Fnirsi -TC3

[botvink]

I made the mistake of buying one last year, the oscilloscope function was measuring 0.5V offset at idle and different voltages in normal measurements, I sent Fnirsi company a Whatsapp email message on every channel and waited for them to solve it with the firmware, they further corrupted the function of correcting a simple voltage offset with another clean voltage. It would be great if they added it or developed it themselves. After pages and pages of messages, I was left unresolved. The answer was that you bought this product from another Aliexpress seller, not from us. But I said the product is your product, but it would be more useful if I talked to the wall.

I mean, it's a product with potential, but since they don't have any engineering development skills, I don't understand why they can't fix the problems of the actual product while spending so much budget on marketing.

[slavoy]

FNIRSI policy will be like this: New cool looking TC-4 with minor updates after release, no care for older devices  If it doesn't work from the start, you are on you own.

[KungFuJosh]

Cool opinion. Of course, it's still supported for now, and has a firmware download available on their website: https://www.fnirsi.com.cn/download/digit

I don't expect a $50 toy to compete in support levels with $5000 scopes. Nobody should. 🤷

[cgershon]

You must change also U10 ...

[cgershon]

You must change also U10 ...

[eevbstedt]

Thanks! That's good to know. I think they'll fix the fixable bugs eventually. I turned off the logo in there, now it starts up faster lol.

Has anyone found a newer firmware other than v0.30 ?

[KungFuJosh]

Thanks! That's good to know. I think they'll fix the fixable bugs eventually. I turned off the logo in there, now it starts up faster lol.

Has anyone found a newer firmware other than v0.30 ?

That's still the latest version on their website. I don't know where else you would find firmware.

[axantas]

Ask Finirsi for assistance on their WhatsApp Grup. They are quite helpful.

[MWBSYS]

Can you tell me whether the repair was ultimately successful and what part U6 is?

[Martin.M]

FNIRSI got a report from me about bullshit results at testing germanium diodes, germanium transistors and some hfe comparations to the TC1 what was much better in accuracy.
So I hope they have done a large update there.

[tony359]

I've got one today - and I am going to show it on my YT channel.

Not having a proper LCR tester to compare it, I compared it with a very cheap component tester I've been using for years, bought "bare PCB" on Ebay. The ESR readings are completely different between the two so I started looking online for someone who might have done a comparison with a proper tool and as you said, I could not find any. But I found this thread and another one mentioning the same thing. Sigh.

So not having a proper tool to compare it with, it's difficult to say. But doesn't look good.

[Phil1977]

ESR without further specification is as asking how fast a car accelerates and answering "8 seconds". 8 seconds for what? 0-100km/h, 0-60mi/h, quartermile, ...

You may use these functions to compare components against each other with the same tester. But not really as an absolute measure that´s expected to be the same between different instruments.

You can be quite happy if the capacity measures the same in a +/- 10% range.

[KungFuJosh]

If you want to know if the ESR measurement works, and you have no serious LCR to compare to, check the datasheets for each capacitor. If it matches every datasheet, it's probably okay. If it's not even close, then ignore the ESR claims on the device.

[tony359]

ESR without further specification is as asking how fast a car accelerates and answering "8 seconds". 8 seconds for what? 0-100km/h, 0-60mi/h, quartermile, ...

Oh yes I am not expecting the device to be super-accurate.

But I tested some bad capacitors on my old tester and one read 60 Ohm ESR. The FNIRSI read 0.6Ohm. I mean, that's a 100 factor in there

If you want to know if the ESR measurement works, and you have no serious LCR to compare to, check the datasheets for each capacitor. If it matches every datasheet, it's probably okay. If it's not even close, then ignore the ESR claims on the device.

Oh excellent idea thanks. I normally use Panasonic caps - from Mouser/Digikey - so I should be able to do a good comparison.

[watchmaker]

As my daughter sez, I am easily distracted by shiny new objects.  So I saw this on "super sale" for $25 and thought WTH.
on.  I now have an inkling how he felt.

Mainly, I am truly amazed at what is done today compared to the days of the Simpson 260, RCA VoltOhmyst and Dumont scopes.  I wonder if most people truly understand how far we have come.  Had a friend who qualified flying biplanes off the Langley and retired as a commander of a jet squadr
OK, my Shannon Tweezers have nothing to fear (C and ESR way of the TC3 is way off as others noted), nor are my scope and AWG threatened.  It seems the ESR comes closest to the tweezers if the tweezers are set to 1KHz.  But I would just use the tweezers for IDing caps anyway.

The device ID and zener tester are useful, and the continuity tester is probably its best feature (near instantaneous). At least the voltmeter is within 5mV of my bench meters.  Resistance is also off (5% low).

The wave generator may be useful for someone just starting out, but I am not sure how.  I suppose the single channel scope has some use.

But, it will replace my old $12 device ID thingy and may well be worth the premium (double the $12).  The lack of reverse polarity protection is an issue though.

But for $50 or $100; that is not shiny new toy impulse pricing for me.  I would continue to save my pennies for the Analog Discovery 2 or 3.

[ZhuraYuk]

There is a new "transistor tester" coming, LCR-P1

[slavoy]

There is a new "transistor tester" coming, LCR-P1
(Attachment Link)

As I said in the previous post 

FNIRSI policy will be like this: New cool looking TC-4 with minor updates after release, no care for older devices  If it doesn't work from the start, you are on you own.

[CharlotteSwiss]

I understand that it would be better to avoid this product Fnirsi? It is not even mentioned on their site. I would like to add one of these magic tweezers to my lab, but perhaps it would be better to look at a better brand.

[watchmaker]

The consensus seems to be to use Shannon's Tweezers.  Not as attractive as the early bird price, but still a decent value.

I have the TC3 and it is about as "accurate" as any other magical tester.  However, the continuity tester is pretty damned good; almost instantaneous. I checked with a resistor box and it will not alarm over 100 ohms.  The nice thing is it displays the resistance when it does alarm (or not).  So if it sounds and an R of 50 ohms is ok with you, then you know it is a "false" alarm.

Be nice if that was adjustable, but for the price.....

[CharlotteSwiss]

I saw that there would be Shannon, but the price is too high for an amateur... A middle ground would be fine. Even my multimeters indicate resistance (in addition to sound) in continuity tests. What I have a hard time understanding is why these tweezers should be better than a multimeter. I hope it's not because you can use them with one hand...

[KungFuJosh]

I saw that there would be Shannon, but the price is too high for an amateur... A middle ground would be fine. Even my multimeters indicate resistance (in addition to sound) in continuity tests. What I have a hard time understanding is why these tweezers should be better than a multimeter. I hope it's not because you can use them with one hand...

The Shannon price is usually around $118 to $130. That's cheap for what it is. Decent (but still not as good) tweezers are often around $300.

[CharlotteSwiss]

The Shannon price is usually around $118 to $130. That's cheap for what it is. Decent (but still not as good) tweezers are often around $300.

Does this mean that the Shannon would be the most sensible choice (without spending a fortune of course)?
In the meantime I'll leave aside the finersi (and identical clones)

[indman]

Does this mean that the Shannon would be the most sensible choice (without spending a fortune of course)?

Is it really important for you to have a device in the form of tweezers or are you considering similar RLC meters in a different housing?

[KungFuJosh]

Does this mean that the Shannon would be the most sensible choice (without spending a fortune of course)?

It's excellent for what it is, and considering its limitations (size, freq range). I have other LCR meters, and the tweezers get used the most. I mostly turn on the bench LCR meter when I need extended range or extended size. YMMV.

[slavoy]

There is a fundamental difference between a tester and a meter.
If you want to check whether a component is simply functional and in good condition, you buy a tester. A tester doesn't need to be precise or advanced, but it’s good if it's versatile. There are plenty of these testers, and they are based on software by Karl-Heinz Kübbeler, which the Chinese have cloned and sell under names like LCR-TC1, TC2, TC7, etc. These are the best cheap devices and are even relatively accurate.
Even if you need an RLC meter for tasks like making RF coils, such a tester will still come in handy, and it's very affordable. When it comes to tester functions, Fnirsi doesn't compare in terms of accuracy and reliability of measurement to this cheap pieces of art.
Fnirsi is very well-made, looks pretty, and has powerful hardware. With good software, it would be an excellent choice. But unfortunately, such software isn’t available.
I consider the Shannon tweezers to be a meter since they seem very accurate.
If you are looking for a LCR meter, you have more options: Uni-t, Hantek, EastTester, CEM, DE5000 and some others. But none of them test transistors anyway, so go ahead and buy an LCR-Tx