TYPE 5867
PORTABLE ‘Q’ METER
OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS
5867 Operating Instructions : Issue 3
www.tinsley.co.uk
6
Capacitance Sensitivity:
Select the required range by pressing one of the keys marked A to E. The selected range is indicated by an LED. In the
case of ranges A and B, this is located on one key which may be toggled. Press it once for range A and twice for B. The
range should be selected to match the UUT type being used. As an indication, a more sensitive reading required means
that a smaller capacitance value should be selected – see list below for capacitances.
A: 100μF
B: 10μF
C: 1μF
D: 100nF
E: 10nF
Note: When the unit is switched on, the last capacitance setting is remembered.
Range Selection:
Dependant on the inductance of the UUT, there are 15 ranges of which 1 is the most sensitive and 15 is the least
sensitive. There are two ways in which the range can be adjusted:
Manually: using the up and down arrow keys
Automatically: pressing the Auto key. This will automatically choose the most appropriate range
As a guide, if there is too much signal, “999” will be displayed (i.e. over range) and the O/C leads LED will be illuminated,
indicating that a higher range should be selected, which can be achieved by pressing the up arrow key. A suitable range,
as would be chosen by the Auto range method described above, would be to pick a range that displays a value of
between 500 and 999 (over range). When a reading of less than 500 is displayed, there may not be enough signal. In this
case a lower range should be selected, which can be achieved by pressing the down arrow key.
The choice of the correct combination of Capacitance Sensitivity and Range Selection, is best found by experience in the
testing of similar UUT’s. It is then possible to use the instrument as a comparator if there are many UUT’s at the time of
test that are identical, OR as a pass/fail against a known standard, if there if only one UUT that is identical to the
standard.
Hold key:
Select this to hold the current displayed value.
Ave. key:
Select this to put the unit into Average Mode. The key should be pressed and held whilst it scrolls through the number of
reads over which to average – i.e. 2, 4, 8, 16 or off. For example, if 2 is chosen, then the mean result of 2 reads will be
taken and then displayed. This can be used to filter noisy readings and to provide a stable, accurate result.
Cal. key:
This can be pressed at any time and it isolates the output while it undertakes a quick internal calibration.