Fluke Meter - Need Quick Answer!

Pinball Wizard

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 20, 2010
Messages
3,084
Reaction score
407
Location
Baltimore, Maryland
I need to find out tonight so I can order it tomorow...... I want to buy a Fluke multimeter that does capacitance tests(I think that is the right wording). Essentially, a normal multimeter that can also check capacitors. What do you suggest?
 
I need to find out tonight so I can order it tomorow...... I want to buy a Fluke multimeter that does capacitance tests(I think that is the right wording). Essentially, a normal multimeter that can also check capacitors. What do you suggest?

You might look at the Fluke 115.

Note that a capacitance meter won't necessarily tell you if a cap is "bad." For that, you need an ESR meter (and a capacitance meter).
 
Last edited:
Man I just realized my Fluke 179 can do capacitance! I need to read my manual! I am looking at buying the fluke 115 for a christmas present, as work can get Fluke meters within 2 days and at a discount.
 
W00t I just started playing with my meter on a few uninstalled cap kits!

So bad caps when tested out of circuit will not read the right value on a capacitance test right?
 
W00t I just started playing with my meter on a few uninstalled cap kits!

So bad caps when tested out of circuit will not read the right value on a capacitance test right?

Well, the problem is that sometimes bad caps may still read the proper capacitance. So they appear to be fine.. but they're really causing issues in the circuit, because their ESR (equivalent series resistance) has gone way up. This is why ESR meters exist.

This isn't always the case, of course. Sometimes caps go bad such that they are short... or way off in capacitance.
 
So a capacitance test would not be the best purchase for someone trying to check caps or is it mostly reliable but just not 100% of the time?
 
So a capacitance test would not be the best purchase for someone trying to check caps or is it mostly reliable but just not 100% of the time?

If the recipient doesn't have a digital multimeter, then a good one with capacitance is a fine gift. If they already have a DMM (without capacitance measurement capability), then I'd say: No, an ESR meter would be better.

In the video game realm, bad electrolytic caps are most often found in power supplies, monitors, and game audio circuits. To tell you the truth, pretty often no equipment is necessary to know they're bad: they're bulged, leaking, or visibly damaged. Other times, it's obvious from the syptoms and circuit diagram that the cap must be bad. Personally, I'd rather have an ESR meter than a capacitance meter; but it's nice to have both.
 
Recipient recently had their DMM die and was talking about buying a fluke, but just hasn't yet. He is interesting in having something to test capacitors (not sure why, he is good at troubleshooting something that needs caps). Thanks for all the help!
 
Back
Top Bottom