Question about testing none electrolytic capacitors

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • sam67
    Badcaps Veteran
    • Dec 2009
    • 256

    #1

    Question about testing none electrolytic capacitors

    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
    Great Sage 齊天大聖
    • Dec 2009
    • 30965
    • Albion

    #2
    Re: Question about testing none electrolytic capacitors

    check for cracks,
    and meter capacitance.

    and check esr on tants.

    Comment

    • Radio Fox
      Badcaps Veteran
      • Jan 2010
      • 281
      • UK

      #3
      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.
      ________________________________________________

      Invisible airwaves crackle with life
      Bright antennae bristle with the energy
      ________________________________________________

      Comment

      • Radio Fox
        Badcaps Veteran
        • Jan 2010
        • 281
        • UK

        #4
        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.
        ________________________________________________

        Invisible airwaves crackle with life
        Bright antennae bristle with the energy
        ________________________________________________

        Comment

        • sam67
          Badcaps Veteran
          • Dec 2009
          • 256

          #5
          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.

          Comment

          • Radio Fox
            Badcaps Veteran
            • Jan 2010
            • 281
            • UK

            #6
            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.
            ________________________________________________

            Invisible airwaves crackle with life
            Bright antennae bristle with the energy
            ________________________________________________

            Comment

            • sam67
              Badcaps Veteran
              • Dec 2009
              • 256

              #7
              Re: Question about testing none electrolytic capacitors

              Originally posted by Radio Fox
              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

              Comment

              Related Topics

              Collapse

              • goodpsusearch
                Sony RCD-W3 Deck A (Playback only) not playing CDs (Disk Error) repair
                by goodpsusearch
                Recently I was given for free a Sony RCD-W3 with the following symptoms, CD recorder drive reads CDs without any issues (haven't tested recording function yet because I don't intend to burn CDs on that machine) but the reader drive shows disc error after some seconds of it trying to read CD. Tried both CD-Rs and commercial audio CDs with same results.

                First thing to do was to clean the lens but that didn't change anything. Googling the issue revealed that this is a common issue on several Sony CD recorder machines and the culprit is SMD electrolytic caps located on the PCB bellow...
                05-05-2024, 02:04 PM
              • RetroComputingGrotto
                Opinions/Advice on Do/Should I replace ALL Electrolytic Capacitors on old equipment?
                by RetroComputingGrotto
                I've just been repairing some (very) old speakers with a loud hum that occurred as soon as you powered them on regardless if any actual audio is played through them. I work in a School so it's 99% likey that the Teachers have hardly ever turned the power off on them for well over 10+ years.



                As you can see the top large capacitor on the right has a bulge on the top so defincately needs replacing. As the one next to it is exactly the same capacity and voltage I planned to replace them both.


                What is your advice/opinion on whether or not on old(er)...
                04-03-2024, 08:30 AM
              • quickname
                Cyberpower 1500AVR UPS repair
                by quickname
                I'd like to start out by thanking this forum for providing the info to be able to repair my 15 year old CP1500AVRLCD UPS. Here is all the info I gathered during my trouble-shooting and re-capping.

                Like clockwork, I've had to replace the SLA batteries every 4 years. It was about that time and the UPS was acting like it needed new batteries... randomly shutting off with AC present, not being able to charge fully, and poor runtime when AC was removed. So, I replaced the batteries but noticed that it was not charging properly.

                I decided to verify that the batteries were...
                11-12-2023, 09:57 AM
              • ten-d
                Nippon Chemi-con 100uf 100v BP electrolytic cap
                by ten-d
                Hi all!

                I just bought a pair of ADS L810 speakers, which I've heard are some of the best speakers from that time (late 70's) into the early 80's. I was super excited to test them out and hooked them up and I was very underwhelmed by the treble. The treble was awfully muffled. I've been doing some restoration work on 70's stereos and a couple of speakers here and there so I am really just a beginner. I do know that capacitors in speaker crossovers filter out the lows to allow only the highs up to the tweeters and mids. Inductors filter out the highs to allow the lower frequencies to...
                01-30-2024, 05:18 PM
              • ttmi100x
                HANNSG Hi221 -- 2 secs to black feat. CCFL flicker & "burn" marks on power board
                by ttmi100x
                Greetings everyone,


                I have a HANNSG Hi221 monitor that exhibits two seconds to black issues (backlight goes off, display is still on as confirmed by shining a flashlight on it) with some additional oddities...


                The monitor failed on me with a standard "2 seconds to black" some time ago prompting me to initially replace most of the electrolytic capacitors (some of them were bulging/leaking).
                Things kinda sorta worked for a night, then the problem returned along with some flickering and "buzzing" noises.

                Upon closer inspection...
                07-31-2024, 06:36 PM
              • Loading...
              • No more items.
              Working...