NOOB - P16PRO40 Programmer help!

[notallbad]

Yes, have checked for bulging/leaky caps and dry solder joints etc.. Also checked diodes and resistors to check they are within tolerance.

I do have a capacitance tester but of course only works out of circuit and only checks capacitance and not esr. I did build a cheap esr meter but not convinced the results are conclusive.

 

[notallbad]

So, P16PRO40 connected up and powered (3 led's lit) then run WinPicProg (default settings), the 2 red led's extinguish with the green remaining, close the WinPicProg and the 2 led's light back up along with the green.
So, things are looking good, so far!

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Will an oscilloscope be of use to test caps live in-circuit? Would I be checking for a.c or high d.c volts?

You're checking (with a scope) for excessive AC ripple on the power rails, and for incorrect voltages.

The only way to test passively is with an ESR meter (a capacitance meter is useless), but a scope can test actively with the set powered up.