You might try Francesco Morgantini's (IK3OIL) PIC freq counter. It's based
on a 16f84 and he will email you the hex code if you request it. It will
run to approx 45 MHz as is and up to 1.5 GHz with a simple add on prescaler.
He has divide functions built in the program ( divide by 10/32/64) and he
has also include IF offset if you want to use the counter as a freq readout.
I've etched about 40 boards for local hams here and every one that has been
built has worked without fail. Total cost has been in the neighborhood of
$35.00 including the prescaler but excluding enclosure. If you want a copy
of the circuit board layout with prescaler, just email me at ww2742 at
dragonbbs.com. As for accuracy, I just adjusted one today for another local
ham at it was within 200 Hz at 440 MHz using a recently calibrated IFR-1200
for a source - that was close enough for me.

Here's his website URL: http://digilander.libero.it/ik3oil/menu_eng.htm

Mike
"SWbeginner" wrote in message
...
I am looking to build a frequency counter, or buy an inxepensive kit.
Any recommendations?
Needs: low cost, few parts count
Thanks


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In article , SWbeginner
writes:

I am looking to build a frequency counter, or buy an inxepensive kit.
Any recommendations?
Needs: low cost, few parts count

Recommendations depend on your intended function.

The general-purpose counter from Almost All Digital Electronics is
good, ready-built with LCD for about $40 (give or take depending on
optional backlight or BIG - actually slightly bigger - LCD, temp.
compensated timebase oscillator, etc.). Try examining
www.aade.com. A good Puget Sound area little company.

A "very low parts count" of one would be the CSI 6100 general
purpose counter from Circuit Specialists, Inc., for $129 ready to
use on either 115 or 230 VAC lines. I have one of those very
no-frills units and it works (just got it as a backup on the bench).
I've seen better displays than this one has but I can't fault the
price for a complete unit ready-to-go.

To roll your own counter-timer-etc., the Intersil ICM7216B 28-pin
DIP will count to 10 MHz by itself and drive up to 8 LEDs, has an
on-board timebase oscillator and function switching internal. The
datasheet has several schematics, fairly complete, for making
your own. Add a divide-by-10 or divide-by-100 digital prescaler
and the input frequency range can extend to 100 or 1000 MHz.
The only problem with that is that Intersil is going to OBSOLETE
the critter and is apparently out of production (unless you have a
very large quantity to order, like many thousands).

The Intersil ICM7226B is, or was, a fancier version of 7216, having
a 40-pin DIP. It seems to be all gone except on paper. Some
distributors may still have some 7216s around in stock. I have
datasheets for both and can forward them in e-mail attachments.

Several websites have nice pages on using the Microchip PIC
16F84 or 16F71 (AADE uses the '71) as a complete counter and
display driver for an LCD, extra transistor things for LEDs, using
only 3 ICs total (plus a prescaler to go higher than about 35 MHz
maximum with the PIC). That arrangement is nice because one
can program in "offsets" of the count such as reading a local
oscillator directly, then adding/subtracting the IF to get the antenna
input frequency. The only problem there with rolling your own is
that, while the PIC development software is free, and program
boards are low cost, if you aren't used to Assembler-like language
and coding at the machine level, you have a large learning curve
to climb. That may be worth it since microcontrollers are VERY
versatile, can do amazing things with some creativity, even put
ASCII legends of all kinds on the LCD screen besides the basic
functions of totalizing a count. PICs of many numbers abound at
distributors such as Digikey and Mouser.

To use lots of ICs of the "74" family, two to three per digit plus the
timebase divider, would be the last alternative. The 74LS190 to
74F190 series is still around but the BCD versions are getting
scarce; binary versions (count of 16) are there but the decade ones
are apparently being dropped for new production. 74LS160 to
74F160 in the same boat. There is even a CD4nnn which has a
whole BCD counter, 4-bit latch, 7-segment decoder-driver in a single
DIP that will work up to about 4 MHz, higher with an input prescaler
(I have to search my PDFs for the exact number).

The IC makers have been winnowing their available types over the
last decade, tightening their belts, dropping some things that did
not sell well (despite their usefulness to hobbyists), adding new
things and getting into the SMT area with a rush that started in the
late 1980s. Expect more type dropouts. Adapt, improvise... :-)

Len Anderson
retired (from regular hours) electronic engineer person

In article , SWbeginner
writes:

I am looking to build a frequency counter, or buy an inxepensive kit.
Any recommendations?
Needs: low cost, few parts count

Recommendations depend on your intended function.

The general-purpose counter from Almost All Digital Electronics is
good, ready-built with LCD for about $40 (give or take depending on
optional backlight or BIG - actually slightly bigger - LCD, temp.
compensated timebase oscillator, etc.). Try examining
www.aade.com. A good Puget Sound area little company.

A "very low parts count" of one would be the CSI 6100 general
purpose counter from Circuit Specialists, Inc., for $129 ready to
use on either 115 or 230 VAC lines. I have one of those very
no-frills units and it works (just got it as a backup on the bench).
I've seen better displays than this one has but I can't fault the
price for a complete unit ready-to-go.

To roll your own counter-timer-etc., the Intersil ICM7216B 28-pin
DIP will count to 10 MHz by itself and drive up to 8 LEDs, has an
on-board timebase oscillator and function switching internal. The
datasheet has several schematics, fairly complete, for making
your own. Add a divide-by-10 or divide-by-100 digital prescaler
and the input frequency range can extend to 100 or 1000 MHz.
The only problem with that is that Intersil is going to OBSOLETE
the critter and is apparently out of production (unless you have a
very large quantity to order, like many thousands).

The Intersil ICM7226B is, or was, a fancier version of 7216, having
a 40-pin DIP. It seems to be all gone except on paper. Some
distributors may still have some 7216s around in stock. I have
datasheets for both and can forward them in e-mail attachments.

Several websites have nice pages on using the Microchip PIC
16F84 or 16F71 (AADE uses the '71) as a complete counter and
display driver for an LCD, extra transistor things for LEDs, using
only 3 ICs total (plus a prescaler to go higher than about 35 MHz
maximum with the PIC). That arrangement is nice because one
can program in "offsets" of the count such as reading a local
oscillator directly, then adding/subtracting the IF to get the antenna
input frequency. The only problem there with rolling your own is
that, while the PIC development software is free, and program
boards are low cost, if you aren't used to Assembler-like language
and coding at the machine level, you have a large learning curve
to climb. That may be worth it since microcontrollers are VERY
versatile, can do amazing things with some creativity, even put
ASCII legends of all kinds on the LCD screen besides the basic
functions of totalizing a count. PICs of many numbers abound at
distributors such as Digikey and Mouser.

To use lots of ICs of the "74" family, two to three per digit plus the
timebase divider, would be the last alternative. The 74LS190 to
74F190 series is still around but the BCD versions are getting
scarce; binary versions (count of 16) are there but the decade ones
are apparently being dropped for new production. 74LS160 to
74F160 in the same boat. There is even a CD4nnn which has a
whole BCD counter, 4-bit latch, 7-segment decoder-driver in a single
DIP that will work up to about 4 MHz, higher with an input prescaler
(I have to search my PDFs for the exact number).

The IC makers have been winnowing their available types over the
last decade, tightening their belts, dropping some things that did
not sell well (despite their usefulness to hobbyists), adding new
things and getting into the SMT area with a rush that started in the
late 1980s. Expect more type dropouts. Adapt, improvise... :-)

Len Anderson
retired (from regular hours) electronic engineer person

"Tom Sevart" wrote in message
...

On the other hand, if you're looking for just HF & low VHF, W8DIZ has a
freq
counter kit that reads up to around 45 MHZ. I don't remember exactly what
it cost, but was only around $40. The website is www.kitsandparts.com.

The actual URL for this kit is http://partsandkits.com/fc.asp which has a
schematic and parts list, so you could probably even build one from scratch
if you wanted. However, it's probably easier & cheaper to just buy a kit.


--
Tom Sevart N2UHC
Frontenac, KS
http://www.geocities.com/n2uhc

"Tom Sevart" wrote in message
...

On the other hand, if you're looking for just HF & low VHF, W8DIZ has a
freq
counter kit that reads up to around 45 MHZ. I don't remember exactly what
it cost, but was only around $40. The website is www.kitsandparts.com.

The actual URL for this kit is http://partsandkits.com/fc.asp which has a
schematic and parts list, so you could probably even build one from scratch
if you wanted. However, it's probably easier & cheaper to just buy a kit.


--
Tom Sevart N2UHC
Frontenac, KS
http://www.geocities.com/n2uhc

Hi.

I have just designed one that uses 2 chips, it is controlled by a PC
(parallel port) and it has a software to display measurements.

It works from 1Hz to 80Mhz, and can be improved.. if you want to give it a
try, write me and I will send you the schematics and the software to play
with it. I have one working in a XESS FPGA card, but it doesn't need all
those hardware, just 2 of them.

Regards,

Hernán Sánchez
( hernan dot sanchez at iname dot com )

"SWbeginner" escribió en el mensaje
...
I am looking to build a frequency counter, or buy an inxepensive kit.
Any recommendations?
Needs: low cost, few parts count
Thanks

Hi.

I have just designed one that uses 2 chips, it is controlled by a PC
(parallel port) and it has a software to display measurements.

It works from 1Hz to 80Mhz, and can be improved.. if you want to give it a
try, write me and I will send you the schematics and the software to play
with it. I have one working in a XESS FPGA card, but it doesn't need all
those hardware, just 2 of them.

Regards,

Hernán Sánchez
( hernan dot sanchez at iname dot com )

"SWbeginner" escribió en el mensaje
...
I am looking to build a frequency counter, or buy an inxepensive kit.
Any recommendations?
Needs: low cost, few parts count
Thanks

On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 21:43:08 -0000, SWbeginner
wrote:

I am looking to build a frequency counter, or buy an inxepensive kit.
Any recommendations?
Needs: low cost, few parts count
Thanks


If you live in the UK try looking at www.cumbriadesigns.co.uk
They do a nice little kit for a counter that should easily reach
100MHz. The cost is around £50 UK I believe (say $85 US). They also do
a similar module for use as a digital readout dial replacement for
older transceivers.

If you are not in the UK I believe the web site quoted above would
still be of interest to you.

Good luck,

Peter, G3PHO

www.g3pho.org.uk

On Sun, 08 Feb 2004 21:43:08 -0000, SWbeginner
wrote:

I am looking to build a frequency counter, or buy an inxepensive kit.
Any recommendations?
Needs: low cost, few parts count
Thanks


If you live in the UK try looking at www.cumbriadesigns.co.uk
They do a nice little kit for a counter that should easily reach
100MHz. The cost is around £50 UK I believe (say $85 US). They also do
a similar module for use as a digital readout dial replacement for
older transceivers.

If you are not in the UK I believe the web site quoted above would
still be of interest to you.

Good luck,

Peter, G3PHO

www.g3pho.org.uk

You might want to consider going to a ham swapfest and buying a good used
commercial unit by HP or others. I see very good ones going cheap ($20 to
$30) especially if they're 100MHz and below.
73
hank wd5jfr
"SWbeginner" wrote in message
...
I am looking to build a frequency counter, or buy an inxepensive kit.
Any recommendations?
Needs: low cost, few parts count
Thanks