So you can actually connect the EVB (Bob Parker) meter to a circuit (disconnected from power) with huge, charged caps and all will be well?
Sure want to up the game? Define "huge" then attach the DE5000 with no input protection and see what happens.
As I've been saying the Bob Parker design is intended for "in circuit" testing even though it doesn't discharge caps for you. The original kit handles ~50V max and Bob says on his website he has not heard of anyone damaging a meter after adding the diode protection mod on the input. You can read about this in the assembly manual.
Protection circuitryLast but not least, the meter needs to be protected against being connected to charged capacitors. This protection is partially provided by back-to-back diodes D3 and D4. If an external DC voltage (ie, a charged capacitor) is connected, one of these diodes conducts and forces non-polarised capacitors C5 and C6 to charge up to that voltage. Additional protection is provided by C7, R12, D5 & D6 which stop excessive
input voltages from damaging transistors Q7 and Q8 in the pulse amplifier circuit.
In particular, diodes D5 & D6 acts as voltage clamps – D5 ensures that the voltage on Q7’s base cannot go above 5.6V, while D6 ensures that this voltage cannot go below -0.6V. Finally, extra “heavy-duty” protection can be added by connecting a pair of back-to-back high-power diodes (not shown on the circuit) between the test terminals.
Heavy-duty protectionTo provide greater protection against connection to charged electrolytics, some kit builders have connected an inverse-parallel pair of 1N5404 (or similar) high-power diodes between the test lead sockets. So if you’re the kind who’s likely to connect the meter to the 120μF input filter capacitor of a 240V-powered switching power supply without checking that it’s been properly discharged, this modification is for you.
Reportedly, this protects the meter quite well, although it can result in the probe tips being blown off by large charged capacitors. The resulting surge current can also damage the charged capacitor and the power diodes themselves. However, without the diodes, the resulting >600A current spike destroys the microcontroller (IC2) and damages C6.
Even if true, the "Testing Capacitors Out of Circuit" section at the bottom of this web page explains the practical reasons why you still may need to desolder and test caps outside the circuit, which is the only way I test ESR with my DE-5000.
We were talking about "in circuit" testing and now you are talking about "out of circuit" testing. In that case the DE5000 is the best tool for the job. It even has a nice short test fixture the TL-21 like it's designed for out of circuit testing.