My Heathkit Condenser Checker, circa 1949. Has never let me down. Costs a few dollars max on ePay or hamfest or junk shop. Had to re-cap mine first of course. Works great afterwards.
Tests caps at operating voltage and current. Just don't forget it, grabbing the test probes like you're used to doing with a multimeter will numb your whole arm (or worse). Don't ask me how I know that.
Multimeter trick will probably tell you if the cap is completely shorted or completely open, but that's about it. You can identify a bad cap that way but you can't guarantee a good one.
When multi-can electrolytics fail, not only do they leak or go open per section, but very often they short between each section too. Catastrophic results. Always take them out of circuit.
04-23-2008, 10:14 PM
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