SIBBIS International LLC
1998 Lancashire Drive
Potomac, MD 20854
Phone/Fax: 301-762-1021
// November 30th, 2014 // No Comments » // LCR-Reader, News, ST-5S, Uncategorized
Siborg Systems Inc. is offering a discount for Cyber Monday on Monday, December 1, 2014. The sale will begin at 12:00 am Eastern Time Monday, and will end at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Orders can be made online at Smart Tweezers Canada, Smart Tweezers US and LCR-Reader, as well as by phone (519-888-9906) or fax (519-725-9522).
// November 27th, 2014 // No Comments » // LCR-Reader, News, ST-5S, Uncategorized
Siborg Systems Inc. is offering a discount for Black Friday on Friday, November 28, 2014. The sale will begin at 12:00 am Eastern Time Friday, and will end at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. Orders can be made online at Smart Tweezers Canada, Smart Tweezers US and LCR-Reader, as well as by phone (519-888-9906) or fax (519-725-9522).
// February 28th, 2013 // No Comments » // News, Smart Tweezers Maintenance, ST-5S, Uncategorized
After nearly 9 years on the market, Smart Tweezers have become a highly sought after tool for testing and troubleshooting electronics with Surface Mount Technology (SMT) used by many high-tech companies worldwide. Even with worldwide recognition, calibration for Smart Tweezers is only available in North America and India, creating hassle for companies that require annual calibration and/or calibration verification of their test equipment in order to be ISO compliant.
Without proper calibration facilities, users must seek out alternate calibration techniques such as third party calibrations. Unfortunately, third party calibration is not true calibration but just a verification of accuracy by comparison of measurement accuracy with the actual values of high-precision components. This “calibration” may be common practice, but does not ensure that Smart Tweezers are working at optimal performance.
“In order to calibrate Smart Tweezers LCR-meter, you need to have the Calibration Fixture designed particularly for Smart Tweezers’ calibration and adjustment of the calibration coefficients.” say Michael Obrecht, the Director at Siborg Systems Inc. “This calibration fixture itself needs to be calibrated annually to ensure the highest possible precision.”
The Smart Tweezers’ Calibration Fixture is a semi-automatic device that updates the calibration coefficients stored in EEPROM of every Smart Tweezers unit. The update is based on comparing the results of measurements obtained using Smart Tweezers with values of a few high-accuracy components called “the standard components”. The calibration coefficients are eventually adjusted by finding the best fit to the values of the standard components ensuring optimal performance of Smart Tweezers.
Currently, there are only 3 of these calibration facilities worldwide; Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, Pasadena California, and New Delhi, India. This makes for a lengthy and costly procedure for European companies that use Smart Tweezers, having to send the devices to North America or India, or they use the third party calibration technique. Shipping, handling customs, etc. may not be time or cost effective.
To simplify the process for European users, Siborg Systems Inc. (Canada) and Bokar International (USA) have joined together to establish a new facility at Production Solutions in Poland. Production Solutions has serviced Bokar’s SMT and ESD products for years, and is the first company in Poland to provide Polish and Central European electronic industries with the highest world-class equipment and products for SMT production, rework and repair.
// December 4th, 2012 // No Comments » // LCR-Reader, News, ST-5S, Uncategorized
Siborg Systems Inc. has teemed up with the Institute of Automation and Electrometry of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk, Russia to develop a new version of the popular LCR-meter with a lower manufacturing cost.
“From the very beginning, Smart Tweezers use sinusoidal test signals to evaluate impedance of the measured component. This involves a test signal generation that employs a Pulse Modulated Width (PMW) and high order filters that ensure a proper accuracy of the generated test signal entailing significant cost of the require components and PCB complexity leading to a relatively high manufacturing cost of the device.” explains Michael Obrecht at Siborg Systems. “During one of the many exhibits we attend every year, I met Valentin Litvintsev, an expert in analog circuit design who suggested a new way of creating a test signal for LCR-meter that would require significantly fewer number of components thus reducing the manufacturing cost.”
“I liked the device from the very first glance. It is a very good product that is useful in many electronic applications. The only disadvantage it has is a relatively high price. I think we can manufacture a similar type of device with a bit lower accuracy but more affordable.” says Valentin Litvintsev, Team Lead at the Institute of Automation and Electrometry of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk.
// November 27th, 2012 // No Comments » // Distributors, News, Uncategorized
Siborg Systems Inc. and Maryland based SIBBIS International LLC have joined efforts to market the device in the United States.
SIBBIS International is a specialist in international marketing of high-tech hardware and software, focusing on medical equipment and associated tools.
“We have been looing for such a device for a long time,” says Anatoly Klimenko, the Director of Marketing at SIBBIS International, “Modern medical equipment may contain a number of Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) densely packed with SMT components. It makes debugging of a faulty PCB virtually impossible with the use of conventional LCR-meters. Smart Tweezers is an integration of a pair of high-precision SMT probes, accurate digital LCR-meters and an LCD display into nearly a pen-sized 2 oz. unit. It can be easily handled by just one hand leaving the other free for taking notes or holding other tools.”
// November 12th, 2012 // No Comments » // Uncategorized
There are two typical mistakes leading to a quick discharge of batteries:
// November 9th, 2012 // No Comments » // Uncategorized
The newest model of Smart Tweezers, the ST5, is the same reliable LCR meter with new improvements and upgrades.
Designed specifically for Surface Mount Technology, the newest version offers an estimated 6 times higher basic accuracy of 0.2% than that of older models, new measurement modes, as well as slight physical differences.
Smart Tweezers still measures for Inductance, Resistance and Capacitance with the high speed and accuracy like older models, but now measures real and imaginary impedances, resistance with series resistance measurements. Capacitance and the ESR or D of a capacitor, Inductance with measurements for DC resistance or Q. The ESR mode is able to measure the ESR of high-value capacitors at different frequencies. A new diode testing feature can show to polarity of the diode and detects shortened devices, as well as using a continuity beeper to warn for a break in the continuity.
The generator voltage is more adjustable with 0.2V, 0.50V and 1.0V settings allowing for higher accurate measurement results of in-circuit devices without having to turn on semiconductor junctions. By being able to adjust the voltage, measuring CK05 and CK06 ceramic capacitors provides a higher accuracy, the capacitors’ capacitance varies with different applied voltages.
A semi-automatic offset subtraction allows for the elimination of parasitics between the two tweezer tips, improving the measurement accuracy with low-value components. A “tolerance mode” features visible and audio while sorting components.
The older models of Smart Tweezers had a jog-wheel on the side of the device that made navigating somewhat cumbersome, the new ST5 features a joy-stick like button on the front of the device providing a more comfortable navigation experience. A new Li-Ion battery with USB charging solves the problems that older Smart Tweezers had with the batteries depleting too quickly. The USB charging also lets the device be recharged nearly anywhere with a USB port, or the included wall charger.
Smart Tweezers arrives to you in a hard-shelled travel case, providing protection for the device, and allows for safe storage in any bag, desk or otherwise. Included is an calibration certificate showing that the device has been calibrated to NIST standards. Optional tips for Smart Tweezers are available in a range of styles from between $40 to $60.
// November 6th, 2012 // No Comments » // Uncategorized
The newest model of the popular, fully automatic LCR-meter has been released, the Smart Tweezers ST5, from Siborg Systems Inc.
With the electronics industry being dominated by Surface Mount Technology, where the components are mounted directly to a Printed Circuit Boards, testing and troubleshooting these components becomes difficult the more densely packed the PCB becomes. The components may or may not be labelled due to the size of them, making testing and identifying cumbersome. Smart Tweezers are a simple solution to these problems with their high-precision tweezers tips fitted with an LCR-meter.
Able to automatically measure Inductance, Resistance and Capacitance with just a touch, Smart Tweezers can assess all types of passive and through-hole devices with high speed and accuracy. The newest model features an estimated 6 times higher basic accuracy of 0.2% over older models due to a new patented mechatronic design, an accuracy level only available on expensive bench-type testers that require effort in setting-up for measurements. An automatic component identification allows Smart Tweezers to automatically measure for Inductance, Resistance and Capacitance, and can automatically select the proper test range and frequency for the best results. An LCD fitted in the device shows the component type, measurement results and test conditions used. It is also able to measure secondary parameters such as parasitic Resistance or the ESR value of a capacitor, doubling the Smart Tweezers device as an ESR-meter.
Smart Tweezers have been industry proven to be indispensable for component sorting, on-board impedance testing, and production line component evaluation. With automatic LCR measurements and automatic range of measurement, the operated is able to focus on the task at hand. The features on the newest Smart Tweezers ST5 include:
-Automatic LCR and Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) measurements.
-Basic accuracy of 0.2%
-Component sorting with 1%,5%, 10%, and 20% tolerance
-Diode and Continuity Tests
-Adjustable test signals
-Semi-Automatic Test Signal
-Displays active and reactive impedance components
-Ideal for small components, as small as 0201 size (about 0.3 mm)
-2 Oz. weight with ergonomic, ambidextrous design
-Li-Ion battery and USB charging
