This manual contains proprietary information, which is protected by
copyright. All rights are reserved. No part of this manual may be
photocopied, reproduced or translated to another language without
prior written consent of the Good Will Instrument company.
The information in this manual was correct at the time of printing.
However, Good Will continues to improve products and reserves the
right to change specifications, equipment, and maintenance
procedures at any time without notice.
ISO-9001 CERTIFIED MANUFACTURER
Good Will Instrument Co., Ltd.
No. 7-1, Jhongsing Rd., Tucheng City, Taipei County 236, Taiwan.
This chapter contains important safety instructions
that you must follow when operating or storing
the LCR-800. Read the following before any
operation to insure your safety and to keep the
LCR-800 in the best possible condition.
Safety Symbols
These safety symbols may appear in this manual or on the LCR-800.
WARNING
CAUTION
Warning: Identifies conditions or practices that
could result in injury or loss of life.
Caution: Identifies conditions or practices that
could result in damage to the LCR-800 or to other
properties.
DANGER High Voltage
LCR-800 User Manual
Safety Guidelines
General
Guideline
CAUTION
Do not place any heavy object on the LCR-800.
Avoid severe impact or rough handling that
leads to damaging the LCR-800.
Do not discharge static electricity to the LCR-
800.
Do not block or obstruct the cooling fan vent
opening.
Do not perform measurement at circuits directly
connected to Mains (Note below).
Do not disassemble the LCR-800 unless you are
qualified as service personnel.
(Measurement categories) EN 61010-1:2001 specifies the
measurement categories and their requirements as follows. LCR-800
falls under category I.
Measurement category IV is for measurement performed at the
source of low-voltage installation.
Measurement category III is for measurement performed in the
building installation.
Measurement category II is for measurement performed on the
circuits directly connected to the low voltage installation.
Measurement category I is for measurements performed on
circuits not directly connected to Mains.
Attention Refer to the Manual
Protective Conductor Terminal
Earth (ground) Terminal
Power Supply
WARNING
AC Input voltage: 100V-240V, 50-60/400Hz
The power supply voltage should not fluctuate
more than 110V-240V ±10%.
Connect the protective grounding conductor of
the AC power cord to an earth ground, to avoid
electrical shock.
Do not dispose electronic equipment as unsorted
municipal waste. Please use a separate collection
facility or contact the supplier from which this
instrument was purchased.
5
Fuse
WARNING
6
Fuse type: FUSE 5TT 3A/250V
Make sure the correct type of fuse is installed
before powering up.
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
LCR-800 User Manual
Cleaning LCR-800
Operation
Environment
To ensure fire protection, replace the fuse only
with the specified type and rating.
Disconnect the power cord before fuse
replacement.
Make sure the cause of fuse blowout is fixed
before fuse replacement.
Disconnect the power cord before cleaning.
Use a soft cloth dampened in a solution of mild
detergent and water. Do not spray any liquid.
Do not use chemical or cleaner containing harsh
material such as benzene, toluene, xylene, and
acetone.
Location: Indoor, no direct sunlight, dust free,
almost non-conductive pollution (Note below)
Relative Humidity: < 85%
Altitude: < 2000m
Temperature: 10°C to 50°C
(Pollution Degree) EN 61010-1:2001 specifies the pollution degrees
and their requirements as follows. LCR-800 falls under degree 2.
Pollution refers to “addition of foreign matter, solid, liquid, or
gaseous (ionized gases), that may produce a reduction of dielectric
strength or surface resistivity”.
Pollution degree 1: No pollution or only dry, non-conductive
pollution occurs. The pollution has no influence.
Pollution degree 2: Normally only non-conductive pollution
occurs. Occasionally, however, a temporary conductivity caused
by condensation must be expected.
Pollution degree 3: Conductive pollution occurs, or dry, non-
conductive pollution occurs which becomes conductive due to
condensation which is expected. In such conditions, equipment
is normally protected against exposure to direct sunlight,
precipitation, and full wind pressure, but neither temperature
nor humidity is controlled.
Storage
environment
Disposal
Location: Indoor
Relative Humidity: < 85%
Temperature: −20°C to 60°C
Do not dispose this instrument as unsorted
municipal waste. Please use a separate collection
facility or contact the supplier from which this
instrument was purchased. Please make sure
discarded electrical waste is properly recycled to
reduce environmental impact.
7
8
SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
Power cord for the United Kingdom
When using the LCR-800 in the United Kingdom, make sure the
power cord meets the following safety instructions.
NOTE: This lead/appliance must only be wired by competent persons
LCR-800 User Manual
GETTING STARTED
WARNING: THIS APPLIANCE MUST BE EARTHED
IMPORTANT: The wires in this lead are coloured in accordance with the
following code:
Green/ Yellow: Earth
Blue: Neutral
Brown: Live (Phase)
As the colours of the wires in main leads may not correspond with the colours
marking identified in your plug/appliance, proceed as follows:
The wire which is coloured Green & Yellow must be connected to the Earth
terminal marked with the letter E or by the earth symbol
Green & Yellow.
The wire which is coloured Blue must be connected to the terminal which is
marked with the letter N or coloured Blue or Black.
The wire which is coloured Brown must be connected to the terminal marked
with the letter L or P or coloured Brown or Red.
If in doubt, consult the instructions provided with the equipment or contact the
supplier.
This cable/appliance should be protected by a suitably rated and approved HBC
mains fuse: refer to the rating information on the equipment and/or user
instructions for details. As a guide, cable of 0.75mm2 should be protected by a
3A or 5A fuse. Larger conductors would normally require 13A types, depending
on the connection method used.
Any moulded mains connector that requires removal /replacement must be
destroyed by removal of any fuse & fuse carrier and disposed of immediately, as
a plug with bared wires is hazardous if a engaged in live socket. Any re-wiring
must be carried out in accordance with the information detailed on this label.
or coloured Green or
Main Features
Measurement type
Panel overview
Setup
Fixture connection
Bias voltage
connection
Zeroing
This chapter describes the instrument’s main
features, front & rear panels, power up sequence,
fixture connections and calibration.
Main Features .............................................................. 11
Model comparison ...................................................... 12
*Only the LCR-821 can select L/R and Z/
measurement modes.
11
12
GETTING STARTED
LCR-800 User Manual
Front Panel Overview
LCD Display
Function keys
240 by 128, dot matrix LCD display.
Assigned to the menu on the right
side of the display.
7. Bias
8.On/Off
4. PPM
1. C.V
0. R.H
-. FREQ
The bias key selects an internal or
external bias. The bias will be
displayed on the bottom of the LCD
display as INT.B (internal bias) or
EXT.B (external bias).
The On/Off key turns the internal
or external bias on or off.
Measures Dissipation and Quality
factor as PPM.
Turns constant voltage mode on or
off.
Used to turn Range Hold On or Off.
Used to enter test frequencies.
Numerical
numbers
Number
pad/menu keys
Used to enter numerical values or access
secondary menu functions.
13
Enter
14
Used to enter numbers, decimals
and negative values.
The Enter key is used to confirm
menu and number entries.
GETTING STARTED
LCR-800 User Manual
Start
Te rm i na l s
Force and Sense
terminals
Power Switch
The Start key is used to start
measuring when in manual mode.
The start key can also be used to
select automatic or manual
measuring modes.
Hold the Start key for 3 seconds to
toggle between auto and manual
mode.
Force and Sense terminals
LFORCE
LSENSE
HSENSE
HFORCE
Turns the power on or off.
Current return
Low potential
High potential
Current output
On
Rear Panel Overview
LCR-819, LCR-817, LCR-816
3
2
1
0
1
1
1
1
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
I
J
R
D
R
D
C
O
X
K
G
M
H
I
E
L
E
E
N
E
N
C
C
_
O
R
_
R
V
V
D
V
O
G
G
P
E
_
T
P
_
N
L
O
O
_
_
_
S
I
_
_
_
O
_
E
O
_
O
K
S
P
_
O
O
I
_
_
_
I
O
O
LCR-829, LCR-827, LCR-826 LCR-821
Off
External Bias
Contrast control
The LCD contrast control
The positive and negative external
bias.
30V (35V
Max voltage
tolerable)
200mA Max current
15
16
GETTING STARTED
LCR-800 User Manual
Fuse / Power
Socket
Ground
Handler Interface
RS-232 Interface
The fuse holder contains the main
fuse, 5TT 3A/250V. For fuse
replacement details, see page 123.
The mains socket accepts the
power cord. See page 18 for
power-up details.
Ground input.
Handler interface for binning
(LCR-829/827/826 only).
RS232 interface (LCR-821). RS232
interface is used for remote control
with the LCR-Viewer software.
RS232 is also available as a factory
installed option (LCR816/817/819).
Power Up
Tilt stand
Low Angle
High Angle
Power up
Panel operation
Ensure the stand is up.
Ensure the stand is
down.
1. Connect the power
cord to the socket.
17
18
2. Press the power
button. The display
becomes active in 2~3
seconds.
3. Use the contrast knob on the rear panel to
adjust the LCD display contrast.
GETTING STARTED
LCR-800 User Manual
Counterclockwise:
bright
Clockwise:
dark
Fixture Connection
Fixture structure
Background
Diagram
Description HFORCE
The standard fixture is a four-wire type (Kelvin 4
wire). The outer terminals (Hforce and Lforce)
provide the current and the inner terminals
(Hsense and Lsense) measures the potential.
Carries the signal current source.
Connected to the + side of the device
under test.
HSENSE
LSENSE
LFORCE
GND
19
20
Together with Lsense, monitors the
Potential. Connected to the + side of
the device under test.
Together with Hsense, monitors the
Potential. Connected to the – side of
the device under test.
Accepts the signal current return.
Connected to the – side of the device
under test.
If the test component has a large
metal area NOT connected to either
of the terminals, connect to the GND
input to minimize noise level.
GETTING STARTED
LCR-800 User Manual
Fixture connection
Panel operation
1. Discharge the test component before connecting
2. Connect the Kelvin clip test lead into the front
the fixture set.
terminals. Line the lead fixture up to the front
terminals and slide in. Turn the BNC handle
counter clockwise to unlock the fixture. Turn
the handles clockwise to lock the fixture.
H side
L side
4. If the test component has an outer case
unconnected to either of the leads, connect to
the ground terminal for noise level reduction.
External voltage bias connection
TEST LEADS
Background
3. Connect the fixture to the test component. If the
component has polarity, connect the H side to
the positive lead and the L side to the negative
lead. Make sure the distance between the lead
base and fixture clip is short enough.
21
22
An external voltage bias of 0-30 volts with a
maximum of 200mA can be applied to the external
voltage bias terminals on the rear panel. The
external bias voltage must be floating and not
connected to ground. For details for setting the
external bias voltage see page 34.
1. Connect the voltage bias terminals to a bias
voltage. Leave ground floating.
GETTING STARTED
LCR-800 User Manual
Zeroing
Zeroing calibration
Power
Supply
Background
EXTERNAL BIAS
30V
200mA MAX
CAT
+
MAX
+
LCD
Open and short circuit calibration (zeroing) should
be performed on a daily basis to correct for cable
and fixture errors before taking measurements.
When test fixtures or test cables are changed, the
zeroing process should be performed again. All
data performed during the calibration is stored in
Don’t connect
the internal memory of the LCR-800.
The Open circuit calibration determines the stray
admittance and compensates high impedance
measurements. The short calibration determines
the residual impedance and is used when
determining low impedance measurements.
Open circuit
Procedure
The Open circuit calibration measures the stray
admittance of the test fixture. This is used for high
impedance measurements.
1. Insert the test fixture or cable.
Ensure the cables are not
shorted and are open.
2. Press the MENU key, then OFFSET, followed
by CAP OFFSET.
3. Wait for the calibration to finish. If the OPEN
TEST was successful, the screen will display the
following message:
23
24
GETTING STARTED
LCR-800 User Manual
Warning
If the test failed, ensure your cables or test fixtures are
open and not shorted. Ensure R.H is OFF. After
inspection try again.
Short circuit
The short test will calibrate the short circuit
impedance of the cables or test fixtures. This is
used for low impedance measurements
4. Short the cables or test fixtures
using a short thick copper wire
if necessary.
5. Press R/L offset in the offset menu.
6. Wait for the calibration to finish. If the SHORT
TEST was successful the following message is
displayed.
Warning
If the test failed, ensure your cables or test fixtures
are shorted. Ensure R.H is OFF. After inspection
try again.
Component Measuring Guidelines
Background
General Inductors
For measuring Impedance, Capacitance,
Inductance, and Resistance, series or parallel
equivalent circuit models are available. Usually a
component manufacturer will specify how a
component should be measured and at what
frequency. If not, use the guidelines below. Select
the equivalent circuit and frequency according to
the component value. For more information about
equivalent circuit models and theory see page 124.
Inductors have always traditionally been
measured in series equivalent circuits. For large
inductors a lower test frequency yields more
accurate results. For small inductors, higher
frequencies are more accurate.
Te st
Fre que ncy
0.1kHz
1kHz
10kHz
100kHz Series
<10uH 10uH~1mH 1mH~1H >1H
Expected Inductance
Series
Series
Series
7. Press EXIT when both tests are OK.
Warning
Failure to pass both tests will result in erroneous
measurements.
25
26
y
General
Capacitors
General Resistors
GETTING STARTED
Capacitors are usually measured in series except
for extremely small capacitance. Like with
inductors, larger capacitors should be measured
with low frequencies. Small capacitors with high
frequencies.
Te st
Fre que ncy
0.1~0.12 kHz
1kHz
10kHz
100kHz Parallel
<10pF 10pF~400pF 400pF~1uF >1uF
Expected Capacitance
Series or
Parallel
Series
Series
A series inductance circuit is the best equivalent
circuit for low resistance (<1kΩ) and a parallel
capacitance circuit for high resistances (>10MΩ).
Te st
Fre que ncy
0.03kHz
0.25kHz
1kHz Series
<1kΩ 1kΩ~10MΩ >10MΩ
Expected Resistance
Parallel
Parallel
Air-cored coils
Iron-cored and
ferrite inductor
LCR-800 User Manual
Air-cored coils can pick up noise very easily,
therefore they should be kept well clear of any test
equipment that ma
contain power transformers or
display scan circuitry. Also, keep the coils away
from metal objects which may modify inductor
characteristics.
The effective value of iron-cored and ferrite
inductors can vary widely with magnetization and
test signal level. Measure them at the AC level and
frequency in use. Unlike most inductors, a parallel
equivalent circuit is most suitable for iron-cored
inductors. When core materials are damaged by
excessive magnetization (for example: tape heads
and microphone transformers), check that the test
signal is acceptable before connection.
Metal component
case connection
A large area of metal can add noise to the
measurement. Here is how to minimize the effect.
If the metal is connected to one of the terminals,
this should be connected to the Hforce terminal
side.
If the metal is NOT connected to either of the
terminals, connect to the GND terminal.
Wire capacitance
When measuring the wire capacitance, the fixture
clips that are marked with H
(High Sense)
should always be connected to the
(High Force)/HS
F
point that is influenced the most by noise.
27
28
BASIC MEASUREMENT
*
BASIC MEASUREMENT
Basic Measurement details how to measure
individual components and how to configure the
LCR-800 settings. Basic Measurement also
describes how to save and recall memory.
Advanced functions such as the handler menu or
remote control are detailed on page 48 and 72,
respectively.
Select equivalent circuit type ...................................... 33
Set Bias voltage ........................................................... 34
Set measurement frequency ....................................... 35
Set measurement voltage ........................................... 37
Set PPM for D/Q measurements ............................... 38
Set constant voltage source ....................................... 39
Set Range hold ............................................................ 40
Set Average ................................................................. 40
Set Nominal Values .....................................................41
LCR-800 User Manual
Measurement Item Description
In general, two measurement items, primary and secondary, are
combined in a single measurement. The following table shows the
available combinations. Details of the measurement modes and the
circuit theory and formula can be found in the appendix, page 124.
LCR-817/ 819/ 821 Accuracy Measurements/second
Slow 0.05% At least 1
Medium 0.1% At least 3
Fast 0.24% At least 7
LCR-816/826/827/829 Accuracy Measurements/second
Slow 0.1% At least 1
Medium 0.2% At least 3
Fast 0.48% At least 7
Panel operation
The LCR-800 series support 3 different
measurement speeds: slow, medium or fast at
approximately 1, 5 or 12 (LCR-829/827/826)
measurements per second. The faster the
measurement speed, the lower the accuracy.
Conversely the slower the measurement speed, the
higher the accuracy. The measurement speed and
accuracy are dependent on the mode, voltage and
frequency. For detailed information, see the
specification table on page 136.
1. From the main menu, press the
SPEED menu key to cycle between
the various speeds.
Displayed measurement unit
Measurement
units
Units
Value
Delta
Delta% % deviation
Panel operation
All measurement unit results can be displayed as
the absolute values, delta values or delta
percentage values.
Value will show the absolute value of the
measurement in Ohms (Ω), Henries (H) or Farads
(F). The primary measurement has resolution of 5
digits; the secondary has a resolution of 4 digits (,
2 digits).
Delta% will show the percentage deviation of L, C,
R or Z from a nominal (stored) value.
Delta will show the deviation from a nominal
value as an absolute value in Ohms (Ω), Henries
(H) or Farads (F).
Ω, H, F
Absolute deviation (Ω, H, F )
1. From the main menu, press the
DISPLAY menu key to cycle
between the display types.
31
32
BASIC MEASUREMENT
LCR-800 User Manual
Measurement Modes
Measurement
mode
The LCR-800 has a number of different
measurement modes. Primary and secondary
measurements are displayed on the screen
simultaneously. For detailed information
regarding the measurement combinations, see the
specifications on page 136. The measurement
combinations are shown in the table below.
Series or Parallel equivalent circuits can be
selected. Not all measurement modes can be used
with both series and parallel equivalent circuits.
For details about circuit types see the circuit theory
chapter on page 124.
Series Parallel
type
Panel operation
1. From the main menu, press the
CIRCUIT menu key to cycle
between the series or parallel
equivalent circuits.
Series
Set Bias voltage
Background
Note
Voltage bias can be set internally or externally. An
internal voltage bias of 2 volts is normally applied
to a DUT. External voltage bias is able to accept 0
to 30 volts with a maximum current of 200mA. For
external bias voltage connections see page 22.
When measuring a DUT, please allow 1 second to
stabilize a DUT after a bias voltage is applied. In
general a bias voltage should only be applied to
capacitors. If a bias voltage is applied to devices
with low impedance, inaccurate measurements
will occur.
When an external voltage is applied, constant voltage
mode (C.V.ON) must be enabled, page 39.
Parallel
33
34
BASIC MEASUREMENT
LCR-800 User Manual
Panel operation
1. Press the 7/Bias key on the number
pad to cycle from internal to
external bias. The bottom of the
screen will display internal or
external bias.
2. Press 8/ON/OFF to turn the bias
voltage on or off. The bottom of the
screen will display the internal or
external bias as on or off.
Set measurement frequency
Background
The measurement frequency, together with the
measurement voltage is used to define the
electrical characteristics of each measurement item.
Make sure the appropriate frequency is selected
according to the component characteristics.
The LCR-821 can provide 504 different frequencies
with a 5 digit resolution including decimal places.
Any frequency can be keyed from the number pad,
and the closest available frequency (of 504) will be
selected automatically. The LCR-818/829 has 503
different frequencies and the LCR-817/827 and
LCR-816/826 have 489 and 245, respectively.
To calculate the different possible frequencies, use
the tables below.
Frequency range Formula n range
LCR-821
0.012 To 0.23077kHz 3kHz/n 13 to 250
0.23438 To 15kHz 60kHz/n 4 to 256
15.385 To 200kHz 200kHz/n 1 to 13
Frequency range Formula n range
LCR-819/829
0.012 To 0.23077kHz 3kHz/n 13 to 250
0.23438 To 15kHz 60kHz/n 4 to 256
15.385 To 100kHz 200kHz/n 2 to 13
Frequency range Formula n range
LCR-817/827
0.012 To 0.23077kHz 3kHz/n 13 to 250
0.23438 To 10kHz 60kHz/n 6 to 256
LCR-816/826
Frequency range Formula n range
0.10000 To 0.23077kHz 3kHz/n 13 to 30
0.23438 To 2kHz 60kHz/n 30 to 256
Panel operation
1. Press the -/FREQ key on the
number pad.
2. Enter the frequency using the numerical keys,
and then press ENTER.
1.0kHz
35
36
BASIC MEASUREMENT
LCR-800 User Manual
1.1kHz
The nearest frequency will be selected from the
504(LCR-281) nominal frequencies, and
updated in the display. Here, the nearest
frequency to 1.1kHz is 1.0909kHz.
After the test frequency has been changed, the zeroing
Along with frequency, voltage can be set. Make
sure the appropriate voltage is selected, according
to the component characteristics.
1. From the main menu, press MENU (F5)
followed by SETTING (F3) and VOLT (F2)
2. Enter the voltage using the numerical keys, and
then press ENTER.
1V
The voltage is updated in the display. If the
voltage entered is outside the allowable voltage
range, the nearest voltage is selected.
3. Press (F5) EXIT to exit the Setting
menu.
Set PPM for D/Q measurements
Background
Dissipation and Quality Factor (D/Q)
measurements can be shown in parts per million
(PPM) if D/Q is less than 0.0100. This increases the
resolution by a factor of 100. The units of D and Q
are dimensionless and are expressed as a decimal
ratio with a multiplier of 1,000,000.
100mV
Ensure the operating mode has a D or Q component.
See page 33.
Panel operation
1. Press 4/PPM to turn PPM on or off
for all D/Q measurements
37
38
BASIC MEASUREMENT
LCR-800 User Manual
Set Range hold
PPM will be displayed on the right hand side of
the screen, next to mode.
Set constant voltage source
Background
Panel operation
If a DUT needs to be tested at a set voltage, the
constant voltage function can be used. Using the
C.V. function the LCR will maintain a source
resistance of 25Ω. Therefore the test voltage is
constant for any DUT impedance greater than 25Ω.
Using the constant voltage feature will reduce the
accuracy of measurements by a factor of 3.
1. Press 1/C.V to turn constant
voltage on or off.
Background
When DUTs are disconnected from the test
cables/fixtures during continuous testing, Range
Hold can be used to avoid range switching. This is
particularly useful for repetitively testing a
number of DUTs. For more information on Range
and range hold, see the specifications, page 136.
Panel operation
1. Press 0/R.H to turn Range Hold on
or off.
R.H ON / OFF is toggled each time the 0/R.H
button is pressed.
Set Average
Background
An arbitrary number of tests can be averaged to
produce an averaged test result. 1-255 tests can be
averaged. The larger the number of tests that are
averaged, the longer the test time.
C.V ON / OFF is toggled each time the 1/C.V
button is pressed.
Panel operation
1. From the main menu, press MENU, followed
by SETTING and AVGE.
39
40
2. Enter the number of number of averages (tests)
using the numerical keys, and then press
ENTER.
BASIC MEASUREMENT
LCR-800 User Manual
The
average of
10 tests
The number of averages is displayed in the main
panel and in the AVGE menu icon after a short
processing time.