A capacitor serves as a means of storing electricity in an electrical circuit and is used in smoothing filters, noise filtering circuits and other circuits. Sometimes the capacitor breaks down during breakdown, short circuit of the plates, from moisture on the device, during overheating and deformation. The simplest way to check a capacitor is by visual inspection.
It is necessary
Ohmmeter, headphones, current source
Instructions
Step 1
Inspect the condenser for mechanical damage. If no damage is found by visual inspection, the possible cause of the malfunction lies inside the device.
Step 2
Electrically check the capacitor. It includes short circuit, breakdown, lead integrity, capacitance measurement, insulation resistance test. To test a high-power capacitor (from 1 μF and above), connect an ohmmeter to its terminals. If the capacitor is working properly, the arrow of the device slowly returns to its original position. If a leak occurs, the probe needle will not return to its original position.
Step 3
For continuity of a medium capacitor (from 500 pF to 1 μF), connect the phones and a current source in series to the terminals of the device. If the capacitor is working properly, you will hear a small click in the phones.
Step 4
Low-power capacitors - up to 500 pF - are tested in a high-frequency current circuit. Connect a capacitor between the receiver and the antenna. If the volume of the signal reception has not decreased at the same time, this means that there are no breaks in the capacitor terminals.
Step 5
To detect a capacitor breakdown, measure the resistance between its terminals using an ohmmeter. On breakdown, the resistance will be zero.
Step 6
To check for possible leakage of the capacitor, connect it to a pointer tester in resistance measurement mode, observing the polarity. The internal circuits of the ohmmeter will charge the capacitor, the arrow will tilt to the right, indicating an increase in resistance. The speed of the arrow will depend on the capacitor rating. The higher the denomination, the slower the arrow moves. After the arrow has stopped, reverse the polarity - the arrow will return to its original position. If this does not happen, a leak is likely; such a capacitor is unusable and needs to be replaced.
