Very Accurate LC Meter based on PIC16F84A http://www.electronics-diy.com/lc_meter.

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Very Accurate LC Meter based on PIC16F84A IC.

LC Meter Part's List: LC Meter's Technical Specifications:

1x 16x1 LCD Display Voltage Supply: 7.5 - 15V
2x 1K 2x 10pF
1x PIC16F84A IC Accuracy: 1%
2x 6.8K 1x 100pF
1x LM311 IC Zero Out Switch
1x 47K 2x 1nF
1x 4MHz Crystal Automatic Ranging
3x 100K 2x 10uF
1x 82uH Inductor
1x 10K POT 1x 78LM05
1x 3V Reed Relay LC Meter's Inductance Measurement Ranges:
- 10nH - 1000nH
- 1uH - 1000uH
- 1mH - 100mH

LC Meter's Capacitance Measurement Ranges:

- 0.1pF - 1000pF
- 1nF - 900nF

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Very Accurate LC Meter based on PIC16F84A http://www.electronics-diy.com/lc_meter.php

About LC Meter

This is one of the most accurate and simplest LC inductance / capacitance Meters that one can find, yet one that you
can easily build yourself. This LC Meter allows to measure incredibly small inductances starting from 10nH to
1000nH, 1uH to 1000uH, 1mH to 100mH and capacitance from 0.1pF up to 900nF. LC Meter's circuit uses an auto
ranging system so that way you do not need to spend time selecting ranges manually. Another neat function is the
"Zero Out" switch that will reset the initial inductance / capacitance, making sure that the final readings of the LC
Meter are as accurate as possible.

LC Meter Kit with Green Backlight LCD Display

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Very Accurate LC Meter based on PIC16F84A http://www.electronics-diy.com/lc_meter.php

How does LC Meter Work?

To be able to determine the value of an unknown inductor / capacitor we can use the frequency formula given
below.

Note that there are three variables that we can work with; f, L and C (f represents a frequency, L inductance and C
capacitance). If we know the values of the two variables we may calculate the value of the third variable.

Lets say we want to determine the value of an unknown inductor with X inductance. We plug X inductance into the
formula and we also use value of a known capacitor. Using this data we can calculate the frequency. Once we know
the frequency we can use the power of the algebra and rewrite the above formula to solve for L (inductance). This
time we will use the calculated frequency and a value of a known capacitor to calculate the inductance.

Isn't this amazing? We just calculated the value of unknown inductor, and we may use the same technique to solve
for the unknown capacitance and even frequency.

Applying the Theory to LC Meter's Hardware

Now let's use the above theory and apply it to electronics. The LC Meter uses a popular LM311 IC that that functions
as a frequency generator and this is exactly what we need. If we want to calculate the value of an unknown inductor
we use a known Ccal 1000pF capacitor and the value of an unknown inductor. LM311 will generate a frequency that
we can measure with a frequency meter. Once we have this information we can use the frequency formula to
calculate the inductance.

The same thing can be done for calculating the value of a unknown capacitor. This time we don't know the value a
capacitor so instead we use the value of a known inductor to calculate the frequency. Once we have that information
we apply the formula to determine the capacitance.

All this sounds great, however if we want to determine the value of a lot of inductors / capacitors then this may

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Very Accurate LC Meter based on PIC16F84A http://www.electronics-diy.com/lc_meter.php

become a very time consuming process. Sure, we can write a computer program to do all these calculations, but
what if we don't have an access to a computer or a frequency meter?

That's were PIC16F84A microchip comes handy. PIC16F84A is like a small computer that can execute HEX programs
that are written using an assembly language. PIC16F84A is a very flexible microchip because it has PINs which can
be configured as inputs and outputs. Besides that, PIC16F84A IC requires very minimal number of external
components like 4MHz crystal / resonator and few resistors depending on what project we are building. Before we
can use PIC16F84A microchip we have to program it with a HEX code which has to be sent from the computer.

In the next step we use the frequency generated by LM311 IC and pass it on to PIC16F84A's PIN 17. We designate
this PIN as an input, as well as all other PINs that are directly connected to switches and jumpers. User can use
these inputs to tell the microchip to execute specified set of instructions or perform calculations.

Once the microchip will calculate the unknown inductance or capacitance it will use PINs that are designated as
outputs and pass the results on to the 16 character LCD display.

LC Meter's Switches & Jumpers

SW1 - Zero out the readings.

SW2 - Capacitance / Inductance switch.
J3 - turns on the backlight on LCD displays that have LED backlight.
J1 - used by 16x2 two line character LCD displays.
J2 - displays the initial frequency of the LM311 oscillator which should be around 550KHz.

Character LCD Display Connections

Most of the character LCD displays have 14 or 16 PINs. The displays that do have a backlight have 16 PINs and
displays that do not have a backlight have 14 PINs. The PINs that are highlighted in green in the table below are the ones
that PIC16F84A uses to pass the output information represented in bits (0/1).

PIN Symbol Function States

1 VSS GND -
2 VDD VCC +5V +
3 VO Contrast Adjustment +/-
4 RS Register Select H/L
5 R/W Read / Write H/L
6 E Enable Signal H/L
7 DB0 Data Bit 0 H/L
8 DB1 Data Bit 1 H/L
9 DB2 Data Bit 2 H/L
10 DB3 Data Bit 3 H/L
11 DB4 Data Bit 4 H/L
12 DB5 Data Bit 5 H/L
13 DB6 Data Bit 6 H/L

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14 DB7 Data Bit 7 H/L

15 LED Backlight VCC +5V +
16 LED Backlight GND -

CAUTION: The controller chip that is visible on the back of the LCD display can be damaged with the static energy. Make sure to
ground yourself every time you hold it, and handle it by the edges and not the PINs.

16x1& 16x2 LCD modules with backlight (front) both LCDs can be used interchangeably

LCD modules (back) 16x1 LCD with pcb standoffs and header pins

LC Meter's Enclosur

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