SDG  

Thanks!

Definitely - I missed it at the time, but there is very little in the way of strain relief. A slightly better cord grip would help immensely.

@@sdgelectronics And, they got the wire exiting the unit a the bottom, where it'l be flexed all the time!!!

I’ve had to replace the leads on my ESR70 twice. Not from a failure point within the case where it attaches. Due to all of the flexing and use the wire within the cable gets a break in it, usually between the halfway point and the alligator clips. Slowly I’ll notice that capacitors I measure start getting higher and higher ESR measurements, where brand new Panasonic FC are measuring 15 ohms, 20 ohms, etc. Swap the cables and it’s back to measuring correctly. Pulled the alligator clips and measured directly at the banana leads, still faulty. Would be nice to find a cheaper replacement, $30 USD for a 6” length of cable with two clips is highway robbery.

Can’t you built new wires with quality clips yourself?

asuspower Thanks for watching!

No, you're better off using an LCR meter for ceramic capacitors.

Interestingly enough Peak sells a SMD tweezer for chip capacitors. Is it not wise to measure chip capacitors with the Peak ESR 70+ as many are ceramic? What's the reasoning behind the LCR vs ESR for ceramic? Thank you, and excellent video.

Thanks for the heads up,,can you recommend one please?

Well ok. So why do you hate it and, agreed, what LCR meter do you like?

@@2tallB The probes are awful. You will have to modify it will legitimate needle point probes. Connecting them to the meter itself requires some modification and it's a pain. The auto shut off function cannot be overridden. The size of it is a pain to deal with on a workbench. The meter is easy to read and is fairly accurate. Probably good for a hobbyist or beginner but only if the probes are replaced. It is nice that it will give a capacitance reading which can help a lot when diagnosing. It's important to note that the caps have to be out of circuit for rough capacitance readings. There are many ESR meters available with the ability to test in circuit made by BK Precision ($$$$). The old (original) version of the Bob Parker meter is excellent but not sure it's easily found anymore.

Thanks, I was curious. The lack of probes is a drag, I was surprised they don’t include adaptors with probes instead of the clips. But I already have adaptors like that. The battery looks like hassle too. Your other points I’m aware of - I have a DCA55 which doesn’t bother me, I put it on a cell phone stand that adjusts the angle and keeps the strain off the wires. Personally I think it looks like a nice unit for its price point. For a pro tech or EE, which I’m not, you should get the best tools you can afford. (It’s a write-off anyway!)

If you look at EVB B2ESR, I think that’s different from the standard Blue?