Best ESR meter/What to look for

[mmartell]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

The capacitors manufacturer does not use an 100$ meter so to offer to us a comparison point due their datasheets.

You may wish to paint your home white just with milk, but if you are up to making repairs you will follow the needed technical principals, or you just toying around, and in this case your opinion it can not taken seriously.
Simple as that.

Since in the real world replacing a non-functioning cap with a working "low esr" version seems to constitute a repair I fail to see how YOUR opinion can be taken seriously.

This thread isn't about making repairs for NASA so stop taking it to the extreme. I find the post before yours to be entirely valid.

[Kiriakos GR]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

If you your song makes you feel good keeping the singing going.

When you buying a motherboard you do seek perfection, when making a proper repair is NASA science ?
You are more confused than me, and this it is a fact.

[mmartell]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

Go back and read the OP's first post and stop being a blowhard.

And btw when when you're buying a motherboard you're buying consumer-grade electronics which from what I can tell is mostly what this forum is about. They are hardly made to "perfection".

[Kiriakos GR]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

stop being a blowhard.

That gave me a good laugh for 2 minutes.
My last advice to your anonymous avatar is to not buy anything good enough, because you are incapable to appreciate it value.

[mmartell]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

You don't need a telescope to read the newspaper. As per the OP he's asking how much he has to spend to get the job done.

You arguing otherwise only proves the insanity of your position.

[Kiriakos GR]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

You don't need a telescope to read the newspaper. As per the OP he's asking how much he has to spend to get the job done.

You arguing otherwise only proves the insanity of your position.

You using the OP as excuse just so produce keystrokes in a ridicules argument that is in your head.
No one cares how the world looks in your head.

[mmartell]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

It must be exhausting being smarter than everyone else.

To the OP I have an ESR Micro 4.0s and it works as advertised. Cost about $100. I have no experience with the others mentioned here.

[Kiriakos GR]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

It must be exhausting being smarter than everyone else.

Ok got it, you love to have the last word in every conversation.
You do not need to type anything more, all your points are fully described.. and understood.

[Misterkeeks]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

You using the OP as excuse just so produce keystrokes in a ridicules argument that is in your head.

While this sentence is incoherent, I can assure you that replying to the OP is a totally valid reason to post in a thread.

I am by no means a long term member of this forum. But almost every post of yours seems to be glorifying the use of professional, high quality, expensive equipment over other cheaper models, or shaming anyone who even mentions cheaper, entry level equipment. Yes, the more expensive equipment is better. Yes, if I was a professional, I would use it. Yes, it is better. But no, I don't think that the highest precision equipment is needed to see if a capacitor is good or bad. For basic testing, you simply don't need the granularity that the higher end equipment provides. I have no problem with the high quality products that are available. I would use them if I could. I have no problem with the people who use them. You seem to have a problem with everyone who doesn't.

[Kiriakos GR]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

Topic title : Best ESR meter/What to look for

Next time use the correct words as title : I am a cheap dog and I need something that looks as ESR .

Problem solved.

[mariushm]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

And you didn't answer to either of the two issues in the subject.

As usual, you're an ass that just replies with useless comments and nothing useful to people.

Just shut up already and stop commenting if you don't have anything useful to add.

Misterkeeks came to the same conclusion I came to months ago.

[Kiriakos GR]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

This is a great idea ... lets split the forum in two.
One for professionals that the kids would be unable to join in and read any messages, and one part just for your team.

[Misterkeeks]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

You seem to have a problem with my reasonable and efficient use of money. Perhaps you would belong in the kids section as well?

[dj_ricoh]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

can i ask something?
i only got that fluke 175 and i wanna work on a TV board with elec caps that i need find.
that fluke does show what cap its good but i don`t know the role of that esr meter.
but the idea is simple; i just need to find the problem and i need to be time efficient and this fluke does the job why will i need a esr meter?
i see that you take the discussion to another level.
can i use that esr to measure smd caps in board for "notebooks boards" to?

[mariushm]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

The fluke 175 can only measure the capacitance.

The capacitance or a capacitor can actually be good or within acceptable limits when measured by a regular multimeter, but when the circuit actually runs and energy goes through the capacitor, the high frequencies the power supply runs at can cause the capacitor to lose capacitance or have its internal resistance increased.

An ESR meter simulates such a power supply so it can actually measure the ESR and capacitance when such frequencies typical of switching power supplies are present.

Also keep in mind that no tool can give you accurate results if you measure capacitors in-circuit. Capacitors are often in parallel on the board, or there's a tiny ceramic capacitor in parallel with the large capacitor, or there are drain resistors, or other things.. all these can affect the measurement of the capacitance or the ESR. It's always a good idea to desolder one leg of the capacitor and that way you'll be sure the measurement is correct.

The tools will say they can measure in-circuit but that's just a code word for "the test voltages are small enough that they won't activate diodes, transistors etc so it's safe to use in circuit". It doesn't mean the measurements will be accurate.

can i use that esr to measure smd caps in board for "notebooks boards" to?

if you mean electrolytic capacitors, yes, you can use an esr meter for that. Ceramic and tantalum capacitors usually have very low esr and don't (usually) degrade so that the esr would increase.

The biggest problem with tantalum capacitors is that they fail shorted (they act like a piece of wire) or they burn up, usually with flames... hence why they're unpopular, besides being expensive. Not much you can do here with an esr meter.

Ceramic capacitors can fail open or can become intermittent because internal layers detach/break down (ceramic capacitors are basically stacks of sheets of material with dielectric between the sheets) and the capacitor may work or not depending on how the board flexes or how it vibrates or how the heat warms up and expands metal and layers. Again, not much you can do here with an esr meter.

[dj_ricoh]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

The fluke 175 can only measure the capacitance.

The capacitance or a capacitor can actually be good or within acceptable limits when measured by a regular multimeter, but when the circuit actually runs and energy goes through the capacitor, the high frequencies the power supply runs at can cause the capacitor to lose capacitance or have its internal resistance increased.

An ESR meter simulates such a power supply so it can actually measure the ESR and capacitance when such frequencies typical of switching power supplies are present.

Also keep in mind that no tool can give you accurate results if you measure capacitors in-circuit. Capacitors are often in parallel on the board, or there's a tiny ceramic capacitor in parallel with the large capacitor, or there are drain resistors, or other things.. all these can affect the measurement of the capacitance or the ESR. It's always a good idea to desolder one leg of the capacitor and that way you'll be sure the measurement is correct.

The tools will say they can measure in-circuit but that's just a code word for "the test voltages are small enough that they won't activate diodes, transistors etc so it's safe to use in circuit". It doesn't mean the measurements will be accurate.

can i use that esr to measure smd caps in board for "notebooks boards" to?

if you mean electrolytic capacitors, yes, you can use an esr meter for that. Ceramic and tantalum capacitors usually have very low esr and don't (usually) degrade so that the esr would increase.

The biggest problem with tantalum capacitors is that they fail shorted (they act like a piece of wire) or they burn up, usually with flames... hence why they're unpopular, besides being expensive. Not much you can do here with an esr meter.

Ceramic capacitors can fail open or can become intermittent because internal layers detach/break down (ceramic capacitors are basically stacks of sheets of material with dielectric between the sheets) and the capacitor may work or not depending on how the board flexes or how it vibrates or how the heat warms up and expands metal and layers. Again, not much you can do here with an esr meter.

woow ty multumesc

if i manage to have work and it will req a esr meter that means somebody pays well or its for me.
the idea its that if you do manage to use that fluke and make two measure with capacity and resistance,maybe you can manage to do the same. its like that esr meter its made from 2 functions of other multimeters, cuz maybe other techs did not have time to make a chart
thank you very much for the info

[budm]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

Here is the real world example of caps showing good capacitance but the circuit failed due to high ESR.
https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showth...ghlight=AL2416

[Kiriakos GR]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

can i ask something?
i only got that fluke 175 and i wanna work on a TV board with elec caps that i need find.

Basic rule of thump after having experiences with 12 multimeter of 2012-2013.
The DMM can do a very basic check regarding capacity.
By 98% this measurement is sufficient for making your mind if one true LCR bridge is needed so to evaluate further the three specialized parameters which determine the condition of one capacitor.

The industry does not use ESR as exclusive parameter in the datasheets that you are going to use as comparison point.
Therefore a meter capable simply for ESR is not enough.

[neuron]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

Hi,

I own this one ... great eq.

EVB ESR
http://clientes.netvisao.pt/greenpal/evb1.htm

0,01 Ohm -> 99 Ohm

I test ESR and other things like coils.

And great support in English and Portuguese.

Best regard,

Ruy

[Kiriakos GR]

Re: Best ESR meter/What to look for

Hi,

I own this one ... great eq.

EVB ESR 0,01 Ohm -> 99 Ohm

Before 20 years it was great, now belong to museum.