Project

An In- Circuit
Component Tester
Simple oscilloscope accessory speeds up in- circuit
testing of resistors, capacitors, inductors, and
transistor and diode junctions

By William R. Hoffman
F1 R1
4. Horizontal
T1 330 - input

Designing and building elec-

tronic circuits is both chal- 117Vac
II
lenging and fun to do.
However, when a circuit or piece of
equipment attached to it suddenly
Vertical
fails to function, troubleshooting it CUT input
can be anything but fun. This is espe-
cially so if the circuit is complex and
o
I
nothing has obviously happened to Fig. 1. Overall schematic diagram of In- Circuit Component Tester.
give a hint of the problem's cause. In
some cases, the troubleshooting pro-
cedure may require that the compo-
nents in the circuit be individually "in-circuit" tester, it can be used to PARTS LIST
tested. This is a very lengthy and test individual components out -of- F1 -V,,6-ampere, 250 volt fuse
frustrating job, and the components circuit as well. I1 -Panel-mount 117 -volt ac neon -
can be damaged if they must be re- lamp assembly with built -in limiting
moved from the circuit for testing. resistor
An obvious solution to the dilem- About the Circuit R1- 330-ohm, 'A -watt, 5% tolerance
resistor
ma is to use some kind of tester that The schematic diagram of the In-
R2- 1,000 -ohm, '/ -watt, 5% tolerance
allows the components to be individ- Circuit Component Tester accessory resistor (see text)
ually tested without removing them is shown in Fig. 1. This is simply a R3 -150 -ohm, 1/4-watt, 5 % tolerance
from the circuit. Fortunately, such bridge -type circuit that supplies a resistor
test equipment does, indeed, exist. test signal of about 2.5 volts ac rms at T1 -6.3 -volt power transformer
Presented here, for example, is a 60 Hz to the component under test Misc. -Small metal box; terminal strips
simple accessory device you use with (CUT). This signal allows you to (2); fuse holder; ac line cord with
any oscilloscope that has X -Y capa- make a comparison between the plug; output cables with connectors
bility. With the In- Circuit Compo- component being tested and a refer- to match scope inputs; test leads; ma-
nent Tester to be described, you will ence known good component. chine hardware; hookup wire; sol-
be able to generate a recognizable Shown in Fig. 2 are some of the der; etc.
trace pattern on the scope's CRT for typical trace patterns that can be dis-
each common type of component. played on the scope CRT being used which is a consequence of the inter-
The displayed pattern can show with the In- Circuit Component Test- nal voltage-current phase shifts of
when a component is open or short- er. Note here that with good compo- these components. Also, any normal
ed, as well as when it is functioning nents, both a capacitor and an induc- semiconductor (diode or transistor)
properly. Though this is called an tor will produce a loop in the trace, junction will generate a trace that is

30 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / April 1987 Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics

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flat horizontally and rises to the right the circuit's schematic diagram as
or left, depending on the polarity of you perform the individual tests, you
the test leads. Because it has no reac- will see that the component being
tance, a resistor will produce only a checked is properly connected with
straight diagonal line. The angle of the other circuit elements.
the line (and the loop if any) generat-
ed depends on the value of the induc- Construction
tor, capacitor or resistor being tested. (A) CAPACITOR (B) INDUCTOR
Because of the Tester's simple cir-
Feel free to experiment with the cuitry, printed- circuit or other types
value of R2 in this Tester, or have re- of board wiring is unnecessary. The
sistors with different values between prototype for this project was built
which you can switch as desired. As a in a small metal box. All components
general rule, increasing the value of were mounted on two terminal
R2 will make measuring of small strips. If you prefer, you can build
values of inductance and capacitance the circuit into a spare corner of your
(C) RESISTOR (D) SEMICONDUCTOR
much easier to perform. Conversely, JUNCTION oscilloscope, assuming there is
decreasing the value of R2 permits enough room for it, for the ultimate
more accurate testing of large -value Fig. 2. Typical scope displays ob- in compactness and neatness.
electrolytic capacitors and large - tained for the most common circuit If you mount the Tester circuit in-
value inductors. components. Traces shown are for side a separate metal box, be sure to
With the value of R2 set to 1,000 line the entry hole for the ac line cord
good components. Departures from
ohms, the capabilities of the Tester these indicate that the component with a rubber grommet. Otherwise,
are substantial. Some of the compo- the sharp edges of the hole can cut
being tested is defective.
nent types and values you can test in- through the cord's insulation and
clude: create a hazardous condition.
*Capacitors over a range of values
from about 0.05 to 200 microfarads.
By raising R2's value to 10,000 shaft from stop to stop. As you do Using the Tester
ohms, the range of values that can be this, the diagonal -line trace should Plug the In- Circuit Component Test-
checked changes to about 5,000 pico- vary very smoothly over a range of er's line cord into an ac receptacle
farads to 20 microfarads. This is angles to horizontal at minimum re- and connect the test cables to the
enough of a range to check most ca- sistance. If the trace jumps around as scope's vertical and horizontal in-
pacitors in modern solid-state cir- the control shaft is rotated, the pot's puts. With a 1,000 -ohm resistor con-
cuits. The CRT display for a good wiper contact or resistive element is nected across the CUT terminals, ad-
capacitor is shown in Fig . 2(A). dirty or bad. just scope sensitivity and trace posi-
Inductors (and transformer Semiconductor Junctions of any tioning so that the CRT displays a
windings) can be tested over a range good diode, transistor or JFET will flat diagonal line centered on the
of about 200 microhenries to 2 hen- cause the distinctive trace shown in zero axes of the X and Y graticule
ries, which covers just about any in- Fig. 2(D) to be displayed. If a junc- lines. This trace should slope upward
ductance you are likely to encounter tion is shorted or open, only a hori- from lower -left to upper- right, as in
in today's circuits, including the zontal or vertical line will result. Fig. 2(C). You can now proceed with
values of power filters. The CRT dis- If any component being tested is using the Tester. No other calibra-
play for a good inductor is shown in short- circuited, the scope trace will tion or adjustment is needed.
Fig. 2(B). simply be a flat horizontal line. Once you become familiar with
Resistors display a straight diag- Should a component become open - the Tester, it will become obvious
onal line whose angle is a function of circuited, a straight vertical line will why so many professionals and hob-
resistance, as shown in Fig. 2(C). be displayed. Bear in mind, too, that byists have come to rely so heavily on
This line's angle will vary from hori- since most circuits have components it for speedy troubleshooting. In
zontal at 10 ohms or less to vertical at that are in parallel with other compo- complex circuits, some users have re-
about 100,000 ohms. Potentiometers nents, you can obtain a scope display ported as much as a 90% reduction
can be tested by connecting the Test- that is a combination of the traces in troubleshooting time! Now you,
er's probes to either outer and the shown in Fig. 2 during testing. By too, can take advantage of this pow-
center lug and varying the control following your troubleshooting on erful, simple troubleshooting tool.

Say You Saw It In Modern Electronics April 1987 / MODERN ELECTRONICS / 31

www.americanradiohistory.com