Re: Warm up time on old capacitor checker

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Dr. Resonance" <resonance-at-jvlnet-dot-com> 


This type of capacitor checker may be close to useless for testing HV caps.
They can check well at 1 kV and then break down at 1.5 kV.

Best test is a capacitance leakage test which is conducted with a simple
probe operating off a small 10-15 kV DC power supply.

Dr. Resonance

Resonance Research Corporation
E11870 Shadylane Rd.
Baraboo   WI   53913
 > Hi,
 >
 > This is directed to a few of the old timers out there.  I have an old
 > hamfest Heathkit capacitor checker, and was doing some MMC readings last
 > night.  It didn't even want to register anything on the green eye until it
 > warmed up for at least ten minutes!  Is this normal for these things?  I'm
 > used to new stuff, where results are instantaneous in this solid state
age.
 > Each of my 942 series caps measured out at .15 on this old thing, and a
 > string of 7 measured about .02, even though it should be about .0143.  Do
 > you think that this is accurate, or is my "Ten Minutes to Warm Up
Heathkit"
 > off a little bit?  I'm not disappointed if it is, as it was only fifty
 > cents.  One more question, since this is directed at the old timers:  How
 > old is our oldest list member?  I recall John Couture mentioning that he
 > turned eighty five this last year.  It amazes me that the demographics of
 > this hobby are so wide.