RCL (inductance, capacitance) meter recommendation?

Other Hardware General Electronics
1

Can somebody recommend a reliable RCL (inductance, capacitance) meter, please?

I need to measure small inductance for demo projects and sometimes- capacitance.

Accuracy is less important it it must be acceptable = to measure the same values for the same coils five minutes later.

Preferable strongly built.

My budget is lower than 150 USD. I found here such meters for 40 USD but the reviews are negative.

I favor EU suppliers (whatever brand origin) because of easier custom clearance.

Thank you very much!

2

This works for me
http://www.peakelec.co.uk/acatalog/lcr45.html

3

Thank you, @jackrae!

4

You need to define "small inductance" using numbers and units, otherwise we can only guess what you mean.

5

20µ/200µ/2m/20m/200mH

6

I have found the Chinese ATmega328 transistor testers perform well as general purpose LCR meters. For $20, you can get a nice enclosure kit and get the experience of assembly. I have built five or six of these and given them away to people just starting out in electronics.

https://m.banggood.com/DIY-M12864-Graphics-Version-Transistor-Tester-Kit-LCR-ESR-PWM-With-Case-p-997023.html

Please excuse the mobile view, on an iPad here.

7

avr_fred:
Chinese ATmega328 transistor testers

Those are based on this project on mikrocontroller.net.
They are really nice as you can just plop a component in it and it will identify it and show the pinout. Passives as well as many semiconductors. But put a linear voltage regulator in it and it will probably identify it as 4 or 5 diodes.
I would guess they are not as good, in both range and accuracy, and dedicated LC meters.

I have built one myself based on the same project.
It measures as low as about 12µH and 10pF.

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(Mine is bulkier, uglier and more expensive than any of the Chinese ones. But dammit, I built it and it works.)