ESR cap tester worth it?

[jamme61]

Was looking for advice on one to buy but researching this it seems maybe not worth it? Anyone using these with there tube amps?

[Structo]

I have one.

It's called the The Blue ESR meter.

I think it was $100 and you can test in or out of circuit.

I bought mine on Ebay.

http://shop.anatekcorp.com/index.php?sr ... 0Analyzers

[ToneMerc]

I get far more mileage using my standalone BK cap meter and VTVM.

TM

[jamme61]

I thought for the hundred bucks it would be good to check caps before using them. I see you can't check lower then 1uf cap is that right? If so the tester is useless for coupling caps right?thanks for helping out

[Merlinb]

ESR only matters for the reservoir capacitor, and in a tube guitar amp it doesn't matter very much. Unless you're in the habit of using vintage caps (why?) an ESR meter is going to have mainly ornamental value.

[jamme61]

Thanks the more I read about it the more I see it's not what I thought it was.
Seemed like a cool tool at first. Thanks for the time on this.

[Structo]

How about using it for a troubleshooting device?

You can measure ESR in circuit before you start removing caps.

Personally I think all E caps in the power supply could be checked with this tool before you start de-soldering.

[Davidg]

I have one I bought off EBAY for like 20 bucks from china. Well worth it as it is pretty good at weeding out bad caps and this does include coupling caps. Mine has a voltage loss function that is a better indicator of cap worthiness. I would not spend the100$ on the blue ring tester as I would rather put it toward an old cap tester that tests at real world voltages, I just can't justify the expense., so this one was well worth it and is very handy. Search ebay and u will see these, they are not in a chassis or box but I mounted mine on chassis holder and works fine.

[Davidg]

I have one I bought off EBAY for like 20 bucks from china. Well worth it as it is pretty good at weeding out bad caps and this does include coupling caps. Mine has a voltage loss function that is a better indicator of cap worthiness. I would not spend the100$ on the blue ring tester as I would rather put it toward an old cap tester that tests at real world voltages, I just can't justify the expense., so this one was well worth it and is very handy. Search ebay and u will see these, they are not in a chassis or box but I mounted mine on chassis holder and works fine.

[jamme61]

How can I weed out coupling caps (lower value caps.022)do they make esr meters that read at these levels?sorry for all the stupid questions trying to learn about this stuff Thanks

[tele_player]

ESR is not the same thing as leakage.
When testing coupling caps, leakage is the concern, not ESR.

Robert

[billyz]

When I need a Cap tester here is the one I use. I did need to rebuild it first, easy.
The Magic eye tube is fun It has a power factor measurement which translates to ESR , but at a lower frequency than modern computer power supplies use, I believe.
You can actually watch a cap form with it.
I did find a few bad dual 50/50/500vdc cans , brand new. They were the cheepie ones from Tubes n More/ Antique radio / CE Distribution. They did take em back, so all is well.

Heathkit IT-28, Heathkit IT-11 .