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Trailboss Trailboss is offline
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Default Sencore LC53 VS Sprague TelOhmike 6A

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.

Tia

Vin

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[email protected] ohger1s@aol.com is offline
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Default Sencore LC53 VS Sprague TelOhmike 6A

I've never used a TelOhmike, but have an LC75, which is a great instrument. The 75 has an ESR function that the 53 lacks, but is otherwise very similar. If you're going to buy a Z meter, get the 75.


butOn Monday, October 15, 2012 6:34:46 PM UTC-4, 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.



Tia



Vin


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Phil Allison[_3_] Phil Allison[_3_] is offline
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Default Sencore LC53 VS Sprague TelOhmike 6A




I've never used a TelOhmike, but have an LC75, which is a great
instrument.
The 75 has an ESR function that the 53 lacks, but is otherwise very
similar.
If you're going to buy a Z meter, get the 75.


** Despite the "ESR" label on one of the buttons, the Sencore LC75 cannot
actually test an electro cap's ESR value.

There are modern instruments that DO test electro cap ESR, the best of
which is the one designed by Bob Parker.

Just Google " Bob Parker ESR meter ".



.... Phil



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[email protected] ohger1s@aol.com is offline
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Default Sencore LC53 VS Sprague TelOhmike 6A

Uh.. dickhead, if I wanted an amateur's opinion I would have asked *you* directly. Just because it's not in Wikipedia doesn't mean it's not real.



On Tuesday, October 16, 2012 7:07:36 PM UTC-4, Phil Allison wrote:




I've never used a TelOhmike, but have an LC75, which is a great


instrument.


The 75 has an ESR function that the 53 lacks, but is otherwise very


similar.


If you're going to buy a Z meter, get the 75.






** Despite the "ESR" label on one of the buttons, the Sencore LC75 cannot

actually test an electro cap's ESR value.



There are modern instruments that DO test electro cap ESR, the best of

which is the one designed by Bob Parker.



Just Google " Bob Parker ESR meter ".







... Phil

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John L Stewart John L Stewart is offline
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;963432]Uh.. dickhead, if I wanted an amateur's opinion I would have asked *you* directly. Just because it's not in Wikipedia doesn't mean it's not real.


Oh, my! ohger1s a hole is upset. Perhaps a Midol would help.

Cheers to all, John
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[email protected] ohger1s@aol.com is offline
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Default Sencore LC53 VS Sprague TelOhmike 6A

On Friday, October 19, 2012 9:22:36 AM UTC-4, John L Stewart wrote:

Oh, my! ohger1s a hole is upset. Perhaps a Midol would help.




Cheers to all, John


LOL! Well, two things are obvious: You know what Wikiphil tastes like, and you love being his sock puppet. How low can one go!! LOL!!

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Bruce Esquibel Bruce Esquibel is offline
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Default Sencore LC53 VS Sprague TelOhmike 6A

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


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John L Stewart John L Stewart is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by View Post
On Friday, October 19, 2012 9:22:36 AM UTC-4, John L Stewart wrote:

Oh, my! ohger1s a hole is upset. Perhaps a Midol would help.




Cheers to all, John


LOL! Well, two things are obvious: You know what Wikiphil tastes like, and you love being his sock puppet. How low can one go!! LOL!!
Oops!! Better make that two Midol. Yeh, and a beer chaser. Will it make a difference? Probably not!

Cheers to all, John
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[email protected] ohger1s@aol.com is offline
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Default Sencore LC53 VS Sprague TelOhmike 6A

On Saturday, October 20, 2012 9:46:01 AM UTC-4, Bruce Esquibel wrote:

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 bought mine new in 1985, and I thought then and still believe today that it was a pretty good value. At the time, I was actually looking for a good Sprague TelOhmike before deciding to buy the LC75. Back then, there was no internet, so finding one (in any kind of shape) was a matter of luck. Today you can search and have it in a couple days.

Sony TVs of the 70s and 80s would have a dozen bad electrolytics at one shot, and the LC75 cut down the time to go through these considerably. The great thing about the LC75 is that it not only accurately read ESR, but by running the rated voltage through them and then remeasuring the cap, you'd see a lot of caps drop in value by a third or more, where the ESR actually improved. This alone caught a lot of caps that an ESR meter alone would miss.. Of course, the ringer and inductance readings were handy as well.


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 was never crazy about reforming caps and only did so in an emergency, but that spring loaded stick was probably an afterthought after the unit was ready for production. It did cost me once though. Trying to save a bit more time, I had the stick hold down the ESR button (defeating the discharge feature), and was running through a bunch of caps, when one delivered a nice whack to the Z meter. It suddenly read zero ESR for everything. Fortunately, Sencore shipped the meter with a full schematic. I don't remember what IC it was exactly, but it was some sort of an off the shelf 14 pin gate. Other than that mishap, and having to clean the BNC connector where the fuse goes periodically, it's been rock solid and trouble free, and it's been in daily use from new.



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