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Guy Fernando (M0OOX) presents in this article, instructions to build an ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance) meter for testing the health of
electrolytic capacitors. The instrument displays capacitance and ESR on a digital LCD readout, with an optional audible tone indicating the
condition of the capacitor under test. At the heart of the meter is a 14-pin PIC microcontroller, using just a handful of other cheap
components a feature rich ESR meter is easily constructed.
- Digital LCD readout
- ESR range 0.01Ω to 50Ω
- Testing frequency 100kHz
- Low test voltage for in-circuit testing
- Audible test result tones
- Auto power down
- Automatic testing of capacitor
- Probe resistance compensation
- Battery supply voltage compensation
- Capacitor stored charge protection
- Low and high battery warning
- Open / short circuit probe detection
Simple circuit diagram
Easy to construct
At the heart of the ESR meter design is a PIC16F1705 PIC microcontroller. If you would like to try building
this project yourself, the PIC may be purchased below through PayPal
fully pre-programmed and ready for use. The price includes postage and packing via a
Royal Mail "Tracked and Signed" service.
Please select the correct delivery region for your location from the dropdown list below. Select "UK mainland
delivery" for deliveries within the United Kingdom, "European delivery" for deliveries within other European
countries, or "Worldwide delivery" for all other international country destinations.
Buy the PIC for the ESR Meter
After dispatch, the order can be tracked using the Royal Mail Track your item service.
Happy testing!
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