Trailboss wrote:
Disregarding the inductor function of the Sencore, what advantages,
disadvantages for testing caps commonly found in audio amps. I have restored
and calibrated a TelOhmike 6A and have used it to full advantage for many
years, and it don't lie,,,,, but I am a test equipment junkie always looking
for higher precision more efficient gear. I don't like replacing components
unnecessarily and with the skyrocketing cost of electrolytics and decent
signal caps, as well as maintaining originality to vintage equipment I am
finding the cap analyzer the most important/most used piece of test gear on
my bench.
For what it's worth, I've owned one of the LC53's since they were introduced
and it never impressed me. It does work as advertised, but with the hype
Sencore puts into it, it's not much to write about in the long run.
I actually bought it for the inductor tests, figuring out what unmarked
coils and chokes were, later for the cap tests. It may have "found" a couple
electrolytics borderline bad that another meter would of missed, but I never
considered that thing worth the asking price.
I'm just saying, the meter as a whole, inductor and cap testing, it's not
bad, as just for use as a cap meter, blah, just wouldn't recommend it unless
you stumble across a bargain.
It's not really a good design either, I think I lost it a long time ago but
it actually came with a spring-loaded "stick", you used that to hold a
button down by placing it between the handle and button. Was used to
"reform" capacitors, which I don't think really worked in the first place.
I mean really, even for a 80's design, they couldn't come up with some kind
of mechanical button lock? A stick? For a $1000 meter?
I like the LED display over LCD and have to give it credit for still working
being nearly 30 years old but if ask me, the $300 average asking price on
ebay currently is still a few bucks too high to me.
If you do buy one, make sure it has the main probe, basically a bnc/coax
with e-z hooks. The "right" one from Sencore is around $60.
-bruce