I agree! Paul please show your restoration of the PACO C-25 capacitor tester. Also, please do a video on the Heathkit IT-11 to show everything it can do.
While out at a garage sale resently I scored a Weller D550, SP80, SP23 and a colossal "American Beauty" 600 watt, model 3198. All for only $25. And they all work! Not sure what use the American Beauty is for but it was a package deal. Your videos have inspired me to restore my 1930s vintage Wards Airline radio phono. Now I have the tools and parts to recap the radio. Thank you Mr. C for sharing your knowledge!
Nice video. With the scarcity of testers like the Heathkit for doing leakage test, a nice project might be to design a leakage tester for folks repairing/restoring old tube gear.
I've been watching your uploads too w2new and nice to see you dropping in on Mr Carlson in support :-) . Funnily enough, I was thinking the exact same thing. Could you guys get it together to give us a circuit schematic for something like that Heathkit, all-singing-dancing ESR/Leakage tester ?
The Heathkit IT-11 tester was the 1st serious piece of electronics i handled in my new job after leaving school and becoming a "Tech Trainee" for an AM Radio Station. My head supervisor bought the kit for peanuts as the local agents for Heathkit were having a huge clear out sale.. It was 1978 and tube based gear was classed as having done it's day. I completed the cap checker build in a couple of days and it worked perfectly first switch-on. It then sat on a shelf in the workshop for the next 5 yrs because the company was systematically replacing all its studios with modern semiconductor based gear. One morning I came to work to find a huge dumpster outdoors full of various 19" rack mount equipment, all tube based audio gear that had been the sort of thing i'd been trained on and sitting ontop was 'my IT-11'... never to be seen again.... BOY I WISH I HAD "RESCUED" IT THAT DAY....
Have modern ESR meters but still like my vintage Sencore and Sprague testers because they can test at actual operating voltages. My point of view is if a 500 volt cap is going to fail it's going to be when it has 500 volts on it. The huge advantage of modern digital ESR testers is they can (in most cases) accurately test caps in circuit and do it at a voltage that does not turn on solid state devices. Each type has its place and I wouldn't be without either. Mike
It is so nice to see other electronic 'geeks' supporting each other and saying such nice things about Mr Carlson, I particularly and wholeheartedly agree with Soundscapes first paragraph below. These uploads are a true joy to watch and so clear and precise. It makes a change from other channels, where all one sees is bickering and backstabbing. But then we techno geeks have a bi-product to our respective intelligence, we are gentlepersons. :-)
Your lab is so amazing! I hope one day mine is half as impressive as yours. Thank you for all the videos sharing your experience and knowledge. Your time is very much appreciated.
Hello Mr Carlson, Im brand new to electronics. Have just started to play with a bit of stuff lately (DC only AC frightens the hell out of me) and found your channel , By far the one i have liked the most so far. Quality information from an extremely knowledgeable person. 1 week and I can now tell what most small part are thanks to you. The most important thing i have learn in 1 week is you must have a damn good memory, Im mean someone like you its all just their in your head you have done it so much, But when its just a pass time hobby that you do maybe once a week to a mth lie me you really got to put some effort in to remember so much. Things like reading the colours on resistors , and pnp npn stuff and chip pin out info like a=1 b=2 c=4 d=8 etc . Very easy when you know how and you are right why they didn't use just positive and negative can only be to confuse those who are not in the industry, thats fine thats what learning is all about and all industries do it.. Im finding it extremely interesting but difficult to remember so much when you do it so little. Brilliant stuff from a real tech with quality and safety in mind. Your knowledge is astounding and extremely well put so dummies like me get it. Thank you.
A huge thumbs up Paul. Yes, I for one would love to view detailed circuit explanations regarding each one of the of capacitor testers: especially the older types. Thank you, Phil.
Many thanks for another great video. Some time ago I bought a Sencore LC-102 capacitor/inductor analyzer. It can perform tests for capacitance, ESR, dielectric absorption and leakage. It is surprising how many caps I've thrown in the bin because they tested bad for dielectric absorption, but good on all the other tests. My whole collection of old Jensen paper in oil caps had very bad dielectric absorption and were tossed in the bin. Also I've found quite a number of ceramic caps that tested bad for dielectric absorption.
Thanks for the fine tutorial Sir. I've been restoring old American tube radios for years and thought I had all the bench boxes I needed, but I'd never even heard of the ESR test. (I never claimed to be a "good" restorer!) I'll be expanding my support gear collection once again, as soon as I can locate one like you use. I'll soon have more gear than radios!
Very timely and informative. I've been needing to make a decision which testers to buy, and this helped me make my choices. I had been doing blanket re-caps on anything over 40 years old, and power supply''s on anything 30 years old ( audio gear), but I want to test the electolytic's to be sure I get all the shorts as well as leaker's.
Great video, the approach you demonstrated with leakage and ESR testing has amply demonstrated the inadequacy of testing only with low voltage device that only gives you a capacitance value. For my own bench I am have a Sencore LC53.
Thank you for another great video. Covered all aspects of testing Capacitors. I really like the leakage test as that's one thing I don't have in my workshop yet. I have the ESR testing etc. Keep up your well planned and produced, educational videos. Thanks.
Thanks so much for doing this video on capacitor testers. I have both the Heathkit IT-11 and a brand x ESR meter that I've never known how to use. Now I will be able to delve into my old Heathkit Shawnee 6M AM rig and, hopefully, get it working. I will be eagerly awaiting more videos on how to service old equipment.
It took me years as a youthful hobbiest in electronics to understand the vagaries of capacitor evaluation. Interestingly it was AC induction motors that helped me appreciate ESR which was before the days of switch mode power supplies that of course would have done that also. All I had a kid to test with was an Argonne multimeter not even of 20K/V sensitivity.
I love my Peak Atlas Analyzers also but the best way to check a cap is under voltage with an insulation tester. I was hoping Paul would talk about newer testers rather than testers we probably can't find.
Excellent demonstration; informative in multi purpose usage of a variety of capacitor testers. Like many others, more than one tester is a must, considering the multitude of electronic devices that need attention and capacitors are the leading component failure in most equipment, "nicely done"
Very nice video about capacitors an how to test them. I am more concerned with esr on most modern equipment. The tool I use to troubleshoot quickly is a Huntron. It's basically a modern version of the old octopus. Doesn't test for leakage. There are other tools for that. I love the heathkit.
The Huntron comparator is mostly usefull when you have a stereo unit with one good channel and one malfunctioning channel, to help you compare and narrow down which area of the device acts or measures differently from one channel to thebother; or, to compare the channel you have just repaired to the other working channel before you take the plunge and power it up.
I have a Heathkit it-28. You mentioned in this video you could do a whole presentation just on the capabilities of the it-28. I would like to see it. No one on TH-cam seems to covered it that thoroughly, just restoration videos.
To the best of my knowledge, here in central Europe (Czechoslovakia) there were no factory-made devices that could do the leakage test at full operational voltage. I found mentions of DIY jigs and schematics of various devices in magazines that hobbyists could make to test the resistance of capacitors, but nothing that even remotely resembled leakage testers like Heathkit IT-11, Eico 950B and the like. Perhaps I could import one from the UK, but I think I will be building LV capacitor leakage tester. Great content, as always.
I have the IT-11 cap tester. LOVE it. Yes, safety Sally says watch out for shocks. What I like is it also will test power factor as well. In old equipment with wax paper caps that have not run for years. Take a digital volt meter and see if the caps are acting like a battery( something in the millivolt range less than a volt). Lots of them are so bad they are so corroded they battery. Obviously all those need to be changed before any attempt is made to operate the equipment. If you ever saw someone blow up an old sealed liquid tantalum cap buy hooking it up backwards. Like a rifle cartridge put in a fire.
On the Heath cap checker,, My first day on Adak Island the ET spaces in the Navfac, I was tossed a big old electrolytic, and I made the mistake of catching it. The shop had a great laugh as I cussed like the sailor that I was. Great Memories, and one that I will never forget.
Yes great showing different gear and test results. I have an old Sprague cap tester with an eye tube, it would fail to open on the one capacitor on my Tube Tester. Pretty Cool. thanks for the demonstrations very well worth the time to make and watch. D
I came back to study up on ESR meters as My 15 year old Bose Wave has died. Now I have recapped a Grundig Radio Phone unit from the early 50s but this newer Bose is a lot different. Here is seems ESR is critical to measure and IN Circuit. What would suggest for an older retired fellow on an budget. Thank You Always enjoy your style and knowledge. Dennis
I am ready to learn Anything you want to teach me.. Thank you for speaking in a way to be understood by people like me who do not have the PHD you Clearly have.
Very good info, it's what we all need to know to be effective at repairs. I was never given this info, never shown how it works on various testers, and it's a real good safety measure as well.
I'd absolutely love seeing a video on restoring the cap tester! It's fascinating to learn about the inner workings of these pieces of equipment through your amazingly well done restoration vids.
Very informative and a pleasure to watch! Yes...please do a video on the Paco! Hope you find time to do an in-depth video on the Heathkit IT-11, covering the Power Factor test. Thank You!
Another great vid Paul. 64 downvotes ? what on earth is there to downvote ? Instead of hiding behind the keyboard, why don’t they explain why they downvoted it in the comments? If I ever, rarely (about four times in all the years I have watched TH-cam) downvote a vid, at least I have the courage of my convictions and put in the comments why I downvoted it.But it’s very rare that I do that.If you don’t like it! Just Move on.Don’t downvote it.
Just a got a 1940's 'Solar' capacitor analyser. It's basically like the Better Heathkit model you like. Just awaiting a new power transformer and then it should be good to try out.
Maybe somebody already mentioned this in a comment, but regarding the point made in this video about one of the testers applying AC to the tube, without a rectifier, I will note that the CT-1 shown right after that also does not have any separate rectifier. However, the Heathkit manual for that product specifically states that the 1629 "magic eye" tube has an effective 'virtual' rectifier inside, and therefore although AC is applied from the secondary of the power transformer, current is only flowing in one direction in the tube circuit, with the circuit "coasting" during the opposite side of the AC waveform. In other words, the circuit DOES have a rectifier, but it is an integral part of the vacuum tube, not a separate device.
Always a pleasure to watch Mr.C's videos. My test gear knowledge must have peaked about 1974. So, this really helps ! Today, one can get fine test new ( Chinese) test gear for less money than obsolete American stuff. But some of the old stuff remains invaluable.. as we see here with the Heathkit cap checker used to test leakage. Bravo..
Collected Heathkit (two) IT-11's & (two) equivalent IT-28's over the years. All in need of restoration and simple upgrades. Thanks for the motivation; it's about time to try and 'bring 'em back' if I can.
Thanks for the informative video. I have the Heathkit IT-28 tester, and I consider it and my ESR tester, as two of my most important test instruments, as I am always fooling around with older tube type equipment. The big problem I am having with the IT-28, , is the colour in the eye tube is washed out. It still works properly, but it is more difficult to see what is happening.
This video is very useful to learn from if getting into computing and also the pertaining power supplies. For instance, there is a rebirth happening right now of the Amiga computer, thanks to Open Source accelerator cards that are being made (like on the awesome youtube channel called " TerribleFire ") right now. The fact that you have all those examples really helps get up to speed when watching channels like that amiga accelerator one, because all their time is thrown into developing the hardware.
Now I have seen the video, excellent information! I have self-built testers for ESR "in the circuit" and know how hopelessly many devices break an early death. A leakage tester is on the wish list, maybe you can build yourself?
The thing about discharging electrolytic capacitors. I use an incandescent light bulb instead of a screwdriver to discharge electrolytic capacitors. I love old tube test equipment, they are simple. This is why I'm a fan of Heathkit, instructions and schematics are relatively easy to obtain for Heathkit electronics.
Good to see you again Paul!! Yea, restore the Paco !! I too have 3 tester's One is a real old Solar cap tester in a nice wooden cabinet, the second is the Heathkit that you like, same one!! the third is an ESR/LCR tester about 1 year old. --- John A Bellas KC2UVN.
Absolutely loved it MC. Yep checking ESR is essential on any suspected or reusing an old capacitor. I find it very useful in checking a computer motherboard or power supply capacitor. Thank you very much for the nice video. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
Hi Mr. Carlson, I would really like to see a tutorial on the IT-11. Thanks for the great video, I'll be picking up one of those IT-11's for our electronic repair shop. I may add some safety features to it like a push to test and actually spring load it to the Leakage setting. I will also keep it locked up and require everyone who uses it to go through a training session. Your video was very helpful. Thanks again for the education. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
For years I used an (analog) ESR meter from Creative Electronics when I lived in Michigan (where they were made). I wish I had one now. Saved a lot of time troubleshooting.
Very nice range on Cap testers. I use a Megger insulation tester to check for cap leakage as well as my old Solar, Hp4261a and Racal Databridge. They all have their pros and cons.
Thank you so much Paul !! Now I must augment my test tools to include an ESR meter. I also use the Heathkit IT-11 for reforming electrolytic caps. Not all, just the high end electrolytics.
I was already getting bored on a warm summer day in Finland (yeah, how is that possible?) and watched some of your older videos for the second time, but now I have something new to watch!! EDIT: (after watching:D) Great Video! I would so like to get on to the patreon course but at this moment I can't do that, so it will have to wait :( I don't really even want to look up leakage testers available in Finland.
I couldn't tell you, i've got / i find things to do x) And the "24h sun" is a sort of a maybe - you can't really see it when it's clouded over and raining ;) But yeah, up north, even at midnight on midsummer, the sun's still nicely above the horizon...
puu.sh/wqEHl/ff407a5635.JPG there is a photo of our backyard. at 22:00, you can really see how brigth it is outside. And I live in Kainuu so it has rained only little.
that is amazing, today the sun rose at 5:29 and will set at 8:32 which means there is plenty of night until around 9:15pm that is the longest day we get. thanks for sharing that.
I have an Elenco LCM-1950 that's very similar looking to your DLM-240, except my Elenco only goes to 40H but it has a built in transistor tester with a test socket right above the amp sockets on the left. It also has a frequency counter that goes to about 2 Mhz. I also have a Mercury model 1400 that at first glance seems to be a go/no go cap tester, but it has a "Hi Leak" test. Unfortunately, I haven't got it working yet so I don't know what it does in that setting. I like how the Paco says "Glendale Long Island NY" when Glendale has been part of NYC (Queens) since the city was formed in 1898, probably a couple decades before anyone needed a capacitor tester.
I was at the hamfest in Nanaimo yesterday and grabbed a Heath IT-22, a later model of the CT-1 which you dismiss here. It is also 19mHz. I wonder what the improvements in the various versions were. Anyway, it is immaculate and can be a 'shelf queen'. I've loved magic eyes since my Gonset Communicator 2. I do have a B&K LCR meter and a Blue ESR meter. I also picked up a Fluke 8030A VOM. One battery clip is broken off as usual, but II'll use it as a bench meter anyway. It seems functional and came with the official Fluke wall wart and some probes in the nice leather cases. My first Fluke!
I have been using a Uni-T UT 501A megger to test capacitors. It is not as versatile as a proper capacitor tester, but it will test at 100, 250, 500 and 1000 V, and it shows the resistance in ohms at the testing voltage. One caveat is that for some unknown reason the polarity seems to be switched on the test leads, black is positive and red is negative, which will make a huge difference if you are testing electrolytic capacitors. The last radio I recapped showed a resistance on the filter caps of a few kohms!
I've the "dangerous" heathkit capacitor checker and it's very useful to reform and testing high voltage capacitors. You have to be careful but other than that, it a pretty well made unit.
When I saw the title I was hoping you had a Sprague Cap Tester in your line-up. I just acquired one via On-Line Auction and need to go through it prior to making regular use of it. I know it is functionally equivalent to the your Heathkit IT-11 Tester though. good point on ESR Checker though and that is lacking on my bench. Thanks!
Thank you. The old Knight Capacitor tester I had as a child would be nearly useless on modern electronics. The new no-name ESR meter and Rigol capacitance checker (function of a bench multimeter) would be nearly useless on old tube circuits. Electronics have changed so much in the 50 plus years since I started. Your Heathkit is the only tester I ever saw that could put out 600 volts without at least a spring-loaded switch. Doubt if anything like that could be sold today. That is unacceptably dangerous even for test equipment.
Hey Mr Carlson Thanks for doing all the videos. Would like to see you rebuild a Heathkit C-3. Trying to rebuild one but really don't understand how it works. Many thanks for the video Heathkit Signal Tracer very nice job. Now my works great. Please keep the videos coming.
Yes, please do show the process of restoring the PACO C-25 capacitor tester. Thank you for all your very informative and well taught content.
Yes, I hope he does because I have a similar tester with crappy wire leads which needs to be replaced.
I agree! Paul please show your restoration of the PACO C-25 capacitor tester.
Also, please do a video on the Heathkit IT-11 to show everything it can do.
Yes please, I have a brand new C25 kit, still in a sealed box!
It would be good to see inside yours.
Agree
Ditto
While out at a garage sale resently I scored a Weller D550, SP80, SP23 and a colossal "American Beauty" 600 watt, model 3198. All for only $25. And they all work! Not sure what use the American Beauty is for but it was a package deal. Your videos have inspired me to restore my 1930s vintage Wards Airline radio phono. Now I have the tools and parts to recap the radio. Thank you Mr. C for sharing your knowledge!
Glad to be that inspiration Tim!
This video answered literally every single question I had regarding testing capacitors.
Shopping for a capacitance testor, and I'm so glad I saw your treatise on devices. Thank you!!
Glad it was helpful!
Clear and concise. A very well-made video.
We appreciate the time and effort you put forth to share your knowledge!
Thanks Miller!
Nice video. With the scarcity of testers like the Heathkit for doing leakage test, a nice project might be to design a leakage tester for folks repairing/restoring old tube gear.
Now there's a great idea...only so much room on the workbench and the gear closet!
Thanks for your input Alan!
Super Idea! I would love to see a home-brew leakage tester as well.
I've been watching your uploads too w2new and nice to see you dropping in on Mr Carlson in support :-)
.
Funnily enough, I was thinking the exact same thing. Could you guys get it together to give us a circuit schematic for something like that Heathkit, all-singing-dancing ESR/Leakage tester ?
Deebz270 that would be an awesome idea -a modern take on a tester!
The Heathkit IT-11 tester was the 1st serious piece of electronics i handled in my new job after leaving school and becoming a "Tech Trainee" for an AM Radio Station. My head supervisor bought the kit for peanuts as the local agents for Heathkit were having a huge clear out sale.. It was 1978 and tube based gear was classed as having done it's day. I completed the cap checker build in a couple of days and it worked perfectly first switch-on. It then sat on a shelf in the workshop for the next 5 yrs because the company was systematically replacing all its studios with modern semiconductor based gear. One morning I came to work to find a huge dumpster outdoors full of various 19" rack mount equipment, all tube based audio gear that had been the sort of thing i'd been trained on and sitting ontop was 'my IT-11'... never to be seen again.... BOY I WISH I HAD "RESCUED" IT THAT DAY....
Great story Pete, thanks for taking the time to share!
Have modern ESR meters but still like my vintage Sencore and Sprague testers because they can test at actual operating voltages. My point of view is if a 500 volt cap is going to fail it's going to be when it has 500 volts on it. The huge advantage of modern digital ESR testers is they can (in most cases) accurately test caps in circuit and do it at a voltage that does not turn on solid state devices. Each type has its place and I wouldn't be without either.
Mike
It is so nice to see other electronic 'geeks' supporting each other and saying such nice things about Mr Carlson, I particularly and wholeheartedly agree with Soundscapes first paragraph below. These uploads are a true joy to watch and so clear and precise.
It makes a change from other channels, where all one sees is bickering and backstabbing.
But then we techno geeks have a bi-product to our respective intelligence, we are gentlepersons. :-)
Your lab is so amazing! I hope one day mine is half as impressive as yours.
Thank you for all the videos sharing your experience and knowledge. Your time is very much appreciated.
Hello Mr Carlson, Im brand new to electronics. Have just started to play with a bit of stuff lately (DC only AC frightens the hell out of me) and found your channel , By far the one i have liked the most so far. Quality information from an extremely knowledgeable person. 1 week and I can now tell what most small part are thanks to you. The most important thing i have learn in 1 week is you must have a damn good memory, Im mean someone like you its all just their in your head you have done it so much, But when its just a pass time hobby that you do maybe once a week to a mth lie me you really got to put some effort in to remember so much. Things like reading the colours on resistors , and pnp npn stuff and chip pin out info like a=1 b=2 c=4 d=8 etc . Very easy when you know how and you are right why they didn't use just positive and negative can only be to confuse those who are not in the industry, thats fine thats what learning is all about and all industries do it.. Im finding it extremely interesting but difficult to remember so much when you do it so little. Brilliant stuff from a real tech with quality and safety in mind. Your knowledge is astounding and extremely well put so dummies like me get it. Thank you.
Be nicer to yourself Cooper, your no dummy. I'm glad you're enjoying this content, and always feel welcome here.
A huge thumbs up Paul.
Yes, I for one would love to view detailed circuit explanations regarding each one of the of capacitor testers: especially the older types.
Thank you,
Phil.
Thanks Phil!
WE need more videos on how to test and use your favorite capacitor testers. This way we can equip our Test Benches at home!!!
I learn so much from your channel. You have a great way of explaining and demonstrating things.
Many thanks for another great video. Some time ago I bought a Sencore LC-102 capacitor/inductor analyzer. It can perform tests for capacitance, ESR, dielectric absorption and leakage. It is surprising how many caps I've thrown in the bin because they tested bad for dielectric absorption, but good on all the other tests. My whole collection of old Jensen paper in oil caps had very bad dielectric absorption and were tossed in the bin. Also I've found quite a number of ceramic caps that tested bad for dielectric absorption.
I'm not an electronics novice, and I found this video informative.
Wow, I have got to say that I am super thankful for all this in depth information! It has helped me understand a lot!
Would like to see the restoring of the PACO C-25. Thanks for the videos.
Thanks for the fine tutorial Sir.
I've been restoring old American tube radios for years and thought I had all the bench boxes I needed, but I'd never even heard of the ESR test. (I never claimed to be a "good" restorer!) I'll be expanding my support gear collection once again, as soon as I can locate one like you use. I'll soon have more gear than radios!
I can't even tell how much I'm learning. Thank you.
You're welcome Ross!
I always look forward to your restoration videos.
Very timely and informative. I've been needing to make a decision which testers to buy, and this helped me make my choices. I had been doing blanket re-caps on anything over 40 years old, and power supply''s on anything 30 years old ( audio gear), but I want to test the electolytic's to be sure I get all the shorts as well as leaker's.
Love the crystal clear explanation of ESR! And please do the Paco restoration video. I will happily watch any restoration video you post.
That would be interesting to see the restoration of the first tester you showed. Love your channel and your content.
Thanks!
Great video, the approach you demonstrated with leakage and ESR testing has amply demonstrated the inadequacy of testing only with low voltage device that only gives you a capacitance value. For my own bench I am have a Sencore LC53.
Thanks Tisha!
Geat presentation. I know next to nothing about electronic circuits but was able to follow your precise and well articulated discussion.
Thank you for another great video.
Covered all aspects of testing Capacitors.
I really like the leakage test as that's one thing I don't have in my workshop yet.
I have the ESR testing etc.
Keep up your well planned and produced, educational videos.
Thanks.
Thanks for your comment!
As others have said, you are a really good teacher.
I just found this today. Very informative and I hope to find more of your videos. Thanks
Thanks Bennie!
Brilliant! Much appreciated by this student in his ity decade 😀
You blow my mind, Excellent explained and presented !
Thanks so much for doing this video on capacitor testers. I have both the Heathkit IT-11 and a brand x ESR meter that I've never known how to use. Now I will be able to delve into my old Heathkit Shawnee 6M AM rig and, hopefully, get it working. I will be eagerly awaiting more videos on how to service old equipment.
Great! That's a neat old Heathkit.
Awesome kind Sir Paul. You are a great instructor. Thank you.
You are such an incredible teacher, thank you!
You're very welcome!
Also, please do the restore. I watch your restores even if I will never own the equipment. I always learn something new.
It took me years as a youthful hobbiest in electronics to understand the vagaries of capacitor evaluation. Interestingly it was AC induction motors that helped me appreciate ESR which was before the days of switch mode power supplies that of course would have done that also. All I had a kid to test with was an Argonne multimeter not even of 20K/V sensitivity.
Always look forward to new videos, Paul. Please do the PACO C-25 video.
I'm a big fan of the Peak Electronics ESR70 capacitance meter which is great for testing ESR of electrolytics in particular.
video99.co.uk Same here. I use the Peak Atlas ESR70 as well. Wicked easy and simple to use. Wish he included this model, in the review.
I love my Peak Atlas Analyzers also but the best way to check a cap is under voltage with an insulation tester. I was hoping Paul would talk about newer testers rather than testers we probably can't find.
As always, excellent. Clear, concise and very educational.... Thanks for your efforts.....
Warmed my heart to see the EA (Electronics Australia) ESR meter in your video. EA was a fantastic electronic magazine!
Great to see new content from you Mr Carlson, enjoyed every second of it.
Excellent demonstration; informative in multi purpose usage of a variety of capacitor testers. Like many others, more than one tester is a must, considering the multitude of electronic devices that need attention and capacitors are the leading component failure in most equipment, "nicely done"
Ditto on the restoration of the PA-25🔍☕️📓
Very nice video about capacitors an how to test them. I am more concerned with esr on most modern equipment. The tool I use to troubleshoot quickly is a Huntron. It's basically a modern version of the old octopus. Doesn't test for leakage. There are other tools for that. I love the heathkit.
The Huntron comparator is mostly usefull when you have a stereo unit with one good channel and one malfunctioning channel, to help you compare and narrow down which area of the device acts or measures differently from one channel to thebother; or, to compare the channel you have just repaired to the other working channel before you take the plunge and power it up.
I have a Heathkit it-28. You mentioned in this video you could do a whole presentation just on the capabilities of the it-28. I would like to see it. No one on TH-cam seems to covered it that thoroughly, just restoration videos.
To the best of my knowledge, here in central Europe (Czechoslovakia) there were no factory-made devices that could do the leakage test at full operational voltage. I found mentions of DIY jigs and schematics of various devices in magazines that hobbyists could make to test the resistance of capacitors, but nothing that even remotely resembled leakage testers like Heathkit IT-11, Eico 950B and the like.
Perhaps I could import one from the UK, but I think I will be building LV capacitor leakage tester. Great content, as always.
I have the IT-11 cap tester. LOVE it. Yes, safety Sally says watch out for shocks. What I like is it also will test power factor as well. In old equipment with wax paper caps that have not run for years. Take a digital volt meter and see if the caps are acting like a battery( something in the millivolt range less than a volt). Lots of them are so bad they are so corroded they battery. Obviously all those need to be changed before any attempt is made to operate the equipment. If you ever saw someone blow up an old sealed liquid tantalum cap buy hooking it up backwards. Like a rifle cartridge put in a fire.
On the Heath cap checker,, My first day on Adak Island the ET spaces in the Navfac, I was tossed a big old electrolytic, and I made the mistake of catching it. The shop had a great laugh as I cussed like the sailor that I was. Great Memories, and one that I will never forget.
Yes great showing different gear and test results. I have an old Sprague cap tester with an eye tube, it would fail to open on the one capacitor on my Tube Tester. Pretty Cool. thanks for the demonstrations very well worth the time to make and watch. D
I came back to study up on ESR meters as My 15 year old Bose Wave has died. Now I have recapped a Grundig Radio Phone unit from the early 50s but this newer Bose is a lot different. Here is seems ESR is critical to measure and IN Circuit. What would suggest for an older retired fellow on an budget. Thank You Always enjoy your style and knowledge. Dennis
I am ready to learn Anything you want to teach me.. Thank you for speaking in a way to be understood by people like me who do not have the PHD you Clearly have.
Glad you're enjoying Fred!
Thanks for showing the differences between testers, it was very informative.
You're Welcome Bill!
always gaining an in-depth perspective in test work Paul. Nice video thank you
Fantastic video.
Thank you for the info. Just needed to test my old amps and there are no shops near me.
Very good info, it's what we all need to know to be effective at repairs.
I was never given this info, never shown how it works on various testers, and it's a real good safety measure as well.
Expertly done- as usual, Harry
I'd absolutely love seeing a video on restoring the cap tester! It's fascinating to learn about the inner workings of these pieces of equipment through your amazingly well done restoration vids.
Very informative and a pleasure to watch! Yes...please do a video on the Paco! Hope you find time to do an in-depth video on the Heathkit IT-11, covering the Power Factor test. Thank You!
Another great vid Paul. 64 downvotes ? what on earth is there to downvote ? Instead of hiding behind the keyboard, why don’t they explain why they downvoted it in the comments? If I ever, rarely (about four times in all the years I have watched TH-cam) downvote a vid, at least I have the courage of my convictions and put in the comments why I downvoted it.But it’s very rare that I do that.If you don’t like it! Just Move on.Don’t downvote it.
Ah, my partner has just said that it is jealousy of someone else’s ability.That’s it!
Mr Carlson great instruction vid, thanks for your dedication to teaching.
+ my vote on the rebuild video, I enjoy all of your rebuild videos.
I will watch for the restoration mentioned. Thanks for the instructions on safety.
Just a got a 1940's 'Solar' capacitor analyser. It's basically like the Better Heathkit model you like. Just awaiting a new power transformer and then it should be good to try out.
Absolutely amazing to watch your videos. Totally new in this field, but I still enjoy. Wish I had the time left to learn. Anyway thanks. Rick n WV
Maybe somebody already mentioned this in a comment, but regarding the point made in this video about one of the testers applying AC to the tube, without a rectifier, I will note that the CT-1 shown right after that also does not have any separate rectifier. However, the Heathkit manual for that product specifically states that the 1629 "magic eye" tube has an effective 'virtual' rectifier inside, and therefore although AC is applied from the secondary of the power transformer, current is only flowing in one direction in the tube circuit, with the circuit "coasting" during the opposite side of the AC waveform. In other words, the circuit DOES have a rectifier, but it is an integral part of the vacuum tube, not a separate device.
Always a pleasure to watch Mr.C's videos. My test gear knowledge must have peaked about 1974. So, this really helps ! Today, one can get fine test new ( Chinese) test gear for less money than obsolete American stuff. But some of the old stuff remains invaluable.. as we see here with the Heathkit cap checker used to test leakage. Bravo..
Collected Heathkit (two) IT-11's & (two) equivalent IT-28's over the years. All in need of restoration and simple upgrades.
Thanks for the motivation; it's about time to try and 'bring 'em back' if I can.
Thanks for the informative video.
I have the Heathkit IT-28 tester, and I consider it and my ESR tester, as two of my most important test instruments, as I am always fooling around with older tube type equipment. The big problem I am having with the IT-28, , is the colour in the eye tube is washed out. It still works properly, but it is more difficult to see what is happening.
This video is very useful to learn from if getting into computing and also the pertaining power supplies. For instance, there is a rebirth happening right now of the Amiga computer, thanks to Open Source accelerator cards that are being made (like on the awesome youtube channel called " TerribleFire ") right now. The fact that you have all those examples really helps get up to speed when watching channels like that amiga accelerator one, because all their time is thrown into developing the hardware.
Thanks for your comment!
Finally a new video!
I immediately clicked on the "thumbs up".
The actual video I can watch later when my wife sleeps ...
Thanks Emil!
Now I have seen the video, excellent information!
I have self-built testers for ESR "in the circuit" and know how hopelessly many devices break an early death.
A leakage tester is on the wish list, maybe you can build yourself?
The thing about discharging electrolytic capacitors. I use an incandescent light bulb instead of a screwdriver to discharge electrolytic capacitors. I love old tube test equipment, they are simple. This is why I'm a fan of Heathkit, instructions and schematics are relatively easy to obtain for Heathkit electronics.
GOOD JOB. Thanks for your time. Would like to see a series on spectrum analyzers old and new.
Good to see you again Paul!! Yea, restore the Paco !! I too have 3 tester's One is a real old Solar cap tester in a nice wooden cabinet, the second is the Heathkit that you like, same one!! the third is an ESR/LCR tester about 1 year old. --- John A Bellas KC2UVN.
Absolutely loved it MC. Yep checking ESR is essential on any suspected or reusing an old capacitor. I find it very useful in checking a computer motherboard or power supply capacitor. Thank you very much for the nice video.
Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
Hi Mr. Carlson, I would really like to see a tutorial on the IT-11. Thanks for the great video, I'll be picking up one of those IT-11's for our electronic repair shop. I may add some safety features to it like a push to test and actually spring load it to the Leakage setting. I will also keep it locked up and require everyone who uses it to go through a training session. Your video was very helpful. Thanks again for the education. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
Glad you enjoyed Keith!
Hi Mr. Carlsons;
You have the gift of answering my questions before I ask them :-)
Thanks.
L.
So the brain wave receiver works.... Excellent! :^)
Did u re-cap it? :-) Forgot to compliment u on another excellent video.
L.
Great coverage of cap-testing methods & fundamentals. A closer look at the PACO C-25 would be great. Thanks for this informative video!
A video of refurbishing the Paco? Yes, please! Also, this was a very informative video, thank you very much.
Paul, always great to watch your videos.
Best regards
Victor
For years I used an (analog) ESR meter from Creative Electronics when I lived in Michigan (where they were made). I wish I had one now. Saved a lot of time troubleshooting.
I own one and will be restoring it shortly. I’d like to see more.
Very nice range on Cap testers. I use a Megger insulation tester to check for cap leakage as well as my old Solar, Hp4261a and Racal Databridge. They all have their pros and cons.
Nice old gear Paul. Can never have to many capacitor checkers. Need a new LCR and ESR meter myself. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by Buddy!
Love the vintage equipment restorations, could watch them all day! 👍
I like my Sprague Tel-OhMike TO-5 Capacitor checker. It is the bomb!
Excellent video, thanks! I vote yes on the Paco restoration video and more on the HealthKit/Jackson (sp?)
Thank you so much Paul !! Now I must augment my test tools to include an ESR meter. I also use the Heathkit IT-11 for reforming electrolytic caps. Not all, just the high end electrolytics.
Glad you enjoyed! You're Welcome.
Allways interested in opening up test gear and seeing how it works. Good video as usual Paul.
I was already getting bored on a warm summer day in Finland (yeah, how is that possible?) and watched some of your older videos for the second time, but now I have something new to watch!!
EDIT: (after watching:D)
Great Video! I would so like to get on to the patreon course but at this moment I can't do that, so it will have to wait :(
I don't really even want to look up leakage testers available in Finland.
What "warm summer day"? It's been pissing down rain all day (and yesterday) in this area :P
Don't you have nearly 24H sun especially today on the longest day of the year? How could that be boring?
I couldn't tell you, i've got / i find things to do x) And the "24h sun" is a sort of a maybe - you can't really see it when it's clouded over and raining ;) But yeah, up north, even at midnight on midsummer, the sun's still nicely above the horizon...
puu.sh/wqEHl/ff407a5635.JPG there is a photo of our backyard. at 22:00, you can really see how brigth it is outside. And I live in Kainuu so it has rained only little.
that is amazing, today the sun rose at 5:29 and will set at 8:32 which means there is plenty of night until around 9:15pm that is the longest day we get. thanks for sharing that.
I have an Elenco LCM-1950 that's very similar looking to your DLM-240, except my Elenco only goes to 40H but it has a built in transistor tester with a test socket right above the amp sockets on the left. It also has a frequency counter that goes to about 2 Mhz.
I also have a Mercury model 1400 that at first glance seems to be a go/no go cap tester, but it has a "Hi Leak" test. Unfortunately, I haven't got it working yet so I don't know what it does in that setting.
I like how the Paco says "Glendale Long Island NY" when Glendale has been part of NYC (Queens) since the city was formed in 1898, probably a couple decades before anyone needed a capacitor tester.
I was at the hamfest in Nanaimo yesterday and grabbed a Heath IT-22, a later model of the CT-1 which you dismiss here. It is also 19mHz. I wonder what the improvements in the various versions were. Anyway, it is immaculate and can be a 'shelf queen'. I've loved magic eyes since my Gonset Communicator 2. I do have a B&K LCR meter and a Blue ESR meter.
I also picked up a Fluke 8030A VOM. One battery clip is broken off as usual, but II'll use it as a bench meter anyway. It seems functional and came with the official Fluke wall wart and some probes in the nice leather cases. My first Fluke!
Yes,please show restoration of the paco c-25,should be interesting to all,love your informative site,thanks
I have been using a Uni-T UT 501A megger to test capacitors. It is not as versatile as a proper capacitor tester, but it will test at 100, 250, 500 and 1000 V, and it shows the resistance in ohms at the testing voltage. One caveat is that for some unknown reason the polarity seems to be switched on the test leads, black is positive and red is negative, which will make a huge difference if you are testing electrolytic capacitors.
The last radio I recapped showed a resistance on the filter caps of a few kohms!
Thanks for your comment!
Your videos are incredibly amazing. Keep it up.
I've the "dangerous" heathkit capacitor checker and it's very useful to reform and testing high voltage capacitors. You have to be careful but other than that, it a pretty well made unit.
Nicely done, I loved the Heathkit tester
Nice collection and useful information.
Thanks again to share this masterpeices images with us.
Thanks Silvio!
When I saw the title I was hoping you had a Sprague Cap Tester in your line-up. I just acquired one via On-Line Auction and need to go through it prior to making regular use of it. I know it is functionally equivalent to the your Heathkit IT-11 Tester though. good point on ESR Checker though and that is lacking on my bench. Thanks!
Thank you. The old Knight Capacitor tester I had as a child would be nearly useless on modern electronics. The new no-name ESR meter and Rigol capacitance checker (function of a bench multimeter) would be nearly useless on old tube circuits. Electronics have changed so much in the 50 plus years since I started.
Your Heathkit is the only tester I ever saw that could put out 600 volts without at least a spring-loaded switch. Doubt if anything like that could be sold today. That is unacceptably dangerous even for test equipment.
Hey Mr Carlson Thanks for doing all the videos. Would like to see you rebuild a Heathkit C-3. Trying to rebuild one but really don't understand how it works. Many thanks for the video Heathkit Signal Tracer very nice job. Now my works great. Please keep the videos coming.