As electrolytic capacitors age, their internal resistance, also known as “equivalent series resistance” (ESR), gradually increases. This can eventually lead to equipment failure. Using this design, ...

Single-phase motors, adjustable-speed drives (ASDs), and power factor (PF) correction applications often depend on capacitors to operate properly. This article explains how to test these critical ...

Powered by a 9V battery or an optional ac wall adapter, the Model 881 handheld tester can be used to measure the equivalent series resistance (ESR) of electrolytic capacitors in or out of circuit. The ...

Normally, a typical multimeter is designed to measure parameters such as voltage, current and resistance over a wide range of values. This analog capacitance meter has 5 switched range values of 1nF, ...

Let's start with DC voltage, one of the simplest and most-used multimeter measurements. The DC voltage measurement is used to determine the difference in electrical potential between two points in a ...

Many single-phase motors used on refrigeration systems will incorporate some type of capacitor. They will either use a start capacitor to aid in its starting or a run capacitor to improve its running ...

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Why Trust Us? A digital multimeter is an indispensable tool for testing, diagnosing, and ...

Guest columnist Dale Cigoy, lead applications engineer at Keithley Instruments, outlines how an understanding of the challenges for testing capacitors can be invaluable to engineers. Capacitors are ...

In residential and light commercial HVACR, we work with run capacitors every day, and you may have noticed that they fail quite often. Because of this, many companies are beginning to integrate ...

Ever wonder what goes on inside of an electrolytic capacitor? Nick Visic from AiSHi Capacitors shows how these popular capacitors work in this tear-down video from DesignCon. The screw terminal ...