Performing Capacitance Measurements - Agilent Technologies U3606A User's And Service Manual

2 Digital Multimeter Operation
Making Measurements

Performing capacitance measurements

The U3606A Multimeter|DC Power Supply calculates capacitance by
charging a capacitor with a known current for a period of time, and then
measuring the voltage.
Measuring tips:
• For measuring capacitance values greater than 10000 μF, discharge the
• For measuring capacitance values greater than 1 mF, a delayed
• For measuring small capacitance values, press Null with the test leads
C A U T I O N
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capacitor first, then select a suitable range for measurement. This will
speed up the measurement time and also ensure that the correct
capacitance value is obtained.
response should be expected from the front panel display. For remote
interface operation, increase the SCPI query timeout value. (Typically >
10000 ms.)
open to subtract the residual capacitance of the instrument and leads.
Disconnect circuit power and discharge all high-voltage capacitors
before measuring capacitance to avoid damaging the U3606A or the
device under test. To confirm that a capacitor has fully discharged, use
the DC voltage measurement. See
for more information.
"Measuring DC voltage"
U3606A User's and Service Guide
on page 26