TESTING ELECTRONIC

COMPONENTS
TLE- ICT -CSS
QUARTER 4
LESSON 1:

TEST AND EVALUATE

ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS
 WHAT IS RESISTOR?

•RESISTORS ARE COMPONENTS USED TO RESIST THE

FLOW OF ELECTRIC CURRENT AND HAVE A STATED

VALUE OF RESISTANCE. TO DETERMINE THE

RESISTANCE OF A RESISTOR, YOU CAN USE THE

CALCULATING RESISTORS VALUES

• RESISTOR COLOR
CODING USES COLOR
BANDS TO EASILY
IDENTIFY A
RESISTORS
RESISTIVE VALUE
AND ITS
PERCENTAGE
 THE RESISTOR COLOR CODE SYSTEM

• IS ALL WELL AND GOOD, BUT WE NEED TO

UNDERSTAND HOW TO APPLY IT IN ORDER TO
GET THE CORRECT VALUE OF THE RESISTOR. THE
“LEFT HAND” OR THE MOST SIGNIFICANT
COLORED BAND IS THE BAND WHICH IS NEAREST
TO A CONNECTING LEAD WITH THE COLOR-
CODED BANDS BEING READ FROM LEFT-TO-
RIGHT AS FOLLOWS:
• DIGIT, DIGIT, MULTIPLIER= COLOR, COLOR x
10color IN OHM’S.
• FOR EXAMPLE, A RESISTOR HAS THE FOLLOWING COLORED MARKINGS;
• THE FOURTH AND FIFTH BANDS ARE USED TO DETERMINE THE PERCENTAGE
TOLERANCE OF THE RESISTOR. RESISTOR TOLERANCE IS A MEASURE OF THE
RESISTORS VARIATIONS FROM THE SPECIFIED RESISTIVE VALUE AND IS A OF THE
MANUFACTURING PROCESS AND IS EXPRESSED AS A PERCENTAGE OF ITS
“NORMINAL” OR PREFERRED VALUE.
• TYPICAL RESISTOR TOLERANCES FOR FILM RESISTORS RANGE FROM 1% TO 10%
WHILE CARBON RESISTOR HAVE TOLERANCES UP TO 20%. RESISTORS WITH
TOLERANCE LOWER THAN 2% ARE CALLED PRESICION RESISTORS WITH THE OR
LOWER TOLERANCE RESISTORS BEING MORE EXPENSIVE.
• MOST FIVE BAND RESISTORS ARE PRESICION RESISTORS WITH TOLERANCES OF
EITHER 1% OR 2% WHILE MOST OF THE FOUR BAND RESISTORS HAVE
TOLERANCES OF 5%, 10% AND 20%.THE COLOR CODE USED TO DENOTE THE
TOLERANCE RATING OF A RESISTOR IS GIVEN AS:
• BROWN = 1%, RED = 2%, GOLD = 5%, SILVER = 10
 HOW TO TEST A RESISTOR?

• RESISTORS REGULATE THE AMOUNT OF CURRENT FLOWING IN AN ELECTRONIC

CIRCUIT. RESISTORS PRESENT THE RESISTANCE, OR IMPEDANCE, TO OF
ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT AND REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF CURRENT THAT IS ALLOWED
TO FLOW. RESISTORS ARE UTILIZED FOR SIMPLE SIGNAL CONDITIONING AND TO
PROTECT ACTIVE ELECTRONIC DEVICES THAT COULD BE DAMAGED BY RECEIVING
EXCESS CURRENT. RESISTORS MUST BE PROPERLY SIZED AND INTACT TO PERFORM
THESE FUNCTIONS.
• 1.REMOVE POWER FROM THE CIRCUIT CONTAINING THE RESISTOR. THIS CAN
BE DONE BY UNPLUGGING IT FROM THE MAINS OR BY REMOVING THE BATTERIES
IF IT IS A PORTABLE DEVICE.
• 2. ISOLATE THE RESISTOR FROM THE CIRCUIT. AN ATTEMPT TO MEASURE A RESISTOR
THAT IS STILL CONNECTED TO THE CIRCUIT CAN YIELD AN INCORRECT CALCULATION,
AS PART OF THE CIRCUIT MIGHT ALSO BE MEASURED.
• 3. INSPECT THE RESISTOR. IF THE RESISTOR SHOWS SIGNS OF BLACKENING OR
CHARRING, IT MAY BE DAMAGED BY EXCESS CURRENT FLOW. A RESISTOR SHOWING
BLACKENING OR CHARRING SHOULD BE REPLACED AND DISCARDED.
• 4.READ THE RESISTOR VALUE VISUALLY. THE RESISTOR VALUE WILL BE PRINTED ON
THE RESISTOR. SMALLER RESISTORS MAY HAVE THEIR VALUE INDICATED BY COLOR
CODED BANDS.
• 5. PREPARE A DIGITAL MULTIMETER (DMM) OR ANALOG MULTIMETER TO MEASURE
THE RESISTOR. DMMs AND AMMs ARE AVAILABLE AT ELECTRONICS PARTS AND HOBBY
STORES.
• 6. MEASURE THE RESISTANCE. CONNECT THE 2 LEADS OF THE DMM TO THE 2 LEGS OF
THE RESISTOR. RESISTORS HAVE NO POLARITY, SO IT DOES NOT MATTER WHICH DMM
LEAD IS A CONNECTED TO WHICH RESISTOR LEG.
• 7. DETERMINE THE ACTUAL RESISTANCE OF THE RESISTOR. READ THE RESULT
SHOWN ON THE MULTIMETER. IN DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT THE RESISTOR IS
WITHIN THE ALLOWABLE RANGE FOR THE RESISTOR, DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE THE
RESISTOR TOLERANCE INTO ACCOUNT.
• 8.REATTACH A RESISTOR THAT GAVES AN ACCURATE READING. RECONNECTING IT TO
THE CIRCUIT BY PRESSING IT BACK INTO PLACE IF YOU PULLED IT FREE WITH FINGERS. IF
THE SOLDER JOINT HAD TO BE MELTED AND THE RESISTOR HAD TO BE DISCONNECTED
USING FLIERS, MELT THE SOLDER WITH THE SOLDERING IRON AND USE THE NEEDLE
NOSE PLIERS TO PUSH THE RESISTOR BACK TO INTO PLACE.
• 9.REPLACE A RESISTOR THAT MEASURES OUTSIDE OF THE ACCEPTABLE VALUE
RANGE. DISCARD THE OLD RESISTOR. RESISTORS ARE AVAILABLE IN ELECTRONICS PARTS
STORES AND HOBBY STORES.
• NOTE THAT REPLACING THE MALFUNCTIONING RESISTOR WILL NOT NECESSARILY FIX THE
PROBLEM, IF THE RESISTOR FAILS AGAIN THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM SOUGHT ELSE
WHERE IN THE CIRCUIT.
 HOW TO TEST A CAPACITOR?

• A CAPACITOR IS AN ELECTRONICS/ELECTRICAL COMPONENT THAT STORES ENERGY

IN THE FORM OF ELECTRIC CHARGE. CAPACITORS ARE OFTEN USED IN ELECTRONIC
CIRCUIT BOARDS OR FEW ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES AND PERFORM A VARIETY OF
FUNCTIONS.
• FOR AN INITIAL TEST, YOU CAN EASILY DO WITHOUT USING TEST & MEASURING
EQUIPMENT - YOU JUST NEED TO VISUALLY CHECK WHETHET THE CAPACITOR IS IN
GOOD CONDITION. THE MAIN INDICATORS OF ITS FAILURE ARE AS FOLLOWS;
• 1.BULGING OF THE VENT ON TOP/BOTTOM OF THE CAPACITOR/SWELLING OF THE
CASING OR ITS DAMAGE;
• 2.LEAK ELECTROLYTE;AND
• 3.DARKENING ON THE PCB OR CASING AROUND THE CONTACTS
• IF YOU SEE ANY OF THESE, YOUN NEED TO REPLACE THE CAPACITOR WITH A
NEW ONE IMMEDIATELY. IF THERE ARE NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF CAPACITOR
FAILURE, THEN PROCEED TO THE NEXT TESTING STAGE USING SUCH TEST &
CAPACITANCE MEASURING FUNCTIONS.
• TEST A CAPACITOR BY ANALOG MULTIMETER.
• TO CHECK A CAPACITOR BY AVO (AMPERE, VOLTAGE, OHM METER), FOLLOW
THE FOLLOWING STEPS.
• 1. MAKE SURE THE SUSPECTED CAPACITOR IS FULLY DISCHAGED.
• 2.TAKE AN AVO METER
• 3. SELECT ANALOG METER ON OHM (ALWAYS, SELECT THE HIGHER RANGE OF OHMS).
• 4. CONNECT THE METER LEADS TO THE CAPACITOR TERMINALS
• 5.NOTE THE READING AND COMPARE WITH THE FOLLOWING RESULTS.
• 6.SHORT CAPACITORS; SHORTED CAPACITORS WILL SHOW VERY LOW RESISTANCE.
• 7.OPEN CAPACITORS; AN OPEN CAPACITOR WILL NOT SHOW ANY MOVEMENT
(DEFLECTION) ON OHM METER SCREEN.
• 8. GOOD CAPACITORS; INITIALLY, IT WILL SHOW LOW RESISTANCE, AND THEN
GRADUALLY INCREASES TOWARD THE INFINITE, IT MEANS THAT CAPASITOR IS IN
GOOD CONDITION.
 CHECK A CAPACITOR BY A DIGITAL MULTIMETER

TO TEST A CAPACITOR BY DMM (DIGITAL MULTIMETER), FOLLOW THE STEPS GIVEN BELOW.

1.MAKE SURE THE CAPACITOR IS DISCHARGED.

2.SET THE METER ON Ohm RANGE (SET IT AT LEASE 1000Ohn = 1k).
3.CONNECT THE METER LEADS TO THE CAPACITOR TERMINALS.
4.DIGITAL METER WILL SHOW SOME NUMBERS FOR A SECOND. NOTE THE READING.
5.AND THEN IMMEDIATELY IT WILL RETURN TO THE OL (OPEN LINE). EVERY ATTEMPT OF STEP 2 WILL
SHOW THE SAME RESULT AS WAS IN STEP 4 AND STEP 5. IT’S MEAN THAT CAPACITOR IS IN GOOD
CONDITION.
6.IF THERE IS NO CHANGE, THEN CAPACITOR IS DEAD.
 HOW TO TEST A TRANSFORMER?

• Transformers are an electrical component that transmit electrical energy between atleast two circuits.
Transformers regulate the voltage and circuit, but in some cases, these can go bad and cause a circuit to
not work.
,