In Production High Voltage Capacitor Leakage Tester? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: dan46n2
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2020, 07:19:55 am
content: I'm looking for a capacitor current leakage tester that goes up to 600V or higher. The ones I've found don't seem to have much feedback on them like the GOWE and the Chroma as far as in production models. I was considering getting a Sencore LC102 or an old Heathkit but I'd rather get something new that I know will function well and is calibrated. Would like to stay around $2.5k or less. Does anyone have any recommendations for a good quality unit?

author: dan46n2
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 30, 2020, 11:03:58 pm
content: Guess I could always make one of those low voltage Mr. Carlson units but call me old fashioned I'd be more comfortable testing them under working conditions...Or could just buy a high voltage power supply

author: syau
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2020, 02:01:21 am
content: I also would rather using one that can apply working voltage especially testing those X/Y capacitor as leakage will be huge problem such as tripping GFI after power on for few hours.LC102 tend to have relay problem while LC103 don’t have but not cheap.

author: dan46n2
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2020, 03:00:02 am
content: Quote from: syau on October 01, 2020, 02:01:21 amThe other problem with the 103 is supposedly you need Sencore's propriety software which was never released to properly calibrate it. The Chroma model is looking like a top contender as far as specs but I cant find any review on people using it.. There has to be more units that do this out there I would think

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2020, 04:29:31 am
content: Is the multimeter voltage drop method not suitable enough? Obviously swap the batteries for an appropriately sized supply.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2020, 04:30:39 am
content: Just leakage? Or a complete unit that does leakage as well? I don't know what sort of volume use you might have, but if I were spending that much money on improving my capacitor testing, I'd be inclined to use an ad-hoc test for leakage using things that are more versatile and then getting a nice LCR meter that has bias capability, like the BK 894 or the Quadtech 7400 (with 200V external bias). Here's what I use if I really need to test capacitor leakage and a bench supply and DMM won't do:

author: srb1954
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2020, 09:09:46 am
content: Quote from: dan46n2 on September 30, 2020, 07:19:55 amYou should widen your search to include insulation resistance testers. They directly read the insulation resistance, which can be used for go/no go testing of capacitors, or you can quickly calculate the leakage current if you need to know that parameter.Look at the Kikusui TOS7200 or TOS7210S. I believe these will fit your budget.These testers have selectable test voltages up to 1000V and a capacitor discharge function although it is not clear from the specifications how big a capacitor it can handle. They have functions built in for test sequencing for automatic production testing of components and a serial port for remote control of the unit and logging of results.

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2020, 10:04:14 am
content: A Keithley SMU would work perfectly and the software can be scripted easily.

author: srb1954
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2020, 11:03:56 am
content: Quote from: HighVoltage on October 01, 2020, 10:04:14 amIt would be unlikely that he could find a high-voltage Keithley SMU within his budget, even on the second-hand market

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2020, 11:12:00 am
content: Quote from: srb1954 on October 01, 2020, 11:03:56 amWell, I was lucky enough to do so for a used Keithley SMU and a Keithley Electrometer unit.You could also look for a used Keithley 6517A or (B) Elektrometer, they are also perfect for such a task and with a little luck you can also find them within you budget.

author: jogri
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2020, 01:05:47 pm
content: Quote from: srb1954 on October 01, 2020, 11:03:56 amDepends if he wants to spend a few hours building a HV PCB... Used, functioning Keithley 236s go for 700-1k USD and can be upgraded to the 1.1 kV 237 variant by adding a PCB (basically a fancy SMPS that goes up to 1.2 kV) along with some components for roughly 150 bucks. If you fancy your chances look for a broken one, i got mine for under 300 USD and it just needed a new resistor.Or just buy the 237 for 1.2k USD, well within the 2.5k USD limit:https://www.ebay.com/itm/KEITHLEY-237-SOFTWARE-REV-A10-High-Voltage-source-measure-unit-CISCOPALLET/293656432384?hash=item445f498f00:g:0woAAOSwA2pfFvMD

author: 25 CPS
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2020, 03:58:44 pm
content: Depending on what your other equipment needs are, have you thought about using an insulation tester for checking capacitor leakage since that's effectively what a cap leakage test is?I use an Agilent/Keysight U1461A insulation tester for checking capacitor leakage and it works well since one of the buttons on the front toggles it from displaying resistances to displaying leakage current and you can set up a wide range of custom test voltages from 10V up to 1100V in the user configuration which covers a huge range of capacitor working voltages.If you need an LCR meter or impedance analyzer that can also do leakage, this wouldn't work out so well for you, but if you have a use case for an insulation tester then getting one to do insulation tests and also using it for capacitor leakage tests may be something worth considering.

author: dan46n2
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2020, 03:10:17 am
content: Thanks for all the suggestions, I've got some more research to do now. Looks like there are quite a few options to look at for what I need to accomplish.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 03, 2020, 05:49:35 am
content: Pa4tim mentioned a while back somewhere about using a leakage tester for testing caps. He had some kind of damage occur from the cap discharging back through a circuit, I can't remember the exact context or circumstance but something to be mindful of.

author: 1audio
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2020, 06:12:55 am
content: This may be fine for the task:https://www.ebay.com/itm/VC60B-Digital-Insulation-Resistance-Tester-MegOhmmeter-Meter-250V-500/284015563759?epid=17040971446&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item4220a593ef:g:0SQAAOSwcqxfZCFG&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACcBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickk7PdDazAlGltMLJlUhrWsDxRgH3R3nTjZrQTJZMq7dTtPjN7caXmY3LRnkxM63l2Aj8Vwmw1poJiLsrBCsfkXffkLupR8AQtY9hs9PA%252FCl%252BRY%252FItPPeSdc1gjGOfnDG%252FuE9aNwaP1WrGyx9Wh2tGP1s4W4Fska2Pb8wvxTx5cLZM0X7xLnDoO52EyqFhlmszhLj2MPfLK%252Bu04RpRKr3LmNPL2R3c8PBvAZuXUHczteDvTcHzLUAdi22MYPvH9Dm3aXcMQ2qZZeCdI9V%252FlLY4KqHaxnAlUZFlrXvG3lYBtSNTtMshSWlCjBbp874o0idRSPRbvBf9o7L2FVHLNTlMIdT6LEKCRXy2Auye9xhYjdp8jQdeYur%252B7zCNR%252BQmf4paCnD5FvenBdEuLTp1iBzEGvrELr70aYaKef37cJeMjJ1yOr%252BRhLOzmlOsy%252BSRpJYEmWppLGwm6fbzBpVHG90I76xS1c36jId9e5Cz%252Bw8pUnOPioiOmhGy4%252BgXhEku3FalEkPXxLIu%252FDamklxBsVntIDO9VhYobVNm%252BY8vkWeX%252FRA80sQ1vpdmswzeBD2T5p5HuggCa2bExMDKmbDCZlG8JmSD80ZsbFfgeZ5GQB67Q3AFJ9Xnk2L6O6Ad2Qsh8cvHodeU4oORjlNYvtEx5%252BcAMLyWwIsBkeKCZG7xgg8GtIs4EiB0fL80lDbTvyVKNvUnm6YH9DomYbXFsub2s428JYkmIO8Dwdh34KXG8TJE4%252Bb99TxEerFl2FE0U9jhdRo2NdTepozkadjIM41hObMlH9A%253D%253D%7Ccksum%3A284015563759eca737718ad6401babf5a3ffab406a53%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524And cheap ($50). I got one to test MOV breakdown and can validate that it does also show leakage on smaller caps. Sorry about the funky eBay link. Search on "insulation resistance tester". At the other extreme would be an HP 4329. Or newer 4339 but all obsolete. The current instrument B2987A is $11k. You could get a lot of the eBay meters for that.

author: Stray Electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2020, 06:14:09 pm
content: Quote from: 25 CPS on October 01, 2020, 03:58:44 pmI was thinking along the same lines. Why not use something like one of the old General Radio GR 1658 Megohmmeters? They can supply either 50 VDC or 500VDC and can measure up to 2,000,000Megohmsresistance. IIRC the low end of it's measurement range is .5 Megohm but other GR models cover different volt and resistance ranges. E/R = I will get you to the leakage current.I picked up a GR 1658 last week for a song ( < $10) and used with some ingenuity, it's a pretty useful device. Basically it's a high voltage power supply, a Wheatstone bridge and a vacuum tube voltmeter all rolled into one. IIRC the accuracy is rated at only 3% but that's probably more than enough for what you're doing.