# DIY Capacitor Tester
A capacitor is an electrical component used to prevent DC current from reaching certain circuits. If the capacitor is leaking, some of the DC current will be running to the circuits, thus rendering the capacitor useless. A leaky capacitor is likely the result of a bad cap on the capacitor. You can test the unit with a multimeter, which is a handheld electronic device used for testing the output of various circuits and electronic devices.
Things You'll Need
- Electrical wire
Instructions
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1
Wrap electrical wire around the ends of the two wire leads that are attached to the base of the capacitor cap.
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2
Turn on your multimeter and insert the red and black cable leads into the marked ports on the front of the unit.
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3
Use the dial on the multimeter to set it to "DC V" so that the unit reads in volts.
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4
Touch the red lead on the multimeter to the wire lead on the capacitor marked "+."
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5
Touch the black multimeter lead to the capacitor marked "-."
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6
Wait for the meter to produce a reading. If no reading is produced, then the capacitor cap is open and the capacitor will need to be replaced. If a reading is produced but then slowly drops down to nothing, there is a short in the capacitor and it will need to be replaced.
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1
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