Once again Mike Cook has published another very useful and well-documented project, describing an intelligent transistor tested based around an Arduino and external circuitry. Using a lot of analogue switches via 74HC4066s, the tester can measure for every combination of base, collector and emitter. Once the transistor pinouts have been detected, the gain is then measured and display. See it in operation in the following video:
Truly an innovative and imaginative piece of equipment that will be useful for electronics enthusiasts. It could also be modified to display the results on an LCD module, thereby negating the need for a PC. To get started with your own tester, consider using a Freetronics Eleven, our Arduino Uno-compatible with onboard prototyping space - and an LCD Keypad shield:
Finally, for more information and Mike's detailed tutorial, visit his site.
