Blue Ring Tester Schematic Diagram Exclusive Review
A: Indirectly, yes. If you swap the inductor and capacitor positions, you can test capacitors for high ESR (equivalent series resistance). That's a separate article.
A: No. An LC meter measures inductance and capacitance. The Blue Ring Tester measures Q factor and loss—a different parameter. blue ring tester schematic diagram exclusive
with fellow repair enthusiasts. The knowledge of these classic test circuits must not fade into obscurity. Keywords used naturally: blue ring tester schematic diagram exclusive, ringing test, shorted turns detector, flyback tester, LC tank, NE555, LM393, SMPS repair, yoke tester. A: Indirectly, yes
| Reference | Value | Notes | |-----------|-------|-------| | U1 | NE555 | Timer IC | | U2 | LM393 | Dual comparator (one used) | | D1, D2 | 1N4148 | Fast switching diodes | | D3 | Red LED | Fault indicator | | D4 | Green LED | Pass indicator | | C1 | 100nF | Ceramic disc | | C2 | 10nF | Polyester | | C3 | 100µF / 16V | Electrolytic | | C4 | 10pF | Ceramic (critical) | | R1 | 10kΩ | 1/4W | | R2 | 1kΩ | 1/4W | | R3 | 100Ω | 1/4W | | R4 | 1MΩ | 1/4W | | R5 | 47kΩ | 1/4W | | R6 | 10kΩ | 1/4W | | R7 | 330Ω | 1/4W | | R8 | 220Ω | 1/4W | | RV1 | 10kΩ trimpot | Calibration | | Lx | Coil under test | External connection | | Power | 9V battery (or 9-12V DC) | Regulated recommended | with fellow repair enthusiasts
A standard multimeter measures resistance (DC), but it cannot detect a single shorted turn in a high-inductance coil. The resistance difference between a good transformer and a defective one is often less than 0.1 ohms—invisible to a standard ohmmeter.
Enter the Blue Ring Tester. This brilliant, low-cost device uses a pulse ringing test to identify shorted turns instantly. Today, we are providing an along with a component-level explanation of how it works. Exclusive Content Notice: The schematic presented below has been redrawn and refined from original service manuals and reverse-engineered vintage units. It includes component values that are often missing or incorrect in other online sources. Part 1: The Exclusive Blue Ring Tester Schematic Diagram Below is the complete schematic diagram of the classic Blue Ring Tester. This design uses a 555 timer, a comparator (LM393), and a handful of passive components to generate a short ringing pulse and analyze the decay.