Capacitor ESR Meter DIY Project
Here is a project to make an ESR meter, this project enables you to check electrolytic capacitors in circuit, and it should be accurate on most capacitors from 0.47uF to about 4700uF.
Measuring a capacitor’s ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance) is a great way to assess the condition of a capacitor, particularly electrolytic capacitors . The ESR Kit Below measures the ESR , giving you the help you need to find an replace the faulty capacitors that are stopping your equipment from operating correctly.
Capacitors with a higher ESR due to failure than the circuit was designed for will fail, and function incorrectly, fail to start up, and in some cases give no output at all.
You may get a surprise as to which capacitors that you thought looked OK, but are total duff!
This project is especially useful for repairing Switch-Mode power supplies, as very often the 47uF start-up capacitor has failed, and this stops the PSU from starting up at all.
Switch Mode Power Supply Showing The Electrolytic Capacitors
Very often it will pay you to replace this start-up capacitor, and any capacitors that have been getting hot, or appear to have leaked all over the PCB.
The PDF file is located below if you want to download it and print it off.
The project is quoted from the January 2005 “Television” magazine, so I hope I am OK putting this up here…
The link below contains the PDF file showing how the circuit works, and information about the parts fitted, where to get them, and how to put the project together.
If there are any problems with the file, please let me know, thanks
The PCB layout is also shown below too…
The PCB Foil, For If You Want To Make A PCB instead Of Using Vero-Board
The unit can be put into a nice case, and a PP3 battery powers it.
The unit is zeroed by shorting the probes together, and adjusting the potentiometer on the PCB.
The ESR is measured in circuit, or out of circuit if you wish, by placing the probes across the DISCHARGED capacitor and noting the reading.
My rule is that if the unit bleeps on capacitors from 10uF upwards they are good, but if it does not on lower values, just over half scale to three quarters of full scale is still OK.
Compare them with good ones, and don’t for get low ESR, or low Z (impedance) capacitors will read a lot lower in ESR than standard capacitors.
If in doubt, change them all!
“if in doubt chop it out, as they say!”
DIY Home-Made ESR Capacitor Meter Project
The meter above I made on Veroboard (Strip-board), and I have been using this effectively, and often with surprise diagnosis for more than five years!
If you were to buy an ESR meter, although looking a bit better than mine, they won’t be much better, and will cost you upwards of £60.00 to £100.00 (UK pounds sterling) easily!
It is a winner, finding a very high percentage of electronic faults on PCB’s, especially the capacitors near heat sinks, and where they get hot in power supplies, monitors, AC and DC drives,as well as other applications where there is a power supply, or a switch mode power supply fitted.
I hope this meter helps you, as it certainly has helped me to find the basic electronic faults, and get PSU’s (power Supplies), and other types of unit working, including drives and controls in power electronics.
Mark Lawton
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- The PCB Foil, For If You Want To Make A PCB instead Of Using Vero Board
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- DIY Home-Made ESR Capacitor Meter Project
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- Switch Mode Power Supply Showing The Electrolytic Capacitors
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