What is the best way to test capacitors? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Azhar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2014, 01:21:22 pm
content: What is the best way to test electrolytic capacitors? by using an ESR Capacitor tester or by reading the value with a capacitor meter??I'm trying to repair an old tv, I replaced bulged capacitors but it didn't help, I'm not sure what is the best way to test the capacitors!should I buy an ESR meter?

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2014, 02:37:40 pm
content: An ESR meter would provide a more accurate information regarding the quality of a capacitor compared to a capacitance meter. A capacitor can go bad and still report a reasonable capacitance or the capacitor will be bad when used in some situation which is not the same as the one the capacitance meter tests on (different frequency for example).

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2014, 04:02:19 pm
content: You don't need an ESR meter to check electrolytic capacitors, just an AC function on a digital voltmeter/scope, and if you have a any suspicion that an electrolytic cap is bad by a high level of AC across it, your best troubleshooting strategy would be to use alligator clips (or just temporarily solder) a known good one across the suspect bad cap to see if it removes the AC voltage drop across it or else see the circuit starts working properly. Always match the polarity marks and attach the test capacitor with power off.The tell-tale sign that an electrolytic cap is bad is the flat top of the cap becomes dome-shaped or you can see leaking electrolytic fluid from the base. Most usually, a cap is a good cap if it isn't open circuited and the dome is flat, and you can further test it for a large AC voltage across it. If there is, the capacitor may be open or have a large ESR, so bridge a new one across it to see if this fixes the problem. Visual inspection, bridging a new cap and a multimeter AC test/scope reading best tells you that a electrolytic cap may be bad in a power supply or other circuitry, and this is a smart, time-saving and convenient to troubleshoot and make repairs because you can quickly check a capacitor even without unsoldering it from a circuit.I've repaired electronic equipment for tens of years and the idea is get the job done quick, proper and to make money, not wast time, effort and money on equipment you will don't need.I haven't ever purchased either a capacitance meter or an ESR meter to accomplish my repair work.Having spent the money that would be wasted on an ESR meter and a capacitance meter, I instead invested in buying capacitor assortments for substitution, equipment repair and also for my experimental designs.An ESR meter or capacitance meter may sometimes tell you a capacitor is bad, but bridging a suspect capacitor with a known good one fixes the problem, and all it is necessary to complete the repair is to then replace the defective part with a new one, which is already on hand.BTW, I built my own capacitance meter using a PIC chip that automatically reads capacitor values by using the test capacitor as an osicillator frequency determining component, and the so period of oscillation measured then yields the capacitance value. I have sometimes come across capacitors with unreadable, unusual markings or myterious color codes and that is why I've bothered to make this cap meter one of my DIY PIC projects.

author: Yago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2014, 06:44:31 pm
content: Good points!Thanks for posting Paul!

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2014, 11:07:33 pm
content: The LED display based ESR meter that Dave showed in his ESR video is still being made by some persons and not that expensive ( less then €80 ). I bought one from a spanish or portugeses person who sells them and it was pretty good ( compared it with a HP meter costing four figures at work) and it was within a few percent.I am not arguing with the excellent practice points of Paul, still for that price I find it very comforting measuring electrolytes in my (old) stock before putting them in my projects. And esp. The large expensive electrolytes that can have long lifetimes it is nice to know if you need to buy a new one to replace them or that they are still pretty good.

author: Vito_R
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:41:55 am
content: An ESR meter has been proven over the decades to be the most efficient, reliable, and accurate way to test capacitors. If you just rely on a multimeter's AC voltage setting, or just using a capacitance meter, you will miss out on many caps. That method may still work to detect issues in power supply circuits but you will not always be able to effectively detect them in others. Over 20 years in electronics servicing I have run into numerous bad caps that were testing full capacitance and not showing signs of ac ripple or any signs of bulging, leaking, or venting, until I sniffed them out with a good ESR meter. Once replaced they solved the customer's original complaint. Those tough dog problems were often solved by finding that high esr cap causing all the headaches. Tantalum caps are also a problem. Nothing can beat a good ESR meter. Another benefit is you can often test them in circuit. I'm completely satisfied with my Peak Atlas ESR70 which also tests capacitance, and the bob parker blue ESR meter. Another good one I use is the EDS-88A Capanalyser II which also (at the same time) it tests esr it tests a capacitor's DCR (direct current resistance). Investing money in good test equipment such as a good ESR meter is never a waste as it will save you valuable time and catch those hard to find cap related issues. It can also help you ensure quality control of your replacement parts and sometimes help to sniff out those counterfeits that read high ESR. So to answer the Ops question what is the best method to test Capacitors?, in my strong opinion, and from experience, a good ESR meter is.

author: Vito_R
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 01:16:29 am
content: Quote from: Paul Price on November 14, 2014, 04:02:19 pmI can't understand or agree with that statement because what happens if you have multiple failed caps which don't show any signs of venting? It is a lot more efficient and time saving to simply use an esr meter in circuit then to try and find an equivalent cap in your inventory to bridge across each one. You can not always bridge them in all situations and having an esr meter next to you is a lot faster then finding and soldering on a cap. The repair would still not be complete because I would never want to leave bad caps in there to leak or leave the new ones soldered to the backside of the board like that.

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:46:24 am
content: Kjelt: It might seem like you might mistrust your spare electrolytics quality if they've been sitting around your shop for 40 years or more, but it's been my experience that capacitors retain their quality if not used. High temperatures, high ripple currents and temperature cycling will cause failure.Tell me, how often have you found an unused capacitor show fault from too much vacation time, except for those caps already in-circuit in pre-1960's electronic equipment?Most of the arguments that taut ESR and cap meters over substitution/bridigng seem to be dealing with rare edge effects, the 1 in 10000 troubleshoot/servicing problem that no doubt occurs, but scream infrequent on the bell curve of repair experience, and that is why my technique serves best for the most often and gets the repair job done quickly.

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:55:53 am
content: Vitro_R says,"If you just rely on a multimeter's AC voltage setting, or just using a capacitance meter, you will miss out on many caps."I say don't rely on the "just rely" that forgets the substitution step. Rather than grab an ESR meter or Cap meter, as you say, just grab a new cap and quickly find that substitution/bridging is the easiest way to troubleshoot any suspected capacitor.Substitution/bridging of a suspected capacitor eliminates the often time-consuming/clumsy steps to make use of an ESR or cap meter to only perhaps find the problem and does not repair the circuit, it deprives you of the immediate opportunity to discover that the equipment has just been fixed by substitution/bridging.There is no question that if trying a good capacitor fixes the problem, the problem is fixed.

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 03:00:05 am
content: Vito-R says, " You can not always bridge them in all situations and having an esr meter next to you is a lot faster then finding and soldering on a cap."Really? If you can somehow fit the probes of an ESR meter into a circuit, you just as easily bridge/substitute a capacitor. Bridging (or, if necessary substituting) the capacitor reveals the circuit is working and you've accomplished repair by then replacing the bad cap.

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 03:03:48 am
content: Vito_R says, "I have run into numerous bad caps that were testing full capacitance and not showing signs of ac ripple."Really, you are saying a capacitor is working as it should but it really not working..is this some new quantum capacitor effect you've discovered using an ESR meter?

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 03:08:16 am
content: Vitro_R says,"The repair would still not be complete because I would never want to leave bad caps in there to leak or leave the new ones soldered to the backside of the board like that."I would never leave bad caps in there either. I said bridge to check a capacitor, and of course, replace the bad cap to repair.

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 03:17:57 am
content: Vito_R says,"Another good one I use is the EDS-88A Capanalyser II which also tests a capacitor's DCR (direct current resistance)"Really, I can test a capacitor's DCR just using the resistance function by just using my DVM/multimeter/ohmmeter function.

author: Vito_R
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 04:34:37 am
content: All I can say iswow unbelievable

author: Azhar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 09:49:45 am
content: What I understood is that an ESR meter is the best way, right? any cheap models out there in ebay?

author: Vito_R
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 10:27:24 am
content: Quote from: Azhar on November 15, 2014, 09:49:45 amYes an ESR meter IS definitely the best way to go. The ones I listed above, the Peak ATLAS ESR70 and the Bob Parker Blue are excellent meters and affordable too. I believe the bob parker blue esr meter is even available in kit form for slightly less. They also sell directly from the manufacturer and on ebay from the same guy. I recall I bought mine fully assembled for around $100. Less then that yes you can probably find some cheap stuff from sellers in china but I have no idea if they are any good nor would I waste my time trying to find out. I would guess those meters might themselves have fake chinese caps in them that would eventually go bad too. Then you would need an esr meter to fix your esr meter.

author: Vito_R
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 10:39:32 am
content: Here is the link for the kit version of the bob parker meter. You might enjoy assembling it yourself and learn something too.http://www.ebay.com/itm/Anatek-Blue-ESR-Meter-Full-Kit-for-Self-Assembly-BESR-kit-/181463391631?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a400f9d8fBTW Dave also talked about this meter in one of his videos I believe when he was trying to fix those LCD monitors with bad caps in it. It was the old red version not the blue that he had.here's the video:

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 11:11:45 am
content: Quote from: Paul Price on November 15, 2014, 02:46:24 amI also got a nice stock of electrotytic caps, oldest ones about 30 years old, and I've encountered only a few bad caps. The capacity decreases sometimes a few percent but the cap is still ok. Regarding the voltage rating I always go for a 30-50% security margin and had no issues so far. Stuff I've built using 10+ years old caps is running fine 24x7. Anyway, a nice LCR meter also measuring ESR is quite handy to check old caps. Or check out the famous Transistortester (seehttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/$20-lcr-esr-transistor-checker-project/).

author: Azhar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 11:15:06 am
content: Quote from: Vito_R on November 15, 2014, 10:39:32 amThanks a lot

author: Vito_R
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 11:19:49 am
content: Dave talks all about the advantages of an ESR meter in this Video starting at 5:25He really goes in-depth and tests a whole bunch of caps with it. Great video !

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 11:57:59 am
content: Azhur,I would say that substitution/bridging is the best way, read my comments above.Others here insist that you buy an ESR meter.My long-term rexperience has taught me that bridging/substitution would be the best way to quick find problems due to defective caps and quickly repair equipment without purchasing unnecessary equipment you would likely rarely use in the future..

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:21:46 pm
content: Quote from: Paul Price on November 15, 2014, 11:57:59 amIt is a completely crap way. 1. it is much faster to use ESR meter. 2. you cannot check that capacitor is good, only if it is bad. You can kinda fix the device, yet there can be tons of dead capacitors left. 3. if there are multiple capacitors dead, soldering one capacitor in parallel at the time might not fix a device at all. 4. You cannot check at all how much life left in capacitors as quiet often while they are still working, many capacitors of the same type have 3-4 times different ESR what means some of them will die very soon.

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:24:00 pm
content: Azhur,My opinion on the best way is not just my own. I am sure if you contacted a professional business in your area that fixes electronic equipment like TVs and Radios etc, they would tell you that they don't even own or use an ESR meter.I have visited many repair shops and know that from discussing repair methods, my peers have also known that a substitution/bridging method is the most common and effective practice.I would recommend to you that you call a repair shop or two before you waste money on equipment you do not need for quick and effective repair.

author: Azhar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:26:45 pm
content: Quote from: Paul Price on November 15, 2014, 11:57:59 amThanks Paul, that is how I do it usually, but unfortunately it doesn't work always with me, probably because I use second hand caps that I harvested from other old electronics, I don't think that I can buy all caps values!!

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:28:38 pm
content: A good incircuit ESR meter can be found on ebay for about 37 dollar:http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-ESR-Meter-Test-In-Circuit-Electrolyte-Capacitor-Resistance-0-01-30-Ohm-/321424066464?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ad65e07a0If i were to make repair work i would surely buy one.

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:32:04 pm
content: Azhur,It is not necessary to buy every possible cap value!Especially with troubleshooting electrolytic capacitors, anything the same or even several times bigger will suffice for substitution/bridging, so buying a small capacitor assortment is all you need for troubleshooting. Professional repair people don't bother to have their shelves filled with cabinets of capacitors, rather they keep common values, and assortments that have the most common values.The obvious advantage here is that you get the job done with a bonus of having also a good stock parts available for future projects and repairs.You are more likely to make use of a capacitor assortment than an ESR meter in the present or the future.

author: Azhar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:32:43 pm
content: Quote from: janengelbrecht on November 15, 2014, 12:28:38 pmthe price is tempting!

author: Azhar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:36:03 pm
content: Are these ebay DIY meters any good? they are listed as an ESR meters and more:http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/DIY-Kits-Capacitance-ESR-Inductance-Resistor-LC-Meter-Tester-NPN-PNP-Mosfet-M168-/301217807748?pt=AU_B_I_Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item4621fafd84http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/M328-ESR-Meter-Transistor-Tester-Diode-Triode-Capacitance-MOS-PNP-NPN-L-C-R-T4-/251670623383?pt=AU_B_I_Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item3a98bcf497

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:38:16 pm
content: Quote from: Paul Price on November 15, 2014, 12:24:00 pmThen they are piss poor repair business and idiots doing their job half assed way. ESR meter is number one instrument when I repair something, multimeter is on second place, oscilloscope on third. If you repair devices more than a few times a year, this is must have instrument.

author: xwarp
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:40:35 pm
content: Quote from: Paul Price on November 15, 2014, 12:24:00 pmIf you have a scope and a signal generator, here you go:Personally, just because others may "troubleshoot" with different methods, doesn't mean that everyone else that does it differently is wrong.And, there are plenty of circuits via google search that can be built very cheaply and accomplish the job.

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:44:09 pm
content: Hmm this scope / generator method seems to involve that one is to nearly shortcircuit the output of the signal generator ?Not all generators from CHina will survive this approach

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:44:13 pm
content: Quote from: Azhar on November 15, 2014, 12:36:03 pmThey will do the job but would prefer $37 one. Reason is that method it uses is almost the same as used by capacitor manufacturers and is much better for in circuit measurments. It is much less affected by components connected in parallel. Those cheap universal meters sometimes can give crazy readings if there are components connected in parallel or capacitor is leaky.

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:48:33 pm
content: ato wraper - I would spend the 37 dollar tooInfact I just haveGood to have an ESR meter at hand if the need arise in the future

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:50:21 pm
content: here is a link to my esr meter recovery page :http://kripton2035.free.fr/esr-repository.htmlall sort of free, almost free, easy to build, or commercial one to check your capacitorshave fun.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:52:32 pm
content: dont forget also the $80 lcr meter DEREE 5000not a easy to use as an esr meter, but can help a lot measuring precisely L C or Rhttp://kripton2035.free.fr/LCR%20meters/lcr-deree5000-cl.html

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:57:32 pm
content: Quote from: kripton2035 on November 15, 2014, 12:52:32 pmIt is good, I have both DE-5000 and self made ESR meter. For repairs mainly use ESR meter because it works faster. Just switch on and measure.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:58:10 pm
content: Quote from: Azhar on November 15, 2014, 12:36:03 pmThat's a Transistortester cloneBesides measuring 30pF- 20mF (theoretically 100mF) is also does ESR and is more than good enough to check if an electrolytic cap is ok. If the modified firmware is based on the latest k version it should also support in-circuit ESR measurements. BTW, it checks a lot of semiconductors, like pinout, Vf, hFE, Vth and so on. The original firmware has a squarewave and PWM signal generator included. If you buy one, I'd recommend to get one with a classic 16x2 text display because those are easy to upgrade to the latest official firmware. The clones with graphic display might need a modified firmware to support the display.

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 12:59:32 pm
content: This page is indeed worthwhile before buying anything :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESR_meterI have this one:http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/M328-ESR-Meter-Transistor-Tester-Diode-Triode-Capacitance-MOS-PNP-NPN-L-C-R-T4-/251670623383?pt=AU_B_I_Electrical_Test_Equipment&hash=item3a98bcf497Tested it and the peak to peak voltage used is too high for incircuit measurements. It could activate eventual active components in the D.U.T.

author: Paul Price
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 01:30:46 pm
content: Azhur, I must be careful not to beat a dead horse, your mind seems to have been made up and I don't want to further confuse you with facts!Alas, a word to the wise is sufficient, but this is a Beginner's part of the forum.Here's what Wikipedia has to say:-----------------------------------------Precise measurement of ESR is rarely necessary, and any usable meter is adequate for troubleshooting. Where precision is required,measurements must be taken under appropriately specified conditions, because ESR varies with frequency, applied voltage, and temperature.A general-purpose ESR meter operating with a fixed waveform is unlikely to be suitable for precise laboratory measurements.A faulty short-circuited capacitor will incorrectly be identified by an ESR meter as having ideally low ESR, but an ohmmeter or multimeter can easily detect this case, which is much rarer in practice than high ESR. It is possible to connect the test probes to an ESR meter and ohmmeter in parallel to check for both shorts and ESR in one operation; some meters both measure ESR and detect short-circuits.In short(as in circuit), an ESR meter cannot possibly check a capacitor under the high current stresses that might be found in the circuit it was time-wastefully pulled out of to get a good ESR reading.ESR may depend upon operating conditions (mainly applied voltage, temperature); a capacitor which has excessive ESR at operating temperature and voltage may test as good if measured cold and unpowered. Some circuit faults due to such intermittent capacitors can be identified by using freeze spray; if cooling the capacitor restores correct operation, it is faulty.

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 01:44:29 pm
content: TV Technicians who repairs a lot of Samsung LCD TVs are using ESR meters..but they also use Ohmmeters for testing shorts in E-capsBut hey..if you got a good scope and signalgenerator with square wave...use them instead.....and your multimeter (ohm meter)

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 01:48:56 pm
content: Quote from: Paul Price on November 15, 2014, 01:30:46 pmSo what? Yes you do not need need very precise measurements, butyou do need them!Electrolytic capacitors very rarely become shorted and when they do, for that case you do have your multimeter. ESR meter is most underestimated test instrument. Those who say that it is not needed, just do not understand how much PITA will look all that you have repaired before without it. For example, I can check all electrolytic capacitors on LCD TV/monitor power board in less than a 2 minutes. How much time it would take to solder capacitors in parallel, power the board, test it, solder another capacitors, test it again just to discover at the end that it was faulty CCFL inverter transformer, not capacitors why protection was kicking in? Moreover often you cannot normally fit PCB back when there are additional parts soldered on the back side of the PCB.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 01:55:16 pm
content: Quote from: janengelbrecht on November 15, 2014, 01:44:29 pmThat is much slower, very expensive compared to simple ESR meter and posses a great danger to destroy expensive equipment. Signal gen won't be happy if you connect charged capacitor to it by accident, damaged ESR meter is much lower loss and often can be repaired replacing a few cheap parts.

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:04:04 pm
content: Slow and dangerous..perhaps..never the less...used by thousands around the world in everyday technician lifePersonally i go for incircuit ESR meter and ohm meter..... any man his own religion

author: Azhar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:27:23 pm
content: Thanks guys, I think I will go with PEAK Atlas ESR70 it costs about $140 on ebaydo you guys recommend?

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:39:11 pm
content: Way to pricyGo for the 37 dollar thingI mean you allready have a multimeter right ? It can meassure resistance ? What about capacitance ?

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:43:13 pm
content: Quote from: janengelbrecht on November 15, 2014, 12:59:32 pmHave you run the in-circuit ESR measurement via the menu?

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:45:39 pm
content: madires: ?? No menu present..perhaps ive got some old crappy firmware thenIts china junk..so who knowsUnless.....does the button has extra functions...?? Something about the time you press it ??

author: Azhar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:48:08 pm
content: Quote from: janengelbrecht on November 15, 2014, 02:39:11 pmI have the fluke 17B, it does capacitance!

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:51:07 pm
content: The 37 dollar thing it is then

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:54:42 pm
content: Or the 37 dollar thing for casual repair + DER EE DE-5000 for more serious LCR measurments. Much better investment for that money.

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 02:58:58 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on November 15, 2014, 02:54:42 pmI second thatOf course its nice to be able to measure Inductors too

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 03:12:08 pm
content: I've never ever owned an ESR meter or an LCR meter because the cheap ones are usually too flawed in their operation for me to want to have one. But they can be useful faultfinding tools for some users.However, low cost H/H ESR meters do seem to be getting better recently and the DE-5000 does look to be a decent instrument.I currently use a crude in circuit test setup using a sense resistor and some other test gear when doing initial faultfinding and this crudely looks for faulty Hi Z caps. But if I want to measure a cap reasonably reliably for capacitance and ESR then I will remove it and use a pure sinewave source, a known sense resistor and a decent DMM or scope. Then put the measurements into a calculator and calculate the capacitance and ESR using classic impedance equations. It's a slow method but miles better than the traditional cheap old school ESR meters in terms of reliability of measurement and I know I'm measuring the cap at a known frequency and I can also feed in an external DC bias to the cap at the same time when testing it.Few people will have the patience to use the slow (classic) manual method I use so If someone was going to buy an ESR meter then the DE-5000 looks to be far and away the best budget buy if you want something decent

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 03:15:37 pm
content: Quote from: janengelbrecht on November 15, 2014, 02:45:39 pmYes, the menu in the k-firmware is triggered by a long key press (>500ms). IIRC, the in-circuit ESR was included in 1.10k (selected by the main menu), but I don't know on which version the modified firmware is based. The clones with the graphics display look nice but most aren't supported by the official firmware. If you stay with the 16x2 text display you can update the firmware to the current k or m firmware. The k-firmware supports ST7565 compatible displays but maxes out the flash memory of the ATmega328, i.e. not all features will be avaialible in future. And I haven't seen any clones with the 644 yet.

author: janengelbrecht
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 03:24:06 pm
content: Quote from: madires on November 15, 2014, 03:15:37 pmThx dude... you made my day

author: G0HZU
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 03:39:05 pm
content: Quote from: xwarp on November 15, 2014, 12:40:35 pmI've seen that method a few times now... However, the W2AEW method in the video doen't make best use of the test gear and doesn't give good results in terms of time spent.However, you 'can' measure capacitance and ESR quite accurately just using a clean signal source, a decent DMM on ACV and a sense resistor and a few sums. Obviously, the DMM has to be able to work well up to test frequencies up to about 100kHz or you can use a scope instead. But the results using the classic impedance calculations based on the 3 voltage method or the voltage/phase method will take you to a different class of measurement using the same (or even simpler) tools as W2AEW was using.

author: Vito_R
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 07:02:43 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on November 15, 2014, 12:38:16 pm100% Agreed and well said!

author: Vito_R
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2014, 07:11:32 pm
content: Quote from: Azhar on November 15, 2014, 02:27:23 pmAzhar i'm sure you'll love it. Highly recommended and a good investment. I use it everyday and it's one of my most valuable pieces of test equipment after my Fluke multimeter. It's very high quality, fast and accurate, andmade in the UK not china. The only thing it doesn't do is test caps less then 0.5uf. Excellent choice i'm sure you'll be completely satisfied.

author: Azhar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2014, 12:13:32 am
content: Quote from: Vito_R on November 15, 2014, 07:11:32 pmpeople here started discussing how to measure ESR and precise measurements! I am not interested in measurements, math and complicated methods, all what I need is a tool that helps me find out which cap is bad in order to replace it! that's it!I watched reviews for the ESR70 and I like it, it is simple and do the job I believe.Thanks Vito_R for the advice!

author: xwarp
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2014, 05:33:56 am
content: Quote from: Azhar on November 16, 2014, 12:13:32 amI kind of thought that all the different suggestions were of help to me.Maybe you should have made the thread title "I need the fastest, simplest, no brainer esr tester." instead as that would have been a little more specific.

author: Azhar
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2014, 07:52:52 am
content: Quote from: xwarp on November 16, 2014, 05:33:56 amMy bad!