Bob Parker ESR Meters

[Agent24]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

You said yours is over 10 years old, have you checked for dry solder joints?

[redwire]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

The Blue ESR meter does show fault codes for many problems:
F0- Q11 not discharging Q10.
F1- C10 charging too fast.
F2- C10 charging too slow or not at all.
F3- Pulse amplifier bias Q8-C <0.44V
F4- Pulse amplifier bias Q8-C >1V
F5- Test current source is always on
F6- Pulse amplifier has no output
F7- Q3 not sourcing current
F8- Q4 not sourcing current
F9- Q5 not sourcing current
FA- Q6 not switching on.


Does the meter zero? You short the leads and press the button.
If the readings are not steady, then check the test leads have a good connection, no oxide.

[jpalmeida]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

Hi all!
I have an ESR EVB v1.1 since more than 10 years, always worked fine.
Now it is not working properly.
With a new 9V battery, I do the reset procedure and displays shows the normal reading "00". Than when measuring capacitors, it shows values as "40", "33", "25", randomly.
Have you any idea?!

Kind regards.
Joao
Portugal

[ksor]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

I got my ESR-meter to work !

I brought a kit in Portugal and what a mess - the kit was announced as a MK2 and the MK2 manual was to download from the website.

When I got the kit it was NOT a MK2 - mounted in a crappy box with crappy banana bushings, no description on how to assamble the kit - you just have to go by the MK2 manual, no explanation on the changed component values and even wrong values compared to the wrong manual - a mess I think.

The seller was very nice to help with the problems, so it turned out well in the end - except for the mounting box - it's too crappy.

I would advice the seller to get more organized.

[stj]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

the chinese / german one may be less accurate, but it is good enough for a good/bad test and it does other things.

i dont believe in "in-circuit" testing because of parallel loads.

[redwire]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

Waait a second... Chinese ESR meter on eBay for $20?
That meter looks like a clone of Karl-Heinz Kubbeler AVR Mega328 tester. "The accuracy of the ESR measurement is not very high by different reasons"
More about it here http://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgea...ecker-project/

I know the Anatek Blue ESR goes for ~$100 (kinda expensive), but it does in-circuit testing and uses higher test currents 50mA/150kHz and seems proven by many people.
I was going to order one, unless Badcaps wants to make their own...

[stj]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181573126240

[ksor]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

Where can I get this at lowest price?

Shipping included EUR 49,- in Portigal as a kit, BUT ...

[netsecrets00]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

Where can I get this at lowest price?

[Andrew F. Ali]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

I recently acquired a BLUE ESR meter designed by Bob Parker AnaTek Coorporation. I am very pleased with it's performance and found 'badcaps' that I would have normally missed. My success rate has improved tremendously because of this new addition to my test gear. I can even test SMPS transformers for shorts and even Inductors. I recommend this piece of test equipment to even the newer TV Techs coming on board.

[ksor]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

I looks like my kit (the one from sunny Portugal) could be better mechanically, a better mounting box and a more stable mounting of the PCB in the mounting box - it seems like the screws only can be screwed in/out a few times. The box itself seems to have some crappy clips for holding the front and back parts together.

The big protecting diodes ARE included on the PCB, and the test/ON/OFF button is mounted on the PCB too and NOT extruding from the surface of the front panel - which seems a little more safe.

Alligator clips and the big resistor for discharging are included too.

The test leads feels a little stiff, but very very sharp.

The seller (and I think he's a member in this forum - right ?) has given some reasonable answers to all my questions - so now I try to build the kit - but the manual, the kit itself and the infos on the website is very, very confusing because they are so inconsistent.

I hope the seller and you guys here could help me if anything is unclear or wrong

[redwire]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

I think you have this: (from here)[/URL]
"This is the EVB ESR meter from sunny Portugal. It's the same basic design as the Dick Smith unit (below) except that it has big protection diodes in parallel with the test leads (you can't measure battery ESR with it), brighter displays, and it's powered by a 9V alkaline battery (not 6 AAA cells as in the DSE meter). This meter is available in fully-built form from EVB in Portugal."
http://www.capacitorlab.com/esr-meter/
The Blue ESR meter schematic, pics, manual is here: http://www.alltronics.com/mas_assets/acrobat/BESR.pdf

I haven't seen the Z8 MCU firmware download anywhere for the MKII.

[Agent24]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

Here is THE KIT's MANUAL and it is very different from the front site picture:



But I WAS ordering the kit - not the "front-site"-version.

Of course it's different! That is the manual for the Dick Smith Electronics version which was only sold in Australia\New Zealand years ago.

Yours has a different case etc because it's made by a different company. The electronics inside are the same.

[stj]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

i thought the premium one worth getting was the one from russia?

after that of course is the multi-testers from china based on the open german design.

[ksor]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

Hmm, the seller website shows MK2? Hope fully they will honor what they sell.
https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...&postcount=120
http://clientes.netvisao.pt/greenpal/evb1.htm

Here is THE KIT's MANUAL and it is very different from the front site picture:



But I WAS ordering the kit - not the "front-site"-version.

[ksor]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

Oh, well just scroll back in this thread, several members of badcaps including me have built it, no problems at all I would say

You have build "it" - is your kit the same as mine ?

It WAS supposed to be af MK2 version - the manual show it, BUT the kit is DIFFERENT from what the manual shows !

How about yours ?

[budm]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

Hmm, the seller website shows MK2? Hope fully they will honor what they sell.
https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...&postcount=120
http://clientes.netvisao.pt/greenpal/evb1.htm

[ksor]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

Can you post a photo of what you received?

Here is what I received by snail-mail and then I downloaded a manual from the website, and this manual shows a MK2 version, DIFFERENT from the one I received by snail-mail.

[jetadm123]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

Can you post a photo of what you received?

[ksor]

Re: Bob Parker ESR Meters

What kind of errors did find about the kit?

I haven't started to build it - I just noticed:

1) mounting box
2) PCB
3) battery box

is diffenrent than shown in the manual.

Then I wonder why the seller shows MK2 on the website in pictures and text and distributes another version - that's not very PRO !

Of cause I would like to have a MK2 when I ordeerd som AND the website shows a MK2 - it looks like I recieved a NON MK2 compared to the manual - what version it is - I don't know.