Table of Contentt

SECTION 1 GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 INTRODUCTION
1.2 INSTALliNG THE BAlTERV
1.3 PREDICTING BATTERY FAILURE.
1.4 USING THE OPTIONAL AC BATTERY ADAPTOR (DAETRON MODEL PS100)
1.5 ACCESSORIES INCLUDED
1.8 GETT1NG STARTED
1.7 ENTERING IN INFORMATION ON THE KEYPAD
SECTION 2 GENERAL OPERAT10N
2.1 MEASURING CAPACITANCE
2.2 USING THE FUNCTION HOLD KEY

2.3 ENTERING A ZERO VALUE FROM THE KEYPAD

:.

2.4 MANUAL RANGE OPERATION

2.5 MEASURING LEAKAGE
2.8 SORTING CAPACITORS

2
3
3
3

6
8
1
7
1
8
9

2.7 CABLE MEASUREMENTS

2.8 DIELECTRIC ABSORPTION
2.9 COMPONENT TESTS
2.10 TESTING POSITNE AND NEGATIVE 3 PINNED VOLTAGE REGULATORS
2.11 ZENER DIODES AND RECT\FIE
SECTION 3 OPERATING CONSIDERATIONS AND APPUCATION NOTES
3.1 FREEZtNG THE DISPLAY WITH THE 'HOLD/FUNCTION' KEY
3.2 ZEROING THE MC400
3.3 MANUAL RANGE
3.4 LEAKAGE, INSULATION RESISTANCE, CURRENT
3.6 ACCURACY AND RANGE OF LEAKAGE MEASUREMENT
3.6 SORTING CAPACITORS (ALSO SEE 3.9)
3.7 CABLE MEASUREMENTS
3.8 LOCATING BREAKS IN CABLES
3. 9 DIELECTRIC ABSORPTION (DA)
3.1 0 ZENER DIODES AND RECTIFIERS

11

12
13
17
1S

19
19
19

20
21

23

24
25
27

28
30

3.11 ZENER DIODES

3.141 RECT1AERS
3.16 ANALVZING AND TESTING SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS

3.16 VOLTAGE REGULATORS

3.17 POWER
3.18 TIPS ON SAVING POWER

SECTION 41 SECTION 41 MAINTENANCE AND CALIBRATION

4.1 CAUBRATION
4.2 ZENER DIODE CAUBRATION
4.3 MAINTENANCE INPUT PROTECTION
4.-f IF YOUR INSTRUMENT STOPS WORKING FUSE REPLACEMENT
SECTION 6 SPECIFICATIONS
SECTION 8 WARRANTY

30

32

32
35
36
36
37
37

39

39
39

SECTION 1 GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 INTRODUCTION
The Oaetron model MC400 Ia a compact hand held <4 digit LCD Component
Analyaer/Capacltance Meter capable of measuring over the full range of 0.1 pF to 1 FARAD (999.9
mF), In completely autoranglng or manual mode a. this instrument incorporates ao many foaturea
that the user Is well advised to read and understand this manual thoroughly so as to avotd any
misunderstandings about how the unit works. Complex procedures InvolVing certa!n features couid
lead an unwary user to think the unit 1s not woriOng properly.
The ba#lc method of measuring capacitance rnvotves the use of charging and discharging the
capacitor while counting the time of this cycle. the cycle time Is converted to display a value Which
Is equivalent to the value of the capacitor under test. the microprocessor controlling the circuitry
senses when the vaJue of any capacitor Ja over ranged for that value and switches to the next hagher
range roalator.
Component analysing Is carrted out by scanning any component mounted In the top 3 recep
tacles of the transistor socket and monitoring the behavior of the voltage outputs that these
components produce. For operating the component analyser at 118 optimum level see the sec
tJon on the AC adaptor.

PAGE 1

1.2 INSTAU.JNG THE BATTERY

To lntt&ll a bdery mw aure 1he power awttch Ia In the off poaiUon. Slide off 1he back cover
and cUI) the 8 \IOit battary to the baletY clip and lnaert It bealde the apate fu .. holder. SUde the
ewer back on. Nwttya uae an alkaline bdery aa thia Will laat a lot longer than regular Zinc carbon
or heavy duty bdertea. If ualng a ni CAD battery, the ability to read zener dlodea or anallze com
ponenta or read leakage wtll be Impaired as It has a slightly lower \IOitage.
When the battery geta too low the dlaplay will read the word 'b.Atl" and no olher functioni will
be avaiaabie.

rT IS IMPORTANT THAT A GOOD QUAU1Y BATrERY BE INSTALLED AS THE WARRANTY

IS VOlD If THE UNJT IS DAMAGED BY A LEAKY BATrERY.
1.3 PREDICTING BATTERY FAILURE.
The MC400 uaea an UNegulated 25 \IOit aource c:senvec:s from muiUplytng the battery \IOitage
for tenng zener dlodea, leaky capacltora and anaJyalng components. Since thla \IOitage Ia unregu
lated It giVes a preuy good Idea on the condruon of the battery. A fresh ballery will create a multi
plied \IOitage of approximately 20 to 22 \IOita. A weak battery from 13 to 15 \lOtta. By monitoring
thta voltage ballery failure can be predicted at the bataery age a. to uae thla feawre the aection
on Zener dlodea but don't &nata.ll any dlodea.
PAGE2

1.4 USJNG THE OPTIONAL AC 8AlTERY ADAPTOR (DAETRON MODEL PS1 00)
Thia option Ia highly recommendttd as thtt compont~nt analyser will not work at its full o~
timum level When being run on batteries only. th.lt I~ to say that any components cannot bet
Matyzod u tho baUory degrade With ago. Whonwer a function thai uses tho high voltage on
the MC400 11 actrvated It drawa a lot of current It Is highly recommended that any arne these
functiona are used, the AC adaptor 1~ tnstcllied or elsu the life oi the battery wtll be greatly
reduced. Read the following procedure very careiully. Insert the plug of the adaptor into the
MC400 jacK on the top of tho unit next insert the adaptor into tho AC ouuet. Failure to uae thla
procedure may result In damage to th., AC adaptor. Also using an AC adaptor wUI a.llow a higher
voltage Zener diodes to be read. (Max. of 25 .5 VDC) . tne MC400'a one year warranty Is voided
on airf unna operaung on any other thCAn the DAETRON PS100 or a unit tnaJ has been approved
byDACTRON.
1.5 ACCESSORIES INCLUDED
Three teat leada are Included for use with both the capacitOr locket and tran1iator locket In
both caaea the 1ead1 are generally used tor use with hard to connect part1. the leadl are a pin plug
auembly with alliga1or clips designea to be inserted in any socket type receptacle. the lnsertlon
Into the trana11tor socket may bi a bit ~tiff .J firat but w.u graduaJiy eaae up aa the unit becomea

broken in.
PAGE 3

1.6 GElTING STARTED

Oetpite lt't complicated looking appearance the MO.OO It very euy to ute When Initially
chcking capacitors. th uni11t read)l to teat capacitor when the power awttch It turned on. Before
placing the capacitor In the capacitor aocket make aure to dlacharge the capacitor. the capacitor
lOCket + and receptacle have a large wauage retlator connected to nWhen the power twitch
It In the otr potltion. So If your not ture Whether your capacitor It dltcharged, make ture to
ahort the leada or lnaert the unit Into the aocket When the power awttch It In the 'off' potiUon. Alto
obaerve 'p olarity When connecting polartzed capacitors.
M you can aee there Ia no zero potentiometer. the MC400 will automatically zero any
capacitance up to about 150 pF at the Input terminal When Initially turned on. So If you want to
meuure tmaJI value capacltort make aure to remove them before powenng up. When reading
capacitors In the pF range alwayl manually zero the MC400 before each reading by pre~tlng the
RED zero key.
Becauae the unit Ia fully autoranglng there Ia no need to select any particular range u thlt
Ia done automallcaJiy. there It a manual capability that will aetect a particular range. See MANUAL
RANGING The Me-tOO alto hu atandard banana Jacka If the uaer withe~ to uae longer leada. the
unit It tupplled with 3 amaJI type leada tultable for capacttancea u deacnbed In aecUon 1.5.
Never apply a voltage to the teat jackt or aocket, aa damage may occur even though It Ia
fuae protected.

PAGE ..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --

When there It no capacitance to be read the ditplay wlllthow ellher 000.0 or 000. tf the
uaer 111ea to n.ad a capacitor and gets a mlnua dlaplay or a n.adlng then remove the capacitor and
preu the 'wh.lte' ZERO key (aee zeroing the MC400).
When taking general readings always make sure to wait a few aeconda for the readlnga to
atablllze u the capacitor may have been lnaerted Into the middle of a convertlon. ~~ Ia 11pecial
ly true when operating any of the varloua featurea of the MC400. On aome feature a alight drtftlng
might cause exaggerated drltung When that particular feature ia activated due to the rounding and
truncaang of dala during caacuialiona.
The uaer ahould be aware that any type of capacitor (ceramic, electrol)1ic, paper, etc.)
can cau.e marginal, drifting or lnconalatant readings If the capacnor Ia not performing to Ita rated
capablltty. even many good capacitors will dlaplay different readlnga Within a few minutes time.
Capacitance will alao vary with applied voltage as well as length of time under that voltage, and
temperature (unleu It It an extremely atable type like a NPO or COG type).
When meaauring capacitors between 100 and 10, ooo uF aomeumea the dlaplay will nash
'OUER' for awhile until enough conversions have been accumulated to display a counl This doea
not neceuartly mean that the capacitor is overranged. Be patience when meaauring theae large
capacitors as the MetOO ltlaldng meaaurementa and a valid count wm be dlaplayed eventually. A
180,000 uF capacitor for example will take approximately 40 aeconda before a display Ia available.
Larger capacitors taKe corresponding~ larger times. When reading capacitors In the pF range,
use a batlely for beat reaurta u an AC adaptor may cauae drifting eapecl&lly with very 1maU valuea.

PAGES

1.7 ENTERING IN INFORMATION ON THE KEYPAD

When preuln~

any key on the keyboard all of the LED lamp Will flu.h and the beeper will

aound (on moat kay entrtea) to Indicate a valid kay entry. the mlcroproceaaor poUa the keyboard
In between conver tiona. therefore the uter mutt be patient when trying to activate any feature

e.peclally when a large value capacnor It being read, u during thai charge or dltcharge period
the keyboard It lnacceuable. So make ture to keep your finger on the key for a ltule While unUI
the Leb't fluh. There are some tymbolt on the keyboard that are not uUllzed u they are reterved
for compatlbUity wtth future model.
AnyUme numerical Information With decimal polnb It being entered, the dltplay may or may
not dltpl~ the Initial decimal point on the right of the LSD. Some of the LCD dlapl~ that are in
dalled on the MC400 do not have the O.P. while othen may have. thlt depend on the general
avallabUily of the varioua brand of LCO di1playt available during production runt. If the O.P.
doetn't appear lntUaJiy then It will appear at lhe 2nd LSD If another number 11 entered ln.

[8.8.8.8.]

,-, ,-, B' B

0.0. .
PAGE6

SEcnON 2 GENERAL OPERATION

2.1 MEASURING CAPACITANCE

1. Discharge capacitor by shorting leads together.

2. Remove any capacitor from the capacitor socket and tum the untt on.
3.
the red zero key.
4. lnaert lhe capacitor Into lhe capacitor socket
6. Read the value from the dltplay and the electrical unit from on of the leD larnpa In pF, nF.

Pre

uFor mF.

2.2 USING THE FUNCTION HOLD KEY

Uaed for freezJng the dlaplay even If the capacitor It removed.
Preuthe white HOLD key once to freeze the dltplay and agaJn to releue the dlaplay.
not available In OA, Zener and Component modea.

2.3 ENTERING A ZERO VALUE FROM THE KEYPAD

1. Enter the value directly on the keypad by prettlng arry of the numerical red keyt.
2. Preu the red zero key.
3. Preta ehher the grey pF, nF, or uF keya.
PAGE7

Maximum value It 100 uF.

All ubsequent entrtet wtll add themaetve to Whatever zero value Ia already entered ln.
2.4 MANUAL RANQE OPERATION

1. Prell the White FUNCTION key.

2. Pre the green MANUAL key.
3. Prttt any green range keyt to obtain 1he dealred range.
-4. to terminate pre the white FUnCUOn key.
- 5. and then the green manuaJ key.
OVerrange Ia Indicated by the dltplay showing OUEr.
2.5 MEASURING LEAKAGE

1. Select the proper output teat voltage by preulng the red LEAKAGE key.
The dltplay will ahow AdJt for adjut voltage.
2. Preas either the number 1 key for approx. 22 to 25 volts, the number 2 key for approx. 10
to 12 volts or the number 3 key for approx. 6 to 8 vona DC.
The dlaplay Will show the selected voltage.
(NOTE: the vottag will vary wl'th babry condltiona).
-4. Preaa the white FUNCTION key When 1he dlaplayed voltage Ia 1he dealred level.
The dlaplay will ahow teSt
PAGES

5. lnaert 2 leada Into the zener anode and cathode aocketa of the tranalator aocketa.
6. Connect the capacitor With the alligator clipa while obaervtng pofartty If any (Anode Ia ground,
cathode Ia + ).
7. Preu the teSt key and allow the capacitor to charge unUI It come a to real
8. If the capacitor I not leaky It will read none ~ Indicate no leakage.
9. If the capacitor Ia leaky then the dlaplay wtlllndlcate thla
leakage In micro -ampa.
WARNING UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD THE CAPACITOR BE ALLOWED TO
DISCHARGE OR ACCIDENTALLY SHORT UNDER THESE CONOmONS. THE OUTPUT VOLT
AGE FROM THE ZENER TEST SOCKET IS NOT FUSED PROTECTED AND ANY DISCHARGE
FROM A CAPACITOR WILL CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE UNIT. FOR FURTHER SAFElY
NOTES SEE-4.6

10. Remove the capacitor.

11. Prett LEAKAGE to dlaplay test

12. The unit Ia now ready to accept another capacitor If the rated voltage Ia within range of the

aelected voltage.
13. To terminate preu FUNCTION twice.

PAGE9

2.8 SORTING CAPACITORS

A Emenng In tow and high tetpolntt.
Alwlflt enter the aetpolnta whlle In the normal reading mode or tal.. readlnga m.v occur.
There are 2 melhOdt Of entenng ' " aetpolnta.

Ant me1hod:
1. enter the tetpo6nt value by preulng the numer~al red keyt on the keypad.
2. Pratt 1he grey SEETPOINT key once for the low telpoklt or twice for the high tetpolnt.
3. Pritt edher the grey pF, nF or uF key.
Second method:
1. eneer the ..tpolnt vaaue by placing a Capacitor Into the capacitor tockel
2. Prell 1he White FUNCTION key.
3. Preat1he white SORT DISP. ENTRY key.
4. PrNt the red number 1 for 1he flrat telpolnt OR the red number 2 for the tecond tetpolnt.

B. Sort mode.
1. Pritt the red SORT key once for the HIGHIGOOO/LOW aorang mode.
2. The ditplay will thow HJGH If Ill value It above the high tetpolnt. the ditplay wUI ahow
GOOD If the valUe It betwMn the high and low tetpolntl. the ditplay wtJI thow LOW Wthe Value It
beloW 1he lOW ..tpOinl

PAGE 10

Pr

3.
the red SORT key again to activate the % deviation mode. If the value le above the
high aetpolnt the dlaplay wtH Indicate the % devtdon above the high aetpoinl If the value Ia be
tween the high and low aetpolnta the display will Indicate GOOD. If the value 11 below the low setpoint the dltplay Will Indicate the % deviation below that aetpolnt
4.
the SORT key again to terminate the aort mode.
During the %deviation mode ome values may be so far off tolerance that the dl1play will revert
to 1howtng OUER or LOW or HIGH.
8oth ae1polnta muat be entered In for this feature to work properly.
If tortklg It to commence after cable or Ume conttant meaaurementa have been done and/or
the 2 tetpolnta have not been entered In, then the torUng mode will ute Whatever values are present
for the cable or Ume conttant modet aa the tame memory 11 uted for both and no error lndlcaUon wtll be dltplayed.

Pre

2.7 CABLE MEASUREMENTS

There are 2 methods of entering the value per unit length.
Ant method:
1. Ptace a 1 foot or 1 metre sample at the capacnor socket
2. Preu the white FUNCTION key.
3. Prell the wMe CAPIUNIT DISP. ENTRY key. the .ample hal now b"n entered ln.
Second method:

PAGE 11

1. Enter In a value by Immediately prettlng the red numerical keyt.

2. Pre the grey Feel/METRES.
3. Prell the grey key Indicating pF.
Meuurlng Cable
For menl/k1tometret.
1. Prell the White function key.
For feet/miles:
2. Prett the red CABLE key.
3. The dltplay Will Indicate feet (or metre If wu preued).
the unit wtll automatically convert to mllet or kilometres when those thretholdt are reached.
4. All LEO lamps Will light up to Indicate mllea or kilometre.

2.8 DIELECTRIC ABSORP'TlON

1. Place capacitor In capacitor socket

2. Preat the White FUnCtiOn key.
3. Preu the White OA key.
4. The dltplay Will now show the symbol OA and ia ready to actiVate.
s. Preu1he White OAkey and the unit Will now cycle through oaK, dlt Charge, and float perloda

and dlaplay a ratio of aoakage to recovery voltage u a percentage.

6. Dur1ng these perlodt the word u.AII" for wan Will be dlaplayed.
PAGE12

7. Prett the function key twice to terminate the DA

mode.
2.9 COMPONENT TESTS

1. To tett unknown bipolar trantlttora, FETt, tr1acs,

SCRt, UJTa, PUTa (no darllngtona).
1.1 lnatall the AC adaptor.
1.2 Prett the "Whlto' FUNCTION key.
1.3 Prett the "White' COMP key.
The dltplay wtll now ahow the word COM.
1.-4 Place the unknown component In the top 3 receptaclet of the
trantlttor ockel
1.5 Preta the "Whlto' teSt key.
The untt will now try to analyZe the component
1.61f the dlaplay ahowt the word 'bAd' remow the component and
rotate tt Into another configuration.
NOTE: Any 3 pinned component has a total of tlx WBf!Jt to place n In the top 3 receptacles.
Keep changing the components configuration until a dltplay other than bad thowa up.
1.8 Preu the "White' test key aga.ln until the c:Uaplay ahowt one of lie following symbola In
dlcdng the type of device under toft
PAGE 13

bipolar PnP trantlttor

bipolar nPn trantltor

PnP
nPn

m eP

MOSFet P channel enhancement tran~lstor

m dP
m en
m dn
FeP
FdP
Fen
Fdn
scr
trAC
W

MOSFet P channel depletion trantlator

MOSFet n channel enhancement trantlttor
MOSFet n channel depletion trantlttor
Fet P channel enhancement trantlttor
-Fet P channel depletion trantlttor
Fet n channel enhancement trantlttor
Fet n channel depletion trantlttor
tlllcon controlled rectifier
-triac
unljuncUon trantlttor
PUt
-programmable unljunctlon tranalttor
1.7 Preulng test again wtU Indicate the pin configuration by following the white arrovn from
the top 3 receptacles of the trantl8tor tockel
For bipolar trantiator typea the following letters are used to Identify the plna.
e

-emitter
PAGE 14

C
b

collector
bate

example, ebC lndlcatea the left hand pin Ia the emitter, the
middle pin Ia the bue, and the right hand pin Ia the collector.
For FET tranalltor type. and Trlaca the following letter. are uaed to
IdentifY the plna:
G

=gate

=aource or drain or MT1

or MT2

example, G Indicates the left hand pin Ia the gate, the middle pin It either aource or drain
MT1 or MT2 and the right hand pin It alao either the tource or the drain or MT1 or MT2.
In aome cuea (usually MOSFets) the drain and aource can be ldenUfled.
d
= drain
S
tource

PAGE 15

01

For SCR the following leUert are ued to Identify the

re.peettve pint:
G

=gat8

=anode
=cathode

example, CAG Indicate the left hand pin It the cathode, the
middle pin Ia the anode and the r1ght hand pin I the gate.
othr components uae various combination of the above tymbola to indicate thlr pinnouta.
ex. ebb Indicates emitter, base, baae on a wt
1. 8 A component mutt be conaldered ldenUflable and good tf any 2 of 6 configurations ahowt
matching reJultl'. For example a component may ahow 4 "bad conflgurauona and the 2 remainIng configurations IdentifYing It as a PnP transistor or all configuration thowtng It as a PnP. Leu
than 2 of 6 Indicates a marginal or suapect component A non -matching result howt a different
resutt for anymore than 1 configuration. For example, one configuration may ahow nPn and another
may ahow PnP for the same component

PAGE 16

2.10 TE6nNG POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE 3 PINNED VOLTAGE REGULATORS

2.1 Prett the "White" FUNCTION key.

2.2 Preu the "White" Reg key.
Tho dltplay wm thow the word "Preg for poaltlve voltage regulator..
2.3 Place the poalttve voltage regulator wtth the Input pin In the left hand

receptacle, the ground pin ln the bottom receptacle, and the output pin In the
right hand receptacle.
2.-4 Preu the test key and the dlaplay will ahow the voltage that the
regulator Ia outputting.
2.5 Preu the teSt key again and the display will revert to the "Preg
diaplay.
2.7 Preu the "White' FUNCTION key to go back to reading capacitance.
2.6 For negative regulatora follow the above procedure but pre the Reg key
twice.
The ditplay will ahow the word nreg to Indicate negatiVe regulatora.
2. 3 Ptace the negatiVe voltage regulator With the Input pin In the bolom receptacle, the ground
pin In the top receptacle, and the output pin In the right hand receptacle.
2.<4 Preu the teSt key and the dlaplay will ahow the voltage that the
regulator It out-putting.
2.5 Preu the test key again and the dlaplay Will revert to the nreg dltplay.
PAGE 17

2. 7 Conunualty pre..ing the Reg key wm toggle between the potltive and negative mode and
preulng the FUNCTION twice key will go back to reading capacitance.
NOTE: Thla test Ia for low powered voltage regulator with low quleacent currenta Of 2 mA or

1888.

2.11 ZENER DIODES AND RECTIAER

1. Pre88 the White FUNCTION key.

2. Pre the white Zener key.

3. the dlaplay wtll now read ZENR and the aocket Ia ready to accept a rectifier or zener diode.
4. Ptace the diode In the tranal8tor ocket marked With the zener diode aymbol obaeNtng

the proper polarity. If the diode Ia a non zener type then reverse the polarity.
S. Pre88 the white teSt key.
a. Read the voltage from the dlaplay.
7. Pre.. teSt again and the dltplay return to ZenR and It ready to accept another diode.
8. To terminate pre.. the white FUNCTION key twice.

PAGE 18

SECTJON 3 OPERATING CONSIDERATIONS AND APPUCATION NOTES

3.1 FREEZING THE DISPLAY WITH THE 'HOLD/FUNCTION' KEY

The ditplay can be frozen When reading capacttort on most of the features that are acUvated.
to do thla preaa the 'White' FUNCTIONIHOLD key and the dlaplay wtU freeze. thla meana that the
capacitor can be removed and the dlaplay Will aUII thow the reading at the time of holding.
The hold can be uaed When reading normal vaJuea, any of the aetpotnt modea,and cable read Ings.

3.2 ZEROING THE MC400

The MC400 can be zeroed by 1 of 3 methoda. The flrtt method It to tlmply tum the unit on and
molt ttray capacitance or other capacitance up to about 150 pF will be zeroed. If tome reldual
capacitance It left then manually zero the unit at described below. caution mutt be obterved If
small value capacitors are to be meuured. AttNit zero the unit manually If the dtaplay doea not
ahow zero When there It no capacitance In the capacitor aocket, at detcr1bed next The aecond
method It to preu the 'red' ZERO button. 1hlt Ia uteful for zeroing the capacitance of long leada
when utlng the banana )ackl. The ZERO key Will zero value a up to 100 uF, thereby being able
to meuure even very tmall valuea with very long leads.
PAGE 19

A third method Ia to enter In a zero value through the keypad. Thl I done prenlng the
'red'numbera and then preuing the ZERO key and then preulng 1 of 3 'grey' key~ 8h0Wing the
electrical unlt:a (pF, nF, uF). Thla method Ia uaeful If It 18 difficult to meuure a 'zero' value at the
capacitor aocket. Do not tn..r In a value greater than 1oo uF.
3.3 MANUAL RANGE

The MctOO aJao haa a 10 range manual capability. to acUvate thla feature preu the 'white'
FUNCTION/HOLD key and then preu the 'green' MANUAL key. the unit wUI now be In 'manual'
mode and wtll generally be In the loweat range (1000.0 pF). To change the range almpty preu
any of the green range keY' all the Wa:-J up to 1, 000.0 mF ( 1 FARAD ). While In the manual range
any kay that haa a 'green' range Indicator on It Will not allow any other function on that kay to be
entered, for example entering number. or aelecting any of the 'white' keyt. To terminate 'manual'
mode, preu the "White' FUNCTION/HOLD key and depren the 'green' MANUAL key.
For maximum accuracy always uae autoranging u It aelecta the moat accurate range.
In no way doet the manual range feature Improve the performance or accuracy or Ume
reapone of the unit. Ita belt purpo.ela learning to compare and dlnngulah, from dtfferent rela
uve electrical units and their relationships.

PAGE 20

3.-4 LEAKAGE, INSULATION RESISTANCE, CURRENT

Equivalent Circuit for Leakage

The MC-400 readt capacitance leakage by charging the capacitor under te.t through a high
retlatance unregulated aource voltage provided by the Zener diode aocket A leaky capacitor Will
cauae loading to occur and the MC-400 converta thia Information to the equivalent current in uA..
the uA LEO Will light up along wtth the mF LEO. the mF LeO It Ut only for necet8ltating Internal
hardware funcuona.

Since thla voltage Ia an unregulated multiplied voltage from the battery It may vary from unl to
unit When uJng the AC adaptor it it approximately 23 to 25.5 volta. With a battery It Will gradual
ly degrade u the battery age. The accuracy will be reduced llghUy u well.
WARNING - Since thlt voltage Ia high realatance It preaenta little danger to the uaer. But when
a large electrolytic capacitor It fully charged by thlt voltage Ita Internal retlatance It much lower
than the MC400'a source voltage. thia may preaent a danger If It It accidentally dlacharged While
IU coooected to the MC400. A large 1,000 uF capacitor with a charge of 26 VOC will pretent quite
a large aplke to the MC400 and may cau88 aenout damage thould It be discharged when con
PAGE 21

neoted to the MC400. So It le quite imperative to avoid dieohatgtng any oapaoltanoe If It le con
nected to the M0400 through the Zener diode socket
In many cuea 25 vottt ft higher then the rated voltage of the capacitor under teal In that caae
the MC400 can provide 3 dtfferant levels of voltages for tasting purposes. the levels are determined
by the condition of the bdery If no AC adaptor Ia ueed. this Ia activated by presalng key number
1, 2 or 3 for approx. 25, 12, or 8 volta reapectlvely, When the dlaplay Ia ahowtng the word ADJt.
After prenlng the FUNCTION key the dltplay ahowa the word test lnaert the leada Into the
zener diode aocket and place the capacitor In the alligator cllpa with the ' + aide of the capacitor
In the right hand tide of the tocket and the ' ' aide In the bottom receptacle of the aocket Pre..
the LEAKAGE key and walt for the capacitor to charge. Large capacltora can take an extremely
long time to charge. When the capacitance aettlea out the word none will Indicate no detectable
leakage. otherwise the dlaplay will ahow the leakage In mlcroampa.
The capacitor may be removed after the uaer It aatlafied that It hat fully charged u long aa It
It done carefully and the capacitor lead a are not accidentally discharged. Another way O.f dlacharg
lng a capacitance Ia to go back Into normal capacitance mode by preaalng the LEAKAGE key ao
that the word teSt Ia displayed. And then press the FUNCTION key twice. thia last procedure Ia
practical only for amall value capacltora u large onea wtll take a long Ume to discharge aince thit
procedure only tuma the voltage off and doea not ahort the capacitor.
To go back Into leakage mode the Whole procedure mutt be done over again.

PAGE 22

----------------------------------------------------- -------------

3.6 ACCURACY AND RANGE OF LEAKAGE MEASUREMENT

The accuracy of the leakage tett la limited by the AID convertor resolution. the wortt accuracy

Ia when the capacitor Ia leaking juat a little bit or Ia approaching ex1rem.-ty low realttance or a ahort

clrcuft. Alao the accuracy decreuea u the teat vottage become lower. Thla Include lower vol

tagea u a reaun of battery aging.

The following Ia a graph approximating the typical accuracy for any given capacitor.

.........

, -

PAGE 23

3.8 SORTJNG CAPACITORS

The MC400 Ia capable of aortlng capacitora In 2 different modea. the different aortlng modea
are aa followa.

1 SORTING IN HIGH/GOOD/UNDER METHOD BY DEANING A DEADBAND

2 SORTING IN %DEVIATION AROUND A USER DEFINED SETPOINT

Before aorting can commence 2 aetpolnt1 muat be choaen. Akwaya enter the aetpolnb While In
the nonnal reading modes or false readlnga may occur. there are two methods of entering In aet
points. If aorting Ia to commence after cable or time co natant measurements have been done and/or
the 2 aetpolnta have not been entered In, then the aortlng mode wtll uae Whatever Values are pre.ent
for the cable or time conttant modoa aa tho aame memory Ia uaed for both and no error Indica
tlon will be dlaplayed. So make aure to enter In the aotpolnta. The range of thla feature Ia llmled to
1 00 uF. If an 80 uF capacitor Ia off tolerance and Ia actually 11 0 uF then the MC400 wtll not detect
that particular Value under thla feature.
To enter in the loW aetpolnt enter the value on the 'red' numbert on the keypad. Preu the 'grey'
SetPOint key once. Preulng the key a aecond time will allow the high aetpolnt to be entered. After
presalng the 'grey' Setp()lnt key once or twice then the electrical unit Ia choaen by preaaing 1 of 3
grey keya marked pF, nF or uF.
The aecond method of entertng In aetpolnta Ia to uae the SORT OISP. ENTRY key. Oepreu the
White FUNCTION and depreas the SORT DISP. ENTRY key and the value currently being dlaplayed
PAGE 2-4

wtll be entered In u a aetpolnl To choae the aetpoint now depreta the 'red' number 1 for the first
..tpoint and number 2 for the 1econd 1etpoinl

The dlapiay will now continue to read normal value. To actiVate the HIGHIGOODILOW aet
point preaa the 'red' SORT key. If the value Is above the high aetpolnt then the dlaplay Will Indicate
'HIGH'. If the value Ia between the high and low setpolnts then the dlaplay Will lndicaie 'GOOD'.
If the value Is below the low setpolnt then the display Will Indicate 'LOW.
To actiVate the %deviation mode preu the 'rea' SORT key again. If the value 11 above the
high aetpolnt the dlaplay will indicate the % deviation above the high tetpolnt. If the value Ia be
tween the high and low aetpointa then the dlaplay Will Indicate 'GOOD'. If the value Ia below the
low aetpoint then the dlaplay Will Indicate the % devtauon below that aetpolnt. If the % devtauon 11
to be aorted about a single aetpoint then almply make the low aetpolnt equal In value to the high
aetpolnt. During the %deviation mOde aome values may be ao far off tolerance that the dlaplay Will
revert to ahowing OVER or LOW or HIGH.
3.7 CABLE MEASUREMENTS
The MC400 can meuure the lengths of cablea up to a theoreacal9,999 miles or kllometrea.
The cable muat have at leaat two or more Wlrea, and be completely uniform In composmon. That
I$ to aaythe cable can't atart off With two wire and then somewhere along the way aeveral other
s1randa are added. The cable must also be open circuited at the end of the cable. If a mumconductor cable Ia meuured, only two of the atrandt need be utilized to meaaure Ita length. Make aure
PAGE 25

the two trand In thi multiconducted cable are u 1hort at potllble and protrude from one of the
end and not a few lnchea from It
The accura~ of the meuurement dependa on the quality of the data up piled to O'le MC400.

The unit calculates the length of the cable under test by dMdlng the value of the capacitance a1
the tennlnalt by the value per untt length tupplled by the operator. The more accurate the value
per untt length It the more accurate the reading Ia. Alao the cable tbetf mutt have a relatively
uniform capacitance over the whole length of the cable. In other worda the quality of the cable If.
ulf u far u the capacitance per untt length 11 concerned, hat an Important contribution to the ac
curacy of the final meuurement For example, In meuurlng a cable that It .f, 000 feet long, the flnt
1,000 feet It 15 pF per foot and the last 3, 000 feet Ia 16 pF per foot. the accuracy wtll obvtoua be
affected no matter what value hu been entered aa the capacitance per unit length. Another factor
affecting accuracy Ia the value of the additional capacitance if the cable Ia meuured rolled up on
a pool, u oppoted to It being atrung out. tf thla capacitance Ia known then It can be nulled out
by entenng thlt value and deprenlng the 'red' ZERO key. The user must also be aware that thlt
value changes If the apool Ia only half filled With the cable that Ia to be meuured.
There are two ways of entering the value per unit leng1h. The flrat It to place a 1 foot or 1 metre
ample at the capacitor aockel If ualng teat lead wtth the banana jackt, make aure to null out the
value of theae tut leads. Preu the FUNCllONIHOLD key and then Preu the 'White' CAPAJNrT
OISP. ENTRY key. the sample hu now been entered ln.
The aecond way to enter In a tample Is to tlmply enter in the capacitance value on the keypad,
pren the 'grey' Feet/METRES key and then the 'grey' key Indicating pF. enter In no more than one
decimal point figures. At thla point It 11 not necenaJY to Indicate Whether you are entering feet or

PAGE 26

metre at thlt It decided later on. now cable meaturementa can be read. Pre the 'red' CABLE
key to read In feet
The MCfOO Will automatically read In feet or miles if the cable Ia over 5,280 feet If the read Ing is In feet the red LED lamps Will not light up. If In miles the LED lamps Will all light up.
To read In meb1c pre" the 'White' FUNCTIONIHOLO key from normal reading mode and then
pre'* the 'red' CABLE key. the dlaplay Will now ahow readlnga In metres or kilometres and Will be
Indicated by the LED lamps being on or off respectively.
To get out of thla mode pre" the CASU: key.
NOTE: the unit cannot toggle back and forth between mile and kilometre. or feet and metres.

3.8 LOCATING BREAKS IN CABLES

one

of the more uaeful appllcalions of the MetOO 11 the ability to locale brew In cablet. A
cable wtth a break In It Will meuure the length up to that break. Meuurtng the length of a broken
buried cable require. a allghtly different technique. There Ia an additional capacitance In a burled
cable, that 11 the capacitance to ground. Because of this the capacitance per unit length Wilt be dlf
ferent If the uaer I fortunate to aJready now thla value then the procedure Ia to connect the un
broken conductor to earth ground and then to the minus terminal of the unit and the other conductor
to the positiVe terminal. Another problem ariaea when the burled cable Ia strung out over many
mllea wtth many junction box wtth the break occurtng between jutt 2 of them. one way Is to cat
cutate the percentage capacitance between thetwo enda becauae 1he capacitance Ia proportionaJ

PAGE 27

to

length. The percemage of capacitance on one end of the eable It the tame ae the percentage

of the length from that end to the break. The length It c;aJulated In the following WBrf.
LENGTH OF BROKEN CABLE
FROM 1ST END
CAPACITANCE
OF 1ST END

TOTAL LENGTH

CAP. OF 1ST END + CAP. OF 2ND END

COAXJAL CABLE
Make aure to connect the ahleld of the cable (braid or outer conductor) to the mlnua aide of
the MC400.

3.9 DIELECTRIC ABSORPTION (DA)

EqUivalent DA Clrcun

.... --M..

PAGE 28
Th "' ....... ..... .,. .,, ... . ..... ...... - .....

... ., .... ., " ... Jf&.. -

--h- - ... . -- .......

"" "--....+. --

uue 10 111e tmema~ teuage ot 1ne Mc.;.tuu ctrcunry e enecuvt range of 1hlt feaiUre It uauauy
from 1 uF and up. Smaller valuea can be measured but a correapondlngly high value of DA wtll
be dlaplayed which Ia uaeful for comparative purpoaes.
Some capac.-ort don"t completely dlacharg unleu they are tt'loned for a wry long Ume. Thlt
ability to remember a vottage It known u dielectric abaorptlon. The effect It the aarne.hu t'lavtng
a aecondary capacitor In tenet with a large realator, parallel to the main capacitor. The Value It
expre..ed a a ratio of the voltage acrou a fully charged capacitor to the voltage aero.. that same
capacitor when It hu b"n dlacharged and left to recover or a certain period of Ume. This Ia the
technique uaed In the MC.OO to meuure DA. The cycle Ia broken down Into three time pertoda.
The first It a pertod of soakage, followed by a discharge pertod and then a recover pertod. To
enter Into the DA mode press the FUNCllONIHOLO key and the 'White' DA key. The dlaplay Will
rtad DA. To continue With tht teat pr th
key again. Th MC400 will eye'- th capacitor
through three predetermined ame pertoda of approXImately 5 mlnutaa charge ( aoakage),5 aeconda
discharge, so seconds recover ames. These ames conform to MIL spec MILC199780 the display
wtll then ahow the ratio of the charge voltage to that of the recovered voltage u a percentage.
During thttt cycltt 1ht keyboard It lnaoc..ablt and the dtplay will Indicate to walt by dltplaylng UAit for wan.
A capacitor With a reading cloae to o% hat a low DA and one clote to 1 00% hu a high read
lng. It It obvtout to aay the lower the reading the better. Reading uaing thlt MC400 method are
typically lower than 6% for large capacttort wtth a low DA and 30% for amaller value capacttora
wtth a low DA. The amaller the value the higher the reading becaue of the Internal leakage of the
Me-tOO circuitry.

am

PAGE 29

ft

M. .

he# . . -

' &

M....

CA O O ii+e Me.

"

'

Mol e

u.

One of the characterldct of a capacitor having OA It that lhe value under normal reading
will be higher and Will gradually decreaae u the aecondary capacitance It charged. After thla
aecondary capacitance It charged then the true value Of the capacitor It dltplayed. The Ume It
takea for thla aecondary capacitance to charge depend on the dlelectrtc and ma;v take aa lHUe u
a few tecondt or u much u a few hourt.
For meuurlng the OA Of tmall value capacttort It Ia beat to dlaregard the DA feature of the
MetOO and take normal reading.
For example, taU a reading of a good capacitor and then take a reading of a euepect capacitor.
When thle It dono take a reading of both capacitor. together. If there It no DA then the dltplayed
reading will Indicate an almolt exact tum of the two otherwlae the 2 value wltl not add accurale

~-

3.10 ZENER otODES AND RECTIRERS

The MetOO hu the ability to meaaure the zener breakdown voltage of a zener diode from 0.0
vona up to 25.5 vottt. Thla of courte depend on the condtuon of the battery u the telt voltage
for thla feature It not regulated. Wtlh a freah battery thla can be about 20 to 22 volta. If an AC bat
tery adaptor It uted then the complete operating voltage It aJWayt maintained (tee AC ADAPtOR).
The bottom receptable In the tranalltor aocket (zener anode) It ground and the open clrcutt out
put voltage of the eXIreme right hand aocket Ia approx. 2<4 volb (zentr cal'lode).

PAGE 30

3.11 ZENER DIODES

To property operale thi feawre It Ia recommended that the manufacturer. tet current for a
par1icular zener diode ahould be known. Thla will gredy lncreue the chancea of gdng an ac
curate reading. For example a 1N4678 diode Ia rated al1.8 V breakdown voltage a1 a teat current
of 50 uA. On the other hand a 1N756 uaea a teat current of 20 rnA for a 8.2 V breakdown voltage.
The maunum output current of the zener diode fe.Wre of the MC400 I approJdma&ety 1.6
rnA. The accuracy of reading uner dlodet rated wt1h a teat current higher 1han 1hta depend on
the characteri8Uc curve of thai parucular diode. Some high current diode Will barely tart to break
down al1.6 mA giVing a reading lower than normal.
To operalethl fe.wre pre.. the FUNCTION/HOLD key and then pre.. the 'whHI' ZeneR key.
The unit Ia autom.acally placed In the 1. 5 mA output current range. Mau aure there I no capacitor
connected to the terminAl lnputa u they have a common connection to the tranalator aocket Where
the zener diode I teated. The dlplay Will now the word ZenR Indicating the diode It ready to be
~Mta~&ed. Place the zener according to the uner diode ymbol a& the tranlator ocket Pre.. the
'Wtlde' .Z.neR key and the dlaplay wtll how 1he zenenng voltage. Preu the ZeneR key again and
the csa.play goea back to the word ZenR and ready to accept another diode. If 1hl diode 18 defec
PAGE 31

tiw or open circuited then the full26.6 voltl of the zener upply voltage will be ahown (Aaaumlng
AC adaptor power).

The following 2 grapha ahow 2

dtfferent characterttUc curvet. One
It for 1he 1N768 and 1he o1her 1Not678.
3.14 RECTIAERS

..... uoo

....

JO

Follow 1he aame procedure u the above zener diode procedure but take two readlnga, one
for forward voltage and another for reverse voltage. If there It no diode In the tranalstor aocket
then the full open circuit 25.5 voltage will be dlaplayed. If a diode Ia reverae biased then it will read
the tame. If the diode It forward blaaed then It will read from about 000.3 to 001 .0 volta.
NOTE: It Ia auumed that the unit It being operated W1th the AC adaptor. Operation W1th a 9
von battery may ahow a much lower reverted blat vonage.
To deactivate thlt feaiure prett the 'White' FUNCTION key twice when the diaplay Ia showing
ZENER.
3.15 ANALVZING AND TESTING SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS

PAGE 32

Be rudy to '"' ant 3 panned component In All i contagurauona for a complea. aeal
for 01po1ar trans1stor types the following letters are used to
identity the pins.

c
b

-emitter
-collector
-base

example, EbC indicates the left hand pin is the emitter, the
middle pin is the base, and the right hand pin is the co11ector.

For FET transistor types the following letters are used to identify the pins:
G

-gate
asource or drain

example, G-- indicates the left hand pin is the gate, the middle pin is either source or drain or
MT1 or MT2 and the right hand pin is also either the source or the drain.
In some cases (usually
MOSFETS) the drain and source can be identified .
..,
PAGE 34

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ci

cJ ..l al l

source

In general the component analyzer works by scanning the component through the transistor
socket and looking for specific patterns that are characteristic of the device under test. If no patterns
match then the display will indicate bad. If 2 or more patterns are found then the display shows the
word rotA for rotate. If a single pattern is found then the device is identified and displayed.
Try to remember when a pattern is correctly identified . Then next time use that same pin configuration so that no time is wasted in rotating the component.
--Most components can be identified with the MC400, but with the millions of types in existahce
there may be some good units that still can't be identified . .
3.14 VOLTAGE REGULATORS
The MC400 can test voltage regulators with a quiescent current of approx. 2 mA. The quiescent
current is the current under no load or standby conditions. Since the MC400 presents a slight load
to the voltage regulator it is virtually in its quiescent state. If a regulator appears to have a voltage
much higher (or much lower in the case of negative regulators) it may be a bad regulator or its quiescent current may be too high which will give a much higher indication than normal. The only way to
over come this is to know before hand what to expect from any certain regulator whose quiescent
current is known to be higher. In general most regulators of the 78LXX or 79LXX have lower quiesPAGE 35

- dtuu1

source

lowor qulocont current..

'T'yplcal ptnnow Of 78LXX or 79LXX type regulator:

3.15POWER
The MC400 It powered by a 9 volt battery (tee INSTALUNG THE BATTERY). When the bat
tery It low the dlaplay will Indicate the word BAtl and the unit Will become Inoperable. The MC400
can alao be uaed with an optional AC balery adaptor (DAETRON MODEL PS1 00) Which can be
uod u an ordinary bdery eliminator. THE MC400 WARRANN IS VOID IF THE UNIT IS
DAMAGED BY A LEAKY BATTERY.
NOTE: Aa aome adaptort may deatroy the power circuitry the AC adaptor uaed mutt be
DAETRON'S PS1 00 or one approwd by DAETRON or the warranty le void.
3.1611PS ON SAVING POWER
Otwtoualy the Up apply only when ulng a battery. the larget power conumpuon I uaed
when reading very large capacitors. So It Ia Wlte not to leave theae unlb running for very long aa
they may quickly drain the ballery. Another ume When there It large power consumption Ia When
chectong forward blued dlodet. Alao aee the tection on predicting battery failure.

PAGE 36

8iCT10N4

. MAINTENANCE AND CALIBRATION

4.1 CAUBRATlON
Be careful when calibrating aa any damage done to the Instrument will void the warranty. The
MC400 Olglt&l Capacitance Meter Is accuraiely callbraied at the factory With the temperature not
deviating more than 70 degre.. to 77 degree F. Recallbrdon It not conldered necettary unle..
repair haa been made to thote partt which affect caJibraaon or If there It any reaaon to tutpect
that the meter accuracy It off. All that It required It a tmall tcrewdrtwr to adjutt The tingle poten
uometer and a alngle capacitor of approximately 900.0 nF
To Within atteaat 0.5% accuracy. Alto the ballery mutt be In good condition otherwllt the unn
won1 work. The leadt Of the calibration capacitors mutt be very clean to prevent falte reading.
If There Ia accett to an accurate capacitance bridge or meter then there Ia no need to obtain
premium tolerance capacltort. Alto the electrolyUc capacitor u~ed 1hould have u Utile leakage u
pouible to calibrate that range.
To get at the calibration potenuometer lntlde the case uae the folloWing procedure to remove
the back cover. Unacrew the jack nut from the battery adaptor jack. Peel off the four rubber feet
covering the caae tcr.wa. Remove the four tcrewt Utlng a phllllpt tcrewdrtver. Separat. the front
and back cover very tllghtly While pulling down on the front cover. When the cover It off the unit
It now ready to calibrate.
PAGE 37

~lt:t"

1.

The acrewdrlver uaed ahould be plaauc or non conductiVe, If not. be abaolutely aure to avoid
accldentaly ahortlng out other componenta when adjutting the potentiometers. The following
diagram thowt the locauont of the varloua potenUometera.

STEP2.
Tum the unn on and preaa the 'red' ZERO key to eliminate any atray capacitance. lnaert the 900
nF capacitor In the capacitor aocketa. take a reading of thit capacitor. If the value vartea from the
known valUe of the tett capacitor then adjutt P1 until It It the tame. Zero the unit again and adjutt
P1 again. Keep doing thla until there Ia very lltlle adjuttment left to do.
PAGE 38

4. 2 ZENER DIODE CAUBRAT10N

Go Into Zener diode mode. P1ace a zener diode (approx. SV Will do fine) in the zener diode
aocKet take a reading of 1he voltage acrou 1he zener diode with a muiUmeter and adjuat P6 unUI
the MC-400 dlaplay agree wtth 1he readlnng on 1he muiUmeter (to read 1he dlaplay remember to
preu 1he ZENER key).
4.3 MAINTENANCE

INPUT PROTECTION

The MV.OO Incorporate diode clamping and a 1/4 ampere fuae to protect agaJnat charged
capacltora. Thla protecuon however Is no guarantee that the lnatrument Will not be damaged If the
uaer forget. to dlacharge the capacitor before lnterting Into the binding pottt. So remember to
ALWAYS DISCHARGE YOUR CAPACITORS.
4.4 IF YOUR INSTRUMENT STOPS WORKING FUSE REPlACEMENT
The 1/<4 ampere fuse Is located under the lid of the battery compartment If the fu.e It suapected
to be open circuited remove n carefully from Ita holder. To check 1he fuse don't truat your eyea,
check It out with an ohmeter. If It'a defectiVe remove a good fuae from 1he apare fuse holder and
lntert It In the fuae holder. Replace the fuae onty wtth a 1/4 ampere, 250 V, Age regular blow fuae.
U1lng a fuae with a higher current rating may reault In damage to 1he lnatrument

PAGE 39

SECTION 5 SPECIACATIONS
RANGE
FUU.Y AUTORANGING FROM 000.1 PF TO 999.9 MF ( 1 FARAD)
MANUAL RANGE CAPASIUlY IN 10 RANGES
0.0 pF tO 1,000.0 pF
I 10.000 uF TO 100.00 uF
1,000.0 pF TO 10,000 pF
: 100.00 uF TO 1,000.0 uF
10.000 nF TO 100.00 nF
I 1,000.0 uF TO 10,000 uF
100.00 nF TO 1.0000 uF
: 1.0000 mF TO 100.00 mF
1.0000 uF TO 10.000 uF
I 100.00 mF TO 1,000.0 mF
ACCURACY: 0.5% OF FULL SCALE FROM 0.1 PF TO 3.000 UF
: 1.0% OF FULL SCALE FROM 3.000 UF TO 140 UF
: 5.0 %OF FULL SCAlf FROM 140 UF TO 1 FARAD
ACCURACY IS VAUD FOR BOTH AUTO AND MANUAL RANGING
LEAKAGE
CALCULATES LEAKAGE CURRENT OF CAPACITOR IF
CAPACITOR IS LEAKY. ACCURACY OF LEAKAGE READING IS
+ 20 %TO + 30 %DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES, WHEN THIS FEATURE IS AC
TlVATED
PAGE40

_____

_J~==~==~~~~====~~====================~---------

OltU:CTRIC ABSORPTION
CYCLES CAPACITOR THROUGH 3 PREDETERMINED TIMEO PERIOOS
OF SOAKAGe, OISCHAAGE ANO RECOVER AFTER WHICH THE
DISPLAY READS A RATIO OF FUU.Y CHARGED VOLTAGE TO
RECOVER VOLTAGE
THIS PROCEDURE CONFORMS TO Mil. SPEC Mll.C-199780
ZEROING
ALLOWS ZEROING OF ANf CAPACITANCE VALUE UPTO 100.0 UF
BY 3 DIFFERENT METHODS
1. POWER ON METHOD AUTO ZEROS ANY VALUE AT TERMINALS
UPTO 100.0 Pf
2. DEPRESSING ZERO KEY ANY VALUE AT TERMINAL& UP TO
100.0 UF IS ZEROED
3. ENTER THE ZERO VALUE THROUGH THE KEYBOARD
SORTING CAPACITORS
2 BASIC CONFIGURATIONS
1. SORTING IN HIGHIGOODIUNDER METHOD BY DEFINING A
DEADBAND
2. SORTING IN %DEVIATION AROUND A USER DEFINED SETPONT
PAGE41

~U: MI:MUK~MfNTS

AUTOMATICAU.Y CALCULATES LENGTHS OF CABLES IN FEET.

METRES, MILES, KJL.OMeTRES (THEORETICAL RANGE OF 10,000 MUS).

SAMPLE CAPACITANCE IS ENTERED IN IN 2 DIFFERENT WAYS
1. VALUE IS ENTERED IN THROUGH THE KEYPAD

2. P\.ACING A 1 FOOT OA 1 ME'T'RE SAMPLE AT THE

INPUT TERMINALS ANO DEPRESSING THE

'CAPIUNI"r KEY

HOLD FUNCTION
FREEZES THE DISPLAY WHEN MEASURING:
VALUE, TRUE CAPACITANCE, TIME CONSTANT, LEAKAGE,
EXTENDED RESOLUTION, ANY SORTING MODE AND CABLE

MEASURMENT

INPUT
DIODE CLAMPING AND FUSE PROTECTED UNPUTS AT BOTH INPUT
SOCKETS AND BANANA JACKS. DISCHARGE RESISTOR IN OFF

POSffiON OF POWER SWITCH AT TERMINAL SOCKETS ANO BANANA

JACKS

PAGE42

ZENER DIODE AND RECTIFIER TESTS

READS ANYZENER DIODE VALUE UP TO 25.5V AND DISPLAYS
VOLTAGE ON THE DISPLAY.

POWER
NEEDS ONLY A SINGLE 9V BATTERY DISPLAY INDICATES LOW
BATTERY CONDITIONS BY DISPLAYING BATT
CASE
HI-IMPACTABS PLASTIC CASE WITH METAL TILT STAND
DIMENSIONS 180 MM X 98 MM X 44 MM
ACCESSORIES
INCLUDES INSTRUCTlON MANUAL WITH CALIBRATION
PROCEDURE AND SPARE FUSE. AND 3 ALLIGATOR CLIP LEADS
SUITABLE FOR BOTH THE CAPACITOR AND TRANSISTOR SOCKETS

OPTIONS
CC100 CARRYING CASE. PS100 AC BAlTERY ADAPTOR

PAGE 43

SEcnoN 8 WANWlfY

' i::..
''\,

DMnn Wlll'l'anll to the original pwchuer thlllthe MC400 11 frM from dWectaln wor~Critan~hlp
and rna11r1a11 for a periOd Of 1 ~ piUt delivery am., from the dille of purchate. DAETRON Will
repair or replace at ttl option. Without charge a defective untt upon deliVery by maM (prepaid and
IMured) to the following addretl.
,

DAETRON

P.O. BOX 841, STATION U

835 THE QUEENSWAY

TORONTO ONTARIO CANADA M8Z 5YI

NOTE: do not ahlp to the abOVe addre11 by courier u the poll office wtll refute It
NOTE: 1 retwnlng lhla unit frOm a cout*y ~than CANADA, pleue alaCh proper documenla
ton to lndiCal8 tae unn 11 being 1'811.11ned tor repair u 111r1 ch.,..lnceund by DAETRON beeaute
Of Improper documentlllon WID be charg8d to lie cuttomer.
Do not tend ez,:ourier, aend by mall only. Pleue pack Cll'efully to avoid breakage In tran
d.
1 notapplyllbe unA hal been mlluted, .a&ered,llbUted, dMiagecl (accklen
tal or o11erw1te , rntlcdbr.a.d or If the tertal number It ....,.d, def.ced or r.moved. The above
1110 appllee to 11f1J damage In tranan. DAETRON WID not be liable for llfl conl8quenaal, lnclden
tal, or apeclal damage reaultlng from the u11, mltuee or 1011 of Ute of thll lnatrument.

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