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Honda Service Tester capacitor/condenser tester voltage?

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Sesman:
I read your posts with great interest Ash, but it’s a very niche subject and probably why you received a good response from the radio folks. I’ll wager your DC testing of capacitors/ condensers is of interest to the majority on the forum, especially your comparative testing on OEM and aftermarket items. Original capacitors are so expensive, ridiculously so and any effort to find a serviceable and economic alternative is deeply appreciated. As for dv/dt, mean voltage, peak voltage, ripple, temperature, farrads, di/dt, construction, dielectric properties etc it’s a new language to some. Keep it coming as I for one need the educational insights.

Bryanj:
Ash, the points and condensers i bought were a job lot from Hy Level by a dealer friend who made a very small percent on my order and it was probably 20yrs ago so i hoe they are daichi originals.
I did get both sets of Honda points labled as 400 four in Honda blister packs for £6 each on a stall at a car show. Kept schtum and walked away smiling

cbxman:

--- Quote from: AshimotoK0 on November 17, 2021, 09:23:04 AM ---Got an absolutely fantastic response from the VintageRadio forum on this topic.

Not so much on here though, which is a bit disappointing.
 
Not particularly having a rant but it seems we get pages and pages of posts on here on  the differences between Honda  candy gold paint finishes, so I am beginning to wonder why I bother posting this tech stuffas there seems to be very little discussion.

Anyway, moving on,  I bought a high voltage  insulation tester to 'weed' out condensers , before I build a pukka JIS spec.  tester.

Interestingly, I took a dual capacitor from a Honda twin and a NOS similar one.
Testing the capacitor at elevated temperature, akin to what you get in service, the capacitance was bang on the correct value given by Honda on both the old and the NOS parts.

Also testing the the insulation firstly at 250v, then 500v, then 1000v,  on a single 'static'  test, the insulation was fine on both the used one (Genuine part .. taken from a 1973 bike) and on the NOS one. I also tested a NOS electronic component 'wire ended' one of similar capacitance and voltage spec.

However, there is a 'continuous' test mode on the new tester I bought and when tested on this function (it repeatedly applies the voltage), the used one started displaying a value of a couple of megOhms leakage, whereas the NOS part and the 'reference' capacitor didn't.

So I guess the used condenser is leaky, dynamically and explains why the owner of the bike was reporting excessive arcing at the points, even though on a static test the capacitor tested out fine.

My next 'experiment' is to dig out a brand new Daiichi pattern one and put it through it's paces. This brand has a very bad press but is the pattern part sold by lot's of reputable parts suppliers including David Silvers.

--- End quote ---

Ash, Don't be disappointed,

There must be many of us who like to see endeavours like yours.  I'm a retired BT electronics designer/tester and also a lapsed radio amateur, so please go ahead and entertain us.  I love that sort of thing.  Keep it coming.

Cheers,
Jerry

AshimotoK0:
Thanks for comments and PM's all. .. that's encouraging.

I found a newish looking points/condenser assembly in my stash of parts and it looks like the points and condensers are all  Daiichi. Stamped 'Made in Japan'

I tested the condensers both statically and continuously and perfect results. All of the NOS Denso condensers I have tested so far are OK too. The only used one I have tested so far turned out to be leaky but it's 48 years old, so understandable I suppose.

I will go through my entire stock of used and NOS condensers and see how they all  fare.

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SteveD CB500K0:
I was down an internet rabbit hole the other day and came across a guy that reviewed vintage hifi loudspeakers.

Typically 70s/80s stuff.

He always comments on the state of any crossover circuitry and reviews the speakers as-found before refurbing the filters and retesting. His comments on 50-year-old capacitors are entertaining.


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