• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Homemade Circuit Projects

Get free circuit help 24/7

New Projects | Privacy Policy | About us | Contact | Disclaimer | Copyright | Videos | Circuits for Beginners | Basic Circuits | Hobby Projects | Transistor Circuits | LED Drivers 

You are here: Home / Meters and Testers / Homemade Inductance Meter Circuit

Homemade Inductance Meter Circuit

Last Updated on January 11, 2019 by Swagatam 12 Comments

caution electricity can be dangerous

The article discusses a simple yet accurate, wide range inductance meter circuit. The design utilizes only transistors as the main active components and a handful of inexpensive passive components.

The proposed Inductance meter circuit can measure inductance or coil values accurately over the given ranges and as a bonus the circuit is also capable of measuring the complementary capacitor values as accurately.

Circuit Operation

The circuit functioning may be understood with the following points:

As we all know that inductors are fundamentally related to generating frequencies or in other words with pulsating or AC supplies.

Therefore for measuring such components we need to force them with their specific functions in order to enable extraction of their hidden characteristics or attributes.

Here the coil in question is forced to oscillate at a given frequency, and since this frequency depends on the L value of the particular inductor becomes measurable through an analogue device such as a moving coil meter after suitably converting the frequency into amplified voltage/current.

In the shown inductance meter circuit, T1 along Lo, Lx, Co, Cx together forms a Colpitts oscillator type of self oscillating configuration, whose frequency is directly determined by the above L and C components.

Transistor T2 and the associated parts help amplifying the generated pulses at the collector of T1 to reasonable potentials which is fed to the next stage comprising T4/T5 for further processing.

The T4/T5 stage raise the current and integrate the acquired info to appreciable levels so that it becomes readable over the connected uA meter.

Range Selection Option

Here Cx and Co basically provides the range selection option, many good quality caps with precise values may be positioned in the slot, with a provision of selecting the desired one via a rotary switch. This will allow an instant selecting facility of any desired range for enabling wider measurement of any particular inductor.

Conversely, correctly measured inductors/capacitor may be positioned at Co, Lo and Lx for getting an equivalent meter deflections for any unknown capacitor at Cx.

P1 and P2 may be used for monitoring and adjusting the zero position of the meter, it also allows fine tuning of the selected range over the meter.

Meter FSD calibration can be achieved by using the formula:

ni = nm(1 – fr)/(1 – fc)

where ni is the number of divisions measured on the scale, nm = total number of division of the scale, fr = relative frequency, fc = the smallest relative frequency measured.

The current consumption would be around 12mA at 12V while an inductor is being measured.

Circuit Diagram

 

You'll also like:

  • 1.  Simple IC Tester Circuit [Test Digital and Analogue ICs]
  • 2.  LED Brightness and Efficiency Tester Circuit
  • 3.  High Voltage Meter Circuit [for Measuring 10kV]
  • 4.  Digital Power Meter for Reading Home Wattage Consumption
  • 5.  Simple Transformer Winding Tester Circuit
  • 6.  Accurate Speedometer Circuit

About Swagatam

I am an electronic engineer (dipIETE ), hobbyist, inventor, schematic/PCB designer, manufacturer. I am also the founder of the website: https://www.homemade-circuits.com/, where I love sharing my innovative circuit ideas and tutorials.
If you have any circuit related query, you may interact through comments, I'll be most happy to help!

Have Questions? Please Comment below to Solve your Queries! Comments must be Related to the above Topic!!

Subscribe
Notify of
12 Comments
Newest
Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Primary Sidebar

Calculators

  • 3-Phase Power (15)
  • 324 IC Circuits (19)
  • 4017 IC Circuits (52)
  • 4060 IC Circuits (25)
  • 555 IC Circuits (98)
  • 741 IC Circuits (19)
  • Arduino Engineering Projects (83)
  • Audio and Amplifier Projects (114)
  • Battery Chargers (82)
  • Car and Motorcycle (94)
  • Datasheets (46)
  • Decorative Lighting (Diwali, Christmas) (33)
  • Electronic Components (100)
  • Electronic Devices and Circuit Theory (36)
  • Electronics Tutorial (116)
  • Fish Aquarium (5)
  • Free Energy (34)
  • Fun Projects (13)
  • GSM Projects (9)
  • Health Related (20)
  • Heater Controllers (29)
  • Home Electrical Circuits (102)
  • How to Articles (20)
  • Incubator Related (6)
  • Industrial Electronics (28)
  • Infrared (IR) (40)
  • Inverter Circuits (98)
  • Laser Projects (12)
  • LED and Light Effect (93)
  • LM317/LM338 (21)
  • LM3915 IC (25)
  • Meters and Testers (65)
  • Mini Projects (148)
  • Motor Controller (67)
  • MPPT (7)
  • Oscillator Circuits (26)
  • PIR (Passive Infrared) (8)
  • Power Electronics (34)
  • Power Supply Circuits (77)
  • Radio Circuits (10)
  • Remote Control (48)
  • Security and Alarm (61)
  • Sensors and Detectors (120)
  • SG3525 IC (5)
  • Simple Circuits (75)
  • SMPS (29)
  • Solar Controllers (60)
  • Timer and Delay Relay (53)
  • TL494 IC (5)
  • Transformerless Power Supply (8)
  • Transmitter Circuits (40)
  • Ultrasonic Projects (16)
  • Water Level Controller (45)

Calculators

  • AWG to Millimeter Converter
  • Battery Back up Time Calculator
  • Capacitance Reactance Calculator
  • IC 555 Astable Calculator
  • IC 555 Monostable Calculator
  • Inductance Calculator
  • LC Resonance Calculator
  • LM317, LM338, LM396 Calculator
  • Ohm’s Law Calculator
  • Phase Angle Phase Shift Calculator
  • Power Factor (PF) Calculator
  • Reactance Calculator
  • Small Signal Transistor(BJT) and Diode Quick Datasheet
  • Transistor Astable Calculator
  • Transistor base Resistor Calculator
  • Voltage Divider Calculator
  • Wire Current Calculator
  • Zener Diode Calculator

© 2023 · Swagatam Innovations

wpDiscuz