The LCR meter provides a simple and accurate way to measure impedance at a specific frequency point. However, for components that are more than pure L, C or R, this is often inadequate to fully estimate the performance. In these cases, impedance analyzers are used to measure and plot the complex impedance of the device under test over a range of frequencies. Unfortunately, the typical impedance analyzer costs more than $20,000 which is significantly higher than an LCR meter.
TEGAM addressed this problem by designing an application (Figure 1) which sweeps through user configurable frequency points on the Model 3550 LCR meter. The output is plotted and the measured values are also stored in an Excel file which can be used for further analysis.
Required Equipment
A TEGAM 3550, a desktop PC or a laptop with a GPIB port and a GPIB cable (P/N 1583-3) are required to run this application. The application can be downloaded directly from our website: www.tegam.com.
Instructions for Use
Hardware Set-up
Figure 1 - Screenshot of software
Software Set-up
Technical Specifications (TEGAM – Model: 3550)
Source: TMC