New Micsig Current Probe CP503 | Voltlog #443

In the world of electronics testing and troubleshooting, having the right tools can make all the difference. Micsig, a renowned manufacturer of test gear, has recently released the CP503 current probe, and it’s a game-changer for professionals and hobbyists alike. The CP503 is a high-bandwidth current probe that can measure up to 50MHz (or 100MHz for the CP1003 variant), making it an ideal choice for analyzing current waveforms in various applications, including power supply design, automotive electronics, and more.

With its impressive bandwidth, the CP503 can capture even the most dynamic current waveforms with precision, allowing engineers and technicians to identify issues that might otherwise go unnoticed. One of the standout features of the CP503 is its UPI (Universal Probe Interface) connectivity option. This interface allows the probe to communicate directly with compatible oscilloscopes, enabling automatic calibration, parameter adjustment, and data transfer.

The result is a seamless user experience and increased accuracy, making the CP503 a true premium product. But the CP503 isn’t just about performance; it’s also built with quality in mind. The probe boasts a sleek and compact design, making it easy to maneuver in tight spaces. The cable feels soft and flexible, and the overall build quality exudes a sense of durability and reliability.

In terms of specifications, the CP503 impresses with its ±1% DC accuracy, low noise levels, and the ability to measure currents as low as 20mA on the 6A range and 50mA on the 30A range. These features make the CP503 a versatile tool for a wide range of applications, from measuring inrush currents to analyzing power factor correction circuits.

Micsig STO1004 Tablet Oscilloscope | Voltlog #438

In the ever-evolving world of oscilloscopes, the Micsig STO1004 Tablet Oscilloscope is making waves with its innovative design and impressive features. This portable, battery-powered scope offers a unique blend of convenience and functionality, catering to the needs of modern engineers and hobbyists alike.

With a sleek 8-inch capacitive touchscreen display and a physical button control panel, the STO1004 strikes a perfect balance between touch-based and traditional input methods. The intuitive user interface is designed for seamless navigation, allowing you to effortlessly adjust settings, analyze waveforms, and utilize advanced features like serial bus decoding and math functions.

Under the hood, the STO1004 packs a punch with its 100MHz bandwidth, 4 channels, and a sampling rate of 1GSa/s. The impressive 70Mpts memory depth ensures you can capture and analyze even the most intricate waveforms with precision. Additionally, the scope boasts a Universal Probe Interface, enabling compatibility with active and differential probes for more advanced applications.

Portability is a key advantage of the STO1004, thanks to its 7.5Ah removable lithium-ion battery. With up to 5 hours of battery life, you can take your oscilloscope on the go, whether it’s for field service, educational purposes, or on-site troubleshooting. The compact form factor and rugged design make it an ideal companion for engineers and technicians working in various environments.

Micsig has thoughtfully included features that enhance the overall user experience. The scope supports screen capture and video recording, allowing you to easily share debug data and collaborate with colleagues. It also offers WiFi connectivity, enabling remote control and screen sharing capabilities through dedicated mobile apps.

While the STO1004 may not be the ideal choice for a dedicated benchtop oscilloscope due to its joystick controls instead of traditional rotary knobs, it excels in situations where portability and versatility are paramount. Whether you’re a hobbyist, educator, or field service technician, the Micsig STO1004 Tablet Oscilloscope offers a compelling combination of performance, convenience, and cutting-edge features.

New Joulescope JS220 Better Specs Same Cost | Voltlog #433

The world of energy measurement and analysis just got an exciting upgrade with the launch of the new Joulescope JS220. This cutting-edge instrument promises to revolutionize the way we monitor and optimize power consumption in modern electronics, particularly in the realm of IoT and low-power devices.

Developed by the brilliant mind of Matt Liberty, the creator of the original Joulescope, the JS220 builds upon the success of its predecessor while offering improved specifications and enhanced capabilities. Despite the global challenges, Liberty has managed to maintain the same affordable price point, making the Joulescope an even more compelling choice for engineers, researchers, and hobbyists alike.

The Joulescope JS220 boasts an impressive array of features, including the ability to measure current, voltage, power, energy, and charge with unparalleled accuracy and reliability. Its autoranging shunt ammeter supports an exceptional dynamic range, ensuring precise measurements across a wide spectrum of power consumption levels.

One of the standout features of the JS220 is its improved ADC performance, with an increase in effective bits and bandwidth, enabling more detailed and accurate data capture. Additionally, the instrument now offers more general-purpose inputs, a new trigger in/out function, and a software-controlled fuse, enhancing its versatility and ease of use. But the improvements don’t stop there.

The JS220 also boasts an extended dynamic range, with a measurement range of ±3A sustained and ±10A pulse, as well as improved resolution down to 0.5nA. The voltage measurement range has also been expanded to ±15V, providing even greater flexibility in analyzing diverse electronic systems.

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of the Joulescope JS220 is its open-source drivers, which enable users to automate test measurement setups using their preferred software, streamlining the process and maximizing efficiency.

Is The Iwiss Mini Crimp Tool Any Good? | Voltlog #425

One of the more popular videos on my channel is Voltlog #223 where I reviewed the Paron JX-D5 crimping tool, I still have this tool, still working great and I use it occasionally to do some crimps. I mean it’s not going to be the best tool you can buy, or produce the highest quality crimps but for hobby level and for what you pay, it’s definitely a good deal. The only downside of this kit is that with the included accessories you can’t exactly crimp very small JST connectors, or other types of connectors like JAM, Molex ClickMate.

So in order to cover those as well, I decided to give this tool a try which is the IWISS Mini, this is the 2820M model which means it’s specified for AWG20 up to AWG28 so in general for thinner wires and crimps but there is also the 2412M model which is specified for AWG24 down to AWG12. This particular tool was provided by banggood.com for free for the purpose of this review and should you decide to order one, there will be a link in the description below, for you to check it out. At the time of publishing this video the tool was actually under restocking but I’m hoping it will be back in stock pretty soon.

Construction wise, this is not a ratchet type crimp, but there is nothing wrong with not having a ratchet, in fact in some cases, especially for cheap crimp tools the ratchet mechanism can be a problem and this can also be a matter of preference as some users prefer not having a ratchet system. But when not having a ratchet you have to make sure you are applying the correct force & travel for a good crimp and it does take some practice to reach that level.

Looking closely at the crimp tool, I would say that this is likely manufactured part of a stamping process from a large sheet of metal which means the actual resulting die on the crimp tool is not going to be as perfect or tight tolerance as it would be from a CNC machining process but this obviously lowers production cost which makes the tool much more affordable and if the die and stamping tool is precise enough this could result in a perfectly usable tool too.

Another Cheap Nuclear Radiation Tester | Voltlog #423

Welcome to a new video, today we’ll be taking a look at yet another cheap radiation detector and it’s going to be similar to the one reviewed in Voltlog 416, except it’s cheaper. It’s also not as big physically and it’s not a multifunction tester, this one just measures radiation but let’s start with our basics, this is the packaging it comes in, inside the box you will find this hard shell carry case which is a nice addition when compared to the previous model we reviewed and btw this one doesn’t really have any branding or a particular model mentioned, it’s just a generic radiation tester but because of that I would image that it’s likely you will find this sold under different names, brands or even shapes.

Inside the case the meter sits nicely in this cutout and you get a short USB-C charging cable, a hand strap and a short user manual. Like mentioned this is smaller physically which could be a nice advantage, but also comes with a smaller screen. We have a couple of rubber bands on the sides and a metal clip on the back, with the charging port located on the bottom. Plastic feels soft & decent, matte black, I quite like that.

On paper at least this seems to have better sensitivity when compared to the previous model I reviewed but realistically given the size and cost of the unit, I think it must be using a similar miniaturized geiger muller tube which is not the most sensitive tube for this type of application but it does have the size and cost advantage. We’ll be able to see more about this topic in the teardown but first let’s turn on the unit.

The screen on this unit feels a bit small at just 2 inches. I mean , in this reading mode, I can clearly see the readings which are using this nice and big 7-segment font, but the small text on the blue ribbons, that seems a bit small to easily read. On the plus side, brightness seems good, easily visible even under my bright video shooting lights. The problem is more apparent when you switch to the menu system which feels really crowded, they went with this thumbnail arrangement, the icons feel small, the text feels small. I would have probably preferred just a simple list menu for this with bigger text.

In terms of functionality you get the standard measure & display screen but you also have the options of setting up alarm thresholds and the meter can continue monitoring with the screen off for up to 20 days of battery life and it will trigger an alarm once the threshold is exceeded. It lets you configure the screen off timeout as well as the auto power off timeout which is nice and It can also do data logging although I have not seen any mention of the available memory. A couple of other settings for things like language or screen brightness are also available from the menu system.

Best Upgrade For The Best Hot Air Station | Voltlog #422

Welcome to a new Voltlog, today I’m gonna be showing you what I believe is the Best upgrade that you can do to your Best 863 hot air station and if you remember Voltlog #256. That’s where I did a review of this hot air station, been using it ever since 2019, so that’s about 3 years of service so far, it’s been working great but with the obvious downsides of having this touch screen panel for settings and with the annoying buzzer that you cannot turn off from this standard interface. I mean it takes a lot of button presses even for a simple temperature adjustment and it’s beep beep all the way for every single step.

Well it turns out that someone thought enough is enough and designed a replacement control panel for this station, one that offers a more classic input method through potentiometers for the most important parameters temperature and air speed, offers control over the buzzer but still keeps the touch input if you need to alter any of the other settings and all of this can be ordered as a kit from Tindie which is pretty awesome if you ask me.

If you are interested in ordering your BST-863 hot air station or the upgrade kit which I highly recommend you get for the best experience with this station There will be some links in the description below the video so check them out.

You have two options when ordering this kit from tindie, you can either get it as a KIT which is what I have here or you can get it fully assembled for an extra $10. The Kit version comes with a PCB that has all of the SMT components fully populated but there are a few through hole parts that you will need to solder yourself. I think the author has done a really good job at packing and organizing the different components, Even the resistors come on this little card that shows you where they should be positioned on the PCB. The kit also includes all of the required mounting hardware as well as a sticker for the front panel potentiometers. The package was shipped from Portugal and it got here pretty fast. In fact I’ve had this on my desk for a good while, i’ve just been very busy and unable to install it so far.

Getting a Geiger Counter Radiation Detector Might Be Useful | Voltlog #416

So I looked around for a portable Geiger counter that might give some indication or warning if the radiation levels start to increase. There are a few models available online, some which are for professional use but ofcourse you would expect those to be very expensive, so I was looking for something on the affordable side of things.

This model popped up in my searches, is the JD-3001 multifunctional Geiger counter and this can monitor gamma beta as well as electric and magnetic fields all in the same unit. I’m gonna put the specs of the unit on screen while I mention that it was offered for free by banggood.com for the purpose of this review and right now there is a high demand for these, but it shows in stock on banggood.com, the price is discounted and on top of that if you look in the description of the video you will find a coupon code that will provide you with an additional discount for this product.

Not sure how relevant it is but the unit also includes a temperature + humidity sensor which is located in this small extremity. When compared to other units available on the market this one seemed more interesting because it had some nice features like built-in lithium battery, rechargeable via USB Type-C port. It can do data logging on its internal memory and then you can access and download the logs through the USB port and probably the nicest feature is this big crisp color LCD display.

Best Affordable USB Analyzer QC/PD AVHzY CT-3 Shizuku | Voltlog #407

Welcome to a new Voltlog, In this video I’m gonna show you what I think it’s the best affordable USB Meter you can get right now in terms of functionality and build quality. The functionality built into this usb meter goes beyond your imagination and it’s hard to even remember all of the different functions this meter will support and the PC app they offer has to be one of the best apps I’ve seen from a Chinese company. It doesn’t mean it’s perfect, might still have a few bugs but definitely the best choice you can make right now.

The meter is branded AVHzY, the model number is CT-3 and full disclosure here, they offered this unit for free for the purpose of this review but they don’t pay me and I have full control over this review. The meter comes in a hard shell case so it’s well protected during shipping and to my surprise I got this in just under 2 weeks while the usual transit times for my packages are in the 3-4 weeks. Inside you get this english quick start guide, there was also a screen protector film which I already installed, it went in there perfectly and I really appreciate having that included because it was the perfect size.

This is the typical USB meter sandwich construction with different layers, this one seems to be using a single PCB in the middle with a couple of metal sheets on the outer layers which makes it feel premium and more rugged than simple plastic. We have the typical USB Type-A connectors for input and output , USB Type C input and output and also a micro USB for PC connection. The LCD is 128*160 pixels at just 1.77” which is not a lot, you can definitely see those pixels but for a small USB Meter I can’t complain, it’s still readable.

DytSpectrumOwl PCB Inspection Thermal Camera | Voltlog 384

Welcome to another Voltlog product review and in this video we are taking a look at the DytSpectrumOwl PCB thermal camera and let me tell you from the start that if you do a lot of PCB repairs or if you do any kind of product thermal characterization, your life would be so much better if you’ve had a tool like this and I’ll show you why in a few minutes.

The company that makes this product is DianYang Technology and I guess the name of the product is DyTSpectrumOwl model number CA-10, this is a 260×200 pixel resolution IR camera sensor with a 25 fps refresh rate and manual adjustable focus lens which allows it to focus from 20mm up to 2m, that 20mm close range focus and the 25hz refresh rate are very interesting features and I’ll talk more about that in a second.

I received the unit very well packed in a double cardboard box and  all I have to do is to fix the vertical stand to the base and attach the camera. While doing this I couldn’t help to notice the very good construction quality, they’ve used anodized aluminium and metal parts everywhere, everything is nicely machined, rounded corners, really nice attention to detail, like for example , the work surface has an insulating rubber coating which would prevent shorting something on the PCB you are testing and on the bottom side they have nice rubber bumpers to prevent it from sliding around. Inside the box they include a small screwdriver that you use for attaching the vertical stand to the base, a couple of spare screws and a USB type-C to USB Type-A data cable.

Camera has a USB Type-C interface, looks like the shell is made from plastic and painted the same metal gray color and you get a single on/off button with a status LED on the top. On the sensor side you get this big focus adjustment wheel and we’ll play with that later on when we get to look at a PCB but since we are talking about PCBs let me introduce the sponsor of this video

Raised to its maximum setting, you get about 15cm of clearance between the work surface and the camera and that’s plenty if you ask me and you also get the option of moving the stand to the left of the work surface by using these mounting points. There are a few adjustments on the standm you can raise or lower the camera by sliding on the vertical rod but you can also do fine adjustment with this thumbwheel at the top. Then you can move back and forward from this adjustment and you can also adjust the angle of the camera so you can pretty much get this into every angle you want but I would probably use this looking straight down at a PCB.

Owon HDS242S Oscilloscope AWG Multimeter 3in1 Review & Teardown | Voltlog 380

Welcome to a new Voltlog, In this video we’re taking a look at the OWON HDS242S which is a dual channel 40MHz portable oscilloscope coupled with a 20000 count true RMS digital multimeter and an arbitrary waveform generator capable of 25Mhz sine and 5MHz square wave, all in this portable format with a 3.5inch color TFT display. As part of their line-up you can also get the HDS272S which bumps the oscilloscope up to 70Mhz.  You can also get these without the function generator option and those would not have the ending S in their model number.