Resistor code augmented reality?!?

[giovanni]

Have you guys used any app that use your phone’s camera to tell you resistor values? Something like this? Do they work?

 

[carlinb17]

Personally I’ve seen so many variations of colors on resistors the dmm is the only thing I trust

 

[JamieJ]

I find my little TC-1 the handiest way to test resistors and caps. The zip socket stops them moving around. It’s pretty quick.

 

[EGRENIER]

Have you guys used any app that use your phone’s camera to tell you resistor values? Something like this? Do they work?

They should work… but I downloaded the Jera one a while ago and never even got it to guess a value. It kept telling to put the apps against a white background. Literally, all I had was a white sheet of paper on my workbench and never got off the “instruction“ of needing a white background !

However, color matching/detection is probably not that hard, so not why it never worked.

 

[giovanni]

The reviews for that app are pretty bad. I feel like this would really be useful if you could put an entire board in front of your camera and it just told you all the values…

 

[EGRENIER]

Not sure about all the values, but that sure would be neat. Heck, I was surprised yesterday when my iPhone was doing hand writing recognition from the inside of my enclosure on the little note I always right inside the cover.

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Have you guys used any app that use your phone’s camera to tell you resistor values?

By any chance were you born between 1981 & 1996?

I tried a soldering app on my phone and now there's flux all over the screen.

 

[giovanni]

1982. I work with ML so the idea doesn’t sound so crazy to me but it seems that the execution was poor…

 

[Kroars]

I find my little TC-1 the handiest way to test resistors and caps. The zip socket stops them moving around. It’s pretty quick.

Yup! I’ll test every resistor and capacitor with a TC-1 (actually my second one, first one died after a year). Diodes with a DMM and transistors with a DCA-75. I’ve tested hundreds of resistors and caps and don’t think I’ve ever found one out of spec, but it’s just so easy and quick to test prior to installation. Also one more step to make sure I’m installing the correct value.

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

Try measuring some vintage carbon comp resistors.

 

[fig]

I just hold a resistor up and my dog tells me the value. Sort of Great Carnac-ish...

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

John Prine said his dog could predict hurricanes.

 

[Oh_Discordia!]

Yup! I’ll test every resistor and capacitor with a TC-1 (actually my second one, first one died after a year). Diodes with a DMM and transistors with a DCA-75. I’ve tested hundreds of resistors and caps and don’t think I’ve ever found one out of spec, but it’s just so easy and quick to test prior to installation. Also one more step to make sure I’m installing the correct value.

I never used to, and now I can't put anything into a board without testing it. Time saved later tracking down a bad part...

Does your TC-1 do IC's? The one I have doesn't but I could have sworn the listing said it did when I bought it...

 

[andare]

I use a DMM to quadruple or quintuple test resistors before putting them in the PCB. I need help.

 

[Feral Feline]

I use a DMM to quadruple or quintuple test resistors before putting them in the PCB. I need help.

Happy to help. Send them to me, I’ll test them with my DMM…

 

[Kroars]

I never used to, and now I can't put anything into a board without testing it. Time saved later tracking down a bad part...

Does your TC-1 do IC's? The one I have doesn't but I could have sworn the listing said it did when I bought

I’m not sure, never tried.

 

[Chuck D. Bones]

I'd be very surprised if the TC-1 could test ICs simply because there are so many specifications to verify and so much variation from one part number to another. Just look at an opamp datasheet and count the number of line items and you'll get an idea of the scope of the task of testing an IC. The easiest IC to test is a 3-terminal regulator. Try plugging a 78L05 into your TC-1 and see what happens.

There are some simple tests that can be performed on a breadboard to see if a single, dual or quad opamp is alive and if it's even in the ballpark for that particular part number. As an example, I measured the power supply current on two ICs marked as OPA2134. One was in-spec and the other was much lower and is most likely a fake based on a re-labeled TL0x2.