Tools/ucurrentgold

uCurrent Gold Precision current shunt/meter

This page has been noted as requiring attention to bring it up to the basic standard as per the guidance

Please remove this tag once this page has been improved that standard

Introduction

Placeholder Page.

Current Status

Date	Status	Comment
10th September 2018	Fully Functional	No reported problems

Can be used for measuring very small currents as milli-volt equivalents on a scope / meter. Ideal for measuring the power usage of microcontrollers. Bought with pledges from Hackspace members.

NOTE: Care is required in using the unit to prevent overloads.

Due to need to keep the burden voltage low, overload protection is NOT INCLUDED in the design. That means NO FUSES.

If you're unsure how to use it - (a) ask!, (b) read this document

Specifications

3 Current ranges:
- +/- 0-1250mA (20µV / mA burden voltage typical) * switch contact resistance plays a role here. 10uV due to the shunt resistor.
- +/- 0-1250µA (10µV / uA burden voltage)
- +/- 0-1250nA (10µV / nA burden voltage)
- NOTE: Higher currents are available by increasing the battery voltage, to a maximum of 5.5V, which would give +/-2250mA/2250µA/2250nA maximum)
Output Voltage Units:
- 1mV/mA
- 1mV/µA
- 1mV/nA
- NOTE: You simply read your mV multimeter range as if it were mA/µA/nA
Resolution (nA range): 100pA (3.5digit meter), 10pA (4.5 digit meter), 1pA (5.5 digit meter)
Accuracy (typical): <+/-0.05% on µA and nA ranges, <+/-0.1% on mA range.
Output Offset Voltage: <50µV (essentially insignificant on 4.5 digit meter)
Bandwidth: >300KHz (-3dB)
Temperature Drift: <10ppm / degC (µA/nA), <15ppm / degC (mA)
Noise: < -90dBV
THD: < -60dB
Battery: CR2032 Lithium coin cell (optional 3 x AAA’s)
Battery Life: >50 hours (battery good LED ensures accurate measurement when LED is on). 2.65V cutout voltage.

Planned Upgrades

Parts and upgrades that are planned/Budgeted/Purchased for in the near future

Recent Changes

If you make any non-trivial changes to the uCurrent Gold or perform maintenance please note it here, delete records older than 1 yr