Peak Atlas LCR User Guide - Peak Electronic Design Limited
Contents
1. ccccsseececeeeeeees 20 Page 2 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Introduction The Atlas LCR is an advanced instrument that greatly simplifies the testing of passive components Traditional LCR bridges are inherently complex and very time consuming to use The Atlas LCR does everything automatically it tells you the component type in addition to component value data What s more the Atlas LCR automatically selects the best signal level and frequency for the particular component under test The software is smart all internal calculations are performed with floating point maths This means that precision isn t lost in the complex internal calculations and all results are displayed in properly formatted and easy to read engineering units eg 23 6pF Summary Features e Automatic component identification e Automatic test frequency selection DC 1kHz 15kHz and 200kHz e Delayed or instant analysis for hands free operation e Auto power off e Probe and test lead compensation e Interchangeable probe sets e Automatic ranging and scaling e 1 basic accuracy for resistors e 1 5 basic accuracy for inductors and capacitors Page 3 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Important Notices WARNING This instrument must NEVER be connected to powered equipment components or equipment components with any stored energy e g charged capacitors Failure to comply with this warning may resul2. Values ranging from about 1H to 10H can be measured with a minimum resolution of 0 4uH The DC resistance of the inductor is measured from 0 5Q to IkQ with a minimum resolution of 0 39 Inductance 1 Sar mH Inductor results Following analysis the inductance is displayed Test Fresuency Press scroll off to display the 15kHZ frequency at which the inductance was measured DC Resistance Pressing the scroll off button again will display the inductor s DC resistance br Ohms Inductance measured for some components can be dependant on the test frequency used The effect of frequency on inductance varies depending on the type of windings and core utilised Even air cored inductors can show significant changes of measured inductance at different frequencies Page 7 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Testing Capacitors The Atlas LCR uses two different methods to analyse capacitors AC impedance analysis for low value capacitors R less than about luF and DC charge analysis for larger capacitors about luF to 10 000uF Capacitors particularly electrolytics can store enough charge that may cause damage to the LCR An electrolytic capacitor can even develop it s own stored charge that may be sufficient to cause damage to the Atlas LCR even after it has been temporarily discharged This is a characteristic known as Soakage It is vitally important that you ensure the capacitor is ful
3. z kHz Please note that probe compensation is particularly important when analysing low value inductors capacitors and resistors Page 11 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Taking care of your Atlas LCR Battery Replacement The Atlas LCR requires no special maintenance although the battery should be replaced every 12 months to prevent leak damage If this message is displayed the battery Low Batters should be replaced as soon as possible to prevent malfunction or leak damage Although the unit may continue to operate following a low battery warning measurements may be adversely affected New batteries can be purchased from many retailers and directly from Peak Electronic Design Ltd or an authorised agent Battery types Suitable battery types include 23A V23A GP23A MN21 or a good quality 12V alkaline equivalent as used in many test instruments and automotive remote key fobs Battery access To replace the battery unscrew the three screws to remove the rear panel Remove the old battery and insert a new one taking care to observe the correct polarity Carefully replace the rear panel do not over tighten the screws Peak Safe Battery Disposal Scheme Please return your old analyser battery to Peak Electronic Design Ltd for safe and environmentally responsible disposal Page 12 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Self Tests Many internal functions are tested each time the unit is power
4. between 100uH and 100mH For capacitances between 200pF and 500nF For resistances between 10Q and IMQ oes wee Page 17 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Appendix D Troubleshooting Problem Possible Solution Capacitance measured when probes are open circuit is not Perform a probe compensation close to zero 1 0pF Resistance and or inductance measured when probes are short circuit is not close to zero 1 2Q 1 6uH Perform a probe compensation Ensure probes are well connected to the component under test for the entire duration of the analysis Ensure that nothing else is connected with the component under test Make sure that Measured value doesn t i you are not touching the connections supported measurement range The component s design frequency may not correspond to the test frequencies used by the Atlas LCR The displayed resolution is higher than the Measured values vary measurement resolution to avoid rounding slightly between tests errors Small variations within the quoted measurement resolutions are normal Don t worry the Atlas LCR will carry on Calibration date is working after the Calibration Due Date approaching or has past has past The date is simply a recommendation Page 18 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Appendix E Warranty Information Peak Satisfaction Guarantee If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with the Peak Atlas LC
5. piece of wire the Atlas LCR will then ask you to open the probes How oFer Lhe Probes Now simultaneously unclip the both probes from the small length of wire and let the leads rest without touching them If this procedure has been successful the unit will display OK and then switch off At this point the parasitic and stray characteristics associated with the test leads and indeed the Atlas LCR itself will be stored in non volatile memory All further tests will have these values subtracted from the measured values therefore displaying the characteristics of the component alone Please note that probe compensation is particularly important when analysing low value inductors capacitors and resistors Page 6 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Testing Inductors The Atlas LCR is designed to analyse most inductors coils and chokes Inductor test frequency The test frequency that the Atlas LCR uses will be automatically selected from 1kHz 15kHz or 200kHz The following table shows the test frequencies used for various inductance ranges Inductance Range Test Frequency Used Between OuH and 0 3mH 200kHz Between 0 3mH and 4mH 15kHz Between 4mH and 10H The inductance range for each test frequency shown in the table above is approximate Effects such as DC resistance hysteresis and Q factor can influence the frequency that the Atlas LCR selects for your particular inductor Inductance range
6. possibility of damage to the unit If you are unsure measure the voltage across the capacitor using a suitable volt meter before applying the capacitor to the Atlas LCR Generally tantalum capacitors and electrolytic capacitors are polarised The Atlas LCR however uses a maximum of 1V to test the capacitor and so polarity of the Atlas LCR test probes is usually unimportant Page 10 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Testing Resistors gt Resistance values ranging from 0 5Q to 2MQ can be measured with a minimum resolution of about 0 30 Resistance is measured using a DC signal with a peak voltage of 1V across an open circuit and a peak current of about 3mA through a short circuit Resislance Resistor results Following analysis the resistance value is displayed Se wk Low Resistance Inductance Low value inductors lt 5uH and low value resistors lt 10Q are treated as a special case by the Atlas LCR This is because low value inductors and low value resistors can exhibit very similar characteristics at the test frequencies available from the Atlas LCR Low Resistance The following message is displayed and Inductance Pressing the scroll off button will display the values of resistance and kesistance inductance that the Atlas LCR has 1 2 ohms measured The test frequency displayed is the Inductance frequency used for the measurement of A uH the inductance Test Fresuency
7. specially made for your Atlas LCR Contact Peak Electronic Design Ltd or an authorised agent for more details Page 14 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Appendix B Component Identification It is important to appreciate that the Atlas LCR can only decide on the identity of the component under test using results of the electrical tests that it performs on the component The Atlas LCR determines the type of component under test according to the following criteria Inductor and Resistor Detection The Atlas LCR will distinguish between components that are largely inductive or largely resistive according to the values of inductance and resistance that it has measured This is illustrated in the following graph 100 000 T 10 000 ab O Vv Z S Q S 1 000 aoe ay 5 ZO ESS N oe 100 RS ge gt 8 10 5 1 _ O oO 0001 00001 Measured DC Resistance Ohms For example if the inductance of your component is measured at 100uH and it has a DC resistance of 100Q then the Atlas LCR will tell you that you have a resistor If however the resistance was only 10Q then the Atlas LCR will tell you that you have an inductor Note that any inductor with a DC resistance of more than 1000Q will be identified as a resistor Page 15 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Capacitor Detection The Atlas LCR will tell you that you have a capacitor if the following criteria
8. Peak Atlas LCR Passive Component Analyser Model LCR40 oe hs Yes A ty Gy SS us f f Me ef Designed and manufactured with pride in the UK Peak Electronic Design Limited 2002 2012 In the interests of development information in this guide is subject to change without notice E amp OE CE PEAK Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Want to use it now We understand that you want to use your Atlas LCR right now The unit is ready to go and you should have little need to refer to this user guide but please make sure that you read through pages 4 6 Contents Page IPO CMCEOM ecincnstecamstcinatws A 3 Important Notices 22 65 ccascs Pen geciscanceicatediec sesnoma Soeuetennesians 4 Usine your Atlas DORs gas iieercsseas iena e EE 5 Normal use Probe compensation Testine Madurese e a 7 Testing CApaCtOns hoses ae ndcshsscathessveciadanseteaediendeastaseestenlex 8 Testine RESISTORS oone a oen E E A 11 Low Resistance and Inductance Taking care of your Atlas LCR cccccccccccccceceeeeeeeeeees 12 Battery Replacement Self Tests Appendix A Accessories ssssssseeeereeosssssssssssssssrrrreessss 14 Appendix B Component Identification eeeeees 15 Appendix C Technical Specifications ccccccccceeeeees 17 Appendix D Troubleshooting cccceeeesseseeeeeeeeeeees 18 Appendix E Warranty Information ccccssecceeeeeeees 19 Appendix F Disposal Information
9. R within 14 days of purchase you may return the unit to your distributor You will receive a refund covering the full purchase price if the unit is returned in perfect condition Peak Warranty The warranty is valid for 24 months from date of purchase This warranty covers the cost of repair or replacement due to defects in materials and or manufacturing faults The warranty does not cover malfunction or defects caused by a Operation outside the scope of the user guide b Unauthorised access or modification of the unit except for battery replacement c Accidental physical damage or abuse d Normal wear and tear The customer s statutory rights are not affected by any of the above All claims must be accompanied by a proof of purchase Page 19 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Appendix F Disposal Information WEEE Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling of Electrical and Electronic Products i United Kingdom In 2006 the European Union introduced regulations WEEE for the collection and recycling of all waste electrical and electronic equipment It is no longer permissible to simply throw away electrical and electronic equipment Instead these products must enter the recycling process Each individual EU member state has implemented the WEEE regulations into national law in slightly different ways Please follow your national law when you want to dispose of any electrical or electronic p
10. are satisfied 1 If the measured DC resistance is higher than 1OMQ even if the measured capacitance is very low such as open probes or 2 If the measured DC resistance is between 100kQ and 10MQ and the measured capacitance is larger than 10pF or 3 Ifthe measured DC resistance is between 1kQ and 100kQ and the measured capacitance is larger than 100nF Resistor Detection Measured characteristics that do not satisfy any of the above criteria for inductors or capacitors will be displayed as a resistive element Page 16 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Appendix C Technical Specifications Parameter ax Note A a E e E a Resistance resolution 03Q 062 J Typically 1 0 1 20 range 0 5pF_ 10 000uF Capacitance resolution 0 2pF_ 0 5pF _ rage ae a 10H Inductance resolution 04H 08uH Typically 1 5 1 6uH Peak test voltage across O C 1 05V_ 1 05V_ Peak test current thru S C 3 25mA 3 25mA Test fequeney e anA a 200kHz 1 5 1 15 Sine purity Typically 60dB 3 harmonic Operating temperature range 10 C 40C 3 Battery operating voltage 85V BV Notes 1 Within 12 months of factory calibration Please contact us if you require a full re calibration and or certification of traceable calibration Specified at temperatures between 15 C and 30 C Subject to acceptable LCD visibility For inductances
11. ed up If any of these self tests do not meet tight performance limits a message will be Error Fy displayed similar to the following The unit will then switch off It is possible that a temporary condition caused the failure and restarting the unit may clear the problem If the fault persists please contact Peak Electronic Design Ltd or an authorised agent with details of the error message for further advice Please note that some internal tests cannot be performed if a low battery warning has been displayed This means that if there is an internal problem a low battery condition can prevent the error condition from being displayed It is therefore strongly recommended that a low battery is replaced as soon as a Low Battery message is displayed Page 13 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Appendix A Accessories A range of useful additions is available to enhance your Atlas LCR Carry Case A specially designed case with custom made foam compartments and a smart tough exterior is ideal for protecting your Atlas LCR and probes There s even space for a spare battery SMD Tweezer Probes These tweezers are ideal for testing many types of surface mount device The tweezers can cope with package sizes of 0402 0603 0805 1206 1210 and Case A B C D Fitting is easy the tweezers are terminated in the standard Atlas LCR probe connectors Other Probe Accessories Many different probe types are available
12. frequency shown in the table above is approximate Effects such as leakage dielectric dissipation and ESR can influence the frequency that the Atlas LCR selects for your particular capacitor Capacitor results Following analysis of the capacitor the capacitance value is displayed first Press the scroll off button to display the frequency at which the capacitance was measured Caracitlance Test Ffresuency 46 4FF k Hz Page 9 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Large Capacitors Capacitors larger than about luF are treated differently instead of being tested with an AC signal they are tested with a DC signal This is confirmed in the Test frequency screen Please be patient when testing large value capacitors it may take several seconds depending on the capacitance CaraciLance Test Ffresuency 166 SUF DC For capacitance values of greater than 1000uF the Atlas LCR will use the units of mF milli Farads Don t confuse milli Farads with micro Farads ImF 1000uF Capacitors particularly electrolytics can store enough charge that may cause damage to the LCR An electrolytic capacitor can even develop it s own stored charge that may be sufficient to cause damage to the Atlas LCR even after it has been temporarily discharged This is a characteristic known as Soakage It is vitally important that you ensure the capacitor is fully discharged ideally for several seconds to minimise the
13. iately Analseins Scrolling through the results Results are displayed a screen at a time simply press the scroll off button to see each screen when you re ready If you reach the last screen of results pressing scroll off will take you to the first results screen again Remember you can take your time and you don t need to keep the component connected Starting again The component analysis can be started again at any time by pressing on test Switching off The unit will automatically switch off after about 20 seconds following the last keypress If you wish you may manually switch off by holding down the scroll off button for about 1 second Page 5 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Probe Compensation If you change the probes on your Atlas LCR it is good practice to run through the short compensation procedure This ensures that the probes own inductance capacitance and resistance is automatically taken into account for subsequent measurements Before you start the compensation procedure attach a small length of tinned copper wire between the two test probes Now let the leads rest on a non conductive surface try not to touch them during the compensation procedure Now press and hold on test until the Probe l following is displayed Comnrernsation After a short delay the unit will prompt Plesse short you to short the probes together As you the probes have already shorted the probes with the
14. ly discharged ideally for several seconds to minimise the possibility of damage to the unit If you are unsure measure the voltage across the capacitor using a suitable volt meter before applying the capacitor to the Atlas LCR The unit will automatically identify the type of capacitor being tested and apply the most appropriate test method The capacitance will always be displayed in the most suitable units To convert between the various units refer to the following table pF nF uF mF ee nano Farads micro Farads milli Farads 0 001 0 000001 0 000000001 005 a ee 0 001 0 000001 1000 000 1000 a ay 0 001 1000 000 000 1000 000 1000 Page 8 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Low Value Capacitors There is a vast range of low value capacitors available Types include ceramic polyester polystyrene and mylar dielectric capacitors Generally low value capacitors tend to be unpolarised Minimum capacitance resolution is about 0 2pF Capacitor test frequency The Atlas LCR uses a high purity sine wave signal of IkHz 15kHz or 200kHz to analyse these types of capacitors The frequency is automatically selected to give the best possible measurement resolution The following table shows the test frequencies used for various capacitance ranges Capacitance Range Test Frequency Used Between OpF and 1nF 200kHz Between InF and 15nF 15kHz Between 15nF and 1uF Above IF The capacitance ranges for each test
15. roducts More details can be obtained from your national WEEE recycling agency If in doubt you may send your Peak Product to us for safe and environmentally responsible disposal At Peak Electronic Design Ltd we are committed to continual product development and improvement The specifications of our products are therefore subject to change without notice 2002 2012 Peak Electronic Design Limited E amp OE Designed and manufactured in the UK www peakelec co uk Tel 44 0 1298 70012 Fax 44 0 1298 70046 Page 20
16. t in personal injury damage to the equipment under test damage to the Atlas LCR and invalidation of the manufacturer s warranty Non destructive overload situations are logged in the non volatile memory within the Atlas LCR Analysis of discrete unconnected components is recommended The Atlas LCR is designed to provide accurate and reliable information for the majority of supported component types inductors capacitors and resistors as described in the technical specifications Testing of other component types or component networks may give erroneous and misleading results Page 4 Atlas LCR User Guide April 2012 Rev 5 Using your Atlas LCR Normal Use The Atlas LCR performs its component analysis before the results are displayed Therefore once the analysis has completed the probes can be disconnected from the component Analysis itself only takes a few seconds and you can choose to start the analysis after a 5 second delay or immediately Delayed Analysis If you press the on test button the unit will power up if it s Analysis starts not already on and then delay for 5 in 5 seconds seconds before analysis of your component starts This can be particularly useful if you need time to use both hands to apply the test probes to the component while the analysis takes place Instant Analysis You can skip the 5 second delay by pressing the on test button again The analysis will then start immed
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