Assembly Manual ESR Meter Mk.2 Cat No. K 7214 by Bob Parker PROJECT INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY SILICON CHIP - March/April 2004 Issue A.B.N. 34 000 908 716 Please read Disclaimer carefully as we WEBSITE: www.siliconchip.com.au can only guarantee parts and not the E-MAIL:
[email protected] labour content you provide. K I T Forget about capacitance meters - an ESR meter is the way to go when it comes to identifying faulty electrolytics. This well-proven design is autoranging, low in cost and simple to build. T’S HARD TO BELIEVE that it’s meter kits have now been sold and sales sary to understand why they cause so Ialready eight years since my first ESR (mainly outside Australia) continue to be many electronic faults. (equivalent series resistance) meter was strong. Fig.1 is a simplified cross-section described – in the January 1996 edition Over those eight years, both Dick drawing which shows the basics. As with of “Electronics Australia”. It was Smith Electronics (which sells the kit) many other kinds of capacitors, the designed on a 386 PC! and the author have received many sug- plates of an electrolytic consist of two The ESR meter allowed service techni- gestions from constructors on improving long aluminium foil strips wound into a cians to quickly and easily identify the ESR meter kit – particularly on mak- cylinder. The big difference is that the defective electrolytic capacitors while ing the construction easier. This upgrad- they were still in circuit. It measures a ed version is the result and incorporates characteristic of electrolytic capacitors many of those ideas.