Multimeters, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, bench supplies. Choosing and using.
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tito_elmer
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Tue May 05, 2026 10:51 am
Restoring vintage gear, dami dried-out electrolytics. Regular multimeter capacitance mode reads value fine pero cap still bad in circuit. Why?
Answer: ESR (equivalent series resistance). A cap can read 100uF correctly but have high ESR = useless for filtering.
Cheap ESR meters:
- MESR-100 (~PHP 1800): dedicated, in-circuit testing
- Transistor tester TC1 clones (~PHP 500): measures ESR + a lot more, less precise
For anyone doing recap work: capacitance value alone lies. ESR tells the truth. Sino gumagamit ng TC1 clone? Accurate ba enough for hobby recap?