Reply To: home made coil and condensor testers

[JOSEPH BRINCAT]

I have one of these condenser testers. I think that mine was commercially made, but the circuit is as shown in ‘outboardnut’s” post. It is reliable, gives a good indication of condition. The neon light tells the story…. No blink – bad condenser.  The rate of blink is directly proportional to the capacitance… not scientific, but by comparing the blink rate to a known value cap, you can pretty much match an unknown. The voltage stress level is only about 67 volts, so a cap that tests good might in fact fail under actual use in a magneto, but so far the tester has proven reliable.

Joe B