Millivolt Meter using a LM3914 LED Dot Display

Here is a easy to read 'Analog' Millivoltmeter. Just like the Moving Coil Voltmeter, but does not have that resolution. This gives a easy indication of process progress or parameter magnitude from a large distance. A bargraph is easy on decision making too, compared to a digital readout.

How this Works ? - The analog input in mV - millivolts is fed to R18, RC reduces Noise and the Zener Clamps protect. The LF353 FET Opamp offers High Impedance as a Non-Inverting Amplifier, which nullifies measurement burden, Remember the Moving coil voltmeter loads the measured circuit, causing sizable errors. Then they invented the Vacuum Tube Voltmeter to solve this issue. An FET voltmeter is near ideal, they ought to have inventing this first.

The Zeners and C3 Plastic cap should not leak, even if they do it should be in Pico Amps. Get quality stuff and do a neat job putting them together. To master this leakage and other aspects, try building an Electrometer with CA3140. Another Measurement challenge is uV Microvolt measurements, you will be faced with new glitches in connectors and PCB due to thermocouple effects and contact resistance. A soldered joint near a hot resistor will set up enough thermal gradients and create many thermocouples all over the board. Try to measure 1 Microohm with a 10 Amp pulse or 1 A DC. You will learn many things. Connectors have a craze for the Precious Metal, they act funny if they do not have enough Gold on em.

Once i observed, very low voltages or circuits with nominal voltages but very low currents, cannot break a near invisible layer between the plates of a good connector. A sub-micron coat of corrosion, dust or even some organic deposit, was forming a dielectric layer which was impervious to uV and pA. A good cleaning with a volatile organic solvent solved the problem but messed up other plastics nearby.

Millivolt Meter using a LM3914 LED Dot Display. - This circuit is a part of my Build a DMM or Digital Multi Meter

Interface ICL7135 Voltmeter to Atmel 89C52 or PC

This circuit is an interface between 89C52 of Atmel with 7135 of Intersil. With This circuit you can read analog data of both polarities you can change the range scale with extra circuits, you can store data on a EEPROM or send them to PC thru RS232 or Comm port.

ICL7135 to Printer port Interface

The four Digit Drive outputs and four BCD outputs of the Multiplexed Display Driver of 7135, along with A-D status output which is also four, are routed to four input pins on printer port via three 74HCT373 Digital Switches. This is because we have less Input pins on Port and 4 are shared by making one 74HCT373 transparent and others High Impedance when PC takes a reading. So the three sets of four outputs of 7135 can be read sequentially.

74HCT139 U9A which is controlled by the PC program can select U3, U4 or U5 for sending data to 4 pins on printer port. Data sent on the eight output pins of printer port can be latched by U10B into U6. This eight outputs of U6 can drive relays or lamps.

See also - Milli Volt Source for Printer Port.

Serial Interface a 80C31 to ICL7135

uC Input and Output I/O is Keyboard and LCD when you build a Calculator or a Text/Morse Communicator. When you control a motor it is Drive/Speed and Direction for Motor and Tacho or Opto Counters for Feedback. In both cases you have Input and Output which is Logic or Analog which has to reach the CPU.

Getting the analog into the uC is done here with ICL7135, with a simple two wire serial interface. Here a Pair of CD4538 MMV is used to shape the pulse just right for uC data transfer,…

AT89C52 Parallel Interface to ICL7135

This circuit is an interface between 89C52 of Atmel with 7135 of Intersil. With This circuit you can read analog data of both polarities you can change the range scale with extra circuits, you can store data on a EEPROM or send them to PC thru RS232 or Comm port.