Looking for suggestion about a component analyzer

[vinceroger69]

Re: Looking for suggestion about a component analyzer

i might as well for £14.00 cant go wrong if you buy one i am sure you will post any mods up you make and review it maybe? everyone may have there own opinions on it but if it does it job may be a useful item un till i can afford a peak atlas.

[retiredcaps]

Re: Looking for suggestion about a component analyzer

I'm no expert but I suspect NO device is capable of ginving trouble-free ESR measurements in-circuit.
I repair a lot of monitors, and very often there are 2 identical capacitors in parallel.

A lot of people don't understand the above and when I read something like "I tested all the caps with an ESR meter and they were fine". I always wonder if they tested them in circuit or out of circuit.

It takes a lot of time to desolder the cap and then take a reading. If I'm going to go through the trouble of desoldering a cap because I think the ESR is suspect, I'm just going to toss it and put in a quality cap. Thus, for me, I don't see any benefit of an ESR tester as a hobbyist. As long as caps are relatively cheap, I can replace a lot of caps before an ESR meter pays for itself.

For a professional, I can see the benefits of having one if you understand its limitations.

[Kiriakos GR]

Re: Looking for suggestion about a component analyzer

There is an 99% clear answer regarding measurments with modern and well designed LCR HH meters about Caps tests in circuit or out of circuit.

And this is the test voltage that its device are using.
By keeping the test voltage below a specific level, the near by diodes they do not load the circuitry with further resistance.

I did test the DER EE DE-5000 LCR so to spot damaged caps on a PCB of a HP printer, I did measured low ESR Caps and found some troublesome ones.
By measuring the same caps unsolder ed the reading was almost the same by just 3% deviation.

The tweezers accessory proved their value on that PCB too.
In less than two minutes I had check the total of 9 Caps.

[vinceroger69]

Re: Looking for suggestion about a component analyzer

A lot of people don't understand the above and when I read something like "I tested all the caps with an ESR meter and they were fine". I always wonder if they tested them in circuit or out of circuit.

It takes a lot of time to desolder the cap and then take a reading. If I'm going to go through the trouble of desoldering a cap because I think the ESR is suspect, I'm just going to toss it and put in a quality cap. Thus, for me, I don't see any benefit of an ESR tester as a hobbyist. As long as caps are relatively cheap, I can replace a lot of caps before an ESR meter pays for itself.

For a professional, I can see the benefits of having one if you understand its limitations.

To be honest that's what i have been doing now for a short while i just wish that digikey etc would drop there minimum order price down it averages about £20.00 at the moment in the uk. I have used them a few times but some times you can recap a whole project for £5.00 but still have to pay £20.00. I have also been using ebay for a few orders but its hard to spot the fakes some times. I might try rs components as i spotted one about three miles from my home yesterday i might see if i can use there trade counter as may they have no minimum order requirements.