Identifying capacitors after PCB install

[halfmoonmissing]

Hi all,

I have been trying to teach myself about electronics and soldering. I purchased and have been populating an Amiga 500+ board with all the relevant resistors and capacitors.

I think I had a mistake mixing up capacitors values in the wrong locations. The writing is too tiny for me to see and even using my phone on its highest magnification I can't see what is written.

I tried capacitance using a multimeter (looked at the booklet) but it does not return anything. Can I please get advise as to how I can determine what mf or pf is where and/or what I am doing wrong with my multimeter?

Really stuck now and so would take any advice. Thank you.

 

[ataradov]

Get a real magnifier glass. I have not seen components that had writing on them, yet it was so small to be unreadable.

Something like this https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803106558732.html works very well for reading small text.

Measuring in-circuit would always be error-prone. And if you are going to replace them, then it is easier to just throw them away and replace with the new ones with known values.

[floobydust]

I always take pictures of a board before replacing electrolytic capacitors. Search for "Amiga 500+ capacitors" and there are board pictures out there that can help, i.e. https://www.tsb.space/bl0g/upgrade-amiga-500-rev-8a-board-to-amiga-500/
Don't put in cheap new ones, don't put them in backwards, and I mark the top with a red felt pen to show I've checked the value and polarity.

[halfmoonmissing]

Thank you mate. They are the little small ones I am having trouble seeing. On the BOM they are 'Ceramic Capacitor - Axial' with values such as 22pF, 47pF,10nF,100nF.

I went to put in the last of the 100nF but there was already a capacitor where it should have gone. It may not be the only one I have messed up either. That was why I was trying to measure them with the multimeter hoping there was an easy way.

With my bad eyes they all look the same and the writing is too small or on the bottom of the soldered part 

[807]

Some multimeters are not good for measuring low value capacitors in the pF ranges.

You might need a dedicated capacitance meter.

I use a X10 eye loupe under a good light to read smd markings.