Sencore LC53 Service manual
LC53
“Z M ET ER "
C A P A CIT O R — IN DUCT OR
ANALYZER
Operation, Application, and Maintenance Ma nu a l
" '• 4 .
S E N C O R E
.. . th e e lectr onic inst ru m en t “analyzer peop l e ”
3200 S E N CO R E DRIVE . SIOUX FAL LS . SO UT H DA K O T A 57107 -(6 0 5 ) 339-010 0
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T A B L E OF CONTENTS
SAFETY PRECA UT ION S
SIMPLIFIED OPERATIONS
DESCRIPTION
Int r oduc t i on........................................................... 6
Feat ur es... .
Speci f i cati ons ..................................................... 6
C on t rol s ................................................................. 8
Sup p lie d Acc essor i es........................................10
Op tio n a l Ac c e s s o r i e s
OPERATION
In tr o d u c t ion ..........................................................12
Pow er Co nn ec t ion
Fuse Repl ace me nt
Test Le ad s .............................................................12
Tes t Lead Mo un tin g Cl i p....................................12
Capacitor Testing
Spe cia l No t es on C a pa c ito r Tes ti ng
Cap a c it y M e as ur em e n t A c c ur a cy .....................13
To E lim i na t e Lead Capac i t y
Ch ec k in g C a pa c it o rs Beio w 2 pF.....................14
Inte r p re t in g “Z ME TER ” Value R e a ding s
Te s ti ng Large Scre w Term inal Lyt ics
Ch e c ki n g C a p a ci to rs fo r Leakag e
Ceramic, Paper, Mica, and Film Ty pe s .. . 16
Alu min u m Ly t i c s ..........................................16
Tanta lu m Lyt ics..........................................16
Leakage Char t s................................................... 17
Ide n ti fy in g C a p a ci to r Type s
Tan ta lu m Lytics
Cer am ic Discs
Film Types
Tes tin g fo r D ie l e ct ric Ab so r pt ion..
Ref or m in g Ly ti c s on the “Z METER”
Ref o rm in g Ly ti cs w it h a Power S upply
Capacitor Testing Application Tips
No Value Readi ng on Small Value
C ap aci t ors
Leakage in C era mic , Paper, Film, and
Mic a Capaci t or s
Ch ec k in g fo r Leakage Between S ect ion s
of a Mu l ti -S e c t io n Ly ti c
Large Flu ctu ati o n s in Lytic Leakage
Re a d i n g s
Leakage M eas ure me nts of Non-Polarized
L yt i cs........................................................... 21
Lyt ic s S it ti n g in S t o ck ................................ 21
Low Value L y tic s Used in High
Freq ue ncy Ci rcuit s..................................21
Inte r m i tt e n t Ca paci t or s
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Inside Front Cover
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Time Required to O b ta in a Value
Reading on a Cap a c i to r ...........................
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Chec kin g C e ra m ic C a pa c ito rs for
Temper ature Sensi t i vi t y ...........................22
Chec kin g Film T yp e Ca p ac it or s f or
Temper ature Sensi t ivi t y...........................22
Testing Ca pa cit y of Si li co n Diodes
and Tr a ns i s t o r s
Tes tin g High V o lt a g e Di odes
Test ing Sil ico n C on tr o ll e d R e ctif ier s
(SCRs) and TRIACS
Testing SCRs and TR IACS fo r
DC L a tch i n g
Testing SCRs and TRIACS for AC Latch
and Unlatch Co nd i ti ons ...........................24
Determin ing the Len gth of RF Coaxial
C abl e............................................................24
How to Find a Short in a Coaxial Cable .. 25
How to Find the In d uc t an c e Per Foot of
Coaxial Cabl e............................................ 25
Inductor Testing
Checki ng In d uc to rs fo r Ind uct ance
V alue..........................................................
Balanci ng Out Lead I n du c t a n c e
Chec kin g Co ils B e lo w 2 M i c r o he n r ys . . .. 26
Open Wind in g in a Coi l
Chec kin g In d u ct a n ce I n- Ci r cu i t
Testing In du c to rs on Printed C irc u it
Bo ards ..........................................................27
Mutual i n duc t anc e
Value Reading on H ig h R es istan ce
C oi l s
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Indu ct or Cod i ng..........................................28
Checki ng In d uc to rs for Good or Bad
With the Rin g ing Test
Inductor Testing Applicat ion Tips
Qualit y T estin g on Gener al C oil s
and Transfo rm er s
Peaking C oi ls
Coils in Me tal Sh ield s.........................31
Ferrite Core Tran s fo r m er s and
Coiis....................................................31
Testing Flyb ack T r a ns fo r m er s and Yokes
With the R i ng i ng Te st .........................31
In-Circuit Qu i c k T e st...........................31
Testin g Yokes wi th t he R ing ing Test .... 31
Testing H or iz o n ta l Yoke Win d in gs
for Good or B ad
Testing V er ti c al Yoke W in d in g s for
Good or B ad
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MAINTE NAN CE
in t r oduc t i on
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A c c e ss / Disa s se mbl y ..............................................34
Equ ip m en t Required for Ca li bra tio n......................34
Meter Cali b r a t io n......................................................34
Input P rote ct ion Relay Trip Point Ad ju s t .............. 35
Indu c ta n ce C a lib r at io n............................................35
Ringin g Test Cali br at ion
Ca pa c it or C ali br a t i on
APPEN DIX
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Cap ac it or Theory and the “Z METER” .................. 38
Ca pa c ito r Color Code and Marking C ha r t s
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Glos s ar y of Terms ....................................................46
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SE RVI CE A N D WARRANTY
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Insid e Ba ck C o v e r
3
SI MP L IFI ED OPERATIONS
CAPA C IT OR TESTS
7. Select de
sir e d volt
ag e for
Le a k a ge
test
5. Read VALUE of
ca p aci t o r in pF o r
uF on D isp l a y
9. Read LEAKAGE in
mi c r o a mps on
8. Pu sh But to n
4. Push b u t to n
6
. S e le c t LEAKAGE RANGE
INDUC TOR TESTS
5. Read VALUE of co il in uH or
mH on Dis play
r,
2. Adj ust fo r 000
rea dou t wh i l e
pu sh ing Capa
c i t or Val u e
b u t t on.
4. Push Bu tt on
1. Ope n t e st leads
3. Connec t cap ac i t or t o test l eads
8. Read RIN G IN G TEST on d is pla y
10 o r mor e i n d i c a tes g o o d co il.
6
. Push
Button
7. Rotate t o
Red pos i
tions f or
Yoke &
Flyback
ALL p osi
tions f or
coils
2. Ad ju s t f or 000 re adout
w hil e p u s h in g I n d u c t o r
Val u e but ton
1. Short test lea ds
3. Conne ct coil, yok e , o r f l y ba ck
Not es
5
DE SC RI PT IO N
INTRODUCTION
The use of capac itors in electronics ha s d ramat ic all y
increas ed in t he p as t few y ea rs and t he for e ca st is for
even a g re a te r usage. The t ra n si st o r has g i v en wa y to
the IC, b u t due to t he n at ur e and c o n s tr uc t io n of the
cap ac ito r an d th e inductor, t hes e are n o t re pl ac ed with
ICs. The more ICs t h at are use d, the mo re ca pa ci tor s
and in du cto rs t h at will be used. The tol era nc e of the
capa cit or used to be 20%, b u t today, y o u will find
circu it s h av ing 5% to lerance capa cito rs as s tan d ar d.
The use of ele ctrolytic c apa cito rs has als o d ra stic all y
increased as well as the capaci ty range. Lyti cs of
10,000 uF can be found in m an y c on su m e r electronic
items. Now more t h an ever, the need to measure
cap ac ity value, leakage of the capacitor, i n d u ct o r value
and q ua li ty of the in duc tor has become v er y impor
ta n t. W i th ou t a good measur e of these i mpo r t a nt pa ra
me t e r s, pr o pe r ci r c u i t o p e r a t i o n b e comes m o re
difficult. Sencore has met the challenge head -on with
its all new, a u to ra ng in g “ Z ME T ER”, t h e LC53. Now
cap aci to rs can be checked for value a nd fo r l eak ag e a t
th e r at e d w o rk ing vol ta ge on a d i gi tal r ea d o ut .
Ind u ct o rs can be checked for induc ta nc e a nd for
qua li ty wi th the p a te nt e d Sencore rin g i ng test. The
LC53 is tru l y the firs t co mplete ca pac itor a n d in du cto r
analyzer.
FEATURES
SPECIF IC A TIO NS
DIGITAL RE A D O U T
TYPE: .5 ” , 7 seg m e n t LED .
ACCURACY: F un c ti o n accuracy ± resol utio n error .
RE S OL U T IO N : 3 sig n ific ant di gi ts ±2 cou nts on 3rd
digit (3Vi d ig i ts on capaci tor s of 100,000 uF to
200,000 uF).
A UT OR ANGING: Ful ly a ut omat i c d e ci mal
placement. On e o r two place holding zeros a d d e d as
needed (does n ot affect accuracy) to provide st a n d ar d
value read o u t s of uF, pF, u H, or mH .
RAN G E IN D IC A T O RS :
Type: LE D .
Operation: C ontr olled by t he au to r an g in g circui ts .
CAPAC IT ORS (O u t of Circuit):
Dynamic t e s t of capa ci ty value dete rm ine d by me a s ur
ing one RC tim e co n s ta n t when ca paci tor is ch a r ge d to
+5V through :
10 Megohm s for 0-9000 pF.
10 Kilohms for 9000 pF-90 uF.
100 Ohms for 90-199,900 uF.
ACCURACY: ±1% of re adi ng + re solu tion erro r.
±5% of re a d in g + resolutio n err or for c a ps over
1000 uF.
RAN GE : 1.0 pF to 199,900 uF in 10 a ut oma tic a ll y
selected ran ge s.
The Sencore LC53 “Z METER” f e a tu r e s adva nce d
Digi tal Logic circuits t h a t provide a u t o r a n g in g of the
me te r when checking the values of c ap a c it y or ind uc
tance. Si mply hook u p the c apac itor o r th e inductor,
pre ss the prop er VA L UE bu tto n, and re ad t h e value on
the large dig ital readout.
The “Z METER” also checks c ap aci to rs for leakage
wit h two selectable cur re nt range s at the r ate d
work ing volta ge from 3 Volts to 600 Vo lts. An L ED
(located b etw een th e L E A K A G E bu t t on and the
A P PLI ED V O LTA GE switch) will flash on an d off as
a safe ty rem in der when th e leakage t es t v o l ta ge is set
to 50 Volts or above.
Th e Sencore p a te n t ed rin g in g t e st c he c k s coils,
deflection yokes, a nd non-iron core t r a n sf o r m e r s with
an a c cu ra te c heck of good or bad. Th ere ar e six sw itch
selectable impedance m at ch in g po sit ion s t o m a t c h the
coil to th e t e s t circ uit from 10 u l i to 10 I I. Good coils
will show 10 or more rin gin g cycles on t h e d igit al d is
play while bad ones will show less than 10.
A special L E A D ZERO control lets you balance out
the cap aci ty or i nductan ce of the t es t lead s I'or those
acc u ra te readin gs of the very small capa ci to rs and
coils th a t you may encoun ter. The “ Z ME TER” is also
pro te cte d a ga i ns t accide ntal app licatio n of vo lta ge s to
the tes t leads by a front panel repla ceab le fuse an d a
special relay inside the inst rum e nt.
CAP ACIT O R LE AK A GE
ACCURACY: ± 5% 4- reso luti on error.
RANG ES : 0 to 99.9 uA an d 0 to 9.99K uA in two
switch selec tab le ranges.
VOLT AG ES : 12 s electable DC vo lta ges from 3 VDC
to 10 VDC filtered and from 1.5 VDC to 600 VDC,
non-filtered. Availabl e at t e s t leads only when
LE A KA GE pu s h b u t to n is depressed. Cap a ci to r is
aut om a tic al ly di sch arg ed when b ut t on is released.
IND U C T A NCE (In- or Out-of Circuit)
Pa te n t pe nd in g dyn am ic te s t of in du cta nce va lue
determ ined by m ea su ri ng t he E MF caused by a con
sta nt ly vary i n g cur re nt throu g h t he coil u n de r test .
Current ra t e s are:
10 mA/usec - 0 to 90 uli .
1 mA/usec - 90 to 900 uli
.1 mA/ usec - 900 ul i to 9 mH.
.01 mA/u sec - 9 t o 90 mil .
1 uA/usec - 90 to 900 m il .
.1 uA/usec - 900 to 9,990 m il .
ACCURACY: ±2 % of reading -*■ resolution error.
RANGES: 1.0 uli to 9,990 mil in 6 auto m a tic a ll y
selected range s.
6
RINGING TEST
Dynamic te s t of inductor q u al ity d ete rmi ned by c ou n t
ing the number of cycles the in d u ct or rings before
reaching a p re se t dam pi ng po i n t af te r a given exc itin g
pulse has been applied. (US pat e nt 3,879,749).
ACC E S S O R I E S (Optional)
39G85 T ouch Te st P robe
GENE R A L
EX C IT I N G PUL SE AMPL I T U DE : App rox im atel y 7
Volts peak.
ACC UR AC Y : ± 1 c ount from r ea d i n g s of 8 to 13.
ACCES S OR IE S (S up plie d)
39 G 143 Te st Leads *
39G144 Te st Lead A da pt or
39G145 Test B u tt o n Hold Dow n Rod (2 supplied) '
64G37 Test Lead M o unt in g Clip
68G34 Allen Wrench
44G20 Spare 1 A m p Slo-Blo F u se
“Specifica tions su bje ct to cha ng e w it h o u t not ice.”
T E MPERAT URE RAN G E S (Typical): Calibr ated at
70 °F. Rated accuracy range: 50-90 °F, Opera ting
rang e: 32-130°F.
PO W E R: 105-130 VAC, 60 Hz, 25 Wa tt s .
T E S T L E A D INP UT: Fuse p r o te c te d with in-line 1
Am p 3AG Slo-Blo fuse.
SIZ E : 6” x 9” x 11.5” (15.24 cm x 22.86 cm x 29.21 cm)
W E I GH T: 7.75 lbs. (3.56 Kg).
CONTROLS
1. Front panel digital readout, fi r s t th re e d igit s read
the value of capacity , inducta nce, l eak ag e curr en t or
ring ing test values, las t two di g it s are plac e holders
and only indicate 0 on larger va lue s of ca paci ty, ind uc
tance, or leakage c u rre nt so all rea di n gs are given as
pF, uF, uH, or mH.
2. a. Indic ato r LED, lights up when capa cito r re ad
ing is in picofarads (pF).
b. In dica tor LED, ligh ts up w hen capa cito r re ad
ing is in microfara ds (uF).
c. Indicator LE D, light s up wh en c ap acito r leak
age reading is in microamps (uA).
d. Indica tor LED, light s up wh en ind uct or rea d
ing is in m icrohe nrys (uH).
e. Indicator LED, lights up whe n i nd uct or r ea d
ing is in millih enrys (mH).
3. I M PE D A N C E MATCH s w itch , r o t a te d thro ug h
th e l as t 4 t es t po sitio ns when m a k i ng the r in gin g te s t
on yokes and flyba cks and thr o u gh all 6 positions
when te st ing ot her induct ors. A r e a d in g of 10 or more
indi ca tes a good inductor.
4. Power ON-OFF switch, co n tro ls th e AC line vol
tag e to the “Z M ET E R”.
13. LE A KA G E RA NG E switch, us ed to se lec t the
desired range of capacitor leakage current, 0 to 100 u A
or 10K uA .
14. APPLI ED VOLT AG E SWIT CH , used for
selecti n g the desired test v olta g e when ma kin g capaci
tor leakag e tes t s.
REA R PANE L
15. Rear panel meter zero adjust. A d just to zero
digital readout with all buttons out.
16. 39G145 T es t Button Hold Down Rod mounting
clip.
17. 39G144 Test Lead Ad aptor mou nt ing clip.
18. Cord wrapper for stori ng AC line cord and t es t
leads.
5. RINGIN G TE S T pushb utto n, depre sse d when
ma ki n g the p a te n te d Sencore rin g in g t e s t on induc
tors , yokes, an d flybacks to check the quality. Use
IM P E D AN C E M ATC H switch (3).
6. Tes t Lead Input jack. U nscre w j ac k for access to
in p u t protectio n fuse.
7. Inductor VALUE push bu tton , d ep ress ed when
te s ti n g induct ors for value of induct anc e.
8. Capacitor VA L U E p u s h b u tt o n , de pre ss ed when
tes t i n g capacitors for capac ity value.
9. Leakage chart on pull out.
10. LEAD ZERO adjust, u sed to balance ou t the
small value of capac ity or in d uc tan ce in t h e t e s t leads
when maki ng precise m ea su re m en ts of s mall v alues of
cap a ci ty or inductance.
11. LE A KA GE test pu shb utton, depress ed when
te s ti n g capa citors for leakage a f te r t he AP PL I ED
VO LT A G E switch (14) has been set to th e wor king vol
tag e of t he c apac itor a nd L EA KAG E RA N GE switch
(13) is s et to th e pr ope r value as i nd ic a te d in th e leak
age c h a rt (9).
12. Cautio n ind ic at o r LED, bl i n k s when the
A PP LI ED VO LTA GE switch (14) is se t to 50 Volts or
hig her as a warn ing to th e user. Vol ta ge is only pres en t
on te st leads when L EAKAGE b u tt o n (11) is
depres sed .
8
Fig. 1 — Loc a t io n o f c on t ro ls a nd feature s of the LC53.
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SUPPLIED ACCESSORI E S
22. 64G37 Tes t Le ad Mo un tin g Clip.
19. 39G145 Te s t Bu t t on Hold Down Rod. U sed to
hold L E AKA GE (11) but t o n d epres sed when ref or m
ing lytics. (2 s up plie d — 1 in m ou n tin g clip, 1 in spare
par ts bag.)
20. 39G144 T e s t Lead A da p t o r, Used to a d ap t t es t
lead (21) clips to large screw term ina l lytics.
21. 39G143 Te s t Leads. Special low capa city cable
with E-Z Hook® clips. Co nn e ct to T es t Lead Inpu t
jack (6).
23 . 68G34 Allen Wrench. Used to t ig h t e n knobs.
24. 44G20 Spare Fuse . 1 Amp, Slo-Blo.
OPT IO N A L A CC ES SO R IES
25. 39G85 Touch Te s t Probe for in-circuit t es ti n g of
coils from foil side of P.C. board.
Not es
OP ER AT IO N
INTR OD U CT IO N
Before usin g y o u r LC53 “Z ME TER” for the fir st
time, take a few min u t e s to read thr ou gh the o pe ra
tions an d ap p li ca ti on s s ectio n of t he manu al carefully
to ac q u a in t y o ur se lf w it h the featu res of th e LC53.
Once you are familiar w it h the general operation s,
m os t t e s t s can be p erf or me d with the info rma tion p ro
vided on t h e LC53 fro n t panel.
POW E R CO NN EC TION
The LC53 is design ed to be op erate d from 105-130
VAC (50/60 Hz). If 210-230 VAC operatio n is required,
the un it m ay be modifie d (at additi onal cost) by t h e
Sencore Service De pa r tme n t, 3200 Sencore Drive,
Sioux F alls , SD 57107.
To ope ra t e th e LC53 from t he AC line:
1. Co nn ec t t h e AC line cord to a 117 VAC (or 220
VAC for modified uni ts) outl et.
2. T u r n t he power sw it ch on.
3. The LC53 is im m ed ia tel y rea dy to mea sure ca p a
city or ind uc tan ce . If prec ise m ea su re me nt s are to be
made, th e u ni t sh ould be allowed to opera te for at l ea st
5 m i nu t e s to allow th e cir cu its to stabilize.
BLOW N FUS E CON D I T I O N S
FU S E
Test
Lead
Inp u t
TE S T L E AD INP U T F USE RE P L A C E ME N T: The
fuse for the te s t lead i n pu t is lo cat ed behind the BNC
input jack. The fuse holder ma y be removed by tu rni ng
the BNC connecto r c o u n te r clockwise a nd u nscre wing
the connector until t h e fu se is free. The BNC connector
of a s et of test leads ma y b e us ed a s a “ W re n ch ” to aid
in the removal of th e fuse holder. W hen r eplacing the
fuse holder, m ake sure t h e holder is screwed in t igh tly
to pr ev en t t h e c onnect or fr o m tur ni ng wh en
connecting an d d is co nn ec ti ng t e s t leads. Replace the
fuse w ith a 1 A mp Slo-Blo 3 AG fuse only.
)L Q CAP ACITOR tU HA ND DURIN G
>0 L ARITY AND VOL TAGE RATIN G .
FUSE
TY P E CO ND I T I O N S
1 Amp
3 AG
Slo-Blo
No Lea k ag e rea di ng s
Ca p ac i ty re ad s a sma ll neg ative
valu e un c h an g ed b y L E AD
ZE R O a dj u s t me nt
In d u ct a n ce sh ow s fla shing 888
wi th 0 following ind ic ati ng open.
No indica ti o n on Rin g ing Test.
M O OE L LCJ
FUSE RE P L ACE MEN T
AC FUS E : T he LC53 does n ot use an AC line fuse. Th e
unit is pr o te c te d by a special th erm al sw itch in the
power tra ns fo rmer . If th e power tran sf or m er is o v er
loaded, the ther m a l sw itc h will open the prim a ry,
rem ov in g t he vol tag e from the unit. Simply allow th e
unit to cool down a nd the ther mal switch will close,
app ly i ng powe r to t he p ri m a ry and allowing the un i t to
ope ra te ag ain. If y o ur u n it goes off, allow it to cool
down and tur n it on before any troubl es hoo tin g is
st a r te d to allow the th er m a l switch to close if it h as
opened.
WAR N I N G
Alw a ys re pla ce t h e f use in th e t e s t lead with a 1
Amp , 3 AG, Slo-Blo ty pe. Any o th er ty p e or c ur
ren t ra t i n g m ay c au se in te rn al dam age to the un it
and will void all warr an ti es .
TES T L E AD F U S E : A 1 Amp, 3 AG, Slo-Blo fuse is
used in the te st lead inp u t on the “ Z M ETER”. Th is
pr o te c t s th e in p ut of the uni t from voltag e applied to
the i n p u t ac cid entl y. Replace with a 1 Amp, 3 AG, Slo-
Blo ty p e only.
Fig. 2 — The 1 Amp , S AGC Slo-Blo fuse is located
behind th e t e s t lead inp ut ja c k.
TEST LEADS
39G1.43 T E S T LE AD S: The t e s t leads (supplied with
the meter) use a special low c ap aci ty cable. The use of
any oth er cable will add e x tr a ca pa city to the meter
and may be out of range of th e L E A D ZE RO control. If
the t e st le a d s ev e r n e e d re p l ac ement , it is
recommended th at new leads (39G143) be ordered
directly from the Senc ore Service De pa rt me nt , 3200
Sencore Drive, Sioux- Falls, SI) 57 107.
TEST LEAD M O U NTI N G CLIP
The special Tes t Lead M o u n ti n g Clip (64G37), included
in th e sp are pa rts , m ay be mo u nt ed on the top of the
“Z M ETE R”, on the side of the han dle or on you r work
bench. The clip can th en be us ed to hold th e t es t leads
12
out of the way, b u t ready for use a t any tim e. To m ou nt
the t e s t lead clip, simply peel off the ba ck in g , place on
the s p o t to be mounte d, and p res s firmly.
NOT E: Do not mo u n t the T e s t L ea d Clip to t h e sid es o f
the “ Z M E TER" as it will interfere w i th t h e mov eme n t
o f the handle.
Fig, 3 — Th e special T e s t Le a d Mo u nt i n g Clip holds
the t e s t leads o ut of th e way, bu t ready fo r use at a n y
time.
CAP A CIT O R TESTING
The “Z M ETER ” checks cap aci tors for th eir actual
cap a ci ty with 6 au tom a tica lly selected ra ng es . Simply
con ne ct the capacito r to the tes t leads, pu sh the
VA L U E b u tt o n under CAPA C IT O R S an d read the
value on the d igit al read out.
bu t void th e wa r r a n t y as well. I f grounded, out let is
unavailable, us e a g r o u n d in g a d ap to r a nd c o n n ect the
third wire pi gt ai l to a go od ea rt h gro un d suc h as a
waterpipe.
2. The “Z METER ” has been d es i gn e d to give accu
rate re a d in g s of cap a ci to r v a lue o ut of circuit.
Im p ed a n c e s f ou nd in the circu it will up s e t the “Z
MET ER'’'1 rea din gs. Capacitors c a n n o t be checke d in-
circuit wi t h any degree o f accuracy or re liab ili ty w it h
any k n o w n te st m et h od .
3. Re mo v e t he powe r from the cir cui t if a cap ac it o r is
to be c he ck ed t hat has one en d re mov e d bu t t h e oth er
end stil l c o n n e c t e d to the circuit. I f the un it u n d e r te s t
is AC oper ated , r e m o ve the AC line cord from t h e AC
outlet . W he n ev er poss ib le , r e m o v e the c a p ac i to r
com pl et el y f r o m th e circuit.
CAP A C IT Y MEA S U R E M E N T ACC U RA C Y
The Sencore “Z ME TE R” has been designed to p ro
vide acc ur ate me a su r em e n ts (within 1% of reading) of
capacity usin g the mo st accura te method available.
The “Z ME TER” me asu re s the RC c ha rgin g time of
the capacito r w i t h a precision c ha rgi ng resisto r. This
gives a t r ue a nd ac cu ra te c ap ac ity me asu rem en t. The
readi ngs of the ‘‘Z METE R” m ay or may no t be the
same as tho se of a n o th er i n st ru m e n t using a dif fe ren t
meas ur ing sy st em. Th e bridge, for example, use s an
AC signal a n d mea s ur es capac itiv e reactan ce, no t the
actua l c ap aci ty . Two b ridge s wit h different frequ enc y
signals will giv e different ca pac ity readings b ecau se
the capaci tive reac ta nc e c hang es with frequency. The
hig he r the freq u e nc y , the lower th e cap a c i ti v e
reactanc e a n d the lower the capa city readi ng. The
Sencore “ Z ME TER” will pr ovide a true me as u re of
capacity.
E
3V
; JOOV
/ 490V
10V
CAPACITORS I INDUCTORS
LEAK AGE VALU E I VA LUE R INGI NG T E ST (0}
Fig. 4 — Jus t co nn e ct th e capac itor to the t e st leads,
dep re s s th e VAL UE b utt o n, and read th e ca p a c it y on
the d isp la y; the re are no range switc h e s to set.
S PECIAL NOTES ON C APA CIT OR TESTING:
1. Be f o re op e ra ti n g t he “Z M E TE R ”, be sure to
co n n e ct th e AC line cord to a p r op er ly g r ou n de d AC
outl et . The third wire g r o u n d on the “Z ME T E R ”
pr o v i d e s mor e accurat e rea ding s of low le ve l capacito rs
(below 1000 pF) w i th the third wire s hie l di ng . Defea t
ing th e t h ir d wire gr o u nd will n o t only re su l t in lower
acc u ra cy value read ings on capacito rs belo w 1000 pF,
-WA R N IN G
When ch ec kin g c ap acitor s, conn ect the ca pa ci to r
to the te st le ads before d ep ress ing the V A L U E or
LE A K AG E p u s h bu t to n .
To Check Capa ci to r s for Capacity Value
1.. Connect t h e t e s t leads to the capacitor to be
tested. P ol a rit y of t he t e s t leads is only imp o r ta n t if
checking a polar ized capa cito r such as an ele ctrol ytic
capacitor. W h en checki ng a polarized lytic, the red lead
mu st be con n ect ed to th e posit ive terminal.
2. Depress the VAL U E bu t to n under the CA PA
CITO RS se ctio n of the pu s h b u tt o n switch.
3. Read th e v al ue of the cap aci tor on the f ron t panel
readout. The va lu e of ca pa cit y will be in m ic rof ara ds
(uF) if the L E D in f ro nt of the u F indica tor is lit. The
capacity is in picof ara ds (pF) if the LE D in fron t of th e
pF indic ator is lit.
13
NOTE: Mo s t capa cito r values will read v e r y qu ic k ly ,
but e xtr e me l y large electr olytic capacitors (ove r 50,000
uP) m a y take a f ew seco?ids to come up to a r e ad in g
level. For example, a 50,000 uF will tak e abou t 5
se co n d s before a reading is seen on the d i gi ta l readou t.
An extr em ely large (100,000 uF) co m p ut e r -t y pe lyti c
m ay ta k e 10 secon ds before the value is d i s p l ay e d on
th e readout. If the value does no t read in th e ti me list
ed abov e, then the capacitor is either s h or t e d or v ery
leaky. In eith er case, it is p ro ba bl y defective. Rec h e c k
th e v alu e ag ain jus t to be sure.
the aut or a n gi ng circ uit . Values below 2 pF can be read,
however, by us in g th e L EAD ZE RO control to o ffs et
the met er zero.
To Read Cap ac it or s Le ss Tha n 2 pF
1. Place t he t e st le ad s (with no c ap aci to r conne cted)
on t he work are a in such a way t hat th ey will no t be
moved when the cap ac it or to be test ed is connected. Be
sure t ha t the t e s t leads are not on a m etal surf ace or
near AC power or an AC oper ate d device.
Th is pro cedu re pr ovides ac cur ate readings on t h e c ap a
cit or s being test ed. Small value readings (2 p F to 1000
pF) m a y be off sligh tly due to the capaci ty of t h e t e s t
leads. T his ca pac ity can be ba lance d out for ex tr em e ly
hig h ac cur acy r ead ing s wit h t he LE A D ZE R O co ntr ol.
The L E A D Z ER O control is auto ma tica lly switc h ed
out of circu it for capacity values above 10,000 pF.
TO ELIMINA T E TES T LEAD CAPA C IT Y
1. P lace t he te s t leads (with no capaci tor con necte d)
on th e work area in such a way t h a t they will no t be
moved when the c apac itor to be teste d is conn ect ed. Be
sure tha t the t e st leads are not on a met al s ur fa c e or
nea r an AC power o utle t or AC operated device. St r ay
AC ma y aff e c t the r e a d i n g of small v a l u e s of
capa ci tor s.
2. D ep re ss th e VA LU E bu t to n and ad ju s t t h e L EAD
ZE R O control un til the me ter reads 00.0, with n eg a ti ve
sign a p pe ar in g occasionally.
3. Ca refully connect the capa citor to be t e s te d to the
Lest leads. D epre ss the VALU E b ut ton an d re a d the
act ua l value of the capacitor on the meter.
2. Depre ss th e V A L U E b u t t on and a d j u s t the L E AD
ZERO control u nt il t he m et er read s a positive n u m b er
such as 2.0 pF. A n eg a ti ve nu m ber can be obt ain ed on
the reado ut b u t will give an incorrect reading.
3. Connect the c a pa ci to r to th e t e s t leads wi th o u t
dist ur b in g the ir p os iti on on the work area.
4. D epr ess th e VA L UE b ut to n to obta in a read ing on
the meter. S ub t r a c t t h e se tt in g of ste p 2 from th e r e a d
ing to get the actu a l value of t h e capacitor. F o r
example, if t he re a d in g o bt ain ed wa s 2.6 and the se t
ting in s tep 2 was 2.0, t h en the ca pa ci tor value is 2.6
minus 2.0 or 0.6 pF .
INTERPRETING “ Z METER” VALUE READINGS
Some capac ito r d ef ec ts r esu lt in a r ea di ng much lower
th a n the tole ranc e specified for t he capacitor. D et ai ls
on determ inin g t h e to leranc e of common capa cito rs a re
included in th e Appe nd ix section at the end of t he
manual. If th e rea d i ng is outsi de this tolerance, the
capacito r sho uld be consider ed bad.
Some capacito rs, especially aluminu m electrolytics,
may show an o v e rr a ng e indic ation (flashing 888). T h is
read ing indica tes that th e cap acito r is defective.
Fig. 5 Tes t lead capa cit y can be zeroed o u t for
ex t r em ely acc ura te readi ngs on sm all value capacitors.
CH E CKI N G CA P A C IT O R S BELOW
2 P I C OFA R A D S
The a u t o ra n g in g circuit in th e “ Z MET ER” will ofte n
show a “0 0 .0 ” r ea do ut for ca pacito rs less tha n 2 pF .
This is du e to the “zero win dow ” t h a t is ne ce ss ary for
The LC53 au to ma t i c a ll y dis pl ay s the two m o s t
common capa cit or va lue s of picofara ds (pF) and m ic ro
farads (uF). C a pa c it or s from 1 p F to .089 uF will show
as “ pF” , a nd c a p ac i to rs over .09 uF will show as “uF” .
You m ay en c ou n te r s ome capa cito rs t h a t are m ar k e d
with the op po sit e multiplier. Some companies, for
example, will m a r k the value of a gi ven c apa cito r as
“.047 uFM, while ot h er s may m ar k the same t yp e of
capac ito r as “ 4700 p F " . Th e following table will
explain how to ea sil y conv ert one rea din g to an o th er .
This conversion ch a r t also appe ar s on the pull-o ut
cha r t on th e bo t t o m of the “Z M E TER ” for you r
convenience.
CHANGE TO
FROM
MICROFARAD S
NANOFARADS Mov e de c i ma l
PICOFARADS Move d e c i m a l
MIC RO FAR ADS NANOFARA DS PICOFARADS
3 pla c es lef t
6 pla c es lef t
Move d ec i ma l
3 pla ce s r i gh t
Move d ec i m a l
3 pl ac es le f t
Move d e c i m al
6 places r ig h t
Move de c i mal
3 places r ig h t
Chart 1 — Ca pa cito r mul ti pl ie r conver sio n chart
14
TESTING LARGE SCREW T ERMIN A L LYTI CS
Some lytics, especially in in d us tr ia l ap plic atio ns, use
rat he r large screw terminals rat h er than the conven
tional solder terminals. The 39(1144 TES T LEA D
Ada p to r (supplied with the LC53) should be used to
con ve rt the small E-Z 1 look “ clips to large alligato r
clips to fit the large screw te rmin als . A special clip is
moun ted on the back of the LC53 to s to re the 39 GI4 4
when it's not in use.
Fig. 6 — The 39G144 Tes t L e ad a d a ptor allows even
the large screw te rm in a l ca pacito rs t o be co n ne ct ed to
the LC53 for testing.
To Use the 39G144:
1. Connect the Red E-Z Hook" on the LC53 te s t
leads to the red term inal of the 39G14 4 T ES T L E A D
ADAP TO R. Co nnect t he Black clip to the other
terminal.
2. Connect th e Red alligator clip of the 39G.144 to the
posit ive screw term inal and th e Bla ck all iga tor clip to
the n egativ e termina l.
3. Tes t the cap aci tor in the u su al m an ner .
NO T E: The red area, o f the APP LIED VOLTA GE
sw it c h s ho u ld be observed. Voltages in this area are 50
Volts an d above and could cause a shock hazard. The
blin k i ng L ED is an extr a r emin d er th at the APPL I ED
V OL TAGE switc h is set to 50 Volts or greater. A l w a y s
obse rv e the red area o f the sw i tc h in case the extr a
remi n de r L ED is burned out.
Fig. 7 —- T he LC 53 can te st ca pacitors for L e ak a ge at
the ra t e d w o r ki ng volta ge of the capacitor. Just set, the
APPLIED V OL TA GE swit ch, set the LEAKAG E
R ANGE , a n d dep ress the LEA KAGE b u t t o n an d read
the leak a ge on the displ ay in microamps .
To Check a Capacitor for Leakage
1. Conne ct the capac itor to be test ed to the test
leads. I f th e c apacit or is polarized, such as an e lectro
lytic cap a ci to r , c on ne ct the p o si ti ve en d of the
cap ac ito r to t he red lead a nd t he neg at iv e end to the
black lead.
2. Se lec t t he desired leakage rang e with the
LEAKA GE R A NG E switch. The AL L OT H E R
CA P A C IT O R S (100 uA max) range is used for mo st
small ly tics, paper, mica, film, and ceramic capacitors.
The L A RG E ALUM. ELE CT R O LY T IC S (100K uA
max) ra n ge is used for large lytics. Consult th e leakage
ch ar t t o d eterm ine which range should be used. It is
CHECK ING CA PA C IT O R S FOR LEA K AG E
Capa cit ors will often read the co r re ct value b u t e xhibit
leakage which may affect th eir op e ra tio n in th e circuit.
The “Z MET ER” will check cap a ci to rs for this leak
age a t their ra ted working volt ag e up to 600 Volts.
Ther e are two leakage c urr en t ra n ge s , 0 to 100 uA and
0 to 10K uA and 12 vo ltage s from 3 Vo lts to 600 Volts
DC. The volta ge is applied to th e t es t le ads only when
the LE A KA G E bu t to n is depre sse d. The cap aci tor is
au t oma t i c a l l y d i sc h a r g e d w he n th e LEAKA GE
BUT TO N IS RE L EA S ED .
|
---------------------------
1 This in st ru m en t is to be opera ted by a technically
trained p erson only — who und e rs t a n d s the shock
hazard of up to 600 Volts applied to th e t es t leads
during the capac ito r leakage test.
DO NOT hold the capacitor in you r h an d or touch
the tes t leads or capacit or leads whe n m akin g the
leakage tes t with 50 Volts or more.
W ARNI N G
------------------------------
Fig . 8 — Si mp l y c on su lt the leakage ch a rt on the pu ll
ou t ta b unde r the LC 53 or the leaka ge ch a r t in this
man u a l for the ma x i m u m allowable leak ag e of a l um i
num a n d t an t al u m lytics.
15
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