Jinx wrote:

(re ESR meter)
> I just worked out that I could get one for a reasonable
> NZ$67 trade after tax is knocked off. As a perpetual
> scavenger of used bits (like SMPS caps) maybe it's
> not such a bad idea to have one. And over the past few
> weeks I've read or heard several stories about dry caps
> causing problems, so who am I to question destiny ?


I'd say go for it. If given an "iffy" appliance
you can go over the caps in seconds, without needing
to pull them out. It's just second nature for me
now to do in-circuit ESR testing on any PCB i'm
checking out and I always check new electros BEFORE
fitting to a circuit.

Once you own a good ESR meter you find even a
percentage of caps you have bought new have already
become faulty or marginal even while sitting in
the drawer.
-Roman

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