EO&N Cap Leakage Tester final build and testing
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- Опубликовано: 18 окт 2024
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After the error that I detected in the previous PCB's that I designed (all my mistake, not the supplier's fault), I ordered new PCB's from PCBWay and re-built the capacitor leakage tester to fit under the shelf of my workbench.
The results is far better than I expected, and this device, like it's original predecessor, will come into very regular use.
I hope you enjoy the project, and I encourage you to build your own.
IF YOU WANT TO BUILD IT YOURSELF ...
Below are various links to pertinent information, including a Google Drive folder that has the info on the project in support of the video. Feel free to download it and use it for your personal builds, but please note that I won't be able to provide too much further help with building your project, as time is always scarce.
This project is definitely not for beginners, so only embark on it if you are confident that you can do so safely. If you do, you are obviously doing so at your own risk.
The PCB's can be ordered directly from PCBWay via the link below. If you prefer, you can use the Gerber files included in the info folder to produce your PCB's elsewhere.
Schematic & Gerbers
drive.google.c...
Link to Shared Project section on PCBWay's website for this PCB:
www.pcbway.com...
The DC-DC converter module:
www.ebay.com/i...
You can now support the channel:
/ mcaldeira
paypal.me/maca...
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#tuberadios #radiorestoration
Outstanding project Manuel, beautifully executed. Your bench looks very neat and usable. My hat off to you 🙂
Thanks Dave.
Test gear and metrology stuff is my bread and butter "professionally". But i tinker with it in my free time as well.
Only thing better than test gear.....iss well designed DIY test gear. And your projects are always very professional and with a lot of polish.
Thank you 🙏
I love how simple this design is and it just works. I have built Paul Carlson's low voltage leakage tester, and I do enjoy using that as it does seem very good at picking up leakage, but your design just follows the KISS principle so well. Simple enough to just work, not too simple and not too complicated.
👍
Ive also build Mr Carlsons "Low Voltage Cap Leakage Tester". But to be honest.. unlike Mr Carlson's low voltage leakage tester, this tester gives you a true reading.
Thanks
Great work Manuel! I always assumed that you were doing all this in a man cave or shed or what have you, and was envious of the functionality of it all, and how well your space looks on camera. And the guitars-especially those.
Then I learned, you are doing all this within the space limitations of apartment living-that makes it all even more impressive!
Thank you for all your endless hours of production and instruction (and probably frustration, like us all)-if I was wearing a hat I would take it off to you.
It’s my pleasure 😊
Great project, your bench is looking really profesional now 👍
"What should I build next?" guess that is a sign that you got most of what you need 😆
When I power up old tube radio's for the first time i often find myself wanting to monitor
several voltages at the same time. B+, B++, Heater, AGC, Grid off output tube and so on.
Maybe a multi-display voltmeter-module made of those cheap LCD meters
that you could hook up to the radio under test would be something?
Then you could monitor all voltages at once.
That’s a GREAT idea! Thanks. I’ll give it some thought.
Manuel you keep raising the bar in the radio restoration blogs. Excellent workmanship design and execution of your leakage tester. The din-rail mounts of your bench test equipment looks great and certainly increases your productivity.
It makes all the devices really easy to use with little or no setup time. Ideal for lazy hobbyist like me 😊
That's a beautiful bit of work, Manuel. I really do like your under-shelf designs.
Thanks
Maybe your next under shelf rack project could be your signal tracer which you currently have in a little PC speaker I believe? Loving this project as I have no bench space in my loft and putting things on a rack under the shelf seems a great idea.
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Manuel, I think you need a light with the effect like “Kitt, the Knight Rider”, LOL! Thank you for the great video and project!
👍 😊
Just a follow up. I built your Leakage Tester and it works great. I decided to use both ends of the transformer to get up to 433 volts output voltage. Using an old phone mains adapter as a dc to dc converter (240 to 8 volts), connected to the center tap and minus side of the transformer to power the voltage display. I also ended up using an LED to see the capacitor power dissipate in the discharge switch position. Thanks for sharing your great project. I was following it for quite awhile 🙂
My pleasure
I worked at a company that designed and made screw on RF attenuators several years ago. I just worked out on the floor assembling the connectors. Very basic stuff, insert capacitor into connector, lock-tight on the threads, screw it together and torque it. Test on a signal tracer and ship it. I started asking questions because just working there created a ton of questions in my mind, but no one on the floor ever asked those same questions and the engineers were to busy to be bothered. The signal tracer test was set up so a racoon could complete it (plug in press button). I wanted to know more so I started researching and teaching myself electronics. I quickly didn't care about the signal tracer anymore and started doing lots of other things. I found your channel and many similar ones and others of course. I cannot stick to a single facet of a hobby. I learned CAD and CAM at home (got a job doing this and left the other company), designed and built my own 3D printer, purchased a CNC Engraver, then took the stock firmware and modified it, at source code level, for my own uses.
I was wanting a leakage tester and an ESR meter; then you started a project on creating one, ha! I followed another channel that was creating an ESR meter so I combined the two. I design and 3D printed the case (so no drilling holes heh), and I modified both of the designs a bit. For the leakage tester I added a second potentiometer inline for fine control (at low voltages and mine always starts at zero V) and simple step up transformer (since I am in the US) for higher voltages; got this off ebay for cheap, it was an "international step up transformer for travelers" or whatever. The rest I followed relatively closely, there were component choices that were slightly different but overall very similar. The ESR meter was a lot of fun also, creating a sine wave to feed low voltage (250 mv) 200ish Hz into a cap, amplifying the output with a op-amp, rectify that to DC to be read by a micro controller. I ended up heavily modifying this project because I wasn't happy with how the guy did most of the project. The sine wave was a bit funky and the code for the microcontroller was really hacked together. I ended up learning several new things just to complete this project (not a complaint at all, I truly enjoy learning). Just make sure to learn enough to know when you need to learn more. =)
Regardless it was a great project all together and my ESR meter + Leakage tester is an all in one device. Plus I got to use my CNC engraver to create my own "PCBs" (there is no abbreviation for Routed Circuit Board). Yes PCB Way is cool but (in my mind) not nearly as cool as creating my own. Mixing so many facets of what I enjoy into a single project is what has made this 1 project one of my most satisfying things. Though creating my own 3D printer from scratch was also a ton of fun. Your clear and concise method of explaining things made the leakage tester super simple to adapt and modify, I didn't have to go learn anything new after you explained it all. Now I am on a second old tube radio and all I have to complete is the alignment and final clean of my first radio. Thanks (once again) for all that you do here. I have far to many other things to do so my radio repair schedule is quite a bit slower than yours heh...
You and I share a lot of attributes: curiosity, thirst for learning, experimentation, … I could go on.
I started on this hobby before I was even a teenager, and decided to study electronics engineering at university because I realised I had a lot to learn. Then I finished university, and soon realised that … I still had a lot to learn. Now, over 30 years later, I know … I still have a lot to learn 😊
Good thing I enjoy the process 😊
@@electronicsoldandnew BTW, there's an idea for an addition to the bench, a self built ESR meter.
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The capacitor tester works really well. I use to have a capacitor identifier for those unmarked and faded ones. I really like how you've set up your rack and how its off the working area, unlike mine due to space.
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Fantastic build! I also fully approve your choice in magazines. 👍
Maybe some inspiration: What I miss in my setup is a resistor/capacitor substitution box. Often the alignment instructions of these radios ask you to put a specific resistor and/or capacitor in series with the signal you're applying or in parallel of a specific component... And that always has me digging through my stock to find the correct value and I end up with a bunch of jumper cables as a spaghetti all over my workbench.
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Brilliant! Yet *another* very useful tool - and again with a practical design and perfect for the bench - thanks Manuel.
My pleasure
Very nice cap tester and an impressive set of homemade modules there.
Thanks Stefan.
Nice setup! You should add Leo’s bag of Tricks: The ultimate continuity tester. It’s really handy, simple, quick and always ready to use.
It’s a really great design. I’ll contact him and ask for his permission to use his design.
Great job Manuel, but we have come to expect nothing less!
I made the Mr Carlson's lab capacitor tester several years ago and it's okay but your design is better in my opinion as it tests a much wider/ higher range of voltages. I shall be ordering the PCB's in due course. Thank for another informative and useful series😊
It’s my pleasure 😊
Thanks so much for this project idea, Manual, so good to start into my electronics as a hobby now that I've just retired (was a biomedical tech for many years). rarely got to component level on the medical devices even with my electronics background ....., mostly board swaps!! (manufacturers want to keep it all a secret!!) Please could you tell me where to obtain the rotary switch with PC pins (through hole) to suit your PCB as I'm having difficulty sourcing the same one, thanks again Bill
Welcome aboard Bill 😊 not sure now where I got it but I believe I answered that question way back in the comments.
@@electronicsoldandnew Thanks again
Sir another excellent project. Very detailed and concise. Thank's for sharing.
My pleasure
You asked for some ideas of what to build. How about a circuit tester? When I used to work in a TV shop, we called them knee benders. They are very simple. just a 6V transformer, a couple of resistors, two connectors for your X, Y to the scope and two banana jacks. It is great for checking transistors and diodes real quick. It is kind of like a miniature curve tracer.
Thank you for these videos.
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Every thing looks great. My suggestion for a project is either a ring tester or a signal tracker RF and AF. I have found the signal tracker is extremely useful! Enjoy
👍
I done a tracer project: ruclips.net/video/TZKfO5F0IF4/видео.htmlsi=lndqac1bb66Db6V_
And then I improved it 😊 ruclips.net/video/0c5ffSIuI-I/видео.htmlsi=PehsbonFI1sqh1Re
A really useful and smart looking capacitor leakage tester. I'm impressed and would like to build your circuit for my own workshop. Have you built a non=contact signal injector for audio and/or RF? Might be a useful addition.
I built one that is a contact type, but is so high-gain that it actually works as non-contact too. ruclips.net/video/TZKfO5F0IF4/видео.html
Designed and built with courage and skill. You’re a very clever chap! 😁
Unfortunately I am not that skilled but I have invested in a 3 volt to 700 volt capacitor leakage tester that can reform capacitors. I enjoyed this project. Thank you Manuel! 😁👍
A suggestion for the rack, which I feel would still leave you lots of rack space, is to design and build a magic eye tube tester. It’s mostly about vintage valve radio restoration right!
I would have suggested a signal tracer and an ESR tester but I know you covered these as separate equipment.
Adding some further complexity to the rack suggestion is a tester for high Q inductive components, could be considered for the rack expansion. 😁
I had to check the Q inductance of some coil antennas and transformer windings lately.
Those transformer tests are something you are completing regularly with vintage valve radio restoration and it’s likely it will continue on.
👍 thanks for the great ideas. Lots of good for thought.
Love your mounting scheme; very clever!
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Like it a lot. Great use of space under the shelf.
Thanks
Fantastic!!! I have bench envy. How about a signal generator and an analog volt meter for alignments.
For that I need a rather bigger devices. The signal generator is conveniently places on the shelf itself, right above the stepped attenuator unit, which it serves. The Scope is right above the dummy load unit to make channel monitoring easy, and the meters … well, you can never have enough meters 😊
Nice addition to your workbench
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A very neat and functional project Manuel.
I’m building an audio oscillator and your method of printing the front panel looks very good. How is the stick on film holding up after 1year?
I was planning to print onto the aluminium front panel, but yours looks much easier
Robert
It’s still perfectly stuck after all this time 👍
Yes, the hardest part often is the enclosure.
I've been building pre-amps and integrated pre/power amps for the acoustic stringed instruments I build in my retirement and even with a shop full of woodworking tools those odd shaped geometric shapes and rectangular openings in wood or metal is challenging and essentially require extreme patience and the willingness to start over if needed.
I must say your enclosure's front panel came out excellent.
On a side issue aluminum project boxes pre made tend to be pricey here in the Catskill mountains of NY and I wish I had a metal shop nearby so often I'll use a thin hardwood that otherwise would be a guitars sides at around 90 thousands in thickness.
Is the wood easier to work with? Yes and no, It requires more work building the box plus other negative issues & the same issues with cutting the odd shapes in the panels except perhaps a bit faster with respect to filing rectangular openings. On the other hand, a natural wood finish can have a real nice appeal depending on how it's done.
Cheers and thanks for sharing your experimentation....
I have the same problem finding a willing metal-work shop locally. We do have to get creative 😊 personally, I prefer the look of a wood finish. The only issue sometimes is noise pickup.
Chuff worthy, indeed! Because of the high voltage equipment, I suggest a lock on the shop door, lock out switches on the gear and warning signs, everywhere. No need to toast the grandchildren.
I don’t have any yet. But it would be a lesson not to mess with grandad’s stuff, wouldn’t it 😊
I suggest making a nice signal tracer, so you can troubleshoot amps and radios more easily. With a detector in a probe, so you can even troubleshoot whole superheterodynes. Maybe with a magic eye (EM11?) on the panel, for good looks :D
I’ve already done that 😊 ruclips.net/video/TZKfO5F0IF4/видео.html
OK.. also..a couple of those cheap Chinese component testers with banana jack inputs for testing capacitor values...and ESR.. Identifying semiconductors and ckokes etc..or one of them and a cheap chinese DDS sig generator/ counter..also..I wonder if a computer atx power supply modded to be a variable supply may be modded to your form factor..anyways..good job Manuel !
Great ideas. Thanks
I use similar adhesive paper labels only I do lamination in regular thermal laminator after print. Next I cut by outline and use as normal adhesive labels. Protective lamination sheets are great
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Love the rebuild of this tester!! Great work. Do you have a playlist of the modules you’ve made for the under shelf tools? That would be great.
I do have a question… a few years back you built a version of the stepped attenuator and you had built a surface mount version and a through hole version, are the files available to build a through hole version available? I have a ton of 1/4w resistors and I’d like to build one, but I am very bad at circuit boards design. I was wondering you had a set of boards already designed.
Thank you for all the great videos over the years, I have enjoyed them all immensely. 🙏🏻😊
Look for the “diy test gear” playlist on my channel. All the devices should be there.
Send me your email via my email and I’ll see if I can find the files for the version of the attenuator that you want.
I think you mean this one: www.pcbway.com/project/shareproject/W224132ASE25_Gerber_Taper_Pad_Attenuator.html
Nice. Clean layout. Not really jammed up but still compact. Clear and crisp screening. The best part IMO are the appropriate sized pads and through hole sizes. That alone is like comparing a horse and buggy to a Tesla. Things like that make it or break it. Definitely made it.
@14:07 You should be. Chuffed is right. Ok. That's it, subbed.
I built a capacitor leakage tester a number of years ago, works pretty good. The board is 4 3/4" x 4 1/4" in a 6" x 8" x 4" enclosure. All the pots and such are chassis mount, it works....but I think it needs a more modern companion. 1st I'm gonna check out your other pertaining vids before I order, just to get an idea.
Very nice job. You should be pleasantly chuffed, I would be too.
BTW, does "chuffed" mean CHest pUFFED up (pride/proud)?
I don’t know where the word comes from, just one I’ve used all my life having grown up in South Africa. 😊
Nicely done, a professional looking tester. If you already have a dremel and a stand you can make a poor-man's mill (for the rectangular / odd cutouts) by using an x-y slide vice (jam a piece of wood inside the enclosure to strengthen / stop it vibrating). I think you already use a step drill for the round holes, use the jammed-in, soft- wood idea to improve results. I'll ignore the hand-marked rear panel, ho, ho.
👍 my hand-writing is terrible 😞
Very neat and tidy - I'm off to order a PCB
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Hi! New subscriber here! Very neat project!
Only a small tips that may be useful: to save some time with the square hole I would have avoided cutting the film in front of the LED display. The light from the digits would have passed through the paper without a problem, and you could have made a coarser hole it would not have been visible!
Didn’t think of that. Good idea, thanks.
Can't remember if i've said it here before, but i print out the labels with the hole centre points and outline. laminate the print and stick it to the front panel, then drill using the centre points and file to the outlines etc. then mounting harware also helps hold the laminated sheet to the front pane. used this for a lot of test jigs.
I remember you mentioning your method. It’s great. I’ve just gone with the self/stick option as my local print shop does it really cheaply.
@@electronicsoldandnew I do forget which channels i say it on. But when knocking out production test jig's it saved a lot of time over marking out front panels 🙂
And i was known as the electronics engineer who could drill square holes.
That’s a great talent to have 😊 square holes and I don’t get on too well. Lots of filing 😊
For add to your bench i made a miliohm Meter very usefull for test audio cables problem , short finder , contact quality , etc...
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Excellent project. I see that it is powered by 12v DC but how much does it consume? What current does it consume? Thank you so much
It pulls about 0.5A. Not much at all, as the high voltage end shouldn’t supply much current.
@@electronicsoldandnew Thanks
Very nice circuit and application, congrats! I'm excited to run one like this.
What is the maximum voltage can I apply to the AC and DC input?
I know it will be limited to the voltage of the capacitor and diodes, but will the circuit support it? Regards
I mentioned in the video that you need to be careful not to exceed component tolerances. I wouldn’t go above about 400VDC after the rectifiers.
@@electronicsoldandnewperfect! Thank you very much.
Hello!
Congratulations on the simple and precise design and execution, it was incredible!
I decided to build this project, I already ordered the PCB, microamps and voltimeter.
I have a question regarding the current sensitivity switch, which model, positions and type, did you install it?
And what model is the change voltage switch?
Very grateful!
I answered that in previous comment to this video, and don’t have that info on hand. Have a browse through the comments.
@@electronicsoldandnew Thank you Very much. I will search!
Thanks for fantastic work that you share 🙂🙂🙂
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I have used the 500 volt digital meters on a few things not perfect accuracy but very close . The only thing I would suggest with them is when you have wired them in you cover the meter connections with something, I use hot melt or silicone caulking it cuts down on shorts or more importantly accidental human connection's 😁. The best silicone glue to use is acid free you can get it at most craft shops or painting suppliers. They good for a steady adjustable power supply but cannot use them to measure fast changes. As
👍 I agree. The accuracy is good enough for this type of application, but not for accurate readings.
Dear Manuel, Would you have a full component list for this excellent device, for example what 5 pole switch you used, the 3 variable resistors (types) and so on. I'm kinda new to all this but would love to build it. Thank you O.
I’m afraid I don’t. However I recall the switch type has been discussed in previous comments
Excellent video. Thanks 🙏
Pleasure
Can i just point out that all caps will draw current when their terminal voltage changes as they will need to charge or discharge to match the new terminal voltage. Some will just do it faster than others due to their capacity and current charge state.
Correct. You always need to read any “leakage” when the charge cycle has settled down.
Mr. Caldeira, while I see in the links provided for the board at PCBway and the DC to DC converter, do you have a BOM for the components that you used along with a print out for the front panel... I'd be interested in that detail as it does not seem part of the data on the google drive. Thanks, Ben
I’m afraid not. The components themselves can very easily be determined from the video.
I just received my printed circuit boards from PCBway... I'll take note of the video and look to capture the exact values for the components. I'll keep you posted on my development. Thanks for getting back to me... Ben
Have I got this right? The process for reforming caps with this is, start on low volts, work up through the leakage display sensitivity ranges until the leakage drops, then repeat at a slightly higher voltage (starting from the lowest sensitivity leakage reading and going up to the most sensitive again).. Until you’re up to the working voltage, or your supplies maximum, and the leakage has stopped going down?
That’s it
An under shelf reverse RIAA would be handy for testing phono stages. I use one all the time for this purpose
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I built this
hifisonix.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Accurate-Inverse-RIAA.pdf
This looks interesting too
www.next-tube.com/articles/eriaa/eRIAA_en.pdf
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Excellent project, “simple” and extremely efficient. I have a question, the 6-terminal switch, 2 positions to increase the voltage range, what type would it be? Is it like the MTS 202 ON/ON - NA+NF ?
Best Regards and congratulations
This is my question too!
Check the other comments. I believe I answered that when someone else asked the same thing.
I have been following this series with great interest and looking at other options as well. I was thinking of using op-amps for the analog meter control but after thinking about it, they would be a point of failure that your design doesn't have.
There are some aesthetic mods I'd like to do like power switch up for "On" and graphics on the faceplate, but I am building this tester.
Thank you, alot. you have inspired me.
Edit: I have all the needed parts either on hand or on a list at DigiKey. The last thing (that I thought would be easy to find) that I need is the rotary switch. I believe that you call that a 1P5T 2 Deck Rotary Switch. You can't buy one. Everyone is out of stock and they ain't cheap.
Thinking about a 2P5T 1 Deck...?
My pleasure
Parabéns pelo excelente trabalho, este é um aparelho que maioria dos técnicos se esqueceu...no entanto muitas das avarias estão relacionadas com os condensadores eletróliticos, principalmente nas fontes de alimentação. Abraço
Obrigado Luís.
What might be nice is a GPSDO reference attached to a digital clock so the wife can remind you of how much time you spend in your cool new lab..
She has a high-tech method already: she shouts at me from the kitchen 😊
Hi, great video series, I am enjoying them very much and learning a lot as well. I am planning building one. The supply I may be using is similar to your 390v supply, I am looking at DC DC to 780v model. I need to test up to 450 volt caps. I will only go up to 450v. (spec sheet: .2amp max ) If I am sending up to 450 volt through the circuit, wilI I have to make any changes?
The alternate may be to incorporate your original plan, I would drop Q3, and use a 15K at R6. (R=450/.03)?
Thank you.
The changes you need to make are with regard to the tolerances of some of the components on the high voltage side. Even resistors need to be carefully chosen to withstand really high voltages. As it is, I’ve exceeded the rating on some of these components already, so I’m always a little reluctant to go too far.
Thank you. Has your DC DC supply held up? Is it still in service?
Yes it is. I bought three at the time, just in case 😊
I ordered two like the one you have and two of the 780v. They have not arrived yet. Bottom line, do I have to go to 450 volts on a 450v cap? or will 330v work?
You don’t need to go all the way to the rated max limit. I go to 339v on a 450v cap, and that’s good enough because my radios never go much higher than 300 anyway.
I was looking at the outline of your project and I had a question. The DC/DC converter you use generates the high voltage for your circuit, but the output GND of the DC/DC is common to the GND of the rest of the circuit? If so, is it safe? Or maybe the DC/DC itself isolates the input from the output? Thank you so much.
The ground in the unit is indeed common, but is isolated in its entirety by using a supply that is t referenced to mains earth. The supply becomes part of the floating ground system.
@@electronicsoldandnew So the negative output of the DC/DC is connected to the ground of the rest of the circuit, right?
Be careful. Some of those modules have a positive and negative output, with zero in the center. I used zero and positive, and did not connect the negative at all.
@@electronicsoldandnew Yes there are two versión of this DC/DC module, a hacer the normal versión and my question with your shematic is the safwty when you connect the ground of the output module to the rest of the ground of the circuit.
The ground (zero volts) is common, yes.
Hi, looks like a great unit. I've put together the parts on ali and it comes in at roughly 80 euros. Can I ask you about diode 5, the 12 volt zener diode. How many watts is this diode and can I use a 5 watt zener in it's place? And do the 2 watt resistors need to be metal oxide or can they be metal film?
The 5W zener is fine, and the resistors can be either without any issue.
Thanks for the quick reply 😉 I'm guessing you used a dc/dc converter for the led voltage meter, taken from the 12 volts input. Stepped down to 5 volts.@@electronicsoldandnew
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Hi again, I am still waiting for parts, but have been breadboarding and having a lot of fun. I was studying the circuit and had a thought. We have the DC DC converter sending 390vdc down line to a variable resister and Mosfet circuit. We have 390 volts on the left side, variable on the other. What if I unsoldered the trim pot on the DC DC convert and put VR pot there? Rather than setting at a max voltage and controlling that voltage with another pot, the volts coming from the convert would be same at the end of the circuit. Is this a good idea or is there problems that I am not seeing?
Thank you
If I understand your question, the reason I designed it this way was to ensure that the second B+ was always lower than the first.
Okay, thank you for your reply.
Please put some edging on those plywood shelves. Then it would look very professional 🤩
I’ve been meaning to do that since I built the shelves. Must get to it.
Brilliant design and videos. Would you happen to know how max current draw should be @ 12V for sizing the device power source? I'm also curious if you may have a link to the LED 0-500VDC meter. That is proving hard for me to locate on the usual sites like Ali. Thanks!
I think I mention it in the videos, but can’t remember exactly right now. A 2A should do. Here’s the link to the meter I used: € 1,92 | GWUNW BY436V DC10V 30V 50V 100V 200V 500V 0.36 inch 4 bit Micro Voltage Tester Meter digital display LED Voltmeter No shell
a.aliexpress.com/_mNockzo
@@electronicsoldandnew Much appreciated! I really do need to watch the rest of your videos and take notes. Your tube tester design is also outstanding, especially with the D-sub connector for quickly configuring to check different models of tubes. Cheers.
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Dear Manuel, I agree the many commenters for your very valuable work. I watched all videos of the playlist and now I would like to build the tool. However, my needs are slight different from yours, because I have to test and possibly discard the big caps which are found in modern PSU. They often include an active PFC section, and you certainly know that so that they can work, DC voltage has to be higher than 340 V (up to 500V). Therefore a duplicating voltage section or a Chinese Dual Output Boost Converter in my case would be necessary. But I am afraid that a simple replacement of the 450V filter cap in your board, while keeping the same components would be not enough to provide the right voltage (and component stability and safety) to test and possibly reform my big caps, as you yourself have replied to another commenter (@ledogu). On the other hand, I am not electronics expert enough to modify myself the project and the schematics. Therefore, if you someday will extend the features of your very useful tools, please let me know about. Many regards.
I’m not sure that I will be making another version, as this one has met all my needs to date 😞 However, you can double the filter cap rating by putting two in series, as they do with some audio amps. This also needs balancing resistors across the caps (470k/2W?). The other issue is the resistor/pitentiometer tolerances. Most “normal” resistors will not withstand more the higher voltages, so you’ll need to take that into account as well.
@@electronicsoldandnew thanks for your ready answer! Oh, I see. However, in my work, it would be difficult exceeding 500V. Anyway, the trouble with your suggestion about two series caps and the relative resistors is essentially the fitting with your pcb (I should modify your PCD design and I am not that expert). Actually, I wonder whether that filter cap C1 is essential provided that the Chinese booster itself has its filter caps (of course to be replaced with "serious" caps).
You could probably try just the module filtering. However, be careful of the other component ratings.
Hi Manuel,
Some points of notice…
For the people who like to push
up the limits (Like me haha)
There are 2 type’s of those Chinese DCDC converters, you have 2 or 3 capacitor versions The 3 capacitor version has a positive & a negative rail, just like an opamp supply…
I blew up 2x an LCD meter and almost a cap due that.
I was lucky that i had a few lcd’s…
To get the higher voltage you only connect the positive & the negative rail, so not to the common ground of the dcdc converter.
After powering the tester i blew up the first LCD meter
The second time i connected the common ground from the power supply to the lcd also, and it worked. When i increased the voltage on the converter board i didn’t went higher then 380v or so, and i heard some disturbing noises, and the DCDC converter went quite hot.
This was due the common ground, so i accidentally removed the common ground and blew up the 2nd LCD haha
So i had some cheap Chinese acdc converter boards to isolate the power supply for the LCD, after that i could connect the lcd to the common ground and it worked!
When i boosted the voltage on the converter board to around 580v
I heard those disturbing noises again,
After inspection i saw that I almost blew up the 450v cap on the cap tester board, I forgot all about the max voltage lol, so better leave out if you’re want those higher voltages…
Ore use 2 in series with a bleeder resistor
Wow! You’ve had quite a journey 😊
@@electronicsoldandnew Yeah kinda lol
I’m lucky that the cap didn’t blew up…
I heard the aluminum housing wrangling and the cap was bulging and it was cooking haha
@@DJDavo013 I blew my first voltage display out as well, utilising both ends of the output on the transformer and not using the center tap common ground, to get more voltage. I ended up using an (8 volt output, modified to 5 volt with a voltage divider) wall wart/ac adapter as a dc to dc converter. Worked fine. Connected to the center tap and minus output of the transformer 😄
@@anthonydenn4345 You learned a wise lesson by the hard way, but it’s something that Mr Caldera had to point out…
With an analog meter all was ok… those Chinese lcd’s are cheap, but if you only have one lcd you have to wait 1 or 2 weeks to receive a new one.
That’s quite annoying lol
@@DJDavo013 I had to wait for another one from China yes. But that was my fault, not using the common ground tap on the transformer as Mr Caldera does. It all worked in the end though, that was the main thing, right 😄
Great looking graphic design.
One question, do you really need the "power" LED, the LED voltmeter lights up when you turn it on.
True, unless the voltmeter fails. And there’s already a led on the dc-dc converter, but that could fail too. You probably noticed that I don’t trust cheap modules completely 😊 It’s also my habit to try and keep the various units more or less uniform.
Redundancy isn't a bad thing.
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A nice tester! Very professional looking front panel as well.
For example F+T capacitor datasheets usually give normal values of leak currents of electrolytic caps after 5 minutes at nominal voltage so those values can be used as a reference, I suppose. That cheap elyt didn't look so bad at all, I think.
I’ve seen various descriptions of permissible leakage current for electrolytic caps, and I believe Nichicon actually gives a formula that uses value, voltage rating, etc. to work out the expected leakage. I have it saved somewhere … 😊
@@electronicsoldandnew Very nice job. The result looks great! I was going to say the same thing about the leakage current values being measured after a specified time limit. Most of them that I've seen are after 5 minutes (whether described by a formula or table).
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@@electronicsoldandnew The '0.01CV after 2 minutes' I showed in an earlier comment is from Panasonic, but I have checked more, and I think most manufacturers (but not all) use that. For lower grade capacitors like Tantalum 0.1CV is used. A full list for different materials used is found under 'electrolytic capacitor' on wiki, so close by.
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I'm planning to build a high voltage low power power supply mainly for capacitor testing and reformatting old stock or harvested parts. What I don't understand why is the 100mA range exist on your device if you don't want to blow up capacitors? When I made my design and calculated how much watt I need I quickly realised even the 10mA output is too much at 250V.
My device will be dirty, if someone look inside will ask "Just why?" it will have 2 transformer inside and voltage doubling that is how it make the high voltage and maybe I include a transistor matching circuit as well, because I don't plan to use it often so might as well include all the rarely used devices into one. The only new component will be a 500V 4 digit volt meter and I use multimeter for the uA range.
That range and the 10mA range gives a good starting point to add the voltage across the cap with no risk of damaging the meter if the cap is shorted.
Hello, great video. Question...im searching this LCD 4bit display as you have, but can't find it on the net. Problem is in shape of display segments. Yours have real display shape, but rest on the net segments are just square shape and not looks good. maybe im picky, but that's me:)...so if you can point me where to purchase...will be glad. Thank you.
I just got it on AliExpress. Don’t even remember which supplier J got it from. Just search for one that is high voltage DC.
Yes....i found many of them...this is not a problem, problem is, that all 4bit have square display segments...but yours have "real" segment look. It is only visual thing, but for me is important :D
I understand. I checked and this is the place I got mine from:
Just found this amazing item on AliExpress. Check it out! 1,90€ | GWUNW BY436V DC10V 30V 50V 100V 200V 500V 0.36 inch 4 bit Micro Voltage Tester Meter digital display LED Voltmeter No shell
a.aliexpress.com/_mqD7EHc
That's it...THANK YOU VERY MUCH...highly appreciated all your efforts and help. Thank you again.
My pleasure
what a nice set up ,looks great
Thanks
Hello Manuel nice project 👍, I want build this myself but what ammount of power has your potentiometer is 0.25W ok? Greetings from Germany.
That is quite low. Try use a higher rated one.
Thanks do you know where i can buy such high power ones.
Mouser has them, I believe.
I have a question, Sir. There's a resistor with red body and missing third band. Does body color counts as 3rd band color? Colors are Brown-Brown-(missing band)-Gold, or Brown-Black-(missing band)-Gold.
That’s a strange one. You’ll need to remove one leg and measure it to see what ballpark it comes out as.
@@electronicsoldandnew Thank you. That was the question in chat from other person. I assumed that the value is 1k or 1.1k. Other people suggested 10 ohm, ignoring missing multiplier band. But i think multiplier band is essential
Manuel, I am curious to know why you have your toggle switches "off", when they are pointing up. In North America, devices that use similar switches, would have that as the "on" position. Is this how it is done in Portugal or is this just your own preference?
No, in Portugal they seem to do it either way. It’s a habit I picked up in South Africa where I grew up and studied. I had all my light switched “corrected” in my home just to satisfy my obsession with convention 😊 I’ve had people explain why it should be the other way around, but it’s a habit too ingrained for me to change now.
@@electronicsoldandnew 🙂
In North America, switches are installed with on function going up (construction code).
Exactly the opposite of what you guys in UK and Europe do.
The reason I found out, was you won't turn on something accidentally, by dropping something on it.
If you do drop something on the switch, it will turn the switch off.
Each region has their own logical reasons 😊
A half size project could be a selectable resistor? Full size maybe a constant current/constant resistance adjustable load?
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Hi, I'm thinking on building this project. Could you paste a link for the voltmeter ? Thank you, and thanks for the video
The AliExpress shop is closed for the holidays, so I can’t simply share the product link. However, search there for “GWUNW BY436V DC10V 30V 50V 100V 200V 500V 0.36 inch 4 bit Micro Voltage Tester Meter digital display LED Voltmeter No shell”
Very nice project 👍
But I've noticed that your power switches operating direction is wrong, reversed, upside down.
I am used with power on is UP⬆️
I thought only France have wrong operating direction and now I have to update my data 🙃
I grew up in SA. Commonwealth countries used down for ON 😊
@@electronicsoldandnew What is the reason to that?
No idea. Convention, I guess. Like driving in the right.
Whoa... the schematic has R7 as a 12K/10W R but in your implementation, you left it completely out and jumpered straight to VOLTS. So... can we simply leave that out? A resistor with that high of a wattage seems important. Am I missing something?
That resistor limits the current (described in the video), and is rated far too high in wattage because the high current that may pass is there only for a very short period, meaning that it doesn’t need to be that high. If you eliminate it, you just have less current limiting, which may be what you want.
Thank you.@@electronicsoldandnew It made a lot more sense after I watched your other videos in this series.
I'm trying to find the correct rotary switch to fit the circuit board. But the only ones I could find on amazon do not have the same pin configuration. Will you share the part number and source for this item?
Check out the other comments in this video. I gave the details that I have to someone else who asked, and don’t actually recall them right now.
I don't know how many Tube radios you repair but perhaps a little AM transmitter would be a nice addition to the rack.
You can leave the radio playing music of choice without the adverts and talking and hear if you get any signal drift after a few hours of use
That’s something I’ve thought about too, but haven’t yet found a schematic for a solution that produces good enough quality. If you have any ideas, please let me know
Your comment prompted me to look further and I think I found one 😊
@@electronicsoldandnew Would love to have a look / link , as I have the same interest: sound (signal) quality matters !
I’m working on the project and should have it posted soon, provided I’m happy with the sound quality.
@@electronicsoldandnew Great ! Looking (ahem, listening) forward to that ! I just subscribed so that I can get notice. Nice work on that leakage tester build, by the way.
I see you changed from a IRFP27N60K which is easily available from reputable sources to an obsolete IRPF460. Was there a reason for this? Can I use the 27N60 part (I purchased two to build the old leakage tester)?
I’m Sure you can. Just check that the pins are the same.
I just checked. Pins are identical.
@@electronicsoldandnew Thanks
Ok thank you, I'd like to buy a PCB, but on the website they come only in ten pieces?
Not sure how that works. I ordered 5.
Thanks!
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Din-rail Proposal power control box:
Low-voltage miniature toggle switches with LED on indicator that control an Under bench mounted box containing relays and electrical sockets. The proposal would allow you to have switch on/off remotely located devices like your entertainment radio, your air compressor mountain away from your bench and have the compressor hose pullout from the rear of the bench and wall thus out of the way until you need. The compressor noise could be dampened too. Oh-yes my favorite a sign over your wife's office door, I'm sorry your lab door saying do not enter genius at work.
I have that miniature compressor, which I can’t place remotely, but fortunately is very quiet. The sign, however, is a great idea. I’d probably mount it at the front door, saying “Do not enter, Genius in the House” 😊
why not have the voltmeter connected to the test outputs so you can see the voltage charge of the cap after switching to off?.
I mentioned that in the video. The current drawn by the voltmeter is on the level of leakage current, so it would distort the readings.
on the schematic you have a hv ac input,where will that come from,the mains?.
It’s all explained in the video.
I built a simular device that i was going to use to reform cap but most of the time it gets used as a leakage tester
As to anothe device how about a signal tracer?for RF and audio.
😊 already built one, and it works flawlessly.
Where is the BOM for this project? Or am I missing it most of it I can figure out, but I'm not sure what's the correct rotary encoder to get.
I have not published a BOM. The actual components can be seen from the schematic in the video. The switch is an Alpha 2-pole, 5-throw rotary switch. Unfortunately, I don't have the exact reference as I have had this for some time.
The model is SR25. It should be the 'shorting' (make-before-break) type and a solder pin option to fit on PCB.
Thanks for the reply the value for the bigger pot is not on the schematic you remember it's value. Also is the switch a SPDT I get them confused sometimes
I used a 1 Meg pot
Apparently, that 0-500V LED board is only available in Russia?!
I bought mine in Germany, as I mentioned in the video.
If your a HAM, how about an Antenna Preamp, and/or a noise eliminator.
I'm not a HAM, unfortunately.
@@electronicsoldandnew - A nuts! Was hoping we could talk some time!
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Can you please share template for cutting holes and face plate pdf format?
Would be great if you can upload it to Google Disck.
I’m afraid that is something each one will have to do as the module sizes, knob types and actual space will vary from build to build.
How about a resistor and capacitor substitution box?
That’s a good one. Thanks.
I'm a beginner do you have a cost to build it and ship it to me ?
I don’t sell these. This is my own one.
Hello.You need OP amp PSU +/- 15V regulated,i think....
Why?
@@electronicsoldandnew For testing circuit with OP amp,because you repairing also high-end audio like Gryphon ....
Oh, I see what you mean 😊 I thought you meant in the actual capacitor tester project, and you’re actually talking about another module for the shelf. Sorry 😊
I agree that is handy. I have actually done a board design before for that but haven’t built it into a module because I usually use my bench power supply. It would be handy, I agree. Thanks.
The "Schematic & Gerbers" link to Google drive indicates they are private, so why bother to show the link?
Obviously an error on my part, and a friendly reminder would have sufficed. Will correct that. Thank you.
Just checked. It's open to all with the link, so I don't understand why you see it as private.
So where do I purchase the complete kit????? . JohnBoyUtah KJ7TBR 🇺🇸😎🎙📡
I don'r sell kits, I'm afraid.
I always find that is cheaper to replace capacitors with new ones. And not spend time checking them. Time is money so far me ..I don't test capacitors.
I can understand that. As it’s a hobby for me, the time factor doesn’t come into the equation.
Suggestion: Audio analyzer suite, with an integrated analoge discovery 2. (ruclips.net/video/segL---cj9s/видео.html) Idea taken from BlueGlow /stuffsmade idea/free software
The idea is to make repair / finalisation documentation as pdf or even printed on paper. This automated setup, is quite the test bench tool cost taken into consideration.
I saw that some time ago. It’s a great system. May look into it.
Looking at the circuit mains input to supply B+ in not isolated, very bad design
??? There is no mains input. Look again.
The circuit shows HV AC to bridge mains input
The project describes the HV AC as being from a transformer secondary, if you choose to use one. Not the mains.
@@electronicsoldandnew Which shipping method do you use from PCBWay ?
Usually DHL or fedex
Transistor leakage tester
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The calculation for a good quality electrolyte is 0.01CV after two minutes. Your new green deal there (470µF 35V) should beat
0.000470 x 35 x 0.01 = 165µA after 2 minutes.
It was already under 100µA within 1 minute, so it should be OK. I would not be to scared of them.
I have heard you say in a few videos that you hated the 0.7 V you loose with a silicium diode, but I would not keep it out if I were you. Just use a Schottky diode with no more than .3 V loss for such low currents that your device uses, and they cost you not more than 10 - 20 cents. The only drawback I can see here is that Schottky diodes are not available in higher Voltages, but still, 40V 1A is common for under 20 cents.
Thanks 👍
beautiful job
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Looking to build this and just wondering what the value of the trim pots connected to R8-R9-R10. Are they 1kohm-100ohm -20ohm respectively
Many thanks for your efforts
Correct. There’s a link in the description of the video to the full schematic.