Depending on the characteristics
of the component the series or parallel
model will be more accurate. In most cases, parts are best approximated by the series
model. Manufacturers often specify which representation should be used when testing
their devices.
The LCR meter can display Automatic (A) Parallel (P) or Series (S) model data. Use
this menu to choose the parallel and series model.
Series model is set as the default setting.

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TOLERANCE MENU
This function is designed for component sorting. It checks whether the measured com-
ponent is within preset tolerance from the reference component. The tolerance ranges
available are 1%, 5%, 10% and 20%
To preset a tolerance range:
• Select manual L, C or R measurement mode (see MODE menu)
• Enable the HOLD mode (see HOLD menu)
• Connect an appropriate component selected as a reference value
• Enter the TOLERance menu and select desired tolerance range
Smart Tweezers will display difference in percent from the reference value and the
beeper will beep
• 1 time when the component is within setting tolerance
• 3 times whenever the component under test exceeds the setting tolerance.
To reset the tolerance mode select the AUTOSET from the main menu or DEFAULT
from the settings menu.
NULL MENU
Allows storing of measurement offsets to perform relative measurements (NULL).
When relative measurements are performed, also called null, each reading is the differ-
ence between a stored (measured) relative value or offset and the input signal.