Genie and Wizard ESR meters?

Aug 14, 2005 1 Replies

Hello, I'm about to buy a genie or wizard ESR meter and I was wondering if they can be used to test SMD capacitors?



Any other tips for testing SMD capacitors of unknown value would be greatly appreciated.



Thanks in advance.



Michael.


An ESR meter might read out capacitance, but its main purpose is to give a measure of the effective series resistance of a capacitor and so is a poor choice to merely measure capacitance. Use a capacitance meter of some sort. Many DVMs have a number of capacitance ranges, and a twisted pair of leads to suitable probe tips may serve for testing purposes. The reading difference (capacitor VS no capacitor) will give a good idea as to the actual capacitance of the capacitor being measured. Keep the leads as short as possible in order to minimise the capacitance that will be added.

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