I have the MESR-100. It's adequate but not great. It's a single purpose bit of gear so you need to switch it out for a DMM or LCR meter to get full cap testing. I've considered replacing it with something better. I've looked at the FNRSI LC-1020E which seems more like what I want. I have a few bits of FNRSI gear and I'm happy with them so far. This LCR/ESR meter is priced well too at around $70 USD. You should check it out before buying an MESR-100.
Thanks for the tip!
I have a 1020…I don’t know how far I trust it. Sometimes it doesn’t agree with other devices I have, all of which usually agree - including eye tube devices.
However, the multi-frequency capability and the multi-parameter display do allow a wider range of test.
You've probably seen it, but in case you haven't, Bob Andersen just showed his LC1020E with some caps. https://youtu.be/TV2FvRSIKBo
From the video, it seems to be a decent enough device, especially for the price. Is that Kelvin adapter included or a separate puchase?
At work we use more expensive LCR bridges daily and this seems to have most of the minimum specs that I'd like to see in such an instrument. Namely 100Hz to 100kHz frequency settings and adjustable level (ours go from 10mV to 2V) and looks like manual settings for everything to override the AUTO functionality. Is it remote controllable by SCPI? If yes, that's pretty schmick, as Dave Jones would say.
Edit: Just looked at the manual and the levels are 0.1 0.3 and 0.6 Volts only and no mention of remote capability but the Kelvin adapter seems to be included. Not bad. Edit 2: Didn't see a way to manually specify parallel or serial equivalent circuit which comes in handy sometimes. Still ok for the price.
The kelvin adapter is included. It's a comprehensive kit. It's not remote, and it's low voltage - not a leakage tester, but I don't really consider that lacking. Leakage isn't terribly important in older devices, you can usually see it easily with a meter because B+ is on one side and a noticeable positive is on the other side.
I know the specs are great, but when it doesn't agree with my other devices I can't necessarily trust it. What I'm planning on doing is doing a test with all of my devices against a known part. I have access to a calibrated high-end instrument at work, I'll measure a couple of parts and see how each of them do. In no particular order, I have these things available to me:
An older HP digital LCR meter. I consider this one to be my gold standard. A NIU M-Tester An unbranded digital LC tester A B&K Precision digital capacitor tester Several multi-function units (DVM/Freq/Cap/etc) Several eye-tube devices
I'll probably pick an old dry electrolytic and a mica or a molded paper, since the older stuff won't do film.
The most bang for your buck definitely came from the m-tester.
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