Which Capacitor Tester Should I Buy?

[SkinnyBiker]

While out at a garage sale resently I scored a Weller D550, SP80, SP23 and a colossal "American Beauty" 600 watt, model 3198. All for only $25. And they all work! Not sure what use the American Beauty is for but it was a package deal. Your videos have inspired me to restore my 1930s vintage Wards Airline radio phono. Now I have the tools and parts to recap the radio. Thank you Mr. C for sharing your knowledge!

[DGJB]

Yes, please do show the process of restoring the PACO C-25 capacitor tester.  Thank you for all your very informative and well taught content.

[peteb]

The Heathkit IT-11 tester was the 1st serious piece of electronics i handled in my new job after leaving school and becoming a "Tech Trainee" for an AM Radio Station. My head supervisor bought the kit for peanuts as the local agents for Heathkit were having a huge clear out sale.. It was 1978 and tube based gear was classed as having done it's day. I completed the cap checker build in a couple of days and it worked perfectly first switch-on. It then sat on a shelf in the workshop for the next 5 yrs because the company was systematically replacing all its studios with modern semiconductor based gear. One morning I came to work to find a huge dumpster outdoors full of various 19" rack mount equipment, all tube based audio gear that had been the sort of thing i'd been trained on and sitting ontop was 'my IT-11'... never to be seen again.... BOY I WISH I HAD "RESCUED" IT THAT DAY....

[mikesradiorepair]

Have modern ESR meters but still like my vintage Sencore and Sprague testers because they can test at actual operating voltages. My point of view is if a 500 volt cap is going to fail it's going to be when it has 500 volts on it. The huge advantage of modern digital ESR testers is they can (in most cases) accurately test caps in circuit and do it at a voltage that does not turn on solid state devices. Each type has its place and I wouldn't be without either.

Mike

[BufferStuffBuddha]

This video answered literally every single question I had regarding testing capacitors.

[kilcar]

Shopping for a capacitance testor, and I'm so glad I saw your treatise on devices. Thank you!!

[NebukedNezzer]

I have the IT-11 cap tester. LOVE it. Yes, safety Sally says watch out for shocks. What I like is it also will test power factor as well. In old equipment with wax paper caps that have not run for years. Take a digital volt meter and see if the caps are acting like a battery( something in the millivolt range less than a volt). Lots of them are so bad they are so corroded they battery. Obviously all those need to be changed before any attempt is made to operate the equipment. If you ever saw someone blow up an old sealed liquid tantalum cap buy hooking it up backwards. Like a rifle cartridge put in a fire.

[Finom]

WE need more videos on how to test and use your favorite capacitor testers. This way we can equip our Test Benches at home!!!

[martinmeek]

Many thanks for another great video. Some time ago I bought a Sencore LC-102 capacitor/inductor analyzer. It can perform tests for capacitance, ESR, dielectric absorption and leakage. It is surprising how many caps I've thrown in the bin because they tested bad for dielectric absorption, but good on all the other tests. My whole collection of old Jensen paper in oil caps had very bad dielectric absorption and were tossed in the bin. Also I've found quite a number of ceramic caps that tested bad for dielectric absorption.

[dynadude]

Thanks for the fine tutorial Sir.
I've been restoring old American tube radios for years and thought I had all the bench boxes I needed, but I'd never even heard of the ESR test. (I never claimed to be a "good" restorer!) I'll be expanding my support gear collection once again, as soon as I can locate one like you use. I'll soon have more gear than radios!

[carlburgess]

Would like to see the restoring of the PACO C-25. Thanks for the videos.

[simonflint]

Just a got a 1940's 'Solar' capacitor analyser. It's basically like the Better Heathkit model you like. Just awaiting a new power transformer and then it should be good to try out.

[michaelchambers]

The thing about discharging electrolytic capacitors. I use an incandescent light bulb instead of a screwdriver to discharge electrolytic capacitors. I love old tube test equipment, they are simple. This is why I'm a fan of Heathkit, instructions and schematics are relatively easy to obtain for Heathkit electronics.

[kennethdegruchy]

It took me years as a youthful hobbiest in electronics to understand the vagaries of capacitor evaluation. Interestingly it was AC induction motors that helped me appreciate ESR which was before the days of switch mode power supplies that of course would have done that also. All I had a kid to test with was an Argonne multimeter not even of 20K/V sensitivity.

[Deebz]

It is so nice to see other electronic 'geeks' supporting each other and saying such nice things about Mr Carlson, I particularly and wholeheartedly agree with Soundscapes first paragraph below. These uploads are a true joy to watch and so clear and precise.

It makes a change from other channels, where all one sees is bickering and backstabbing.

But then we techno geeks have a bi-product to our respective intelligence, we are gentlepersons. :-)

[jlev]

Your lab is so amazing! I hope one day mine is half as impressive as yours.
Thank you for all the videos sharing your experience and knowledge. Your time is very much appreciated.

[irgtk]

Ditto on the restoration of the PA-25🔍☕️📓

[warrenosborne]

On the Heath cap checker, , My first day on Adak Island the ET spaces in the Navfac, I was tossed a big old electrolytic, and I made the mistake of catching it. The shop had a great laugh as I cussed like the sailor that I was. Great Memories, and one that I will never forget.

[coopercruse]

Hello Mr Carlson, Im brand new to electronics. Have just started to play with a bit of stuff lately (DC only AC frightens the hell out of me) and found your channel, By far the one i have liked the most so far. Quality information from an extremely knowledgeable person. 1 week and I can now tell what most small part are thanks to you. The most important thing i have learn in 1 week is you must have a damn good memory, Im mean someone like you its all just their in your head you have done it so much, But when its just a pass time hobby that you do maybe once a week to a mth lie me you really got to put some effort in to remember so much. Things like reading the colours on resistors, and pnp npn stuff and chip pin out info like a=1 b=2 c=4 d=8 etc . Very easy when you know how and you are right why they didn't use just positive and negative can only be to confuse those who are not in the industry, thats fine thats what learning is all about and all industries do it.. Im finding it extremely interesting but difficult to remember so much when you do it so little. Brilliant stuff from a real tech with quality and safety in mind. Your knowledge is astounding and extremely well put so dummies like me get it. Thank you.

[robinsattahip]

Thank you. The old Knight Capacitor tester I had as a child would be nearly useless on modern electronics. The new no-name ESR meter and Rigol capacitance checker (function of a bench multimeter) would be nearly useless on old tube circuits. Electronics have changed so much in the 50 plus years since I started.
Your Heathkit is the only tester I ever saw that could put out 600 volts without at least a spring-loaded switch. Doubt if anything like that could be sold today. That is unacceptably dangerous even for test equipment.