| Electronics > Repair |
| HP34401A: Just bought one. Do I need to change the caps? |
| (1/5) > >> |
| sianturi:
Howdy, I just bought an old HP34401A multimeter. The selftest passed, and all seems okay. Do I have to change the electrolytic caps? Thanks, Edwin |
| SeanB:
Simple answer is YES. Would you buy a used car, just get in and drive away without inspecting the oil, fuel, tyres and such, expecting it to drive for 100 000km without any looking further? |
| HighVoltage:
I have repaired many 34401A meters and have never seen a bad electrolytic cap in one of them. But I have seen lots of failed Tantalum caps in broken 34401A meters. On the other side, I have older and newer models in the lab and normally they don't fail. I would not install any new caps, if the meter does not show any problems. This meter does not have the typical electrolytic caps problem. |
| sianturi:
Okay thx guys! I will probably open the multimeter to inspect visually the electrolytic caps. |
| Kleinstein:
If this meter is not one known for failing because of leaking caps (e.g. like the Keithly 2000), I would not change them. With a good thermal design, godd quality and in a linear supply the caps don't age that much. Visual inspection should be good enough for the next 10 years. |
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