Capacitors are types of electrical components used for energy storage in the form of electric charge. They are essential for serving different functions in various electronics and electrical circuits.
There are various functions of capacitors, including discharging and charging, that are directed into the circuit through the capacitor plate. Therefore knowing how to test capacitors using an analog multimeter is extremely important for the perfect operation of your electronics.
They are segments of the motors of heaters, refrigerator compressors, and air conditioners. Accordingly, they are available in various types, including non-electrolytic and electrolytic.
Electrolytic is useful with the vacuum pipe electricity distribution of the transistor, while the non-electrolytic model is useful for DC surges regulation. The electrolytic damages are due to falling short by extra discharging of electric current. On the other hand, the failure of non-electrolytic is due to frequent leakage of the energy stored.
Capacitance Test Safety
Safety is a major concern in the process of measuring capacitance since several electrical instruments are capable of sourcing power levels and hazardous voltage. Accordingly, it is likely to output the levels of hazardous even if the system fails to indicate the presence of a hazard.
These power levels and high voltage facilitate the need for operators’ protection against dangers caused by power levels and voltage fluctuations. It is important for the test system designers, installers, and integrators to take the responsibility to put protection for maintenance and operators in place and effectively. There are various ways of ensuring safety when carrying capacitance measurements:
Cover the device fully.
Covering the device under test is necessary for every electrician during the maintenance and operation of a capacitor. A capacitor’s entire closing helps protect users against flying debris.
Design test fixtures.
Designing fixtures used for testing is another necessary precaution that operators require to take into consideration. Proper modification of test fixtures prevents the electricity operators from direct contact with hazardous circuits.
Double insulation
Double insulation is the next way of ensuring the safety of electricians dealing with electricity. All electrical connections that operators can touch directly should be insulated doubly for a practical capacitance test. Accordingly, double insulation of electrical appliances ensures that operators have protection when measuring and testing capacitance, even if single insulation fails.
Use reliable switches
Reliable switches are important for putting power off when there is power leakage to prevent accidents from taking place. The operators should use switches of high reliability and fail-safe interlock in disconnecting sources of power when the cover of a test fixture is open. Besides, electricians should use automated handlers to prevent them from accessing the internal part of the test fixtures.
Training
Training is one of the major aspects for every individual dealing with capacitance measurement. The provision of proper training to all operators of the system helps in understanding all potential hazards and formulating protective mechanisms against injuries.
How to Check a Capacitor?
Checking a capacitor is one of the best ways to ascertain the number of electric charges stored for specific purposes. There are different kinds of electronic and electrical materials available in the market that are useful for checking capacitors. Since some of these components are very sensitive to voltage spiking, the voltage swings can also make capacitors sensitive.
For this reason, they increase the chances of damaging this device permanently. Therefore, carrying out a capacitor test is crucial for checking the workability of the capacitor.
Test a Capacitor
A multimeter is a device found in many electronic shops and used by electricians to determine electricity capacitance. The process involves using a charging device with a recognized current to quantify the resulting voltage, followed by capacitance calculations.
Many challenges occur in the troubleshooting of electrical and electronics while testing a capacitor. Testing a capacitor involves various methods, including analog and digital multimeters, voltmeters, ohmmeter modes, and traditional sparking multimeters.
The major aim of testing capacitors with these methods is to ascertain their status if they are in good condition or damaged. The major focus of this section is to show you how to use Analog Multimeter for testing a capacitor.
Test a Capacitor using Analog Multimeter.
Just like the digital device, an analog multimeter is also important for testing resistance, current, and voltage. When testing capacitors through voltages, ohmmeter, and amperes, you should use the following steps.
Detach the capacitor
Detaching the capacitor from the board and discharging it is the first step of testing a capacitor. Select the highest range if of the analog multimeter comes with numerous Ohms ranges.
Probes connection
Connect the probes of the device to the terminals of capacitors and examine the readings. The needle movement helps the Analog multimeter in displaying its readings and helps to determine whether the capacitor is good or bad.
Record and evaluate readings.
Recording and evaluating the capacitor readings is the next step in the process of capacitor testing. The evaluation of the reading showing less resistance is an indication of short capacitors. On the other hand, an evaluation of the reading of more resistance indicates that the capacitor is long.
It is important to note that the open capacitors cannot demonstrate deflection over the display of the Ohm meter. Accordingly, an illustration of low resistance followed by a slight increase to the infinite direction indicates that the capacitor is in good condition and is the best device for electrical and electronic use.
Final Thought
The above discussion is a simple overview of how to test a capacitor using an analog multimeter. It is important to note that the analog multimeter is among the best methods for determining a capacitor’s workability in electrical and electronic shops. The discussion above on how to test capacitors using analog multimeters is important for better storage of electric charges.
Its plates constitute the anode and the cathode, where the anode indicates a positive voltage and the cathode a negative voltage. Notably, the positive voltage at the anode terminal helps check the capacitor’s polarity, and electricians can apply the negative voltage to the terminal of its cathode.