Question about testing none electrolytic capacitors

[sam67]

For none electrolytic capacitors such as ceramic disc ,polyester and tantalum capacitors what is the best method of checking these ,i.e with dvm ,esr meter or do i need another type of tester?

I have a digital dvm an analogue meter and the micro version 4 ESR tester.

Could someone give me a few tips how to check these type as i am ok with testing the electrolytic type but want to be able to test these..Can i test on board with one leg removed..

Any help appreciated ..i know sometimes you can see visual signs like burn marks or cracking but would like some pointers when you cannot see this on the caps and you need to be sure that they are fine without swapping them out.

Cheers ( just trying to learn more testing methods )

[stj]

Re: Question about testing none electrolytic capacitors

check for cracks,
and meter capacitance.

and check esr on tants.

[Radio Fox]

Re: Question about testing none electrolytic capacitors

The only tests you could do with a digital meter or analogue meter, is checking for a short or leakage using the Ohms range.

Also, depending on the value of the capacitor, you can usually do a basic test by setting the analogue meter to it's highest Ohms range & connecting it to the capacitor. Then reverse the leads & you should see a kick on the meter, indicating that the capacitor has stored a charge. This wont give you an exact capacitance value, but will indicate that the component is basically acting as a capacitor. The bigger the kick, the higher the capacitance.

In my experience, non-electrolytic & non-tantalums, rarely give problems in low voltage circuits. To test them you will need a dedicated capacitance meter (or LCR meter), or a digital multimeter with capacitance meter ranges.

[Radio Fox]

Re: Question about testing none electrolytic capacitors

btw...I should have mentioned that the "kick" test will only work with the capacitor out of circuit. Also, the lowest capacitor value that will show this test depends on the highest range on your meter.

My analogue meter will only show a kick with capacitors higher than about 47nF.

[sam67]

Re: Question about testing none electrolytic capacitors

Cheers guys for the info ..Like i say i have the micro 4 version that measures ESR and capacitance together so will try a few different types.

[Radio Fox]

Re: Question about testing none electrolytic capacitors

Bear in mind that the resolution of the micro v4 isn't really good enough for capacitors lower than 1uF.

[sam67]

Re: Question about testing none electrolytic capacitors

Bear in mind that the resolution of the micro v4 isn't really good enough for capacitors lower than 1uF.

Yeah i gathered that when reading the instruction manual..Thanks