<A HREF="http://www.anatekcorp.com/testequipment/esr.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.anatekcorp.com/testequipment/esr.htm</A> <P>------------------<BR>

I've had my eye on this doohickey for a long time. Does it really work? I'm skeptical, but interested. It seems like it could be real useful. What"s the poop?<P>Mike<P>------------------<BR>

i use one every day.<BR>doing monitor,smps and general component level work it is a real time saver.<BR>i even use it to check lytics in old radios to see if they are worth trying to reform.<BR>if esr is high theyve had it.<P>------------------<BR>

These are a BIG time saver ! the dick smith is very good but takes time to learn the digital readout but if you are only going to use one on a transistor radio once & a while why spend the 50$ <BR>For years i just usd a 50mfd @ 50volt capacitor with long leads to touch across ones in the radio to find all the bad ones .<P>I own a capacitor wizard lucky to find it used cheap because these are almost 200$ ..have to admit its fun and very fast to test caps in these radios and very good if you work on older tiny transistor tv sets .these testers take all the wonder & worry away <BR>ken <P>------------------<BR><BR>

I have used one of these units for several years now. They are the greatest thing since sliced bread. The time saved in locating faulty electro's is more than worth the cost you need to pay. I have used it servicing SMPS, TV,s transistor and valve radios, VCR's etc. If you replace capacitors with a reading value approx 3-5 times greater than shown on the chart on the front of the meter you have a good chance of fixing many faults. The risk of damage to a unit you are repairing is minimised if you do not have to remove the old electro for substitution. The only precaution to take with the ESR meter is to ensure the capacitor is discharged before testing it.<P>Keith<P>------------------<BR>

I thought that ESR was mostly a concern in<BR>newer circuits,especially switching type power supplies where the frequencies involved<BR>cause heating effects in the internal resistance of the 'lytic?In dealing with transistor sets what's wrong with just the traditional approach of testing for leakage at the rated voltage and cap value with a bridge type cap tester?I know ESR is important in the new generation of power circuits,but why the concern with it in these older sets?<BR>Malcolm<P>------------------<BR>

Whether the ESR is 1 or 2 ohms isn't a concern for old radios, but a bad cap will show 50 ohms or be open entirely, and this Dick Smith meter will find those where the usual methods will not, and it will work in-circuit with no unsoldering. I have seen caps that test ok and even appear to re-form, but have high ESR from drying out or from internal corrosion of the connections.<P>I got mine from John's Jukes in Vancouver. Bob Parker, the designer, has a website with lots of links, and the sci.electronics.repair newsgroup is full of testimonials. Besides, how many kits do you get to build nowadays?<P> Designer Bob Parker's web page description: <A HREF="http://www.ozemail.com.au/~bobpar/esrmeter.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.ozemail.com.au/~bobpar/esrmeter.htm</A> <P> Stephen Powell''s 99 cent ESR tester: <A HREF="http://octopus.freeyellow.com/esr.html" TARGET=_blank>http://octopus.freeyellow.com/esr.html</A> <P> Sources for the Dick Smith kit: John's Jukes in Canada: <A HREF="http://www.flippers.com/esrktmtr.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.flippers.com/esrktmtr.html</A> <P> or AnaTek Corp. in New Hampshire: <A HREF="http://www.anatekcorp.com/testequipment/esr.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.anatekcorp.com/testequipment/esr.htm</A> <P><BR>------------------<BR>