I agree! Paul please show your restoration of the PACO C-25 capacitor tester. Also, please do a video on the Heathkit IT-11 to show everything it can do.
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!
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....
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
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.
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. :-)
Deebz270 'GentleMen' ... PERSON(s) are a CORPORATE Fiction that im-PERSON-ates the Living Soul. 'Man' .. You may wish to look up the definition of PERSONA ... The best advice I can give you is ' Never' admit to being or identifying yourself as a PERSON. That is how you are trapped by the Legal / Commerce System. All the best.
A huge thumbs up Paul. Yes, I for one would love to view detailed circuit explanations regarding each one of the of capacitor testers: especially the older types. Thank you, Phil.
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.
Nice video. With the scarcity of testers like the Heathkit for doing leakage test, a nice project might be to design a leakage tester for folks repairing/restoring old tube gear.
I've been watching your uploads too w2new and nice to see you dropping in on Mr Carlson in support :-) . Funnily enough, I was thinking the exact same thing. Could you guys get it together to give us a circuit schematic for something like that Heathkit, all-singing-dancing ESR/Leakage tester ?
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.
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.
Very nice video about capacitors an how to test them. I am more concerned with esr on most modern equipment. The tool I use to troubleshoot quickly is a Huntron. It's basically a modern version of the old octopus. Doesn't test for leakage. There are other tools for that. I love the heathkit.
The Huntron comparator is mostly usefull when you have a stereo unit with one good channel and one malfunctioning channel, to help you compare and narrow down which area of the device acts or measures differently from one channel to thebother; or, to compare the channel you have just repaired to the other working channel before you take the plunge and power it up.
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!
Maybe somebody already mentioned this in a comment, but regarding the point made in this video about one of the testers applying AC to the tube, without a rectifier, I will note that the CT-1 shown right after that also does not have any separate rectifier. However, the Heathkit manual for that product specifically states that the 1629 "magic eye" tube has an effective 'virtual' rectifier inside, and therefore although AC is applied from the secondary of the power transformer, current is only flowing in one direction in the tube circuit, with the circuit "coasting" during the opposite side of the AC waveform. In other words, the circuit DOES have a rectifier, but it is an integral part of the vacuum tube, not a separate device.
Great video, the approach you demonstrated with leakage and ESR testing has amply demonstrated the inadequacy of testing only with low voltage device that only gives you a capacitance value. For my own bench I am have a Sencore LC53.
Very timely and informative. I've been needing to make a decision which testers to buy, and this helped me make my choices. I had been doing blanket re-caps on anything over 40 years old, and power supply''s on anything 30 years old ( audio gear), but I want to test the electolytic's to be sure I get all the shorts as well as leaker's.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Well I have a Sprague Tel-Ohmite cap analyzer TO-6 and it should be just fine for leakage testing. My Heathkit C-3 is a good second choice on doing that as well.
Did any other Australian viewers notice the 'EA' logo on the ESR and Low Ohms meter? - it's Bob Parker's design featured in the January 1996 edition of Electronic Australia magazine. Also, count me in on a PACO C-25 restoration video too...
I have Bob's 'new, improved' MK-II Dick Smith kit version as detailed in Mar/Apr 2004 Silicon Chip mag. A handy companion to my Heathkit C-3 Condenser Checker, which indicates capacity, leakage and power factor. It has a spring return test switch which automatically discharges the cap under test, reducing the DC shock hazard.
Karl Adams Exactly. Electronics Australia or EA was the longest-running Electronics magazine in Australia. Seeing the EA Logo would make Leo Simpson and Jamieson Rowe very happy, I still have almost ancient copies of EA and Silicon Chip in my garage as well as the U.S published Radio Electronics Magazine. and not forgetting ELECTOR magazine, that was something special. I started buying EA from around 1967.
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.
Thank you for another great video. Covered all aspects of testing Capacitors. I really like the leakage test as that's one thing I don't have in my workshop yet. I have the ESR testing etc. Keep up your well planned and produced, educational videos. Thanks.
One real flexible / useful unit is the DER-EE DE5000 LCR/ESR meter. I paid a bit under 160$ for mine, almost three years ago, for the full shebang (AC adapter, Kelvin-connection "tweezer", Kelvin-connection alligator-clips, and one or two other tidbits). It can also be found under the IET brand, but for a premium, and no extra features (nor calibration or anything). For what it's worth, there's a teardown of it over on the EEVblog.
I love my Peak Atlas Analyzers also but the best way to check a cap is under voltage with an insulation tester. I was hoping Paul would talk about newer testers rather than testers we probably can't find.
Yes great showing different gear and test results. I have an old Sprague cap tester with an eye tube, it would fail to open on the one capacitor on my Tube Tester. Pretty Cool. thanks for the demonstrations very well worth the time to make and watch. D
I was in a rush and just hooked the capacitor between a 50V variable DC supply and a volt meter. Capacitor should block the DC. Although it does do some RC time increase/decrease. But the voltage should not stay at anything over zero. It was obvious which ones were bad. I also took precautions to discharge the capacitor after testing. It works in a pinch.
I have been using a Uni-T UT 501A megger to test capacitors. It is not as versatile as a proper capacitor tester, but it will test at 100, 250, 500 and 1000 V, and it shows the resistance in ohms at the testing voltage. One caveat is that for some unknown reason the polarity seems to be switched on the test leads, black is positive and red is negative, which will make a huge difference if you are testing electrolytic capacitors. The last radio I recapped showed a resistance on the filter caps of a few kohms!
The Heathkit model C-3 is the best capacitor tester to buy. More of them are available at economical prices and if you buy one that needs repair or restoration, that turns out to be an interesting adventure. Testers with digital and analog metered measurements are overkill. For years in industry all we had was the General Radio LCR bridge. Capacitor testers are not really needed to do radio restoration. The meat and potatoes of restoration is NOS or new parts, especially capacitors. After a while parts changing does become boring and expanding ones knowledge into components composition becomes an interesting rabbit hole to venture down. My bench consists of a scope, vtvm, vom digital vom, audio oscillator , several RF signal generators , various LCR testers and the Heathkit C-3 cap tester. Being able to do an IF and RF alignment is a must, being on exact frequencies is kept in check with a frequency counter.
I am ready to learn Anything you want to teach me.. Thank you for speaking in a way to be understood by people like me who do not have the PHD you Clearly have.
To the best of my knowledge, here in central Europe (Czechoslovakia) there were no factory-made devices that could do the leakage test at full operational voltage. I found mentions of DIY jigs and schematics of various devices in magazines that hobbyists could make to test the resistance of capacitors, but nothing that even remotely resembled leakage testers like Heathkit IT-11, Eico 950B and the like. Perhaps I could import one from the UK, but I think I will be building LV capacitor leakage tester. Great content, as always.
I have an Elenco LCM-1950 that's very similar looking to your DLM-240, except my Elenco only goes to 40H but it has a built in transistor tester with a test socket right above the amp sockets on the left. It also has a frequency counter that goes to about 2 Mhz. I also have a Mercury model 1400 that at first glance seems to be a go/no go cap tester, but it has a "Hi Leak" test. Unfortunately, I haven't got it working yet so I don't know what it does in that setting. I like how the Paco says "Glendale Long Island NY" when Glendale has been part of NYC (Queens) since the city was formed in 1898, probably a couple decades before anyone needed a capacitor tester.
A bit of trivia... ...I was an electronic technician for RCA for 33 yrs (50's-80's) And during that time; I was sent to other places from Chicago. And I didn't know; that IN high humidity areas; it can drive technicians crazy. And when they sent me to South Florida (Ft Lauderdale) I couldn't believe it. Because, at that time, RCA used waxed capacitors galore, in their TV's. And would you believe? Many times, I had to change most all the capacitors in the TV's. For many were all "leaking". Over and over. And a technician in Miami's RCA Co told me, "pat, you are going have to use other type capacitors. Like shinny caps. Or if you use RCA caps; they won't last a month down here!". And he was right. Believe it or not. And some resistors (like "IRC's") would go bad also, because of humidity. So we used only shinny resistors. To keep humidity out of them. Because, the shinny bodies do not let humidity creep in the caps and res's. For what it's worth.
For those in the market for a modern LCR meter for the bench that can test for nearly all the possible parasitics (but does NOT do leakage testing), one may wish to look at either the iET DE-6000 or the DER DE-5000 LCR Meters as they are both very nice and test both series and parallel parasitics, including ESR, D/Q, theta (phase angle), etc., and can accurately test resistance down to the milliohm level and can perform these tests at 100, 120, 1K, 10K, and 100KHz and can perform some tests in-circuit as well. The iET DE-6000 costs a fair bit more but has a greater accuracy in the 1KHz range and has much tighter quality control. If on a budget the DER DE-5000 is very similar but not quite the same absolute accuracy and has reports of occasional, but rare, units that have been out of spec by as much as 20%, so some QA issues (not a big deal if you can validate your accuracy upon receipt and resolve things under warranty, but could be an issue for the few unluckily souls if they never realize they got one of the out of spec units -- though such reports seem to be very rare thankfully). I opted to pay the premium for the full iET DE-6000 kit and hard case for its greater accuracy and tighter quality control and have been very happy with the unit for several years now as it gets a good deal of use. But those on a budget will want to consider the DER DE-5000, which is almost identical save for color, as it is a good deal cheaper. If you work with surface mount components, be sure to choose a kit that includes both the SMD tweezer probes and the standard alligator clip leads. If you add on the IR USB interface then you can also log data to the PC as well as access one or two more variables (I forget whether it reveals X, reactance, or Z, impedance, if memory serves). The great thing about both of these models is that, save for leakage testing, they single handedly test for nearly every parasitic or characteristic one may want in such an LCR tester up to 100KHz (though they do not support DC biasing capacitors as some much more sophisticated bench LCR test gear will), so you do not ordinarily need multiple pieces of test gear for most common tests and these meters are no larger than a full sized multimeter so do not occupy a lot of valuable bench real estate.
I have a Heathkit it-28. You mentioned in this video you could do a whole presentation just on the capabilities of the it-28. I would like to see it. No one on UA-cam seems to covered it that thoroughly, just restoration videos.
Thanks so much for doing this video on capacitor testers. I have both the Heathkit IT-11 and a brand x ESR meter that I've never known how to use. Now I will be able to delve into my old Heathkit Shawnee 6M AM rig and, hopefully, get it working. I will be eagerly awaiting more videos on how to service old equipment.
I was at the hamfest in Nanaimo yesterday and grabbed a Heath IT-22, a later model of the CT-1 which you dismiss here. It is also 19mHz. I wonder what the improvements in the various versions were. Anyway, it is immaculate and can be a 'shelf queen'. I've loved magic eyes since my Gonset Communicator 2. I do have a B&K LCR meter and a Blue ESR meter. I also picked up a Fluke 8030A VOM. One battery clip is broken off as usual, but II'll use it as a bench meter anyway. It seems functional and came with the official Fluke wall wart and some probes in the nice leather cases. My first Fluke!
Another great vid Paul. 64 downvotes ? what on earth is there to downvote ? Instead of hiding behind the keyboard, why don’t they explain why they downvoted it in the comments? If I ever, rarely (about four times in all the years I have watched UA-cam) downvote a vid, at least I have the courage of my convictions and put in the comments why I downvoted it.But it’s very rare that I do that.If you don’t like it! Just Move on.Don’t downvote it.
For years I used an (analog) ESR meter from Creative Electronics when I lived in Michigan (where they were made). I wish I had one now. Saved a lot of time troubleshooting.
For the absolute beginners on a budget I like to recommend the very cheap "transistor tester" things on ebay. They do more an estimation than a measurement, but they are quite ok for comparing parts, and much better than nothing. One could use one of them to repair a much better device that one bought defective on ebay....
Excellent demonstration; informative in multi purpose usage of a variety of capacitor testers. Like many others, more than one tester is a must, considering the multitude of electronic devices that need attention and capacitors are the leading component failure in most equipment, "nicely done"
I'd absolutely love seeing a video on restoring the cap tester! It's fascinating to learn about the inner workings of these pieces of equipment through your amazingly well done restoration vids.
When I saw the title I was hoping you had a Sprague Cap Tester in your line-up. I just acquired one via On-Line Auction and need to go through it prior to making regular use of it. I know it is functionally equivalent to the your Heathkit IT-11 Tester though. good point on ESR Checker though and that is lacking on my bench. Thanks!
Collected Heathkit (two) IT-11's & (two) equivalent IT-28's over the years. All in need of restoration and simple upgrades. Thanks for the motivation; it's about time to try and 'bring 'em back' if I can.
Ah-hah neat to see the old kitset Electronics Australia ESR tester. At the time I built 4 of these as the kitset they were, 2 for work and I have no idea who 'borrowed' mine over the years because I have not seen them since. I guess they've become a gotta have cheap as anything tester (especially if you permanently borrow it) for dreaded "rotting" electrolytics testing. I recall though that the ESR ohmic value readings shown in the table were specifically derived from a bunch of to hand capacitors tested by the kitset designer and that because they were already old devices they values shown are very approximate. More modern capacitors will likely give a different reading so use the figures as rough guide only....
I've the "dangerous" heathkit capacitor checker and it's very useful to reform and testing high voltage capacitors. You have to be careful but other than that, it a pretty well made unit.
Hey Mr Carlson Thanks for doing all the videos. Would like to see you rebuild a Heathkit C-3. Trying to rebuild one but really don't understand how it works. Many thanks for the video Heathkit Signal Tracer very nice job. Now my works great. Please keep the videos coming.
Yep... please show the restoring of the PACO C.25 capacitor tester Mr C. As always Paul very much enjoyed this vid, nuther snippet of knowledge gleaned. Thanks Graeme
Very informative and a pleasure to watch! Yes...please do a video on the Paco! Hope you find time to do an in-depth video on the Heathkit IT-11, covering the Power Factor test. Thank You!
This video is very useful to learn from if getting into computing and also the pertaining power supplies. For instance, there is a rebirth happening right now of the Amiga computer, thanks to Open Source accelerator cards that are being made (like on the awesome youtube channel called " TerribleFire ") right now. The fact that you have all those examples really helps get up to speed when watching channels like that amiga accelerator one, because all their time is thrown into developing the hardware.
Now I have seen the video, excellent information! I have self-built testers for ESR "in the circuit" and know how hopelessly many devices break an early death. A leakage tester is on the wish list, maybe you can build yourself?
Very good info, it's what we all need to know to be effective at repairs. I was never given this info, never shown how it works on various testers, and it's a real good safety measure as well.
Thanks. Enjoyed the review on the Heathkit magic eye tester. Mine works OK, except sumpn sumpn wrong in the resistance ladder for the voltage switch. Only puts out about 75% of voltage that's indicated on the switch. I'll be more cautious around that thing.🙄
I've got one of those old leakage testers lying around. Didn't realize just how handy they are. Even transformer ratios too... I'd say it's about time I open it up, have a look, and fix it up.
@14:40 The Bob Parker ESR meter chart has changed values several times since the kit was first published 20 odd years ago. Depending on the manufacturer the capacitor ESR value is not always correct, which is why the chart had changed over the years. The leakage test I feel remains the most reliable capacitor testing method because if a Cap can't do its rated voltage without leaking, then its gone bad. No manufacturer since Heathkit has produced a capacitor leakage checker in the last 70 years. *Silicon Chip magazine in Australia did a digital leakage tester kit that went from 10 to 100 volts. They are doing an update on their K2558 capacitor leakage tester kit, but I don't know when it will be published.
Very nice range on Cap testers. I use a Megger insulation tester to check for cap leakage as well as my old Solar, Hp4261a and Racal Databridge. They all have their pros and cons.
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.
Yes, I hope he does because I have a similar tester with crappy wire leads which needs to be replaced.
I agree! Paul please show your restoration of the PACO C-25 capacitor tester.
Also, please do a video on the Heathkit IT-11 to show everything it can do.
Yes please, I have a brand new C25 kit, still in a sealed box!
It would be good to see inside yours.
Agree
Ditto
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!
Glad to be that inspiration Tim!
This video answered literally every single question I had regarding testing capacitors.
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....
Great story Pete, thanks for taking the time to share!
Shopping for a capacitance testor, and I'm so glad I saw your treatise on devices. Thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
WE need more videos on how to test and use your favorite capacitor testers. This way we can equip our Test Benches at home!!!
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
Would like to see the restoring of the PACO C-25. Thanks for the videos.
Clear and concise. A very well-made video.
We appreciate the time and effort you put forth to share your knowledge!
Thanks Miller!
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.
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. :-)
Deebz270
'GentleMen' ... PERSON(s) are a CORPORATE Fiction that im-PERSON-ates the Living Soul. 'Man' ..
You may wish to look up the definition of PERSONA ...
The best advice I can give you is ' Never' admit to being or identifying yourself as a PERSON.
That is how you are trapped by the Legal / Commerce System.
All the best.
A huge thumbs up Paul.
Yes, I for one would love to view detailed circuit explanations regarding each one of the of capacitor testers: especially the older types.
Thank you,
Phil.
Thanks Phil!
Geat presentation. I know next to nothing about electronic circuits but was able to follow your precise and well articulated discussion.
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.
Nice video. With the scarcity of testers like the Heathkit for doing leakage test, a nice project might be to design a leakage tester for folks repairing/restoring old tube gear.
Now there's a great idea...only so much room on the workbench and the gear closet!
Thanks for your input Alan!
Super Idea! I would love to see a home-brew leakage tester as well.
I've been watching your uploads too w2new and nice to see you dropping in on Mr Carlson in support :-)
.
Funnily enough, I was thinking the exact same thing. Could you guys get it together to give us a circuit schematic for something like that Heathkit, all-singing-dancing ESR/Leakage tester ?
Deebz270 that would be an awesome idea -a modern take on a tester!
Brilliant! Much appreciated by this student in his ity decade 😀
I own one and will be restoring it shortly. I’d like to see more.
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.
Be nicer to yourself Cooper, your no dummy. I'm glad you're enjoying this content, and always feel welcome here.
I always look forward to your restoration videos.
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.
Awesome kind Sir Paul. You are a great instructor. Thank you.
I just found this today. Very informative and I hope to find more of your videos. Thanks
Thanks Bennie!
Very nice video about capacitors an how to test them. I am more concerned with esr on most modern equipment. The tool I use to troubleshoot quickly is a Huntron. It's basically a modern version of the old octopus. Doesn't test for leakage. There are other tools for that. I love the heathkit.
The Huntron comparator is mostly usefull when you have a stereo unit with one good channel and one malfunctioning channel, to help you compare and narrow down which area of the device acts or measures differently from one channel to thebother; or, to compare the channel you have just repaired to the other working channel before you take the plunge and power it up.
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!
Always look forward to new videos, Paul. Please do the PACO C-25 video.
I can't even tell how much I'm learning. Thank you.
You're welcome Ross!
Maybe somebody already mentioned this in a comment, but regarding the point made in this video about one of the testers applying AC to the tube, without a rectifier, I will note that the CT-1 shown right after that also does not have any separate rectifier. However, the Heathkit manual for that product specifically states that the 1629 "magic eye" tube has an effective 'virtual' rectifier inside, and therefore although AC is applied from the secondary of the power transformer, current is only flowing in one direction in the tube circuit, with the circuit "coasting" during the opposite side of the AC waveform. In other words, the circuit DOES have a rectifier, but it is an integral part of the vacuum tube, not a separate device.
That would be interesting to see the restoration of the first tester you showed. Love your channel and your content.
Thanks!
I learn so much from your channel. You have a great way of explaining and demonstrating things.
Great video, the approach you demonstrated with leakage and ESR testing has amply demonstrated the inadequacy of testing only with low voltage device that only gives you a capacitance value. For my own bench I am have a Sencore LC53.
Thanks Tisha!
Very timely and informative. I've been needing to make a decision which testers to buy, and this helped me make my choices. I had been doing blanket re-caps on anything over 40 years old, and power supply''s on anything 30 years old ( audio gear), but I want to test the electolytic's to be sure I get all the shorts as well as leaker's.
Also, please do the restore. I watch your restores even if I will never own the equipment. I always learn something new.
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.
Love the crystal clear explanation of ESR! And please do the Paco restoration video. I will happily watch any restoration video you post.
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.
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.
You blow my mind, Excellent explained and presented !
I'm not an electronics novice, and I found this video informative.
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.
Well I have a Sprague Tel-Ohmite cap analyzer TO-6 and it should be just fine for leakage testing. My Heathkit C-3 is a
good second choice on doing that as well.
Ditto on the restoration of the PA-25🔍☕️📓
Did any other Australian viewers notice the 'EA' logo on the ESR and Low Ohms meter? - it's Bob Parker's design featured in the January 1996 edition of Electronic Australia magazine. Also, count me in on a PACO C-25 restoration video too...
I bought one of those from Dick Smith Electronics about that year. Still use it on occasions. Good piece of test gear!
I have Bob's 'new, improved' MK-II Dick Smith kit version as detailed in Mar/Apr 2004 Silicon Chip mag.
A handy companion to my Heathkit C-3 Condenser Checker, which indicates capacity, leakage and power factor. It has a spring return test switch which automatically discharges the cap under test, reducing the DC shock hazard.
Karl Adams
Exactly. Electronics Australia or EA was the longest-running Electronics magazine in Australia.
Seeing the EA Logo would make Leo Simpson and Jamieson Rowe very happy,
I still have almost ancient copies of EA and Silicon Chip in my garage as well as the U.S published
Radio Electronics Magazine. and not forgetting ELECTOR magazine, that was something special.
I started buying EA from around 1967.
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.
Thank you for another great video.
Covered all aspects of testing Capacitors.
I really like the leakage test as that's one thing I don't have in my workshop yet.
I have the ESR testing etc.
Keep up your well planned and produced, educational videos.
Thanks.
Thanks for your comment!
One real flexible / useful unit is the DER-EE DE5000 LCR/ESR meter. I paid a bit under 160$ for mine, almost three years ago, for the full shebang (AC adapter, Kelvin-connection "tweezer", Kelvin-connection alligator-clips, and one or two other tidbits).
It can also be found under the IET brand, but for a premium, and no extra features (nor calibration or anything). For what it's worth, there's a teardown of it over on the EEVblog.
I'm a big fan of the Peak Electronics ESR70 capacitance meter which is great for testing ESR of electrolytics in particular.
video99.co.uk Same here. I use the Peak Atlas ESR70 as well. Wicked easy and simple to use. Wish he included this model, in the review.
I love my Peak Atlas Analyzers also but the best way to check a cap is under voltage with an insulation tester. I was hoping Paul would talk about newer testers rather than testers we probably can't find.
I would love to see the two capacitor checkers restored and how they work explained.
Thanks for your input Kathy!
Yes great showing different gear and test results. I have an old Sprague cap tester with an eye tube, it would fail to open on the one capacitor on my Tube Tester. Pretty Cool. thanks for the demonstrations very well worth the time to make and watch. D
I was in a rush and just hooked the capacitor between a 50V variable DC supply and a volt meter. Capacitor should block the DC. Although it does do some RC time increase/decrease. But the voltage should not stay at anything over zero. It was obvious which ones were bad. I also took precautions to discharge the capacitor after testing. It works in a pinch.
I have been using a Uni-T UT 501A megger to test capacitors. It is not as versatile as a proper capacitor tester, but it will test at 100, 250, 500 and 1000 V, and it shows the resistance in ohms at the testing voltage. One caveat is that for some unknown reason the polarity seems to be switched on the test leads, black is positive and red is negative, which will make a huge difference if you are testing electrolytic capacitors.
The last radio I recapped showed a resistance on the filter caps of a few kohms!
Thanks for your comment!
I don’t think anyone here on youtube can guide me to another youtuber who’s even close in knowledge to Mr Carlson.
The Heathkit model C-3 is the best capacitor tester to buy. More of them are available at economical prices and if you buy one that needs repair or restoration, that turns out to be an interesting adventure. Testers with digital and analog metered measurements are overkill. For years in industry all we had was the General Radio LCR bridge. Capacitor testers are not really needed to do radio restoration. The meat and potatoes of restoration is NOS or new parts, especially capacitors. After a while parts changing does become boring and expanding ones knowledge into components composition becomes an interesting rabbit hole to venture down. My bench consists of a scope, vtvm, vom digital vom, audio oscillator , several RF signal generators , various LCR testers and the Heathkit C-3 cap tester. Being able to do an IF and RF alignment is a must, being on exact frequencies is kept in check with a frequency counter.
I am ready to learn Anything you want to teach me.. Thank you for speaking in a way to be understood by people like me who do not have the PHD you Clearly have.
Glad you're enjoying Fred!
To the best of my knowledge, here in central Europe (Czechoslovakia) there were no factory-made devices that could do the leakage test at full operational voltage. I found mentions of DIY jigs and schematics of various devices in magazines that hobbyists could make to test the resistance of capacitors, but nothing that even remotely resembled leakage testers like Heathkit IT-11, Eico 950B and the like.
Perhaps I could import one from the UK, but I think I will be building LV capacitor leakage tester. Great content, as always.
Fantastic video.
Thank you for the info. Just needed to test my old amps and there are no shops near me.
I have an Elenco LCM-1950 that's very similar looking to your DLM-240, except my Elenco only goes to 40H but it has a built in transistor tester with a test socket right above the amp sockets on the left. It also has a frequency counter that goes to about 2 Mhz.
I also have a Mercury model 1400 that at first glance seems to be a go/no go cap tester, but it has a "Hi Leak" test. Unfortunately, I haven't got it working yet so I don't know what it does in that setting.
I like how the Paco says "Glendale Long Island NY" when Glendale has been part of NYC (Queens) since the city was formed in 1898, probably a couple decades before anyone needed a capacitor tester.
A bit of trivia...
...I was an electronic technician for RCA for 33 yrs (50's-80's) And during that time; I was sent to other places from Chicago. And I didn't know; that IN high humidity areas; it can drive technicians crazy. And when they sent me to South Florida (Ft Lauderdale) I couldn't believe it. Because, at that time, RCA used waxed capacitors galore, in their TV's.
And would you believe? Many times, I had to change most all the capacitors in the TV's. For many were all "leaking". Over and over. And a technician in Miami's RCA Co told me, "pat, you are going have to use other type capacitors. Like shinny caps. Or if you use RCA caps; they won't last a month down here!". And he was right.
Believe it or not. And some resistors (like "IRC's") would go bad also, because of humidity. So we used only shinny resistors. To keep humidity out of them. Because, the shinny bodies do not let humidity creep in the caps and res's.
For what it's worth.
For those in the market for a modern LCR meter for the bench that can test for nearly all the possible parasitics (but does NOT do leakage testing), one may wish to look at either the iET DE-6000 or the DER DE-5000 LCR Meters as they are both very nice and test both series and parallel parasitics, including ESR, D/Q, theta (phase angle), etc., and can accurately test resistance down to the milliohm level and can perform these tests at 100, 120, 1K, 10K, and 100KHz and can perform some tests in-circuit as well. The iET DE-6000 costs a fair bit more but has a greater accuracy in the 1KHz range and has much tighter quality control. If on a budget the DER DE-5000 is very similar but not quite the same absolute accuracy and has reports of occasional, but rare, units that have been out of spec by as much as 20%, so some QA issues (not a big deal if you can validate your accuracy upon receipt and resolve things under warranty, but could be an issue for the few unluckily souls if they never realize they got one of the out of spec units -- though such reports seem to be very rare thankfully). I opted to pay the premium for the full iET DE-6000 kit and hard case for its greater accuracy and tighter quality control and have been very happy with the unit for several years now as it gets a good deal of use. But those on a budget will want to consider the DER DE-5000, which is almost identical save for color, as it is a good deal cheaper. If you work with surface mount components, be sure to choose a kit that includes both the SMD tweezer probes and the standard alligator clip leads. If you add on the IR USB interface then you can also log data to the PC as well as access one or two more variables (I forget whether it reveals X, reactance, or Z, impedance, if memory serves). The great thing about both of these models is that, save for leakage testing, they single handedly test for nearly every parasitic or characteristic one may want in such an LCR tester up to 100KHz (though they do not support DC biasing capacitors as some much more sophisticated bench LCR test gear will), so you do not ordinarily need multiple pieces of test gear for most common tests and these meters are no larger than a full sized multimeter so do not occupy a lot of valuable bench real estate.
I have a Heathkit it-28. You mentioned in this video you could do a whole presentation just on the capabilities of the it-28. I would like to see it. No one on UA-cam seems to covered it that thoroughly, just restoration videos.
Thanks so much for doing this video on capacitor testers. I have both the Heathkit IT-11 and a brand x ESR meter that I've never known how to use. Now I will be able to delve into my old Heathkit Shawnee 6M AM rig and, hopefully, get it working. I will be eagerly awaiting more videos on how to service old equipment.
Great! That's a neat old Heathkit.
I was at the hamfest in Nanaimo yesterday and grabbed a Heath IT-22, a later model of the CT-1 which you dismiss here. It is also 19mHz. I wonder what the improvements in the various versions were. Anyway, it is immaculate and can be a 'shelf queen'. I've loved magic eyes since my Gonset Communicator 2. I do have a B&K LCR meter and a Blue ESR meter.
I also picked up a Fluke 8030A VOM. One battery clip is broken off as usual, but II'll use it as a bench meter anyway. It seems functional and came with the official Fluke wall wart and some probes in the nice leather cases. My first Fluke!
Absolutely amazing to watch your videos. Totally new in this field, but I still enjoy. Wish I had the time left to learn. Anyway thanks. Rick n WV
Warmed my heart to see the EA (Electronics Australia) ESR meter in your video. EA was a fantastic electronic magazine!
Another great vid Paul. 64 downvotes ? what on earth is there to downvote ? Instead of hiding behind the keyboard, why don’t they explain why they downvoted it in the comments? If I ever, rarely (about four times in all the years I have watched UA-cam) downvote a vid, at least I have the courage of my convictions and put in the comments why I downvoted it.But it’s very rare that I do that.If you don’t like it! Just Move on.Don’t downvote it.
Ah, my partner has just said that it is jealousy of someone else’s ability.That’s it!
Yes, come to think of it I have more projects than I can count. I’ll see you at Patreon after some research.
A video of refurbishing the Paco? Yes, please! Also, this was a very informative video, thank you very much.
For years I used an (analog) ESR meter from Creative Electronics when I lived in Michigan (where they were made). I wish I had one now. Saved a lot of time troubleshooting.
GOOD JOB. Thanks for your time. Would like to see a series on spectrum analyzers old and new.
Great to see new content from you Mr Carlson, enjoyed every second of it.
For the absolute beginners on a budget I like to recommend the very cheap "transistor tester" things on ebay. They do more an estimation than a measurement, but they are quite ok for comparing parts, and much better than nothing. One could use one of them to repair a much better device that one bought defective on ebay....
Excellent demonstration; informative in multi purpose usage of a variety of capacitor testers. Like many others, more than one tester is a must, considering the multitude of electronic devices that need attention and capacitors are the leading component failure in most equipment, "nicely done"
I'd absolutely love seeing a video on restoring the cap tester! It's fascinating to learn about the inner workings of these pieces of equipment through your amazingly well done restoration vids.
As others have said, you are a really good teacher.
When I saw the title I was hoping you had a Sprague Cap Tester in your line-up. I just acquired one via On-Line Auction and need to go through it prior to making regular use of it. I know it is functionally equivalent to the your Heathkit IT-11 Tester though. good point on ESR Checker though and that is lacking on my bench. Thanks!
Collected Heathkit (two) IT-11's & (two) equivalent IT-28's over the years. All in need of restoration and simple upgrades.
Thanks for the motivation; it's about time to try and 'bring 'em back' if I can.
Love the vintage equipment restorations, could watch them all day! 👍
Ah-hah neat to see the old kitset Electronics Australia ESR tester. At the time I built 4 of these as the kitset they were, 2 for work and I have no idea who 'borrowed' mine over the years because I have not seen them since. I guess they've become a gotta have cheap as anything tester (especially if you permanently borrow it) for dreaded "rotting" electrolytics testing. I recall though that the ESR ohmic value readings shown in the table were specifically derived from a bunch of to hand capacitors tested by the kitset designer and that because they were already old devices they values shown are very approximate. More modern capacitors will likely give a different reading so use the figures as rough guide only....
Thank you for not using annoying music in the background!
I've the "dangerous" heathkit capacitor checker and it's very useful to reform and testing high voltage capacitors. You have to be careful but other than that, it a pretty well made unit.
Hey Mr Carlson Thanks for doing all the videos. Would like to see you rebuild a Heathkit C-3. Trying to rebuild one but really don't understand how it works. Many thanks for the video Heathkit Signal Tracer very nice job. Now my works great. Please keep the videos coming.
Yep... please show the restoring of the PACO C.25 capacitor tester Mr C.
As always Paul very much enjoyed this vid, nuther snippet of knowledge gleaned. Thanks Graeme
Very informative and a pleasure to watch! Yes...please do a video on the Paco! Hope you find time to do an in-depth video on the Heathkit IT-11, covering the Power Factor test. Thank You!
Mr Carlson great instruction vid, thanks for your dedication to teaching.
This video is very useful to learn from if getting into computing and also the pertaining power supplies. For instance, there is a rebirth happening right now of the Amiga computer, thanks to Open Source accelerator cards that are being made (like on the awesome youtube channel called " TerribleFire ") right now. The fact that you have all those examples really helps get up to speed when watching channels like that amiga accelerator one, because all their time is thrown into developing the hardware.
Thanks for your comment!
You are such an incredible teacher, thank you!
You're very welcome!
I will watch for the restoration mentioned. Thanks for the instructions on safety.
Finally a new video!
I immediately clicked on the "thumbs up".
The actual video I can watch later when my wife sleeps ...
Thanks Emil!
Now I have seen the video, excellent information!
I have self-built testers for ESR "in the circuit" and know how hopelessly many devices break an early death.
A leakage tester is on the wish list, maybe you can build yourself?
Very good info, it's what we all need to know to be effective at repairs.
I was never given this info, never shown how it works on various testers, and it's a real good safety measure as well.
Thanks. Enjoyed the review on the Heathkit magic eye tester. Mine works OK, except sumpn sumpn wrong in the resistance ladder for the voltage switch. Only puts out about 75% of voltage that's indicated on the switch. I'll be more cautious around that thing.🙄
As always, excellent. Clear, concise and very educational.... Thanks for your efforts.....
I've got one of those old leakage testers lying around. Didn't realize just how handy they are. Even transformer ratios too... I'd say it's about time I open it up, have a look, and fix it up.
Excellent video, thanks! I vote yes on the Paco restoration video and more on the HealthKit/Jackson (sp?)
@14:40 The Bob Parker ESR meter chart has changed values several times since the kit was first published 20 odd years ago. Depending on the manufacturer the capacitor ESR value is not always correct, which is why the chart had changed over the years. The leakage test I feel remains the most reliable capacitor testing method because if a Cap can't do its rated voltage without leaking, then its gone bad. No manufacturer since Heathkit has produced a capacitor leakage checker in the last 70 years.
*Silicon Chip magazine in Australia did a digital leakage tester kit that went from 10 to 100 volts. They are doing an update on their K2558 capacitor leakage tester kit, but I don't know when it will be published.
+1 for restoring the PACO C-25! I love restoration videos
Absolute brilliant, what i hope to be a good teacher, for me soon.
always gaining an in-depth perspective in test work Paul. Nice video thank you
Nice old gear Paul. Can never have to many capacitor checkers. Need a new LCR and ESR meter myself. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by Buddy!
Very nice range on Cap testers. I use a Megger insulation tester to check for cap leakage as well as my old Solar, Hp4261a and Racal Databridge. They all have their pros and cons.
Wow, I have got to say that I am super thankful for all this in depth information! It has helped me understand a lot!