[ruffrecords]

So wouldn't the best first advice for them be "you should get a multimeter"?
That's quite a usefull tool for a lot of things

No doubt a multi-meter would be useful for them in a general purpose way. They might even have one. I don't know about you but I find it very awkward to get a good connection to both pins of a male XLR connector  AND look at the meter reading and then you have no hands left to make any adjustments. Yes here are ways round it, you could make up a special lead to connect the multi-meter to a female XLR but this is all getting too complicated an error prone for the average guy. What he needs is a box that generates a tone at a known level and outputs it via an XLR. You and I don't need one but I think it will be useful for many others.

Cheers

Ian

[Dualflip]

So wouldn't the best first advice for them be "you should get a multimeter"?
That's quite a usefull tool for a lot of things

You are forgetting the fact that many people do not know and don't want to know how to use one, they might not be so technically inclined or bother with learning how to use a multimeter. I have a couple of friends like that, they don't even own a screwdriver, yet, they are into audio, and small osc. calibrated to a certain level might be useful to them.

[warpie]

It'll be a little handy device, no doubt. Especially if it's cheap and if it also has the option to output two levels with a simple switch. Something like 0dbu and +4dBu.

[abbey road d enfer]

It'll be a little handy device, no doubt. Especially if it's cheap and if it also has the option to output two levels with a simple switch. Something like 0dbu and +4dBu.

This is the beginning of adding bells and whistles...

[totoxraymond]

That coumd be an interesting device.

The biggest problem i see is:
it's made for people having problems using a multimeter. So, if it's a diy thing, how can you be sure, they won't mess up with assembly, calibration of the device?

And surely, you would need a DMM to calibrate the device after assembly... and maybe once in a while.

Maybe it's best for people to start learning how to use a multimeter. And buy a cheap one if necessary.

Everyone should have one and know how to measure AC anyway...  wait I think we definitely learned that at school!

[warpie]

This is the beginning of adding bells and whistles...

I know what you mean but it's probably a matter of adding an extra resistor and a little switch. Most gear is calibrated to +4dBu anyway 

[Tubetec]

Behringer do CT-100 and CT-200 cable testers  quite cheap , gives outputs at +4 -10 and -50 @1khz and 440hz
Ct-100 is £16.50 . Xlr jack and phono connectors

[warpie]

Behringer do CT-100 and CT-200 cable testers  quite cheap , gives outputs at +4 -10 and -50 @1khz and 440hz
Ct-100 is £16.50 . Xlr jack and phono connectors

Have you ever tried to check the output of that Behringer cable tester with a scope? 

[ruffrecords]

Behringer do CT-100 and CT-200 cable testers  quite cheap , gives outputs at +4 -10 and -50 @1khz and 440hz
Ct-100 is £16.50 . Xlr jack and phono connectors

The CT-100 is less than £17. It is not worth building one of you can get one that cheap. I think I will buy one myself - handy for testing mixer channels.

Cheers

Ian

[ruffrecords]

Have you ever tried to check the output of that Behringer cable tester with a scope? 

Why would you want to do that?

Cheers

ian

[Tubetec]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt--Q8Xwex4

Someone made a video ,it outputs a square wave ,
ok maybe its not a gold standard reference ,but will do the job none the less.

[Rob Flinn]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt--Q8Xwex4

Someone made a video ,it outputs a square wave ,
ok maybe its not a gold standard reference ,but will do the job none the less.

It also appears to be unbalanced since he doesn't seem to be able to get a trace from pin 3. Not that it's a big issue if it's battery powered.

[EmRR]

Yes, at a mere £209 in the UK ....

HAHAHAHHAAAAA.   Or $5 at a yard sale.

[warpie]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt--Q8Xwex4

Someone made a video ,it outputs a square wave ,
ok maybe its not a gold standard reference ,but will do the job none the less.

That looks quite alright actually comparing to mine.

[ruffrecords]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt--Q8Xwex4

Someone made a video ,it outputs a square wave ,
ok maybe its not a gold standard reference ,but will do the job none the less.

Not so good for accurate level checking then.

Cheers

Ian

[Tubetec]

I did look at a few other reviews of the CT-100 and its not particularly accurate level wise .
I dont get why if this is destined for audio they didnt use sine instead of square wave.

[ruffrecords]

I did look at a few other reviews of the CT-100 and its not particularly accurate level wise .
I dont get why if this is destined for audio they didnt use sine instead of square wave.

Bean counters probably. However, I did find an 8 pin PIC with an 8 bit DAC that could produce a fairly decent sine wave. I have been and gone and bought a CT-100 because it is so cheap. I will take it apart and let you all know what is inside.

Cheers

Ian

[Tubetec]

I did actually make up one of the Xr2206 units off ebay a couple of years back , it works ok from a 9v pp3 .
The chip in it is a knock off and one guy showed it actually didnt work properly at more than 11 volts supply , where an original chip did. I guess you could always replace the pots with presets to allow calibration to a set standard.

[Brian Roth]

Not so good for accurate level checking then.

Cheers

Ian

Approx. 10 years ago, a new studio client showed me his Behringer CT-100 and I was impressed enough to add it to my test kit, especially after I bought a new one from an online store for $30.00 including shipping.

I knew from the start it wasn't an "Audio Precision caliber" device.  Just listening I could tell it didn't produce a sine wave. Later tests with a scope and different load resistors indicated the output square wave signal was seriously compromised into a low Z load (say, 600 Ohms) as if there was a SERIOUSLY undersized coupling cap at the output circuit.  The output signal levels were also imprecise, especially with a low Z load.

BUT!.....

1. The portability is great when walking through wiring in a studio or with a PA system and you need go/no-go verification via injecting a signal..

2. The cable testing functions have been quite handy.  I fight when building cables with RCA connectors so the "wiggle the connectors" and the AutoMagic intermittent-sensing always detect my problems which are difficult to see with a DVM/VOM.

3.  I tell my studio clients to have one on-site for cable tests since very little skill is needed.  Test tones are an added bonus even though the actual signal levels are only Ballpark.

A Minirator would be ideal, but check out the prices!

https://shop.nti-audio.com/cat-generators-sources.cfm

Bri

PS, it appears the CT-100 is a clone of the Ebtech:

https://www.morleyproducts.com/6-in-1-cable-tester/

[ruffrecords]

Quite a price different between the Ebtech and Behringer products. $108 vs $38 at Sweetwater. I just bought the Behringer on Amazon for £16.50 which today is about $22.

Cheers

Ian

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