Capacitor testing

Thread Starter

bwd111

Joined Jul 24, 2013
117
If I obtained zero reading with ohm meter would this indicate a good Capacitor? This is where I get confused! I was taught if zero reading then infinity that would mean a good cap. Then I read zero the infinity means good cap. Which is it
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,702
If zero is read and it stays at this then the capacitor is usually shorted, it should read infinity or may start off at a lower value and climb depending on the capacitance, if a significant value, you meter will show an opposite polarity when reversed and then drop.
This is a crude test, however.
Max.
 

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
Besides that, capacitors usually won't get to infinite reading if they are large (over 100uf) and the meter is a very good meter. You usually settle for a few hundred megohms with large capacitors and call that, "good enough".

Small capacitors can usually get to an infinite reading, and, crude as this method is, reversing the leads and thinking about the time it takes for the capacitor to charge on the scale you used for another capacitor just like it will give you a crude idea if the size is similar the the last one you measured. It depends on whether you are doing something very critical or just getting approximate readings.
 
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