Which Capacitor Tester Should I Buy?
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2024
- Learn which Capacitor Tester's are the best for you. See some example tests as well. To join the ongoing electronics course, or just support this channel, click here: / mrcarlsonslab
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Yes, please do show the process of restoring the PACO C-25 capacitor tester. Thank you for all your very informative and well taught content.
Yes, I hope he does because I have a similar tester with crappy wire leads which needs to be replaced.
I agree! Paul please show your restoration of the PACO C-25 capacitor tester.
Also, please do a video on the Heathkit IT-11 to show everything it can do.
Yes please, I have a brand new C25 kit, still in a sealed box!
It would be good to see inside yours.
Agree
Ditto
Great to see new content from you Mr Carlson, enjoyed every second of it.
This video answered literally every single question I had regarding testing capacitors.
Many thanks for another great video. Some time ago I bought a Sencore LC-102 capacitor/inductor analyzer. It can perform tests for capacitance, ESR, dielectric absorption and leakage. It is surprising how many caps I've thrown in the bin because they tested bad for dielectric absorption, but good on all the other tests. My whole collection of old Jensen paper in oil caps had very bad dielectric absorption and were tossed in the bin. Also I've found quite a number of ceramic caps that tested bad for dielectric absorption.
I always look forward to your restoration videos.
Clear and concise. A very well-made video.
We appreciate the time and effort you put forth to share your knowledge!
Thanks Miller!
While out at a garage sale resently I scored a Weller D550, SP80, SP23 and a colossal "American Beauty" 600 watt, model 3198. All for only $25. And they all work! Not sure what use the American Beauty is for but it was a package deal. Your videos have inspired me to restore my 1930s vintage Wards Airline radio phono. Now I have the tools and parts to recap the radio. Thank you Mr. C for sharing your knowledge!
Glad to be that inspiration Tim!
Your lab is so amazing! I hope one day mine is half as impressive as yours.
Thank you for all the videos sharing your experience and knowledge. Your time is very much appreciated.
I learn so much from your channel. You have a great way of explaining and demonstrating things.
Very timely and informative. I've been needing to make a decision which testers to buy, and this helped me make my choices. I had been doing blanket re-caps on anything over 40 years old, and power supply''s on anything 30 years old ( audio gear), but I want to test the electolytic's to be sure I get all the shorts as well as leaker's.
always gaining an in-depth perspective in test work Paul. Nice video thank you
Mr Carlson great instruction vid, thanks for your dedication to teaching.
Shopping for a capacitance testor, and I'm so glad I saw your treatise on devices. Thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
Love the vintage equipment restorations, could watch them all day! 👍
Would like to see the restoring of the PACO C-25. Thanks for the videos.
I'd absolutely love seeing a video on restoring the cap tester! It's fascinating to learn about the inner workings of these pieces of equipment through your amazingly well done restoration vids.
Geat presentation. I know next to nothing about electronic circuits but was able to follow your precise and well articulated discussion.
A huge thumbs up Paul.
Yes, I for one would love to view detailed circuit explanations regarding each one of the of capacitor testers: especially the older types.
Thank you,
Phil.
Thanks Phil!
Thanks for the fine tutorial Sir.
I've been restoring old American tube radios for years and thought I had all the bench boxes I needed, but I'd never even heard of the ESR test. (I never claimed to be a "good" restorer!) I'll be expanding my support gear collection once again, as soon as I can locate one like you use. I'll soon have more gear than radios!
Absolutely amazing to watch your videos. Totally new in this field, but I still enjoy. Wish I had the time left to learn. Anyway thanks. Rick n WV
Thank you for another great video.
Covered all aspects of testing Capacitors.
I really like the leakage test as that's one thing I don't have in my workshop yet.
I have the ESR testing etc.
Keep up your well planned and produced, educational videos.
Thanks.
Thanks for your comment!
Expertly done- as usual, Harry
WE need more videos on how to test and use your favorite capacitor testers. This way we can equip our Test Benches at home!!!
As always, excellent. Clear, concise and very educational.... Thanks for your efforts.....
Wow, I have got to say that I am super thankful for all this in depth information! It has helped me understand a lot!
Very good info, it's what we all need to know to be effective at repairs.
I was never given this info, never shown how it works on various testers, and it's a real good safety measure as well.
I will watch for the restoration mentioned. Thanks for the instructions on safety.
GOOD JOB. Thanks for your time. Would like to see a series on spectrum analyzers old and new.
Love the crystal clear explanation of ESR! And please do the Paco restoration video. I will happily watch any restoration video you post.
Awesome kind Sir Paul. You are a great instructor. Thank you.
The Heathkit IT-11 tester was the 1st serious piece of electronics i handled in my new job after leaving school and becoming a "Tech Trainee" for an AM Radio Station. My head supervisor bought the kit for peanuts as the local agents for Heathkit were having a huge clear out sale.. It was 1978 and tube based gear was classed as having done it's day. I completed the cap checker build in a couple of days and it worked perfectly first switch-on. It then sat on a shelf in the workshop for the next 5 yrs because the company was systematically replacing all its studios with modern semiconductor based gear. One morning I came to work to find a huge dumpster outdoors full of various 19" rack mount equipment, all tube based audio gear that had been the sort of thing i'd been trained on and sitting ontop was 'my IT-11'... never to be seen again.... BOY I WISH I HAD "RESCUED" IT THAT DAY....
Great story Pete, thanks for taking the time to share!
You blow my mind, Excellent explained and presented !
Always look forward to new videos, Paul. Please do the PACO C-25 video.
Yes great showing different gear and test results. I have an old Sprague cap tester with an eye tube, it would fail to open on the one capacitor on my Tube Tester. Pretty Cool. thanks for the demonstrations very well worth the time to make and watch. D
Great coverage of cap-testing methods & fundamentals. A closer look at the PACO C-25 would be great. Thanks for this informative video!
Brilliant! Much appreciated by this student in his ity decade 😀
Allways interested in opening up test gear and seeing how it works. Good video as usual Paul.
loved the video. I have the Heathkit I'm restoring now. looking forward to using it. Thanks for the lesson.
A video of refurbishing the Paco? Yes, please! Also, this was a very informative video, thank you very much.
Always a pleasure to watch Mr.C's videos. My test gear knowledge must have peaked about 1974. So, this really helps ! Today, one can get fine test new ( Chinese) test gear for less money than obsolete American stuff. But some of the old stuff remains invaluable.. as we see here with the Heathkit cap checker used to test leakage. Bravo..
I just found this today. Very informative and I hope to find more of your videos. Thanks
Thanks Bennie!
Your videos are incredibly amazing. Keep it up.
As others have said, you are a really good teacher.
That would be interesting to see the restoration of the first tester you showed. Love your channel and your content.
Thanks!
Very nice range on Cap testers. I use a Megger insulation tester to check for cap leakage as well as my old Solar, Hp4261a and Racal Databridge. They all have their pros and cons.
Paul, always great to watch your videos.
Best regards
Victor
I can't even tell how much I'm learning. Thank you.
You're welcome Ross!
Great video, the approach you demonstrated with leakage and ESR testing has amply demonstrated the inadequacy of testing only with low voltage device that only gives you a capacitance value. For my own bench I am have a Sencore LC53.
Thanks Tisha!
Excellent demonstration; informative in multi purpose usage of a variety of capacitor testers. Like many others, more than one tester is a must, considering the multitude of electronic devices that need attention and capacitors are the leading component failure in most equipment, "nicely done"
Absolutely loved it MC. Yep checking ESR is essential on any suspected or reusing an old capacitor. I find it very useful in checking a computer motherboard or power supply capacitor. Thank you very much for the nice video.
Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
You are such an incredible teacher, thank you!
You're very welcome!
Maybe somebody already mentioned this in a comment, but regarding the point made in this video about one of the testers applying AC to the tube, without a rectifier, I will note that the CT-1 shown right after that also does not have any separate rectifier. However, the Heathkit manual for that product specifically states that the 1629 "magic eye" tube has an effective 'virtual' rectifier inside, and therefore although AC is applied from the secondary of the power transformer, current is only flowing in one direction in the tube circuit, with the circuit "coasting" during the opposite side of the AC waveform. In other words, the circuit DOES have a rectifier, but it is an integral part of the vacuum tube, not a separate device.
Thanks so much for doing this video on capacitor testers. I have both the Heathkit IT-11 and a brand x ESR meter that I've never known how to use. Now I will be able to delve into my old Heathkit Shawnee 6M AM rig and, hopefully, get it working. I will be eagerly awaiting more videos on how to service old equipment.
Great! That's a neat old Heathkit.
Warmed my heart to see the EA (Electronics Australia) ESR meter in your video. EA was a fantastic electronic magazine!
Also, please do the restore. I watch your restores even if I will never own the equipment. I always learn something new.
Nicely done, I loved the Heathkit tester
It took me years as a youthful hobbiest in electronics to understand the vagaries of capacitor evaluation. Interestingly it was AC induction motors that helped me appreciate ESR which was before the days of switch mode power supplies that of course would have done that also. All I had a kid to test with was an Argonne multimeter not even of 20K/V sensitivity.
Thanks for the informative video.
I have the Heathkit IT-28 tester, and I consider it and my ESR tester, as two of my most important test instruments, as I am always fooling around with older tube type equipment. The big problem I am having with the IT-28, , is the colour in the eye tube is washed out. It still works properly, but it is more difficult to see what is happening.
Fantastic video.
Thank you for the info. Just needed to test my old amps and there are no shops near me.
For years I used an (analog) ESR meter from Creative Electronics when I lived in Michigan (where they were made). I wish I had one now. Saved a lot of time troubleshooting.
+ my vote on the rebuild video, I enjoy all of your rebuild videos.
Very informative and a pleasure to watch! Yes...please do a video on the Paco! Hope you find time to do an in-depth video on the Heathkit IT-11, covering the Power Factor test. Thank You!
Have modern ESR meters but still like my vintage Sencore and Sprague testers because they can test at actual operating voltages. My point of view is if a 500 volt cap is going to fail it's going to be when it has 500 volts on it. The huge advantage of modern digital ESR testers is they can (in most cases) accurately test caps in circuit and do it at a voltage that does not turn on solid state devices. Each type has its place and I wouldn't be without either.
Mike
Collected Heathkit (two) IT-11's & (two) equivalent IT-28's over the years. All in need of restoration and simple upgrades.
Thanks for the motivation; it's about time to try and 'bring 'em back' if I can.
A must see video, as usual! Thanks!
+1 for restoring the PACO C-25! I love restoration videos
Great video. I didn't know which one to buy, I know now. Thanks
Great video on testing caps .
Thanks For Sharing
Hello Mr Carlson, Im brand new to electronics. Have just started to play with a bit of stuff lately (DC only AC frightens the hell out of me) and found your channel , By far the one i have liked the most so far. Quality information from an extremely knowledgeable person. 1 week and I can now tell what most small part are thanks to you. The most important thing i have learn in 1 week is you must have a damn good memory, Im mean someone like you its all just their in your head you have done it so much, But when its just a pass time hobby that you do maybe once a week to a mth lie me you really got to put some effort in to remember so much. Things like reading the colours on resistors , and pnp npn stuff and chip pin out info like a=1 b=2 c=4 d=8 etc . Very easy when you know how and you are right why they didn't use just positive and negative can only be to confuse those who are not in the industry, thats fine thats what learning is all about and all industries do it.. Im finding it extremely interesting but difficult to remember so much when you do it so little. Brilliant stuff from a real tech with quality and safety in mind. Your knowledge is astounding and extremely well put so dummies like me get it. Thank you.
Be nicer to yourself Cooper, your no dummy. I'm glad you're enjoying this content, and always feel welcome here.
Thanks for showing the differences between testers, it was very informative.
You're Welcome Bill!
Excellent video, thanks! I vote yes on the Paco restoration video and more on the HealthKit/Jackson (sp?)
Excellent video! Thank you very much. Would love to see the PACO C-25 restoration!
These are absolutely fantastic videos.. many thanks for doing these
You're Welcome Tom!
I have the IT-11 cap tester. LOVE it. Yes, safety Sally says watch out for shocks. What I like is it also will test power factor as well. In old equipment with wax paper caps that have not run for years. Take a digital volt meter and see if the caps are acting like a battery( something in the millivolt range less than a volt). Lots of them are so bad they are so corroded they battery. Obviously all those need to be changed before any attempt is made to operate the equipment. If you ever saw someone blow up an old sealed liquid tantalum cap buy hooking it up backwards. Like a rifle cartridge put in a fire.
Thank you for the excellent capacitor testing video! I would love to see the Paco C-25 video too, they made very good testers also.Louis
Thank you so much Paul !! Now I must augment my test tools to include an ESR meter. I also use the Heathkit IT-11 for reforming electrolytic caps. Not all, just the high end electrolytics.
Glad you enjoyed! You're Welcome.
On the Heath cap checker,, My first day on Adak Island the ET spaces in the Navfac, I was tossed a big old electrolytic, and I made the mistake of catching it. The shop had a great laugh as I cussed like the sailor that I was. Great Memories, and one that I will never forget.
Hi Mr. Carlsons;
You have the gift of answering my questions before I ask them :-)
Thanks.
L.
So the brain wave receiver works.... Excellent! :^)
Did u re-cap it? :-) Forgot to compliment u on another excellent video.
L.
Excellent video, very informative and educational.
I have an old Solar similar to the Heathkit , I love it and it
works great, same safety issue though , it has 550 volts out!
I'm always interested in your restorations. Please do.
I'm a big fan of the Peak Electronics ESR70 capacitance meter which is great for testing ESR of electrolytics in particular.
video99.co.uk Same here. I use the Peak Atlas ESR70 as well. Wicked easy and simple to use. Wish he included this model, in the review.
I love my Peak Atlas Analyzers also but the best way to check a cap is under voltage with an insulation tester. I was hoping Paul would talk about newer testers rather than testers we probably can't find.
Just a got a 1940's 'Solar' capacitor analyser. It's basically like the Better Heathkit model you like. Just awaiting a new power transformer and then it should be good to try out.
To the best of my knowledge, here in central Europe (Czechoslovakia) there were no factory-made devices that could do the leakage test at full operational voltage. I found mentions of DIY jigs and schematics of various devices in magazines that hobbyists could make to test the resistance of capacitors, but nothing that even remotely resembled leakage testers like Heathkit IT-11, Eico 950B and the like.
Perhaps I could import one from the UK, but I think I will be building LV capacitor leakage tester. Great content, as always.
It is so nice to see other electronic 'geeks' supporting each other and saying such nice things about Mr Carlson, I particularly and wholeheartedly agree with Soundscapes first paragraph below. These uploads are a true joy to watch and so clear and precise.
It makes a change from other channels, where all one sees is bickering and backstabbing.
But then we techno geeks have a bi-product to our respective intelligence, we are gentlepersons. :-)
Deebz270
'GentleMen' ... PERSON(s) are a CORPORATE Fiction that im-PERSON-ates the Living Soul. 'Man' ..
You may wish to look up the definition of PERSONA ...
The best advice I can give you is ' Never' admit to being or identifying yourself as a PERSON.
That is how you are trapped by the Legal / Commerce System.
All the best.
Yes,please show restoration of the paco c-25,should be interesting to all,love your informative site,thanks
Yep... please show the restoring of the PACO C.25 capacitor tester Mr C.
As always Paul very much enjoyed this vid, nuther snippet of knowledge gleaned. Thanks Graeme
Thank-you for the video. I have enjoyed everyone you made and look forward to a restoration video. I have always been a fan of preventive maintenance. When servicing, Isn't it just a good choice just to replace any, even suspect capacitors ( with a high quality ) one ?. For the most part they are cheap. I can see using a meter if you have to match one for RF circuits. I know replacing good components with new ones may be a waste, but I believe better safe than sorry.
I would love to find one of those Heathkit testers, or at least build a copy of its leakage circuit. Thanks for all the great work Mr Carlson!
Another vote for videos showing how to and use the old test equipment and what to look out for. I am in the process of putting together a test bench to restore old radios and will use the older type of test equipment like you have shown.
Enjoy all your videos, have picked up a lot of great information from them.
Thanks for taking the time to do them.
Great! My pleasure George!
Mr Carlson, You got me thinking after watching this video a couple times that I may have picked up some equipment that will not be too useful for testing old tube radios and amps.
Would much appreciate if you can take a quick look at the equipment I have listed below and let me know If I should set any aside and get a replacement.
My main interest is old tube radios and amps. Also plan on building a tube amp once I know what I am doing.
Thanks for any comments on the equipment I now have or need. I do plan on getting a modern oscilloscope when the budget allows.
Paco Model T-60 Tube tester
Eico Model 324 Signal Generator
EMC Model 801 Resistance capacitance tester
Heathkit Model IM- 18 Tube Voltmeter
Heathkit Model SG-8 Signal Generator
Eico Model 147A Signal Tracer
Love to see a video on the Paco c25 Paul looks like an interesting piece... we use the Heath IT11 here at the Audio Workshop after watching your first video on using it. Keep up the great work were also a Patreon supporter...73's
excellent tutorial , thank you for posting!
Great video!I learn a lot watching your videos'!Thanks' for sharing your wealth of knowledge with the rest of us! : )
Nice collection and useful information.
Thanks again to share this masterpeices images with us.
Thanks Silvio!
Great video. Learned a lot. Thanks!!
I am ready to learn Anything you want to teach me.. Thank you for speaking in a way to be understood by people like me who do not have the PHD you Clearly have.
Glad you're enjoying Fred!
Very nice video about capacitors an how to test them. I am more concerned with esr on most modern equipment. The tool I use to troubleshoot quickly is a Huntron. It's basically a modern version of the old octopus. Doesn't test for leakage. There are other tools for that. I love the heathkit.
The Huntron comparator is mostly usefull when you have a stereo unit with one good channel and one malfunctioning channel, to help you compare and narrow down which area of the device acts or measures differently from one channel to thebother; or, to compare the channel you have just repaired to the other working channel before you take the plunge and power it up.
Thank you for this video. I learned a lot.
I have an Elenco LCM-1950 that's very similar looking to your DLM-240, except my Elenco only goes to 40H but it has a built in transistor tester with a test socket right above the amp sockets on the left. It also has a frequency counter that goes to about 2 Mhz.
I also have a Mercury model 1400 that at first glance seems to be a go/no go cap tester, but it has a "Hi Leak" test. Unfortunately, I haven't got it working yet so I don't know what it does in that setting.
I like how the Paco says "Glendale Long Island NY" when Glendale has been part of NYC (Queens) since the city was formed in 1898, probably a couple decades before anyone needed a capacitor tester.