My next PIC-project is a small - very basic - component tester. It
will measure (together with shorts) the polarity of a diode, if a BJT
is NPN/PNP and cables. I have written down all necessary logic
required, and so far it looks like a doable project.

When thinking of the BJT-test, I thought that it might actually be
nice to get an approximate value of hFE/beta as well. Do be able to do
this, I need to feed the base and collector with a (known) current,
and measure / calculate current/beta at the emitter, and this is also
where I'm stuck; I haven't found any PICs that can measure current.

So I went to piclist.org and searched the archives in case someone
else already did this project. I only found one thread (from 1998)
where the OP wanted to measure around 2-3 amps with a uC, and got the
reply that he should take a peek at Maxim's MAX4172-IC which is a
current-to-voltage-converter and which would do what the OP wanted.
There is no problem sampling the IC from Maxim, but it's in SO-package
and I'm only able to do DIP)

Is there some other way to accomplish what I want to do? Construct a
CVC using an opamp, or is there some better way?


-- 
- Rikard - http://bos.hack.org/cv/
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