This is in reference to two considered devices, the Smart Tweezers ST5-S, and the LCR Research Pro 1 Plus that can also test LED’s.

I have 3 college degrees but I am not an electrical engineer like my Dad was. For years I’ve been frustrated by electronics failures that only about half of which I manage to troubleshoot successfully and repair. I now have several electronics education books I’m reading to get a better understanding of components. Either model is expensive, $275-$300, but rather than buy several cheaper instruments that test capacitance and such, it would seem that with this more automated device I could go from component to component on a PCB and more easily ferret out what’s causing a product to fail.

Right now I can only multimeter-test certain parts and wire connections, or resolder bad spots, etc. That doesn’t always work for those aggravating times that I can’t find anything obviously wrong like the dome on a blown capacitor, a loose wire, a nano-cracked solder joint, or a diode that conducts both directions.

Wouldn’t these tweezers help me find tiny (or large) smd’s that have failed, like on the board of an otherwise pristine garden faucet timer, a microwave oven, an expensive washing machine board, or a $10 LED solar garden lantern? My workbench is piling up with head scratchers I’d sure like to tackle and fix. Or are these instruments going to be too complicated for my level of understanding?

 

Hi,
If you know a little about electronics and can solder, you can make a fairly good measuring device yourself.

 

I’m also confounded by 20 ten-lamp strings of “C9” LED Light Show Xmas lights end-to-end on our roof that regularly have display faults. Each has its own control module, yet they synchronize perfectly, being started at the same time off one house circuit switch. When a set goes awry, I just replace that set. But my workbench has several haywire ones I haven’t figured out; sometimes just hit-and-miss switching of LED bulbs for a half hour ends up with a fix, but maybe the LCR model would save some time with that situation.

 

I don't see your problem as a need for better instrumentation, but rather as a need for better understanding of how a particular circuit works. If you want to fix a bunch of head-scratchers, you first need to learn their circuit's operation logic so you can trace whatever problem it has back to its source.

I doubt that a set of SMT diagnostic tweezers will help you much in your endeavor. I'd rather spend some money on a good oscilloscope, which is a much more powerful tool. Or even on bad oscilloscope, such as this cheap-o brand $30.00 dlls marvel! I own one myself and it's amazing what the little fella can do. But if you want to get serious, there are quite a few excellent scopes out there for under $300.00 dlls.

 

A set of sharp pointed DMM probes are a whole lot cheaper.

 

I’m also confounded by 20 ten-lamp strings of “C9” LED Light Show Xmas lights end-to-end on our roof that regularly have display faults. Each has its own control module, yet they synchronize perfectly, being started at the same time off one house circuit switch. When a set goes awry, I just replace that set. But my workbench has several haywire ones I haven’t figured out; sometimes just hit-and-miss switching of LED bulbs for a half hour ends up with a fix, but maybe the LCR model would save some time with that situation.

With some things it is far more cost/time effective to replace instead of repair.