In this episode Shahriar examines a faulty Fluke PM6303A Automatic RCL Meter. This unit power on however reports the incorrect measured value for all components. The instrument also does not provide the built-in 2V bias. After a quick teardown of the unit, physical damage to several input resistors can be observed. It becomes clear that a high-voltage discharge has caused a cascade failure of several components on the input signal path. These faults are traced to a chain of protection Zener diodes, resistors and general purpose diodes. After all the components have been replaced, the unit’s functionality is restored.
The schematic and block diagram of the unit is also presented and the principle of operation is explained. The repaired instrument is then used to measure several components to verify is functionality.
The Signal Path Blog