Electronic Enclosure - Capacitor ESR Tester - Elektor 2002

Electronic Enclosure for an an Elektor ESR Tester/Meter by Flemming Jensen in a project article by Elektor Electronics. I attached the PDF document of the project with PC layouts and circuit in the attached files. Flemming has an update with a newer model that dispenses with the need for an external comparator. The comparator is now inside a PIC microcontroller.IC.

But I like the external LF412 comparator and 4066 IC which utilises the ICL7106 IC. I used a ICL7136 which is lower power consumption IC, but you have to change some component values to suite. Those details are on the ICL7136 pdf datasheet.

I did not want to use a 9V Battery enclosure and rather included a hole for a DC jack so that an external 9V capacitor or 9V Power Supply could be used instead, See pic.

Hope it can assist someone. But I can recommend the ESR (Electronic Series Resistor) Tester has been very useful to me to make sure I am using a low ESR caoacitor which is especially necessary in switching circuits. Usually those 1µF and 2µ2F capacitors which get dried out after some time in some circuits.

Hope its useful to someone. Its not perfect but it fitted my need. The three holes at the bottom are mid one for push button and the two leads either side. Keep them short - about 250mm to 300mm is OK.

The on/off switch I had are slide switches one it is fitted onto the printed PLA tabs which can be touched with a soldering iron turned down to say 200C and melted on once the slide switch is fitted over them.

Update 10 Nov 2023

• Added Enclosure with Graphic on Face of Enclosure
• Graphic on Facia addition is a Subtractive Extrusion (Seems to print better)