[Elecraft] AADE LC meter for ham radio

[Dan KB6NU]

I write a blog covering automotive test (www.autotestnews.com), so  
I'm on the mailing lists for a bunch of test instrument companies.  
With all this talk about the $100 AADE LC Meter, I thought you'd get  
a kick out of this. It's only $13,000!

btw, Agilent is the company that was formed to take over all the  
Hewlett Packard test equipment lines when HP decided it just wanted  
to be a computer maker.

73!

Dan KB6NU
----------------------------------------------------------
CW Geek: Fists #9342, FP #1171
Affiliated Club Coordinator, MI Section
Read my ham radio blog at www.kb6nu.com



TRADE NEWS: Agilent Technologies Introduces High-Performance Low- 
Frequency Precision LCR Meter Unit Delivers Best Accuracy, Speed and  
Versatility in Frequency Range

PALO ALTO, Calif., Jan. 10, 2006 -- Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:  
A) today introduced a high-performance precision LCR (inductance,  
capacitance, resistance) meter for component R&D and manufacturing  
engineers. The Agilent E4980A offers the industry's highest accuracy  
and repeatability from 20 Hz to 2 MHz, fast measurement speed, and  
outstanding performance at both low and high impedance. As a follow- 
up to Agilent's market-leading 4284A, the compact E4980A includes a  
modern PC interface and is five times faster, resulting in enhanced  
productivity and a lower cost of test.

  Component, semiconductor and equipment manufacturers are driven  
today by the mobile, PC, consumer electronics and automotive  
component markets. To accurately evaluate high-quality capacitors,  
inductors, transformers, semiconductors, and electromechanical  
devices for those markets, manufacturers require an LCR meter that  
offers both fast and highly accurate measurements. The E4980A offers  
high accuracy (0.05% basic accuracy) and features outstanding  
performance at both low and high impedance. This translates into  
improved test efficiency and measurement reliability.

The unit's high speed (5.6 ms at 1 MHz) improves test throughput and  
increases production yields, allowing manufacturers to make lower- 
cost devices. And the meter's support for LAN, USB, and GPIB, as well  
as powerful test signal support (20 Vrms signal, 40 V DC bais), makes  
it easier to manage multiple instrument setups and improves data  
collection time.

"The three words that best describe the E4980A are accuracy, speed  
and versatility," said Makoto Honda, vice president and general  
manager of Agilent's Japan field operations. "It's a compact and  
versatile LCR that enables component, semiconductor and equipment  
manufacturers to test smaller, lower-cost and higher-performance  
devices while improving test efficiency and lowering the overall cost  
of test."

Additional features built into the E4980A include support for 40 A DC  
bias current source for conducting highly accurate and efficient DC  
current-biased inductance measurements, a DC resistance/voltage/ 
current measurement readout for performing simultaneous evaluations  
of DC characteristics, and 10 V  DC source output port for evaluating  
three-terminal devices.

Further Information
Additional information about the Agilent E4980A LCR meter is  
available at www.agilent.com/find/E4980A. Images are available at  
www.agilent.com/find/E4980A_image.

U.S. Pricing and Availability
Pricing for the Agilent E4980A LCR meter starts at $13,000. The  
product is available to order Feb. 1, 2006.

About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world's premier  
measurement company and a technology leader in communications,  
electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company's  
21,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent  
had net revenue of $5.1 billion in fiscal 2005. Information about  
Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.



On Jan 27, 2006, at 7:52 AM, Alexandra Carter wrote:

> I just built the AADE (Almost All Digital Electronics) LC meter  
> kit, it's a very nice little unit and biased towards ham radio,  
> being very good at the smaller values of L and C that we encounter  
> in antenna/RF work. It took me about an hour to build, and I'd say  
> it's worth the $99 or so it cost - I think it was $105 or so with  
> the shipping. The documentation is not up to Elecraft standard!  
> But, the parts are so few it's not so bad, just read the  
> instructions and notes through first and you'll be OK. You can get  
> it factory built for $30 more. I hope this message isn't too  
> SPAMish but if you need an LC meter in a hurry you may be tempted  
> to get the B&K 878 which costs over 2x as much and you won't have  
> that hands-on understanding. This is a very solid and easy to use  
> unit. 73 de Alex NS6Y.