Which ESR or capacator meter do I purchase to test caps? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: VladKEasternTiger
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2010, 01:17:12 pm
content: Hi everyone, I just way to say once again thanks to all the members, this is a great forum for beginners like me. Okay here is my small problem I am wanting to know if they is a cheap quality capacator meter/tester that I can test capacators with? I was told to invest in an ESR Meter but this is expensive, I live in the UK. I have been told even if caps look good without swelling or the dome they can still be bad, so I wasted my time and money replacing good caps for nothing, now if I had a decent tester I could simply test them whilst they are soldiered on to the circuit board.I was looking at this one on Ebay will this fit my purpose? I already have a Multimeterhttp://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DIGITAL-RCD-CAPACITANCE-METER-TEST-MUITIMETER-LCD-0.1PF_W0QQitemZ110459163589QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=&rvr_id=&cguid=807d28a31270a0aad4274f97ff701923Tell me please guys if this is something that I require, if so id purchase this?Thanks everyone

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 10, 2010, 05:17:36 pm
content: Well to be honest that machine and it's poorly written english description does not convince me, a cap meter is nice to have and many multimeters have one anyhow (with autoranging) but I'd not go out of your way to buy one unless you need it and I don't like the look or sound of that one but that's just my opinion

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2010, 03:37:16 am
content: Looks ok , for my taste .. the price are low , if you live in England , you can send it back , if you do not like it.(cheap shipping )In General , looks to have wide range , back light, its well designed for an economical solution.So yes ... go for it .Even an ultra expensive Fluke , can do only 9999 ?F

author: armandas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2010, 08:52:25 am
content: This el-cheapo capacitance meter won't do the job for you, if you need to test the caps for ESR. If you do test a lot of capacitors and need an ESR meter, you'll have to fork out more than £15.Here is one from farnell:http://uk.farnell.com/peak/esr60/tester-capacitor-esr/dp/7830254

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 11, 2010, 09:08:21 am
content: this:http://uk.farnell.com/peak/lcr-40/tester-component-lcr/dp/4705233?crosssellid=4705233&crosssell=true&in_merch=true&looks like a nice RLC meter if thats what your after

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2010, 12:13:00 pm
content: Quote from: armandas on April 11, 2010, 08:52:25 amI have an question ... How in earth , do you know that ..Every instrument , expensive or cheap , has be made , with some portion of R&D behind it.If it was a total failure , it would never be at the production line !!The most demanding tasks , in everything has to do with capacitors testing ,from my experience was :1) Small ceramics in Pf ( that was used in the first stage in a transmitter ) ( controlling modulation or frequency )2) Small electrolytic 's , in the input or output of Stereo preamp 's , and they must be checked ,so both channels , to work in similar specs ... those are from 3.3mF to 10mF the most .In larger electrolytic 's , there is no need for accuracy at all .One large 1000mF its still good , even if it fall to 800mF ...Not to say , that in large electrolytic 's , just an visual inspection , is more than enough , so to be able to tell .If we start speaking , about total accuracy in such devices ,we should start talking also, about calibration ...Even 15 years back we had working capacitor-meters , on our multimeter 's and they was working fine.Its hard to believe that an modern design of 2007 at list ... will fail to do the job , that older ones 15 years back was, doing fine ..About mater of taste .... fancy look and large display ... its just an capacitor meter , an simple device , why it should look like a gadget, of the latest 007 James Bond movie ..

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 11, 2010, 12:45:10 pm
content: Quote from: Kiriakos-GR on April 11, 2010, 12:13:00 pmI'm afraid I have to beg to differ, I bought a digital caliper (from maplin naturally) that I never ever got to use as it did not even work ! sadly these days there are a lot of unbranded items around made exsclusively to make money with no real thought for usability, for this reason sadly I tend to try and go for brand names or stuff that otherwise has a good rep. the no brand / unknown brand game is a risky one to play, it's ok for a few pounds but I would not stake large sums of money on dubious equipment.

author: armandas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2010, 12:45:17 pm
content: Kiriakos-GR, I know that because that thing is a *capacitance* meter. Even if your cap has ESR of 10+ ohms, capacitance meter will not tell you about it. ESR meter is used to test quality of capacitors, whereas capacitance meter is just to get the value of a component.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 11, 2010, 12:59:11 pm
content: I think that the issue here is that the original poster needs one type of meter but is considering buying another because he has not understood the difference. from previous posts it is obvious that this user is a begginer so unless he is doing something specifically related to capacitors I can't see that he would need such a meter yet.

author: Kiriakos-GR
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2010, 04:46:28 pm
content: Ok , first of I like to apologize , if my " Tone of voice " ( sounded a bit dynamic ) LOL ..We all try here to educate its other , and learn few things , or fresh up the knowledge , that we got back,at the school times.I am not the greatest technician " ever born in Greece " , but I had become knowledgeable ,by the years .Practically speaking , instead of looking for the internal resistance of one capacitor (ESR) ,its best to throw the cheap part , and exchange it with an " Made in Japan " one .You do not have to be bothered , about (ESR) at all .Or , if your electrolytic capacitor , are next to a source of heat , like transformer , or heatsink ,and the device are 10 years old ... you do not think much , you just replacing it.The internal resistance of one capacitor (ESR) , can change only if it becomes dry .I am not trying to " show of " , I am trying to explain with my average skills in English language,that , there is another 5 ways to check one capacitor , even with out any specialized instrument .I do respect the opinions of all of you , and I am wide open , for " dynamic debates " ,I love them ..

author: VladKEasternTiger
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 11, 2010, 05:18:28 pm
content: Quote from: Simon on April 11, 2010, 09:08:21 amThanks everyone, however these ESR meters are way out of my budget, surley they is a cheaper alternative to test these capacators?

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 11, 2010, 07:05:09 pm
content: are you looking for an ESR meter or a capacitor meter ? that one you linked to on ebay is not an ESR meter (as I said it's description is very poor, the seller has bad feedback, for that alone I would not consider it). my advice is save your money and get one when you need one, in the mean time save for a decent machine.

author: VladKEasternTiger
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 14, 2010, 09:28:22 am
content: Quote from: Simon on April 11, 2010, 07:05:09 pmYour correctI am looking for a device that is not expensive like £50 that will enable me to check capacators without unsoldering them, as I was told capacators may look good but still be defective

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 14, 2010, 10:32:01 am
content: What you have linked to is a capacitance meter, not an ESR meter.If you are after an ESR meter I use and recommend the Bob Parker EA/Silicon chip one, but I've heard the Peak Atlas one is pretty good too.Dave.

author: nashtr
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 14, 2010, 06:25:51 pm
content: I bought and built the Blue ESR meter from Anatek recently, it's also designed by Bob Parker:http://www.anatekcorp.com/blueesr.htm.The price is pretty reasonable, it was a fairly easy build (they also have it available pre-assembled), and they also have the Atlas ESR meter available. I'm not affiliated with them, but they responded quickly to questions I emailed them, and their sales and shipping are very quick. They have a comparison of different ESR meters on their site as well.

author: MoJo
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 22, 2010, 03:44:33 am
content: I have one of these:http://www.gmetechnology.com/products/236.htmThe GME 236, and don't let the list price of $200 scare you as I have seen it on ebay sometimes going for much less ... like $85-$120 it varies with seller but keep a keen eye out. Now personally I think the price is crazy ... way overpriced. But for what it was designed to do, it does well. It doesn't have a lcd read out and requires the user to figure out whether it is a low esr or a high esr through the use of the chart. Also it is crazy rugged and big; which is what I like about this ... it has physical presence. I like it, but then again it is an aquired taste for me; so probably not meant for everyone.