One of the most common problems in electronic circuit board testing is the case of defective capacitors. This has a series of side effects ranging from power supply problems to unusable or damaged components.
This is where an ESR meter (Equivalent Series Resistance meter) can be used to test capacitors before they have a chance to create problems.
- Under ideal conditions, the ESR value of a healthy capacitor is close to zero. But corrosion and drying causes the ESR value to move up slowly. This usually happens after a few years of usage.
- Eventually, the capacitor itself suffers from voltage drops, increased heating and expected failure.
- Once out of service, this bad capacitor has a cascading effect on other components, which suffer from proxy damage.
- You can prevent such electronic failures by locating capacitors whose values are high, and replacing them in time.
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