Cheap Component Tester

[s-petersen]

I was just going to use mine today(it was sitting a long time), the rechargeable battery looks dead, it wouldn't let the tester start, I had to disconnect it, then it started and worked fine off usb power.I'm going to try to recharge the battery separately and reconnect it.

Update: I gave the battery a small jump start, and it charged fine, I don't think I even had to unsolder it. I'm not sure it would have charged the dead battery, some charging systems will not.
I had to use the infrared remote testing feature for testing a friends remote.

 

[redk9258]

I had to use the infrared remote testing feature for testing a friends remote.

A digital camera (cell phone) works for this.

 

[Spenser]

Question on fine measurement capabilities. Picofarads. Getting the "no, unknown, damaged part" reading on 22pF 500V mica capacitors. Getting into the millionths here. Probably the first time I've used the TC1 to try and measure picofarads.

 

[dlucy]

Question on fine measurement capabilities. Picofarads. Getting the "no, unknown, damaged part" reading on 22pF 500V mica capacitors. Getting into the millionths here. Probably the first time I've used the TC1 to try and measure picofarads.

Check the manual. It has an upper and a lower limit on measuring capacitance.

 

[Spenser]

Check the manual. It has an upper and a lower limit on measuring capacitance.

Sacre bleu. Somebody switched manuals on me and put another one in the little box. I swear that that wasn't in there last time I read it.

Actually the last time -- which was probably three years ago -- I couldn't seem to make heads or tails of the owner's manual. Now. Oddly. I can.

Clearly you guys have warped my brain.

So 25pF to 100uF. Is that what I'm seeing here. I thought these went higher than that. Good grief. What a dope.

 

[dlucy]

Sacre bleu. Somebody switched manuals on me and put another one in the little box. I swear that that wasn't in there last time I read it.

Actually the last time -- which was probably three years ago -- I couldn't seem to make heads or tails of the owner's manual. Now. Oddly. I can.

Clearly you guys have warped my brain.

So 25pF to 100uF. Is that what I'm seeing here. I thought these went higher than that. Good grief. What a dope.

Not a dope. Just learning.

For $30, getting that range along with all the other stuff is a genuine bargain.

You may find it useful to measure a cap well within that range, note the reading, add the tiny cap in parallel, take another reading, then subtract the first reading from the second to get roughly the value of the tiny cap.

For example: If (known) 1000 pf cap + (unknown) X pf cap in parallel reads 1023 pF on the meter, then X is about 23 pF. At least roughly given the low precision of this meter.

 

[Spenser]

You may find it useful to measure a cap well within that range, note the reading, add the tiny cap in parallel, take another reading, then subtract the first reading from the second to get roughly the value of the tiny cap.

For example: If (known) 1000 pf cap + (unknown) X pf cap in parallel reads 1023 pF on the meter, then X is about 23 pF. At least roughly given the low precision of this meter.

Look at you go. Genius. I love this. Thanks.

 

[northpaw]

So 25pF to 100uF. Is that what I'm seeing here. I thought these went higher than that. Good grief. What a dope.

That "100uF" was actually "100mF", where the "m" is milli-, not micro-. So yes, it does read a lot higher. But with caps in the 1000's of µF, it does take a while for the measurement to complete, so be patient.

 

[Spenser]

That "100uF" was actually "100mF", where the "m" is milli-, not micro-. So yes, it does read a lot higher. But with caps in the 1000's of µF, it does take a while for the measurement to complete, so be patient.

OK. Good. Good. Thank you!

 

[jheu02]

Here's one I just saw. Anyone have one of these and does it seem accurate (enough)?

Amazon.com

 

[dlucy]

Here's one I just saw. Anyone have one of these and does it seem accurate (enough)?

Amazon.com

The reviews of those on YouTube have been unfavorable compared to the existing LCR TC1 type testers.

I picked up a FNRISI branded one, but haven’t tried it out yet.

 

[jheu02]

I've got the LCR TC1, just wondered if there are better options. I suppose I could look at the Peaks.

 

[Mumbles]

If you are thinking of buying any testers, try and find them on Aliexpress first. Shopping around, you can usually find the same thing for a fraction of the price and often with free shipping, which can take a while.

 

[mrehorst]

I have one of these: https://www.amazon.com/DER-EE-ELECTRICAL-INSTRUMENT-CECOMINOD066433/dp/B00S298KJO
but really haven't used it much except to test new caps before I use them to replace old ones. I don't usually bother testing old caps- if they are >15 years old, I just replace them. Caps are cheap and I don't like having to keep fixing things over and over again. I recently recapped my Luxman RX103 receiver- 158 electrolytic caps!

When using LCR meters, there are no set in stone markers for good/bad. It depends on the frequency and the capacitance. See: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/esr-values-for-electrolytic-caps/ (the site seems to be down at this moment). Also search for 'ESR Table' and look at the images. You'll see hundreds of ESR tables.