R&S LCX impedance testers

Rohde & Schwarz has launched the R&S LCX family of high-performance, general-purpose impedance testers (LCR meters) covering a wide range of applications. With a supported frequency range from 4 Hz to 10 MHz, the range is suitable not only for the vast majority of devices operating at conventional 50 or 60 Hz domestic power frequencies or 400 Hz for aircraft, but also for everything from low-frequency seismic sensors to high-power communication circuits operating at several megahertz.

For engineers selecting suitable capacitors, inductances, resistors and analog filters to match the device application, the models are designed to provide high-precision impedance values; higher-speed measurements at production-use accuracy for quality control and monitoring are also supported. All the software and hardware required for production environments is available, including remote control and result logging, as well as rack mounting for the instrument and a full range of test fixtures for handling components.

The meter covers many applications, such as the measurement of equivalent series resistance (ESR) and equivalent series inductance (ESL) of electrolytic capacitors and DC-link capacitors. Furthermore, users can test transformers and measure DC resistance in addition to the full range of impedance measurements. To investigate components with impedance values varying at different frequencies and levels, the R&S LCX-K106 supports dynamic impedance measurements with the frequency, voltage or current as the swept parameter.

The R&S LCX100 covers a frequency range from 4 Hz to 300 kHz, while the R&S LCX200 covers a basic frequency range from 4 Hz to 500 kHz with options to cover all frequencies up to 10 MHz. Both models feature a large capacitive touchscreen and virtual keyboard to support tap-and-test for all main measurements. Alternatively, voltage, current and frequency values can be set using the rotary knob. Less frequently used functions are menu-operated. Settings, results and statistics can be displayed on the screen or output for automated post-processing. Up to four measurements can be selected and plotted versus time, with minimum and maximum values included in the display for at-a-glance pass/fail analysis.