I've recently came across a new cheap little component tester that does way more than just the usual few basic tests.
This little beauty also can do basic DSO functions and is also reasonably accurate. There's also a signal generator and a full set of electronic diagnostic testing, including cap leakage/ESR, full inductor parameters and decoding IR remote waveforms, automatic pinout recognition of just about any device, including IGBTs, SCRs, diacs, triacs, all sorts of diode types, etc etc etc.
It run off an internal battery rechargeable through USBC and includes cables,, probes and connectors. The menus are very easy to navigate through and most tests are done very quickly. I've been trying to find specific devices it doesn't recognize or can't test. So far I haven't come across any (excluding ICs, but it will detect some lower voltage 3 pin Vregs!)
The best part is this tester is that its quite accurate and only costs $43!!!
This little beauty also can do basic DSO functions and is also reasonably accurate. There's also a signal generator and a full set of electronic diagnostic testing, including cap leakage/ESR, full inductor parameters and decoding IR remote waveforms, automatic pinout recognition of just about any device, including IGBTs, SCRs, diacs, triacs, all sorts of diode types, etc etc etc.
It run off an internal battery rechargeable through USBC and includes cables,, probes and connectors. The menus are very easy to navigate through and most tests are done very quickly. I've been trying to find specific devices it doesn't recognize or can't test. So far I haven't come across any (excluding ICs, but it will detect some lower voltage 3 pin Vregs!)
The best part is this tester is that its quite accurate and only costs $43!!!
It is a good instrument with many function and I've bought it a year ago, but I don't use it anymore because I've found a better specialized tool for each of its function.
To test 2 terminal components such as capacitors, I now use the Zoyi/Zotek ZT-M01 component tester - not to be confused with the ZT-M1 multimeter built by a different company with similar name. The capacitor test function is much better because it is possible to select the 100Hz and 10KHz frequency in addition of the 1000Hz frequency used by all cheap ESR testers. Degraded filter capacitors sometimes still measure good at 1000Hz but they are out of spec at 100Hz.
For 3 terminal components, I use a HV-308 component tester - I replaced the standard reference resistors with 1% ones and now it is more precise than the fnirsi.
Both the HV-308 and the ZT-M01 are cheaper tha the fnirsi DSO-TC3, and I look at them as a poor man version of the well known and also a lot more expensive Peak component testers.
As portable scope I now use the ZoYI ZT-703S combined oscilloscope-multimeter. This is more expensive than the DSO-TC3 but also much better.
To test 2 terminal components such as capacitors, I now use the Zoyi/Zotek ZT-M01 component tester - not to be confused with the ZT-M1 multimeter built by a different company with similar name. The capacitor test function is much better because it is possible to select the 100Hz and 10KHz frequency in addition of the 1000Hz frequency used by all cheap ESR testers. Degraded filter capacitors sometimes still measure good at 1000Hz but they are out of spec at 100Hz.
For 3 terminal components, I use a HV-308 component tester - I replaced the standard reference resistors with 1% ones and now it is more precise than the fnirsi.
Both the HV-308 and the ZT-M01 are cheaper tha the fnirsi DSO-TC3, and I look at them as a poor man version of the well known and also a lot more expensive Peak component testers.
As portable scope I now use the ZoYI ZT-703S combined oscilloscope-multimeter. This is more expensive than the DSO-TC3 but also much better.
Of course its not on the level of specialized dedicated testers. Its just a quick way to check some caps and resistors to match them. It will weed out obvious bad caps and it responds quickly. It correctly tests diode and LED junction voltages for matching. So far,, the transistors I tested with it are all correctly pinned. These are all the usual things I need it for and it does them just fine.
I threw some older caps from an 80s Technics amp at it read them as being deteriorated to the point of a 3 ohm ESR even though ripple was still within allowed spec. I confirmed this with a dedicated cap tester that agrees with it.
This isn't a lab grade instrument and I dont expect that from it, but for basic component tests it works just fine. Same goes for the other measurements it can do. But considering the $43 price tag, its excellent.
