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Capacitance Meter

 

Introduction

The capacitance meters available in the labs allow you to directly measure capacitances between 0.1pF and 20mF. One of the capacitance meters from the level 1 labs is shown in figure 1.

 

Taking Readings

Discharge the capacitor before testing. If the capacitance value is unmarked you should begin with the 200pF range and increase until the over-range indication (a "1" on the LCD) goes off and a reading is obtained. If over-range is read on all ranges the capacitor may have shorted. Never connect a voltage to the test jacks as this will damage the meter.

 

Image of a capacitance meter

Fig. 1: A capacitance meter