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Simple RF LED Pen


That s a fun little device to own.

Can you tell us a little more about though?

Like - how did you come up with this idea?

Its KEWL - reminds me of the older "plug tester" neon bulb - used to find Hot from Neutral.

I built this thing over a couple years ago. I looked at a lot of other people building all types of RF tracers that had what I called an over kill so I toyed with the idea for a bit and figured out a simple way of making one that was simple by using very little parts and worked out great for me. Just figured I would share with others on this site.
 
Yep, I made one for myself about 1 1/2 years ago. Except I did not put the components inside of anything. I just use it as it is .....
Works damn good for following the RF path and troubleshooting .....

Yeah I built this one a couple years ago. It has been a life saver no doubt. So simple to build and works like a charm.
 
great idea Crossbow!

i haven't looked at the circuit, but is there enough RF coming in to a radio's antenna socket (no signal) to turn the LED on?
LC
 
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Digging through my notes I found another one that I had built. This one can use a 12 volt meter build instead of a LED. Have to use a 9 volt battery on this one. I never put it in a case as the one I posted above works well with out all the extra parts and battery. Hope you enjoy.
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rf-pen.jpg
 
Very nice way to check for RF without risking the scope or probe. Adding an analog meter gives you the ability to check for balance in multi transistor amplifiers. Just use a low enough value coupling cap to prevent the rectifier from loading the circuit or burning up from too much RF. Many older VOM's can be converted into an RF meter just by placing a 1N60 diode across the meter movement. That diode is more sensitive to RF and needs less drive.
 

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