LCR meters are a very useful tool for radio enthusiasts.

I recall that handheld units started to appear on the market in the late 1990s and models such as the AVO/Megger BM183.

 

Prior to this LCR instruments were cumbersome bench only instruments based on bridge designs and they were very expensive even if you bought from a military surplus electronics suppliers.

A hewlett packard HP4274/4275A  series for example

A Beauty ,Very Nice Indeed, right up there in terms of build quality but it would be serious open wallet surgery ..even for a 20 year old example !

When brand new out of the factory a fine instrument like this would cost many thousands of dollars.

 

 

As an aside, one supplier in the UK springs to mind when it comes to old used test gear, Johns Radio in West Yorkshire.

Anyone who ever paid a visit will know that place was an emporium of test equipment, huge stocks, mainly ex government surplus, you could spend all day in there searching for equipment to kit out your shack/workshop. In there were bench type LCR meters by HP, Boonton, Marconi,Leader and others, they cost quite a bit even secondhand with quite a few miles on the clock !

 

 

From the late 1980s to around the mid 2000s I was a subscriber to both Television magazine and Practical Wireless magazine here in the UK.

In both publications I noticed a new company had started out supplying new test gadgets that you could fit in your pocket from Peak Electronic Design Ltd.

A British company based in Derbyshire,England which incidentally is a County also known as “The Peak District”. A beautiful part of the world it has to be said.

I have to admit at the time I did not give much attention to the “new kids on the block” but the write ups were good and respected reviewers at the time remarked that it was incredible how much you got in terms of bang for buck.

So with this stored in the grey matter somewhere in my memory I recently purchased a second hand LCR meter by Peak Electronic Design Ltd, the model is the Atlas LCR40.

At first glance it looks a pretty simple device, but simple that is what makes this instrument special.

Supplied in original box with instructions, looks like brand new in fact.  I paid £55 including postage.

 

I think this unit is perhaps 2010 year/ model judging by the firmware and calibration reminder date.

 

As said, simple on the outside but a hell of a lot going on inside, lets take a look.

 

Off with the case

 

 

The unit is powered by a 12v cell A23 / GP23 / MN21.

 

Now around to the front

 

 

If you are proud of something, you put your name on it !

Jez Siddons owner and creator… and stand by your product…more on that later.

 

The unit is supplied with 2 latching probe type test leads and 2 mini crocodile clip leads for easy connections to most devices under test.

 

The Peak LCR40 worked faultlessly straight out of the box, I tried it with several inductors, capacitors and resistors.

The battery of my unit was a little low at 11v, the results of my initial tests were surprisingly acurate against my uni-trend  UT-612 LCR meter  which cost 3x times more than my £55GBP spend.

 

So how does it comapre with cheaper products such as LC-100A  from China ?

Well the £12GBP/$16USD  LC-100A did not work well at all “out of the box” so to speak (it came with no box actually just a small sort of padded envelope to survive the  long journey).

I have seen these units and their clones priced at £50 GBP/$70USD and more supplied in a cheap enclosure..

My LC-100A went totally crazy at first with its supplied stock yellow torroid inductor ring at L1 position, i could not get the instrument to settle at all. Random readings on the display for realtively simple component tests.

This is perfectly normal behavior according to numerous user complaints on many forums !

 

I had to modify the torroid inside the unit and make my own inductor.

 

Following the change of L1 inductor for a NiZn material, things were much more stable but very poor acuracy at lower ranges for capacitors and inductors..not really any use for antenna making or filter construction where lower ranges are really critical for us radio enthusiasts.

No contest here..LCR40 wins hands down.

An unfair contest perhaps given the price/quality.

 

 

Now on to some things that could be better with the Peak Atlas LCR40.

 

Measuring variable capacitors with the LCR40 is not as easy as other components. The dispaly does not change “live” as you adjust the variable capacitor which is useful for us radio geeks.

For that facility you need the next instrument up in the range , the LCR45 model.

 

I did not care much for the mechanical button action against the tactile switch on the PCB .

Sometimes the buttons stick a little against the casing sides.

I thought of an idea and called Peak Electronics Design HQ on the telephone.

Yes there are real people who answer which makes a refreshing change.

My idea…

Could Peak Electronics provide a bespoke custom made silicone bumper pad contoured to the inside of the button shell to enable a much smoother and positive button action  ?

Something like this (apologies for my poor drawing skills).

 

 

“Jez”/Jeremy  the boss at Peak said maybe..hmmmm,  he very much liked that idea !

I invisage this occasional button sticking syndrome is similar on other instruments in the Peak Atlas range as the casings are very similar indeed, certainly on the size and shape of the buttons for each model so watch this space as they say !

 

The following day I was testing some SMDs with the LCR40 and had another brainwave/idea (rare).

The components are small by nature. Holding the probes and pressing the buttons at the same time seemed to be a skill that would require some serious practice !

Peak sell SMD tweezer probes but I thought of a way perhaps things could be easier. A test bed PCB 120mm x 50mm or so in size which has a pair of 2mm male banana plugs to connect the LCR40 red and black test leads . The PCB has a THC test section (zif socket with lock) and an SMD test section with smd solder pad footprints.

If this PCB was hooked up to the LCR40 the user could then place and hold SMDs for testing onto the pads with regular tweezers and have a free hand to operate the buttons on the instrument.

The image I had in my mind was something like this

I made a call to Jez at Peak Electronic Design Ltd to speak with him about this.

He thought it was a brilliant idea..so again, watch this space !

 

 

Speaking to Jeremy (Jez) was great and it is fantastic to see a British company doing so well.

Small cottage industry 25 years ago to worldwide test instrument supplier.

Every instrument is manufactured entirely in Great Britain, plastic casings, PCB population, assembly and testing.  All the internal electronics components used are OEM , no clones , no fakes.

Jeremy and Peak Electronic Design Ltd are securing British jobs at their HQ and in the supply chain which is really great news.

https://www.peakelec.co.uk/acatalog/peak-test-instruments.html

 

I found out that the product I have even though purchased second hand/15+ years old is still supported by PEAK and little has changed in the design.

They still sell the unit and I was offered an upgrade to LCR45 specs if I send my unit in. This costs a small fee.

Surreal, Thats a bit like owning a very well worn 2010 year model toyota corolla and visiting the dealer to get a headlight bulb from the parts dept. For your loyalty to the brand they offer you a brand new top of the range 2024/25 corolla hybrid vehicle for just 20% of the new cost price..crazy but the customer satisfaction is top priority for us Sir.

Great products sold the world over through a network of premium very well known electronics distributors such as RS, Digikey, Farnell/Newark Electronics, Reichelt to name a few. Leading distributors such as those mentioned will not sell products that do not perform.

As a manufacturer, I imagine you have to be at the very top of your game before these huge companies will even think about selling your gear on their storefronts.

Jeremy his colleagues at  Peak Electronic Design Ltd  have done an admirable job, of that there is no doubt.

Check out the list for a seller in your country

https://www.peakelec.co.uk/acatalog/peak-distributors.html

 

The LCR40 is a brilliant little tool for the radio hobbyist. A very clever instrument for silly money when you consider the acuracy and ease of use.

If you are lucky enough to find one second hand at a good price as I did, buy it.

The instrument can be sent to Peak HQ for upgrade, service/repair at very low cost.

(. Some upgrade features are dependent on LCR40 PCB version but it costs nothing to send an email to enquire)

Edit : I am told by the manufacturer that LCR40 units with pcb v2.4 or later can be upgraded to LCR45 specifications.

 

I must save some pennies as I have taken a liking to other Atlas instruments in their product range, the DCA55 Semi Conductor tester and ESR70 ESR/capacitor tester models look very tempting.

Coupled with the LCR40 or LCR45 that set of 3 relatively inexpensive instruments will enable me to tackle just about anything and a big plus will be the space savings that will be made on the work bench.