I'm in the process of procuring the parts to build Mr. Carlsons Low Votage Cap Leakage Tester. If you haven't checked him out I highly recommend. Thanks for the lessons!
I really enjoy the depth you go into on your videos. I do enjoy them and they help me understand things a little bit better. Many thanks. Now I know that an ESR meter does not work on all capacitors.
Your videos are very informative and very helpful. Capacitors have been a weak point for me to fully grasp, but this in depth lesson is exactly what I needed. I was glued to it and all your videos until the end. 👍👍👍👍👍
Nice video, many good points mentioned here. One thing you mentioned when using the hi-voltage test: You do not get the ESR value this way. ESR means Equivalent Series Resistance, and can be seen as an unwanted resistor in series inside the cap (usually with electrolytics, as you showed with the "Peak" ESR meter)
If you're dealing with glue gun glue just use rubbing alcohol, it seems to break the bonds of the glue from the surface and does no dissolve into a mess, I can get my glue out in full chunks with this method.
I recently bit the bullet and purchased a Sencore LC75 analyzer. It' tests Capacitance, Leakage, and ESR.... AND, can be tested at/near it's rated voltage value. It's indispensable now, and will be on my bench till they bury me. :)
I stumbled across your channel and just had to subscribe. Very good I learned a lot about capacitors that I didn't know. Keep up the good work and can't wait to watch more of your clips.
At 28:33 the bottom right capacitor, hermetic package as you mentioned, may be either metrology grade low capacitance or (maybe more likely) a mil/aerospace type Wet Tantalum Electrolytic one. As tantalum is quite heavy, you can often tell the type from its weight. But you also can tell it by the capacitance -- the wet tantalums are generally in low voltage, tens to 150 V, several microfarads range. The metrology types may be high voltage, low capacitance. Anyway, the hermetic seal is usually an indication of something special and high reliability.
Great video. Very educational, and interesting. I wish you had touched on how to find the outer foil end of the capacitors, that would have made it a complete guide. Perhaps a subject for your next video, as It is something most people don't even know is a thing with modern capacitors.
Great video! Since its practically impossible to get a unit like your Sprague tester, could one use a megohmmeter to test for leakage in old coupling caps in tube amps? Thanks.
I literally have cases of all those capacitors you showed and more. They where in a old radio shop that was closed for years and i purchased the whole store. If you ever need anything special let me know i will sell cheap. I also have many rare and hard to find tubes.i truly enjoy you videos please keep up the good work!!
great video, thanks, just wondering, how would you test a these at their rated voltage WITHOUT a dedicate tester? For occasional use, a dedcated tester isn't practical.
In a ' Shango066 ' video ( shango being a well known CZcams vintage color TV expert ) he works on some automotive scan tools where certain electrolytic capacitors break down and leak a substance that is conductive and the circuitry is so sensitive that if the unit is powered up with the leaked substance on the board it fries out some chips. He has to clean the board thoroughly before installing new capacitors ( and new fried chips ) Very interesting.
Very educational and informative, I'm new to the hobby of antique radio and learned much from your presentation. I'm looking for best sources for parts,tools, test equipment, and training on older tube and transistor equipment and would greatly appreciate any feedback you could offer. I will back track and view all your previous videos as time permits. Thanks for taking the time to educate your viewers.
Great job. You could add a drawing and short explanation of the ideal capacitor model. It can help understand the two types of resistance, ESR and EPR. They are important.
Great info, thank you for sharing this. I envy you for this beautiful piece of equipment. That gear is still rather expensive for the occasional user, so I learn when browsing the second hand market. I only have one question. Suppose you test an old, say 40 years, capacitor and it reads perfectly fine on all specs. What does that mean with regard to its further use? Can you keep it in service for another ten or maybe twenty years, or will you decide to replace it anyhow, based of its 'mileage'?
Excellent rendition of how metering methods and other things can mislead questioners of thoese devices and may not be able to determine from available sources weather a given capicator is meeting is's specicications or not.
In guitar amplifiers they have a few filter capacitors, how do you test how much Current is stored in each filter capacitor? if there is 4 filter capacitors how many amps of current are each filter capacitors storing any way to measure to know if you have enough current for the circuit that is drawing. If the circuit under test is drawing 10 amps and have 4 filter capacitors how would you know what capacitance values for the filter caps to store 10amps of current for the circuit to work without starving the circuit?
I like the way you ripped off the capacitor guy by squeezing him for an extra $5 when you know full well those capacitors are worth a couple $k. Well done! I guess taking anything to you also means you get to repeat the process. Bravo!
I agree the humble brag about how he got the price even lower is very cringy. Some people will haggle no matter what. You ask 100 they bid 50, you ask 50 they offer 30. I always think that if the asking price is fair (or even a steal in this case), haggling about it is just a bit sad. That said, ripping off is a bit unfair I think. The seller agreed, nobody got ripped off. Also taking a gamble with the goods, taking everything off someone’s hands, needing to go through and weed out a lot all add value to the products, so that should be accounted for in my opinion.
@@ph4z_ He knew full well from years of seeing capacitors that they were in great condition and one or two alone would cover the full asking price. He pretended to the guy that had no idea he was 'taking a risk' when he wasn't. That to me is a moral and ethical failure and abuse of knowledge. The term 'ripping off' fits. Just because we can abuse or knowledge doesn't mean we should. He's a scammer as far as I can see, but I have morals and ethics so I guess I would see it better than others who have no morals or ethics like mine.
Thank you; love the video. For us new guys, would you tell us more how to do the current leakage testing without the fancy sprague (the power supply and ammeter method mentioned at 22:40)? I'm specifically interested in testing vintage guitar amps' caps where 5-450v and 10-25 ufd are common). I'm trying to put together the tools I'll need on a budget; is there a multimeter that'll do all the other tests (including -the aforementioned ammeter leakage, ESR and LCR)?
yes there is some meter avail cheap go line ask for capactor testors select the one you want they are rated in mfd -------ufd read the label pick out the one that meets your needs
Nice meter! Any C meter is better than none. I spent years in electronics repair with only a VOM and my knowledge and understanding of electronics theory.
Cleared up a lot of uncertainty I had about the subject. It would be interesting to test out a couple of those NOS Bumble Bee's you bought. We hear so much about them and how they go bad. Is it use or age that kills them?
I noticed that you stored your stuff in plastic bags. I want to do that too but I live in an area that can have really humid days. Should I pack in silica sand/does it matter?
A minor correction to your description of the infra red thermomerer (bolometer). The laser has nothing to do with the measurement. It just tells you where the bolometer is pointed. Emissivity of the surface of the object also matters. Shiny reflective surfaces will often reflect infra red from some other object so you have to be careful in interpreting the readings you get with these things.
A thermal imager is the only way to accurately measure the heat of most of these items and the cost of IR or thermal imagers is well beyond the budget of most hobbyists.
Love your videos. I am 61 and looking to get into Vintage Audio repair not only to keep my gear in top condition, but to give back for what has been a lifetime of enjoying these fine components. I'm an electrician and built a Harley from scratch when I was 17 in my bedroom. I think I can figure this out. I know a gentleman I work for who has an accent identical to yours. He's from around Waco, Tx. Anyway, I'm going to purchase a Sprague TO 6 and was wondering if I need to desolder every capacitor I test. I'm guessing yes, because if it is leaking voltage, it will send high voltage to the other components while connected to the circuit board and possibly damage them. Is that correct?
Thank you for the very informative video. Is there a difference between the capacitor that you have shown as samples in the video versus a motor run capacitor? Can a motor run capacitor be replaced by a general purpose capacitor such as an aluminum electrolytic cap?
The old paper type capacitor has a dark ban on one end. This indicates the capacitor lead that is the outer foil. Do you test new capacitor (e.g the new orange drop) to determine the outside foil?
As i have no high voltage supply, nor your Sprague tester, I was looking for an alternative for a high voltage leak test. What is your idea of using an insulation tester like the Fluke 1578, for testing the leak of a capacitor? This tester delivers till 1000V DC (or 250V or 500V ...) , by testing the resistance. Just by applying ohms law you receive an indication of the Leak current of the capacitor . Or not?
I bought an ESR70+ thinking it would make testing in-circuit caps easier...I am right now in the process of restoring a Marconi TF2331 distortion meter, which has a lot of electrolytics in it. I removed a 1000uF @15V cap despite the fact that the ESR70+ measured the ESR @ .12ohms and the cap at 1268uF which I would normally think is fine. However, upon testing that cap on my old Sprague TO-6, the capacitance was ok, but the cap was very leaky at rated voltage of only 15vDC and effectively toast....Now I wonder about the caps I assumed were OK when checked in ckt with the ESR70+....YMMV, but I now have concerns about the effectiveness of these units....
It's nice to have a credible instrument. I use the instrument you using. But I come across issues with them. They cannot detect leaking semiconductors or Capacitors. It's good for basic tests.
The only thing I would test on an old ("vintage") electrolytic capacitor is how it sounds when it lands in the trash can. Once you have pulled it out of the circuit to test it, why put it back? Replacements are cheap nowadays.
Why does Cap. Bleed over to case ground? A slight (constant) arc can be seen.I used a fluke 87 to check between terminals and from terms. to cap. case no readings were detected.I hope I explained my self correctly. Thanks
Good tips, been looking for a vintage condenser tester. The prices are going up for them. Quick question, do you think I can use 3300 uf to replace 2500 uf in the power supply of a old non tube scope?
Is charging time supposed to be the same as discharging time with the same resistance load?. I've read it as such. But i've got a setup that charges and discharges, the charging time fits very well what the math tells me, but the discharging time is almost twice as long??.
I have the Tel-Ohmike TO5, the generation earlier to this one. I actually like it better because the applied voltage is only present on the DUT when the testing button is pressed. When released, it automatically drains the cap, so there is no chance of forgetting the lever is in the wrong position.
the small condensers in distributors is made with 2 strips very thin alum and 1 strip (wax paper ) like a sandwhich foil paper foil the small wire is conn. to 1 foil strip the little can is conn. to other foil..the mfd is the thickness and length of the foil if you get an ohms reading its shorted if you have an analog meter (with a needle in stead off digits you can see this touch meter leads to the wire and the can the needle will jump up and fall back down you will need a capacitor meter to read mfd or ufd ---- this the way its used in a dist to creat a spark ---------battery voltage thru switch in run pos is conn to primary coil the other end of that coil is conn. the capacitor wire and one side of the points as the points open this lift the gd off this conn. allowing current to flow thru the capisitor to gd this causes a magnetic effect in the primary coil making a very high voltage due to thr turns ratio this voltage is connto the dist cap then to the rotor to spark a plug as points points close this flow stops ---if capisitor is wrong value mfd or defective some of the voltage want get thru th capacitor so come back to the open points and jumps to gd, causing the points to pit over time if everthing is ok a quick test lets you veryfi this,by run eng remove a plug wire insert a wood handle screwdriver into the plug wire hold screwdriver close to the eng see spark 1/2 in spark is ok less is sign of tbl i test at .idle
I agree with you caps can add up very quickly ,unless you get a deal.like you got,good for you,I no how,much orange drops alone can sell for ,I only been collecting caps for about six months ,and I only have one large gallon size zip lock .and it wasn't all that cheap even at Chinese prices ,and some from the u.s. ,and a bunch of resistors which I am sorting out .but you need that stuff on hand .even if you are working small scale like.me.a hobbyist.I have a Knight capacitor tester,a kg. 670 ,it's a restored vintage tester,that man who restored it says it was probably never used ,I can do more testing with it then modern capacitors tester,
I need to get three non polarized capacitors for my Goodwill scope doubler power supply.The capacitance value is 0.5 micro-farad at 1500 volt. I believe they are some type of oil capacitors. The design of the capacitors use terminal leads on both sides of the capacitors. The scope is a Goodwill 10 Mhz. Model GOS-3310.
Hi, I enjoy your knowledge and video! Lot of experience and many years of study and work to reach this experience. I need to replace a can condenser Cap for a reel to reel 1 + 3uf 250vac. Can't find it anywhere. Can you point me in the right direction? Or suggest how to use 2? Thanks, I hope you are still active doing videos!
Wow! I've been just buying one capacitor at a time because they're so expensive and I have no idea what capacities or voltages I will need. Even at 1-at-a-time, I still end up spending $40 to $50 on a few capacitors for a single radio restoration (DigiKey/Mouser). There has to be a better, more economical way.
hello, I really enjoyed this video, it was very useful to bring all the test methods together in one place. this is the only time I've seen this. For those of us unable to access fab USA built test equipment, do you know (can you share) how to assemble a cap tester DC voltage device similar to your old one? any help appreciated. Matthew
Have you ever thought of using a megger to test a capacitor. With high voltage and resistance measurement should be able to determine the current. Maybe do a video about it
Great video but since its a few years on since its upload there's been a lot of discussion on the subject that needs a mention. I’m a bit confused by your presentation of what ESR truly is as I understand it to be something other than the representation by a capacitor of its leakage. Your Sprague meter table would be relevant to earlier era manufactured capacitors? It seems the no. one issue of a capacitor and the one thing that matters most is whether the device leaks current which means its acting as a resistor. You cover that off perfectly with the mention of bias issues and that's really important in any repair. So if a capacitor is leaky at low voltage it’s not necessary to test at its labeled working voltage either because if its bad at a low voltage it will be terrible any higher. As to value, that must be the last concern because that's solved for any leakage with replacement.
Interesting presentation. ESR and Leakage are not related. So your Sprague tester does not indicate ESR. ESR is not the equivalent of a resistor across the capacitor. ESR is like a resistor inside the capacitor going to only one of the terminals. ESR reduces a capacitor’s ability to charge quickly and it generates internal heat when the capacitor is charging and discharging.
The Sprague tester checks for Equivalent Parallel Resistance or DC leakage which will destroy tubes and transformers alike as the DC resistance approaches 0 ohms. Paul Carlson of Mr. Carlson's Lab discusses this phenomenon at length as well as designed two devices which checks for EPL or leakage at a very low 9VDC or 27VDC using very high gain circuitry, they both work better than the Sprague or Heathkit capacitor checkers which he has both of those as well.
I think I want someday to get a old heath kit capciator tester they show leakage at different voltages ,I figure if it over forty years old put in a new cap.most caps aren't to pricey
I watched another video concerning these units. The guy said these units are ONLY good for ELECTROLYTIC capacitors!!!!!!!_____ Is he right???????______ Is that true?????????????????
Its funny, those cheap chinese multi component testers you get on ebay actually beats the peak atlas ESR meter in many cases. It can go right down to the pF range and does leakage and ESR. Only bad thing is most have no input protection.
So basically what you're saying is unless you got this gear you really can't do this yourself. So wondering should I even be trying to maintain/repair my own amps an d be spending too much time watching these (wonderful) videos?
without a doubt the format and length are truly worth the time, Thanks for the mini course.
I'm in the process of procuring the parts to build Mr. Carlsons Low Votage Cap Leakage Tester. If you haven't checked him out I highly recommend.
Thanks for the lessons!
Thank you! Really informative and well presented- I enjoy the long and complete descriptions in all of your videos.
Love your videos man, keep them coming, thanks to you I recapped my McIntosh MC240 on my own, and I had no history of audio repair knowledge.
Outstanding! Most practical capacitors tutorial I have seen. Thanks.
Thank you so much for this series of vid’s. Excellent presentations all around!
Excellent presentation! Organized and thorough is NOT "verbose." Great job!
Thanks again for your know-how, your time, and your giving-character to share them.
I really enjoy the depth you go into on your videos. I do enjoy them and they help me understand things a little bit better. Many thanks. Now I know that an ESR meter does not work on all capacitors.
Thanks for posting this excellent video. I just rebuilt a Dynaco amp, and wish I'd have seen this before starting.
Oh. How did CZcams know I’ve got a Scott integrated amp coming in the mail? Now this video shows up in my suggestion list.
Spooky, ain't it? 😂
This is a well made video, you have excellent knowledge. Thanks for sharing!
Your videos are very informative and very helpful. Capacitors have been a weak point for me to fully grasp, but this in depth lesson is exactly what I needed. I was glued to it and all your videos until the end. 👍👍👍👍👍
Nice video, many good points mentioned here. One thing you mentioned when using the hi-voltage test: You do not get the ESR value this way. ESR means Equivalent Series Resistance, and can be seen as an unwanted resistor in series inside the cap (usually with electrolytics, as you showed with the "Peak" ESR meter)
One of the best video about how and why need to check the capacitors. Thank you very much.
Great video, learn a great deal and the limitations of my test gear.
Thanks
If you're dealing with glue gun glue just use rubbing alcohol, it seems to break the bonds of the glue from the surface and does no dissolve into a mess, I can get my glue out in full chunks with this method.
I recently bit the bullet and purchased a Sencore LC75 analyzer. It' tests Capacitance, Leakage, and ESR.... AND, can be tested at/near it's rated voltage value. It's indispensable now, and will be on my bench till they bury me. :)
Thank you for the thorough explanation. Amazing video!
Invaluable info. Thanks!
Excellent video!!! Thank you!
That analogue test gear you have is amazing. Nothing can beat a lovely set of dials.
I stumbled across your channel and just had to subscribe. Very good I learned a lot about capacitors that I didn't know. Keep up the good work and can't wait to watch more of your clips.
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I am sure no pun was intended at the end when you said "just to re-cap".... thanks for your videos.. very helpful
At 28:33 the bottom right capacitor, hermetic package as you mentioned, may be either metrology grade low capacitance or (maybe more likely) a mil/aerospace type Wet Tantalum Electrolytic one. As tantalum is quite heavy, you can often tell the type from its weight. But you also can tell it by the capacitance -- the wet tantalums are generally in low voltage, tens to 150 V, several microfarads range. The metrology types may be high voltage, low capacitance. Anyway, the hermetic seal is usually an indication of something special and high reliability.
This was excellent, thank you.
“Open Up and Bleed”? You are a funny guy. Subscribed.
Thanks for the lesson. I learned alot.
Great video. Very educational, and interesting. I wish you had touched on how to find the outer foil end of the capacitors, that would have made it a complete guide. Perhaps a subject for your next video, as It is something most people don't even know is a thing with modern capacitors.
Excellent content and still very relevant.
Great video! Since its practically impossible to get a unit like your Sprague tester, could one use a megohmmeter to test for leakage in old coupling caps in tube amps? Thanks.
I literally have cases of all those capacitors you showed and more. They where in a old radio shop that was closed for years and i purchased the whole store. If you ever need anything special let me know i will sell cheap. I also have many rare and hard to find tubes.i truly enjoy you videos please keep up the good work!!
I would definitely be interesting in getting some things.
What great videos you produce. I’ve been watching several of them over the last few days and am learning a Lot! You’re a Great teacher! Thanks!!
Very Informative, thank you!
great video, thanks, just wondering, how would you test a these at their rated voltage WITHOUT a dedicate tester? For occasional use, a dedcated tester isn't practical.
In a ' Shango066 ' video ( shango being a well known CZcams vintage color TV expert ) he works on some automotive scan tools where certain electrolytic capacitors break down and leak a substance that is conductive and the circuitry is so sensitive that if the unit is powered up with the leaked substance on the board it fries out some chips.
He has to clean the board thoroughly before installing new capacitors
( and new fried chips )
Very interesting.
Very educational and informative, I'm new to the hobby of antique radio and learned much from your presentation. I'm looking for best sources for parts,tools, test equipment, and training on older tube and transistor equipment and would greatly appreciate any feedback you could offer. I will back track and view all your previous videos as time permits. Thanks for taking the time to educate your viewers.
Great job. You could add a drawing and short explanation of the ideal capacitor model. It can help understand the two types of resistance, ESR and EPR. They are important.
Awesome capacitor video..
Great info, thank you for sharing this. I envy you for this beautiful piece of equipment. That gear is still rather expensive for the occasional user, so I learn when browsing the second hand market. I only have one question. Suppose you test an old, say 40 years, capacitor and it reads perfectly fine on all specs. What does that mean with regard to its further use? Can you keep it in service for another ten or maybe twenty years, or will you decide to replace it anyhow, based of its 'mileage'?
Thanks for posting a very good informative video
Awesome video!
Thanks, great video.
I always enjoy them and learn something. so don't change a thing!
Is it possible to test a can cap while in a hot amp? If that equipment is not available.
Excellent rendition of how metering methods and other things can mislead questioners of thoese devices and may not be able to determine from available sources weather a given capicator is meeting is's specicications or not.
Thank you for this
I don’t mind the long videos
In guitar amplifiers they have a few filter capacitors, how do you test how much Current is stored in each filter capacitor? if there is 4 filter capacitors how many amps of current are each filter capacitors storing any way to measure to know if you have enough current for the circuit that is drawing. If the circuit under test is drawing 10 amps and have 4 filter capacitors how would you know what capacitance values for the filter caps to store 10amps of current for the circuit to work without starving the circuit?
I like this video. I have a lot of storage capacities as well. To be used with the sound tube.
Great informational video
I like the way you ripped off the capacitor guy by squeezing him for an extra $5 when you know full well those capacitors are worth a couple $k. Well done! I guess taking anything to you also means you get to repeat the process. Bravo!
I agree the humble brag about how he got the price even lower is very cringy. Some people will haggle no matter what. You ask 100 they bid 50, you ask 50 they offer 30. I always think that if the asking price is fair (or even a steal in this case), haggling about it is just a bit sad.
That said, ripping off is a bit unfair I think. The seller agreed, nobody got ripped off. Also taking a gamble with the goods, taking everything off someone’s hands, needing to go through and weed out a lot all add value to the products, so that should be accounted for in my opinion.
@@ph4z_ He knew full well from years of seeing capacitors that they were in great condition and one or two alone would cover the full asking price. He pretended to the guy that had no idea he was 'taking a risk' when he wasn't. That to me is a moral and ethical failure and abuse of knowledge. The term 'ripping off' fits. Just because we can abuse or knowledge doesn't mean we should. He's a scammer as far as I can see, but I have morals and ethics so I guess I would see it better than others who have no morals or ethics like mine.
is that 600 volt test a low amps test or something? I saw so much exposed wire and high voltage with that meter.
I may be looking for trouble here but, is it possible to use a Electrophoresis Power Supply as a bench power supply for tubes?
Thank you; love the video. For us new guys, would you tell us more how to do the current leakage testing without the fancy sprague (the power supply and ammeter method mentioned at 22:40)? I'm specifically interested in testing vintage guitar amps' caps where 5-450v and 10-25 ufd are common). I'm trying to put together the tools I'll need on a budget; is there a multimeter that'll do all the other tests (including -the aforementioned ammeter leakage, ESR and LCR)?
yes there is some meter avail cheap go line ask for capactor testors select the one you want they are rated in mfd -------ufd read the label pick out the one that meets your needs
with an axial-lead capacitor what is the negative lead attached to inside?
Nice meter! Any C meter is better than none. I spent years in electronics repair with only a VOM and my knowledge and understanding of electronics theory.
Cleared up a lot of uncertainty I had about the subject. It would be interesting to test out a couple of those NOS Bumble Bee's you bought. We hear so much about them and how they go bad. Is it use or age that kills them?
Thank you!
I noticed that you stored your stuff in plastic bags. I want to do that too but I live in an area that can have really humid days. Should I pack in silica sand/does it matter?
A minor correction to your description of the infra red thermomerer (bolometer). The laser has nothing to do with the measurement. It just tells you where the bolometer is pointed. Emissivity of the surface of the object also matters. Shiny reflective surfaces will often reflect infra red from some other object so you have to be careful in interpreting the readings you get with these things.
A thermal imager is the only way to accurately measure the heat of most of these items and the cost of IR or thermal imagers is well beyond the budget of most hobbyists.
Love your videos. I am 61 and looking to get into Vintage Audio repair not only to keep my gear in top condition, but to give back for what has been a lifetime of enjoying these fine components. I'm an electrician and built a Harley from scratch when I was 17 in my bedroom. I think I can figure this out.
I know a gentleman I work for who has an accent identical to yours. He's from around Waco, Tx.
Anyway, I'm going to purchase a Sprague TO 6 and was wondering if I need to desolder every capacitor I test. I'm guessing yes, because if it is leaking voltage, it will send high voltage to the other components while connected to the circuit board and possibly damage them. Is that correct?
Great video
thanks for your reply seven months ago ..47uf 1500v capacitor. I did the search and found it.
Thank you for the very informative video. Is there a difference between the capacitor that you have shown as samples in the video versus a motor run capacitor? Can a motor run capacitor be replaced by a general purpose capacitor such as an aluminum electrolytic cap?
it depends a lot on the application
The old paper type capacitor has a dark ban on one end. This indicates the capacitor lead that is the outer foil. Do you test new capacitor (e.g the new orange drop) to determine the outside foil?
As i have no high voltage supply, nor your Sprague tester, I was looking for an alternative for a high voltage leak test. What is your idea of using an insulation tester like the Fluke 1578, for testing the leak of a capacitor? This tester delivers till 1000V DC (or 250V or 500V ...) , by testing the resistance. Just by applying ohms law you receive an indication of the Leak current of the capacitor . Or not?
I bought an ESR70+ thinking it would make testing in-circuit caps easier...I am right now in the process of restoring a Marconi TF2331 distortion meter, which has a lot of electrolytics in it. I removed a 1000uF @15V cap despite the fact that the ESR70+ measured the ESR @ .12ohms and the cap at 1268uF which I would normally think is fine.
However, upon testing that cap on my old Sprague TO-6, the capacitance was ok, but the cap was very leaky at rated voltage of only 15vDC and effectively toast....Now I wonder about the caps I assumed were OK when checked in ckt with the ESR70+....YMMV, but I now have concerns about the effectiveness of these units....
It's nice to have a credible instrument. I use the instrument you using. But I come across issues with them. They cannot detect leaking semiconductors or Capacitors. It's good for basic tests.
The only thing I would test on an old ("vintage") electrolytic capacitor is how it sounds when it lands in the trash can. Once you have pulled it out of the circuit to test it, why put it back? Replacements are cheap nowadays.
Why does Cap. Bleed over to case ground? A slight (constant) arc can be seen.I used a fluke 87 to check between terminals and from terms. to cap. case no readings were detected.I hope I explained my self correctly.
Thanks
Good tips, been looking for a vintage condenser tester. The prices are going up for them. Quick question, do you think I can use 3300 uf to replace 2500 uf in the power supply of a old non tube scope?
,but , I,
Is charging time supposed to be the same as discharging time with the same resistance load?. I've read it as such.
But i've got a setup that charges and discharges, the charging time fits very well what the math tells me, but the discharging time is almost twice as long??.
I have the Tel-Ohmike TO5, the generation earlier to this one. I actually like it better because the applied voltage is only present on the DUT when the testing button is pressed. When released, it automatically drains the cap, so there is no chance of forgetting the lever is in the wrong position.
I have four esr meters ,I don't no what a high esr looks like any help would be grateful four .
how can anyone NOT learn from your vids!
Very nice. I wonder for those doing this as a hobby without a lot of gear the simple answer is don't test just replace. :)
does your esr70 also gives false positives?
the small condensers in distributors is made with 2 strips very thin alum and 1 strip (wax paper ) like a sandwhich foil paper foil the small wire is conn. to 1 foil strip the little can is conn. to other foil..the mfd is the thickness and length of the foil if you get an ohms reading its shorted if you have an analog meter (with a needle in stead off digits you can see this touch meter leads to the wire and the can the needle will jump up and fall back down you will need a capacitor meter to read mfd or ufd ---- this the way its used in a dist to creat a spark ---------battery voltage thru switch in run pos is conn to primary coil the other end of that coil is conn. the capacitor wire and one side of the points as the points open this lift the gd off this conn. allowing current to flow thru the capisitor to gd this causes a magnetic effect in the primary coil making a very high voltage due to thr turns ratio this voltage is connto the dist cap then to the rotor to spark a plug as points points close this flow stops ---if capisitor is wrong value mfd or defective some of the voltage want get thru th capacitor so come back to the open points and jumps to gd, causing the points to pit over time if everthing is ok a quick test lets you veryfi this,by run eng remove a plug wire insert a wood handle screwdriver into the plug wire hold screwdriver close to the eng see spark 1/2 in spark is ok less is sign of tbl i test at .idle
I agree with you caps can add up very quickly ,unless you get a deal.like you got,good for you,I no how,much orange drops alone can sell for ,I only been collecting caps for about six months ,and I only have one large gallon size zip lock .and it wasn't all that cheap even at Chinese prices ,and some from the u.s. ,and a bunch of resistors which I am sorting out .but you need that stuff on hand .even if you are working small scale like.me.a hobbyist.I have a Knight capacitor tester,a kg. 670 ,it's a restored vintage tester,that man who restored it says it was probably never used ,I can do more testing with it then modern capacitors tester,
Add question 5. How to determine the capacitor's polarity?
Can this be done without an oscilloscope?
Nice informative video. Good work. Keep them coming!
How to install line to ground capacitor x1 your?
Very good video but you should use a tripod to put your camera and keep all of us happy and not dizzy! Thanks for share your knowledgements!
I need to get three non polarized capacitors for my Goodwill scope doubler power supply.The capacitance value is 0.5 micro-farad at 1500 volt. I believe they are some type of oil capacitors. The design of the capacitors use terminal leads on both sides of the capacitors. The scope is a Goodwill 10 Mhz. Model GOS-3310.
go on ebay, search for .47 1500v you'll find what you need. you won't find .5uf, .47uf will work just fine
Hi, I enjoy your knowledge and video! Lot of experience and many years of study and work to reach this experience. I need to replace a can condenser Cap for a reel to reel 1 + 3uf 250vac. Can't find it anywhere. Can you point me in the right direction? Or suggest how to use 2? Thanks, I hope you are still active doing videos!
Wow! I've been just buying one capacitor at a time because they're so expensive and I have no idea what capacities or voltages I will need. Even at 1-at-a-time, I still end up spending $40 to $50 on a few capacitors for a single radio restoration (DigiKey/Mouser). There has to be a better, more economical way.
hello, I really enjoyed this video, it was very useful to bring all the test methods together in one place. this is the only time I've seen this. For those of us unable to access fab USA built test equipment, do you know (can you share) how to assemble a cap tester DC voltage device similar to your old one? any help appreciated. Matthew
Não tem legendas, não entendo o que diz, mas deduzo que é uma boa explicação.
what does "acrosst" mean ?
In case a capacitor has resistance, it's great to be used as a thermistor... don't you think?
Have you ever thought of using a megger to test a capacitor. With high voltage and resistance measurement should be able to determine the current. Maybe do a video about it
Great video but since its a few years on since its upload there's been a lot of discussion on the subject that needs a mention. I’m a bit confused by your presentation of what ESR truly is as I understand it to be something other than the representation by a capacitor of its leakage. Your Sprague meter table would be relevant to earlier era manufactured capacitors? It seems the no. one issue of a capacitor and the one thing that matters most is whether the device leaks current which means its acting as a resistor. You cover that off perfectly with the mention of bias issues and that's really important in any repair. So if a capacitor is leaky at low voltage it’s not necessary to test at its labeled working voltage either because if its bad at a low voltage it will be terrible any higher. As to value, that must be the last concern because that's solved for any leakage with replacement.
Nice
Interesting presentation. ESR and Leakage are not related. So your Sprague tester does not indicate ESR. ESR is not the equivalent of a resistor across the capacitor. ESR is like a resistor inside the capacitor going to only one of the terminals. ESR reduces a capacitor’s ability to charge quickly and it generates internal heat when the capacitor is charging and discharging.
The Sprague tester checks for Equivalent Parallel Resistance or DC leakage which will destroy tubes and transformers alike as the DC resistance approaches 0 ohms. Paul Carlson of Mr. Carlson's Lab discusses this phenomenon at length as well as designed two devices which checks for EPL or leakage at a very low 9VDC or 27VDC using very high gain circuitry, they both work better than the Sprague or Heathkit capacitor checkers which he has both of those as well.
I think I want someday to get a old heath kit capciator tester they show leakage at different voltages ,I figure if it over forty years old put in a new cap.most caps aren't to pricey
I watched another video concerning these units. The guy said these units are ONLY good for ELECTROLYTIC capacitors!!!!!!!_____ Is he right???????______ Is that true?????????????????
Its funny, those cheap chinese multi component testers you get on ebay actually beats the peak atlas ESR meter in many cases. It can go right down to the pF range and does leakage and ESR. Only bad thing is most have no input protection.
See Mr. Carlson Lab for a new way to test capacitors.
on your list steps we take you should have listed shorted also the capacitor tested open and shorted you will not see in a amp
So basically what you're saying is unless you got this gear you really can't do this yourself. So wondering should I even be trying to maintain/repair my own amps an d be spending too much time watching these (wonderful) videos?
Far from the truth. I even showed various pieces of equipment to get the job done. More saying that you can't do this with a simple DMM.