How To Make Full Use Of Your ESR Meter

[i4004]

http://www.electronicrepairguide.com/esrmeter.html

[bgavin]

Re: How To Make Full Use Of Your ESR Meter

Thanks for the reference.

This site is a heavily advertising-supported type. He has browser redirectors, etc, that pop up similar to the adult sites.

You might consider using Sandboxie when browsing sites like this.
www.sandboxie.com

[i4004]

Re: How To Make Full Use Of Your ESR Meter

dunno, i didn't click on any ads there...

about sandbox; have you tried it on some users that easily get infected(ie 90% of all people..hehe)?

would be good to know for one such person(better to say family) where clean install of xp last a godo one day...after that no amount pof cleaning can get it to original(fast) condition...

[bgavin]

Re: How To Make Full Use Of Your ESR Meter

I put Sandboxie in both client sites, and my own systems. I have my wife trained to use it for anything dangerous, i.e. MySpace, Facebook, etc.

All my systems are built from FDISK/FORMAT with an unattended install CD slipstreamed with DriverPacks mass storage drivers. I have multiple CDs.. both Retail and OEM, for the various XP versions, so I can rebuild using the customer's existing serial number.

I build all systems in stages, then GHOST the system. It gets very ugly when all that work is lost due to a crappy HP print driver, etc, and there is no image backup. Imaging is the only way to return to a 100% clean system.

I partition into SYSTEM and DATA volumes. Systems that have Diag or Restore partitions (Dell, etc), I also image the entire partitioned disk with System and Data present, but empty. That way I have a disk image of the factory partitions for when the disk dies.

I come back a year or two later for a trashed system and restore it from the image. I do all the Windows updates, then update the image for the next time. It is time consuming, but I charge by the hour.

[bgavin]

Re: How To Make Full Use Of Your ESR Meter

Sorry, that went way off-topic.

I'm looking forward to building and using my new ESR kit that was recommended here. I have a Gateway/Intel board that I recapped that is DOA. One of the Rubycons is suspected as being bad, or reversed. Hopefully the ESR meter will show the way.

Q: can the meter be used in-circuit, or do I have to unsolder all those nice Rubycon caps?

I plan on using the ESR meter to verify every new cap BEFORE it goes into the board. Lesson learned on my part.

[willawake]

Re: How To Make Full Use Of Your ESR Meter

yeah it can be used in circuit. works fine.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: How To Make Full Use Of Your ESR Meter

Works fine as long as caps aren't in parallel with other caps.

.

[bgavin]

Re: How To Make Full Use Of Your ESR Meter

In-circuit use is for typical VRM caps.

Lesson learned: measure each cap before installing in the board.

I am using all MCZ, but the Gateway board went DOA after recapping. VRM won't turn on, and just sings to me. I posted in depth in a different thread, etc, but can't pursue it further until the rainy season arrives and I have free time. I figure I have a reverse labeled cap, defective cap, etc.

Hopefully the ESR meter will pick it out without having to remove all those new Rubycons.