Genie and Wizard ESR meters?

[Michael]

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.

 

[Robert Baer]

Michael wrote:

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.