LCR Meters

Sourcetronic LCR Meter - Zero calibration

With an LCR meter it is feasible to determine the impedances, which means the complex resistances of two-terminal components. LCR measuring devices are able to measure current, voltage and phase shift and calculate from that the LCR values, which can be represented in all possible forms (e.g. Z, R and X, series equivalent circuit Ls, Cs and Rs or parallel equivalent circuit Lp, Cp and Rp, etc.). There are portable handheld LCR measuring devices which are usually easy to use and there are also table and laboratory LCR meters in various sizes and ranges from 1 kHz to 100 MHz and even beyond.

How do I determine the correct LCR measuring device for my requirements?

In addition to the measuring ranges to be determined, the frequency range must be specified in each case, which is decisive for the price of the devices. Ordinarily the test specimens should be measured with the frequency with which they are operated later. Moreover, a LCR bridge often has very helpful functions, e.g. the comparator function, or the list-sweep-function. In the comparator mode, you can enter threshold values for the test specimens and the measuring device automatically evaluates to "GOOD" or "BAD" and can control a sorter with several compartments. The list-sweep function offers the possibility to automatically test a specimen with different frequencies, similar to an impedance analyzer, with the extraordinary well-equipped ST2829 series even with graphical frequency response over up to 801 frequency points. All in all, a LCR meter is suitable for direct and precise measurements of inductors, capacitors and resistors under different test frequencies. At the same time the test range can be selected manually or automatically. The LCR meter can also be operated fully automatically, e.g. via the interfaces RS-232, USB, GPIB, LAN or Handler. With specialized control software like our own ST© Meter, the measurements can be logged and evaluated accordingly.