Yes, but interestingly so AndersAndersDK wrote:Honestly Mike - we are way off topic now
Mike, to test a transistor using an old-fashioned analogue multimeter (What I call an AVO as it is the generic name for them in the trade) do the folowing:
Note that this will not work with a cheap new-fangled digital thing
It must be an old type with a 1.5V battery in it to powr the resistance measuring circuitry inside. A modern one won't work and those with transistor test functions are not to be trusted either Put the meter on an ohms range that will read up to about 50K. Place the negative lead on the base and the positive lead on the emitter and collector in turn and you should read a medium resistance, neither short circuit or open circuit. What you are doing is forward biassing the junction to its on state using a little voltage from the meter battery. Reverse the probes, positive to base and emitter and collector in turn and it should read open circuit. Place the probes each way emitter-collector and it should read open circuit both ways. This is for an NPN transistor, reverse the whole sense for a PNP transistor.
Many times you can test in circuit but it could be misleading. best to lift at least the base.
So, to sum up, you should see resistance one way between base and emitter and collector but not the other and there should be and open circuit emitter-collector both ways and no shorts anywhere.
To test an electrolytic with an AVO, short it first to discharge it and them apply the meter probes reverse polarity. The meter needle should "Kick" and then rapidly fall back to very near zero. Reverse the polarity and it should do similar but not quite so much and with a bit more leakage. The amount of "kick" depends on the valve of the capacitor, the bigger the value, the bigger the kick! If it does not kick or is short-circuit it is duff.
