Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

In article ,
Jim Thompson wrote:

Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

http://www.aade.com/

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:01:25 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson

Capacitor labeled...

VAX
334J
50V

0.33uF / 50V ??

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:01:25 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson
Do you want to only measure the low frequency capacitance? At what
frequency(s)?

Do you want to also measure the ESR?

What accuracy do you want?

How cheap is cheap?

"Jim Thompson" wrote
in message ...
On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:01:25 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson

Capacitor labeled...

VAX
334J
50V

0.33uF / 50V ??


would be my guess. Looks similar in notation to silver mica caps. eg: J

Cheers

On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:42:58 -0400, "Martin Riddle"
wrote:



"Jim Thompson" wrote
in message ...
On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:01:25 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson

Capacitor labeled...

VAX
334J
50V

0.33uF / 50V ??


would be my guess. Looks similar in notation to silver mica caps. eg: J

Cheers



I've had these for at least 24 years :-)

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Martin Riddle wrote:
"Jim wrote
in message ...
On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:01:25 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson

Capacitor labeled...

VAX
334J
50V

0.33uF / 50V ??


would be my guess. Looks similar in notation to silver mica caps. eg: J

Yup 'J' = +- 5% tolerance would be my guess.
http://www.sentex.ca/~mec1995/gadgets/caps/caps.html

Some multimeters have a built in capacitor meter.

--Winston

On 30/06/2011 9:02 AM, Dave Platt wrote:
In ,
Jim wrote:

Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

http://www.aade.com/

That's what I bought years ago - on Winfield Hill's recommendation.

I've been very happy with it.

--
Bill Sloman, Nijmegen

Jim Thompson wrote:
Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson
Go with a cheapy multimeter.
I assume that if you cared what characteristics of the cap
interested you or if you cared whether it had enough resolution
for small caps or enough range for power supply caps, or ...or...
you'd have said so.

Many cap meters and dmms with cap functions don't range high enough
or low enough for MY general use. YMMV.

On 29 Jun 2011 19:34:01 -0500, The Phantom wrote:

On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:01:25 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson
Do you want to only measure the low frequency capacitance? At what
frequency(s)?

Do you want to also measure the ESR?

What accuracy do you want?

How cheap is cheap?

Hey, this is Thompson. Very, very cheap.

John

"John Larkin" wrote in message
...
On 29 Jun 2011 19:34:01 -0500, The Phantom wrote:

On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:01:25 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson
Do you want to only measure the low frequency capacitance? At what
frequency(s)?

Do you want to also measure the ESR?

What accuracy do you want?

How cheap is cheap?

Hey, this is Thompson. Very, very cheap.

A 555 coupled via Cx to a diode pump & moving coil meter.

"Jim Thompson" schreef
in bericht ...
Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.


Build one yourself using a PIC, for instance:
http://sites.google.com/site/vk3bhr/
http://www.marc.org.au/
Which seem to be derived from the
http://www.aade.com/
mentioned by Bill Sloman already.

If your analog mind cannot digest this digital stuff, dig up some 555s and
use an analog meter for the display:
http://freecircuitdiagram.com/2008/0...55-oscillator/
http://www.electronicecircuits.com/e...citance-meter/
The latter is an old one I ever build myself. Even seem to have a PCB design
somewhere.

A real cheap one is described he
http://talkingelectronics.com/html/CapMeter.html
said to be a poptronics design.

petrus bitbyter

On Thu, 30 Jun 2011 17:16:49 +0100, "Ian Field"
wrote:


"John Larkin" wrote in message
.. .
On 29 Jun 2011 19:34:01 -0500, The Phantom wrote:

On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:01:25 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson
Do you want to only measure the low frequency capacitance? At what
frequency(s)?

Do you want to also measure the ESR?

What accuracy do you want?

How cheap is cheap?

Hey, this is Thompson. Very, very cheap.

A 555 coupled via Cx to a diode pump & moving coil meter.


Actually, an oscilloscope and a function generator will measure
capacitance. Or just an oscilloscope.

John

On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:01:25 -0700, Jim Thompson
wrote:

Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson
I put one of these together yesterday. $11 + shipping. I did not pay
for shipping because the total invoice qualified for free shipping.

http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/cap...#productReview


Actually I bought 2 in error. I intend to make the second one into an
AVR development board. I may need a new chip ($1.60) If this one is
code protected...

It is a very quick build.

"Jim Thompson" wrote
in message ...
Cheapy Capacitance Meter?

Recommendations?

...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |

I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Cheap DMM ?
http://www.harborfreight.com/ac-dc-digital-multimeter-37772.html

Cheers

On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:02:19 -0700, (Dave Platt)
wrote:



http://www.aade.com/


Amen.


Jim

On Fri, 08 Jul 2011 11:32:16 -0700, RST Engineering
wrote:

On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:02:19 -0700, (Dave Platt)
wrote:



http://www.aade.com/


Amen.


Jim

Yup, really good stuff.

John