no probs grand. I thought the cap would be OK- they are pretty rugged things.Thanks Doc , I did see this design but had parts for build "In stock"
spec, thanks for reform post , I tried it on the 12,000 uF cap ( only 20v) and it would appear OK .
Every one of these meters is called an "LCR meter", and all of them can measure ESR. They can all measure inductance as well.
So it's NOT just an 'LCR' meter then, it can actually measure ESR as well - which makes it somewhat more useful for finding faulty capacitors.
However, presumably (unlike a proper ESR meter) it can't test them in circuit? (although to be fair there's a small number of circuits where ESR meters can't do that either.
Most ESR meters also tell you the capacitance as well, but not the simple analogue ones like the OP made.
Not really, Tony claimed that all you need is an LCR meter to test for faulty electrolytics - which is patently untrue. He later added the extra information that it tests ESR as well. A normal LCR meter wouldn't detect 95+% of faulty electrolytics.
As for home made meters, the now defunkt 'Television' magazine published two designs for them, I used the first type for a number of years.
The frequency you need to use is 100KHz, as that's what the capacitor specs use for testing.
Incidentally, the AVR based component testers from Bangood also test ESR as well as capacitance - with some of the newer versions adding in-circuit ESR testing.
So i guess you have used ESR meters that actually help then? If so, that is good to hear. As i always say, i never needed one because i use a scope and wave generator.
My LCR only measures LCR ! View attachment 98765
Yes, it's an absolutely invaluable tool for servicing - you 'can' do crude tests with scopes and generators - but the difference is between a small number of seconds and a considerable number of minutes, for a far inferior test
If you've got a scope, then you can look for ripple on the capacitors - you can usually easily clip the scope on the output of the rectifiers, without even removing the board.
Tony,
Could you recommend a high performance, in production, LCR meter similar to your model- preferably not too expensive. I wouldn't mind building a kit.
spec
sounds good- thanksI can only recommend what, I've used. I would never suggest a kit for this, But some may be more aff0rdable now with same or better specs.
Mine supports programmable %tolerance bin sorting , audible beeps, or Go/NoGo, abs/rel., L,C,R with Q,D,Rs, or Rp which is typical. But now support 100kHz in portable and more expensive types to 1MHz and up.
I'm sure you can find a good Japanese design made in Taiwan or CHina now for < $100.
You can only check for ripple if the product under test will power up.
Thanks Doc , I did see this design but had parts for build "In stock"
spec, thanks for reform post , I tried it on the 12,000 uF cap ( only 20v) and it would appear OK .
Obviously they can measure inductance - it's in the name
L (inductance), C (capacitance) and R (resistance).
What it doesn't make clear is that they can measure ESR as well - perhaps they should make the name somewhat clearer, or posters here should.
As most do
I've got the same LCR meter, and the ESR meter from the same range - they are designed and built not far from me (and made with PIC's).
Tony,
Could you recommend a high performance, in production, LCR meter similar to your model- preferably not too expensive. I wouldn't mind building a kit.
spec
This one: https://www.ebay.com/itm/DER-EE-DE-...502152?hash=item3ac0f6c9c8:g:p~cAAOSwHPlWeWrX
is available for low cost (under US$100), and for more money specialized test leads are available. Search for DE-5000 on eBay.
This meter is the preferred one for hobbyists on a number of forums. Just make sure you don't connect a charged capacitor to it!
Which is why ESR meters are so useful
It's got to the stage now that there are VERY few repairs coming in at work - and I'm mostly doing deliveries and installations rather than repairs. But up until a couple of years ago I was using the ESR meter multiple times every day, and had done for many years.
As we sell mostly Sony TV's we get very few faulty ones, and as Sony don't use the cheap crap capacitors that others do it does mean ESR meters aren't much use with Sony TV's
However, they do use cheap crap capacitors in sound-bars, and the ESR meter comes in useful for fault finding those.
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