[ARC5] Cap Test

[Brooke Clarke]

Hi Wayne:

I just got a Heathkit working after replacing electrolytic caps.  It 
turns out that most of them were bad.  See:
http://www.prc68.com/I/HeathkitGC1000.shtml#Caps
Scroll up and down the page and look at the tables on the right.  Red 
means out of spec. and green is the value after replacing the cap.
PLUG:  The cap testing was done using a combined Cap & ESR meter:
http://www.prc68.com/I/ESRmicro.shtml
Note:  the ESR-Cap meter is out of stock as of 8 FEb 2011.  More on order.

I've recently got a semiconductor tester that includes a high voltage 
source that's supposed to be used to test electrolytic caps (up to 1000+ 
V), see:
http://www.prc68.com/I/MTE.shtml#Xistor
and scroll down to Shenzhen DY294 Digital Transistor DC Parameter Tester
I need to use it on my test caps at:
http://www.prc68.com/I/Capacitors.shtml
to get a better understanding of what it's doing.

Have Fun,

Brooke Clarke, N6GCE
http://www.PRC68.com


Robert Eleazer wrote:....
>
> And moving on now to less philosophical, and one would hope, less controversial realms, I wonder if anyone can recommend a quick and dirty test for electrolytic caps.
>
> Last night I turned not one, but two, 5Y3GT's into momentary night lights. I am trying to figure out why and I'm trying to decide if the previously satisfactory replacement electrolytic filter cap has turned violent.
>
> Normally I charge up a cap, remove the power and see how long it takes for the charge to dissipate. Instantaneous loss of voltage is bad. If it lingers on a while, slowly decaying at a steady rate, that's good.
>
> Any ideas?
>
> Wayne
>
> WB5WSV