Assembly, Use & Troubleshooting Manual
Contents
1. pray dd Ae Parts List and Assembly Order PC boatd 47K 4 22K R5 7 9 4 pieces 5 position inline 2 3 8 rubber grommets 15 header strip 1 MF Resistors 6 10K R1 19 20 21 23 24 2 test leads banana plugs and alligator clips 100R R10 Miniature pushbutton switch 4 1N4148 or 1N914 signal 2 tie wtap with cap diodes D1 D2 D5 D6 470K R22 10kQ PC mount trim pot 2 1N4004 5 6 ot 7 power Miscellaneous ES dc DDA 10 0K R6 2200 PC mount trim pot 7 2N3906 PNP transistors ESR chart label VR2 Q1 Q3 Q4 95 Q8 Q9 Q10 1 0K R8 3 58MHz crystal resonator 6 2N3904 NPN transistors contact information label with internal capacitors Q2 Q6 Q7 Q11 Q12 Q13 LP2950CZ 5 0 3 terminal plastic enclosure with battery 5 Resistors Capacitors P regulator low dropout IC1 lead and hardware Some are marked 783MCYFE KY5050 220R R11 3 100uF 16V RB electrolytic Z86E0412 programmed 6 2 self tapping screws 6 65 69 microcontroller IC2 1K R12 100K R13 2206 33uf or A7uF 50V 4094 MC14094 CMOS bipolar RB electrolytic C6 shift register IC3 220K R14 180R R16 2 LTS 5503AB 7 segment C8 displays DIS1 2 6 8K R17 680R R18 470nF 63V MKT C10 23mm blue LEDs LED12 5R6 for alignment 3 4 7K R2 27 28 5 100nF 50V disc or multilayer C4 C5 C13 27K R25 2 7K R29 33nF 63 100W V C7 2 15K R3 26 100R R30 10uf 16 25WV electrolytic C2 Res2. hold the button down regardless of what the displays are showing After five seconds they will go blank for a moment and then show a test result for two seconds The meter will then switch off by itself after you release the button If everything 15 more or less OK you ll see 8 8 on the displays this shows that all the display segments and decimal point LEDs are working However if the microcontroller has detected a problem it will flash a fault code consisting of an F on the left hand display and a character from 0 9 or an A on the right hand one Experience has shown that by far the most common cause of ESR meter kits not working properly 1s defective soldering When a fault code directs you to a particular part of the circuit carefully check using a bright light and magnifier for solder whiskers non soldered joints and track damage such as lifted solder pads If you cannot see anything abnormal start checking for incorrect components and component placement errors such as transistors of the wrong type or with their leads in the wrong holes If that does not show up anything you might have received a defective component in the kit though this is very rare OK here is a list of what the fault codes indicate F0 Q11 is not discharging C10 Check around Q11 2N3904 R21 10kQ R22 470kQ and pin 4 of IC2 786 0412 F1 C10 is charging too quickly Check that R22 really is 470kQ and that R19 amp R20 are 10
3. installed and soldered into place you can install the larger components These parts include crystal XTAL1 the electrolytic capacitors trim pots VR1 amp VR2 the transistors and the headers for the LED displays Note particularly that the 7 sezment LED displays are each mounted on two 5 pin headers which are soldered to the pc board see picture below Make sure that the headers are absolutely vertical and flush with the pc board before soldering the pins so that the displays will fit properly under the enclosure cover If you prefer you can carefully push the headers onto the 7 segment displays and then solder them to the pe board That method assures proper alignment but make sure that the headers sit snugly onto the pc board surface Make sure that the dot on the 7 segment displays are at the bottom OPTION Some kit builders are nervous about soldering directly to the integrated circuit pins and prefer to install sockets for that reason We have included sockets so that you are free to use them if you wish Es Rm uu wu PON u nr EL E Ej ID 97 ON Faas im ae E r T Aly M n CEN N Wr a de E a INS les WA LR 1S be US e J 1 dil3Wd 453 ddOO ASLYNY el o rens To m Ti 7 D 1 ERIT Oc asa O m dO9 i Strip and tin the one end of the test lead ends Put the two grommets
4. into the test lead holes in the enclosure end panel Then feed the test leads through the grommets The outside of the panel 1s the finished side 7 9409 310 T 4 Tele sx E 1 02 19 A Miscellaneous parts see text for display header installation The headers must be installed carefully to ensure proper 20 alignment of the 7 segment i UMS displays aa Test lead connection Note the tie wrap retainer Test lead installation Strip approximately 1 8 2 mm from one end of the test leads and tin using rosin core solder Install the grommets into the enclosure end panel as shown in the picture Then push the test leads through the grommets The outside of the panel is the finished side Then solder the test leads to the pc board and secure them with the tie wrap Leave enough slack for the leads to clear around the pc board holes for the enclosure bosses Strip approximately 1 2 12 mm from the other end of the test leads do not tin them but bend the bare wire back on itself Push the banana plug insulators onto the leads first and then push the bare wire end into the center hole of the banana jacks so that it is lined up with the securing screw as shown in the picture on the left Slide the insulator over the banana plug and screw the retaining screw in tightly Banana Plug assembly Install LED displays If you did not instal
5. 202 Make sure C10 is 470nF 0 47uF code 474 Check also for soldering and component placement problems around transistors Q9 amp 210 2N3906 F2 C10 is charging too slowly or not at all Check around Q9 Q10 2N3906 R22 470kQ R19 amp R20 10kQ and C10 470nF Pulse amplifier output bias lt 440mV 1 at collector of Q8 Check R13 100kQ amp R14 220kQ for correct values and check that D6 isn t reversed Check around Q7 2N3904 Q8 2N3906 and around pin 8 of IC2 plus associated components F4 Pulse amplifier output bias 21V Carry out the same checks as for F3 code Check also that D5 isn t reversed F5 A test current source is permanently on Check area around Q3 Q4 amp Q5 all 2N3906 R5 R7 amp R9 2 2kQ and pins 15 16 amp 17 of IC2 F6 No output from pulse amplifier Check around C7 33nF R12 1 0 D3 amp D4 1N4002 C5 100nF and 47uF bipolar F7 Q3 not sourcing current Check around Q3 2N3906 R5 2 2kQ R6 10kQ and pin 15 of IC2 F8 Q4 not sourcing current Check around Q4 2N3906 R7 2 2k 2 R8 1kQ and pin 16 of IC2 F9 Q5 not sourcing current Check around Q5 2N3906 R9 2 2kQ R10 100Q IC2 pin 17 F9 Q5 not sourcing current Check around Q5 2N3906 R9 2 2kQ RIO 100Q IC2 pin 17 FA Q6 not switching on Check around Q6 2N3904 R24 10kQ and pin 1 of IC2 The microcontroller cannot perform detailed tests on every com
6. ags of components and one bag of static sensitive components Install them in the following order 1 resistors 5 resistors Semiconductors Do not install the decimal LEDs until after installing the 7 segment displays See Install LED Displays Capacitors Miscellaneous parts Static Sensittve components Do not install the integrated circuits until after performing the Initial Checks The bag labeled For alignment and test contains two resistors that are used for that purpose and are not installed on the pc board Installing components The construction sequence basically installs the smallest components first It is notoriously difficult to correctly identify the color bands on 1 resistors so check each one s value with an ohmmeter before soldering it to the board The table of color codes above will help you select the resistor values prior to checking It is a good idea to check the value of all of the resistors with an ohm meter as manufacturers occasionally make labeling mistakes Take care with the orientation of the polarized components the electrolytic capacitors diodes and transistors You should also make sure that the two different transistor types go into their correct places Note that there is provision on the pc board for two 27 pf capacitors near the crystal Your kit has a crystal resonator with internal capacitors supplied so that those two components are not needed After you have the small parts
7. asurement errors What else can it do Since publication of the Mk 1 design in 1996 I have received a lot of feedback from imaginative ESR Meter users regarding other uses for it The full list is on at http members ozemail com au bobpar esrhints htm but here are some of the best ones 1 Resistance Measurement as stated previously this meter 1s really an AC ohmmeter with an equivalent test frequency of about 100kHz and capable of measuring non inductive resistances from 0 01Q to 99Q As such it can be useful for locating short circuits on PC boards by showing the resistance of a copper track decreasing or increasing as you approach or move away from the short For example this is useful when trying to identify which one in a paralleled set of power transistors is shorted thanks Mike Diack or the check out power leads and connectors resistance is too low for a multimeter You can also make your own very low value resistors by measuring out a leneth of nichrome or similar resistance wire to give the required resistance In addition the ESR Meter can be used to check the contact resistance of switches connectors and relays Just remember that any significant amount of inductance will cause measurement errors You cannot measure the DC resistance of a choke transformer winding video head or a roll of electrical cable for example 2 Basic Signal Generator the meter s test signal is a 500mV open circuit burst of 8
8. battery mpm gv alkaline connector battery c g Suec CO eee 2 Adjust the supply voltage to 5 5 volts Eveready 522 potentiometer then switch the meter on adjust voltage 3 Slowly turn VR1 counter clockwise E SEDET until the b battery warning indication begins flashing on the right hand display 4 Turn the meter off wind the power supply back up to 9 volts then switch the meter back on and check that the battery warning triggers when you drop the supply back to 5 5 volts Final Assembly The pc board sits snugly in the bottom enclosure Fasten the board into place using the six self tappineg screws The screw under the tie wrapped test leads may be difficult to get into place You can omit it L3 NS3 25 902 NT Remove the battery compartment door from the bottom of the enclosure and run the battery leads through the opening and as shown in the picture J Final Assembly Battery Lead Dress You are done That s it Install the enclosure top and secure it with the four self tapping screws Push the battery into its compartment and install the battery compartment door Then put the labels on the front and start finding bad caps Before using your new meter we recommend that you read the section on ESR meter operation it not only contains useful hints but also lists precautions that you should follow What is bad ESR There is a chart
9. hat the low battery warning will no longer work if you do this Of course you can easily reconnect R25 if you change your mind the future For more modifications including a buzzer to help you discriminate between good and bad electrolytics without having to look at the meter to my ESR Meter Hints web page at http members ozemail com au bobpar esrhints htm If all else fails send a question to esrquestion anatekcorp com
10. istor Color Codes Value 4 Band Code 5 5 Band Code 1 5 60 Q 820 100 Q X 180 Q 220 Q 680 Q lk Q 2 2k Q 2 7k Q Short Lead Decimal LED 2743904 amp 2W3906 Diodes 4 d3LdAl 45 34 C kt 402 AIAILYNY gt 28 98 9 EN G O Construction Even if the ESR Meter s operation seems complicated at least it is easy to build As you can see in the photos all the components are mounted on a single PC board which is then attached to the enclosure bottom Even though the pc board is high quality with solder mask it is still wise to check it for defects To do this illuminate the component side with a bright light and examine the copper side very carefully preferably with a magnifier for any hairline fractures in the tracks During assembly frequently check for any solder whiskers or bridges and pay particular attention to any tracks which pass between IC pads where such defects tend to congregate and hide It is good practice to install 5 or 6 components and then check the soldering of them under a magnifier Then move on and install 5 or 6 more The PC board 1s tightly packed and the solder pads are quite small so be very careful with your soldering Always lift the iron vertically from a just soldered joint and never wipe it sideways as so many constructors seem to do Component Installation Sequence The kit package contains six plastic b
11. l the headers onto the 7 segment displays before soldering them to the pc board you must do so now Otherwise skip this step you already did it Before handling the 7 segment displays make sure that you are grounded as they are sensitive to static electricity Orient the 7 segment displays with their decimal points toward the bottom of the pc board battery connection end and push the pins into headers making sure that they are fully seated Then insert the two decimal point LEDs such that the tops of the LEDs are the same height as the 7 segment displays Make sure that they are correctly oriented 1e the shorter lead must go toward the 7 segment displays The top of the decimal LEDs should be flush with the top of the 7 segment displays Once all of the components are installed on the PC board hold the component side up to a bright light and carefully check for any solder bridges or other problems In particular check for light shining through the holes of unsoldered joints p Battery connector installed When all the components are on the board solder the battery snap connector to the battery pads on the PC board red to and black to uc id Initial checks Set both VR1 and VR2 to their mid range positions and connect a 9V supply to the battery connection Press the pushbutton You should see something on the 7 segment LED displays hopefully on the left hand one Press the pushbutton again and the meter should
12. of 3 X normal average ESR for various capacitor values and voltage ratings on the meter front panel There is no one bad value it depends upon the rating of the capacitor you are testing In general a capacitor with bad ESR will read at least 2 3 times the values given for a new capacitor by the manufacturer The values shown on the chart are generally 3 times the manufacturer s specs A really bad one might be 10 times the values shown or more With experience you will be able recognize bad ones without consulting the chart Basic operation The ESR Meter is extremely simple to operate but there are a few precautions to follow Here 1s its basic step by step operation 1 Insert the probe terminator of your choice into the shrouded plugs A croc clip works well for out of circuit capacitors a probe for in circuit 2 Press the button so the symbol appears on the display 3 Hold the test probes tightly together the test lead resistance 15 displayed 4 With the probes still together press the button again to eive a zeroed reading of 00 You can repeat this at any time 5 Measure the capacitor s ESR it should be discharged first A reading of indicates a reading greater than 090 Compare the reading to the graph on the front label Good capacitors will have ESR below the graph lines bad above 6 When you ve finished measuring press the button with the probes separated The meter swi
13. ponent so it s possible that your meter is malfunctioning even though the self testing hasn t shown up a problem For example if the meter is behaving strangely freezing up or giving absurd readings on some values of test resistors the most likely cause is a mix up in the values of R6 10kQ R8 1k 2 and R10 1000 On the other hand if the meter produces readings but there s something wrong with the displayed characters this is almost certainly due to one or more solder bridges between the pins of the displays or around IC3 If the meter does not stay switched on when you push the button check around Q2 2N3904 R3 15kQ R29 2 7kQ and pin 2 of IC2 If it switches off when you short the test leads R2 4 7kQ may be the incorrect value or 21 2N3906 may have a low current gain Finally if you can t get the meter into the test mode zero it or switch it off check for solder whiskers and open circuits around pin 3 of IC2 R4 47kQ and D2 If none of the above has helped you to identify the problem there is a page of fault finding information on my website http members ozemail com au bobpar esrprob htm Do a Google search for ESR meter faultfindine if you can t find it Disabling automatic switch off If you d like to power the meter from an external 9V DC supply and have it operating continuously just disconnect one end of R25 47k This disables the automatic switch off function but note t
14. tches off when you telease the button 7 When the battery is getting low b flashes once per second and the display dims to conserve the remaining battery capacity Precautions 1 Beware charged capacitors The very first thing to do is to make certain that the equipment you ll be using the ESR Meter on is disconnected from all power Most electrolytic capacitors will be discharged by the circuitry around them within a few seconds of the power being switched off However be warned that filter capacitors in power supplies can remain dangerously charged especially if there s a fault Before using the meter make sure that all power supply capacitors are fully discharged You can do this using well insulated probes that include a series 1000557 or similar power resistor Do not just short the capacitor s terminals together as that can not only damage the capacitor but can also be dangerous Always allow several seconds to ensure a complete discharge Apart from the risk of surprise and injuty to you large charged capacitors can seriously damage the meter 2 Watch out for interference The meter can produce unsteady indications if its test leads pick up strong horizontal deflection signal voltages avoid this be sure to keep it away from operating CRT TVs and monitors when making measurements 3 Use straight test leads Do not add self retracting curly test leads with your meter Their inductance can cause me
15. timo ESR Meter Kit Assembly Use amp Troubleshooting Manual Bob Parker designed the Gime ESR meter supplied by AnaTek Corporation 100 Merrimack Road P O Box 1200 Amherst NH 03031 USA 603 321 0884 FAX 603 836 4436 esrquestion anatekcorp com Forget about capacitance meters an ESR meter is the way to go when it comes to identifying faulty electrolytics This well proven design is auto ranging low cost and simple to build n testing made possible by using 100mYV test voltage which does not forward bias diodes or transistors e Auto ranging to cover 0 01 99Q Non polarized test leads due to no DC component in the test sional e Single pushbutton to easily control all functions Automatic switch off after three minutes when the meter 1s idle e Low battery voltage warning b blinks on the display 3mm LED displays for easy viewing from a distance Chart of typical electrolytic capacitor ESR figures on the front panel Built in self test Integral test leads This document was written by Bob Parker and edited by John Bachman at AnaTek Corporation Some graphics and text courtesy of Silicon Chip MarclvApril issue 2004 LIVA guid MOI 8121818121818 A SFIFNI angor I 62 sd lt 2 82 389 LIN Ml cni Jugg 8 FOGCNC AF D NI L 80 TOOFNI FOOFNI 14 a 0 22 0 lt 6241 S II C prat
16. turn off Turn it back on and short the leads together The meter should read something less than 0 5 ohm With the leads shorted press the pushbutton again to zero the test leads The reading should 00 with the left decimal lit The reading may bounce around 02 ohms or so due to variation in the lead contact resistance Calibration It is best to calibrate the unit before assembling it into the box That way you can correct any assembly errors that show up during calibration without having to disassemble the board from the box With the meter on and the leads zeroed as described above connect the supplied 820 19 calibration resistor to the probes and carefully adjust VR2 until the meter reads 82 Then check that that it reads the supplied 5 60 calibration resistor reasonably accurately 5 2 to 6 0 with the middle decimal lit Battery warning setup Skip this bit 1f you disabled the automatic switch off function by leaving one lead of R25 disconnected see the Optional Modifications section This adjustment is easiest 1f you have access to a variable DC power supply If not you will need to build the little circuit shown here Use this circuit to set up the ESR meter s low battery warning YR1 adjustment The adjustment procedure is as follows 1 With the ESR meter off and nothing attached to the test leads turn VR1 10K ohm fully clockwise as viewed from the component side of the PC board ESR meter
17. usec pulses at a 2kHz rate repeated several times per second As a result it can be used as a signal source for basic checks on amplifiers loudspeakers and other audio components thanks Joe Lussy Richard Newstead our UK distributor reports that the meter can be used as a simple wideband signal generator with useful signals out to 30 Mhz 3 Maintenance The meter s readings might become unsteady after a lot of use due to oxidation or loosening of the test lead s Heavily spray the test lead plugs with contact cleaner of the kind which evaporates completely eg CRC CO Contact Cleaner then repeatedly insert and withdraw them from their s before it dries If the test lead s have become loose gently re tighten them with long needle nose pliers If the test probes have developed a resistive layer of oxidation give them a wipe with a tissue soaked in tuner cleaner like CRC 2 26 or similar thanks Joe Sopko It does not work now what The ESR Meter s firmware allows the microcontroller to do some basic testing of the electronics to help you narrow down a problem to one area of the board Before doing the self test it s very important to first set VR1 to the center of its adjustment range short out R30 100R and make sure that the meter s supply voltage is in the range of 6 2 6 8V Do not use a 9V battery for this test because it will cause a false F2 warning Switch the meter on by pressing and continuing to
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