Review: Mastech MS8911 Smart SMD LCR Tester

The housing has

four buttons and an LC display. The button functions are On/Off (with automatic shutoff after 5 minutes), Hold to freeze the display, F for switching between automatic detection and a fixed component type (DCR, R, C or L), and an Hz/RMS function where you can choose from several test frequencies (100, 120, 1000 and 10,000 Hz) and two test voltages (0.1 and 0.5 V). That is an impressive number of setting options for an instrument in this price range.

Practical experience

I pulled a wide variety of SMDs and leaded components from my parts bins and measured them with the MS8911 tester. For each component it needed about 1 to 2 seconds to detect the component type and measure its value. The tester detected virtually everything correctly, although it sometimes had trouble measuring very low inductor values and I had to manually set it to the L range. With SMDs the measuring process goes very well if you place them on a hard surface and then grasp them with the tweezer tips from above. The accuracy is between 1 and 3 %, depending on the range, which is good enough for determining component values.

What I certainly did not expect from an instrument in this price range is that the display (with a maximum range of 6000) shows not only the value and the component type, but also the dissipation factor (D) for capacitors or the quality factor (Q) for inductors. Depending on the component value, the tester automatically selects a series or parallel measurement method, and you cannot control that manually. Some comparative measurements on several inductive components showed that the Q values indicated by the tester were spot on.

So is there nothing negative to say about this tester? Well, the component value symbols (p, n, µ, m, kΩ, MΩ) are rather small and close to the right-hand edge of the display. The tester is designed for right-hand use and you normally view it an angle when making a measurement, so the symbols are a bit difficult to read. That means you need good lighting when making measurements, but you need that anyhow when working with SMDs. The tester is not designed for making measurements on diodes, but with a bit of skill you can do so by using the DCR range. Finally, you cannot measure components in-circuit, but at this price that’s entirely understandable.

The conclusion is brief and concise: For less than 40 euros, the Mastech MS8911 is an outstanding instrument that does exactly what it promises. Everyone who works regularly with SMD passives should have this tester on their bench.