Your measuring device includes the following features:
• Developed by the Laboratory method makes possible to employ just one measuring probe. That automatically eliminates the influence of surrounding circuitry.
• C-MIRACLE can detect, right in a circuit, defective electrolytic capacitors in a wide range - from fractions of uF through thousands of them.
• The special approach enabled to develop a differential reading. In conventional Q-meters with a monotonic dial, connecting external capacitor causes a needle to move downward. Unlike that, the needle in C-Miracle moves rightward if the quality of capacitor being tested extends certain chosen value (10-20), while it moves leftward when the quality is lower 5-10. Such an approach has relived the analysis of reading because the direction where needle moves is analyzed much easier than the digits it displays.
• Sound beep is generated when detecting poor quality capacitor. A level when the beep is activated can be adjusted by potentiometer, that enable to adjust the level of detecting defective capacitors.
• Input overvoltage protection up to 500 V.
• The 9V battery are installed before shipping.

Controls and Functions
1. Analog panel indicator - shows the quality factor Q from1 to 100. Its dial is subdivided for 2 areas. Green for Q within 5-100, red for Q<5. The meters have a differential scale. If Q exceeds 10, the needle goes rightward, into green area. For Q lower than 10 it goes leftward, to red area.
2. Balance adjustment potentiometer - sets the needle in desirable initial position before measurement.
3. Probe - touches an envelop of capacitor when measuring.
4. Buzzer - makes a sound signal when the needle approaches green area of the scale.
5. Power jack - couples meter with the charger.
6. Charger - Charges meter's rechargeable battery. Working with the charger coupled also increases meter's sensitivity.
7. Power button - turns the meter ON when pressed. It does not influence the charger, which makes the charging regardless position of the button.

Using the Tester.
1. Turn off the unit with capacitors being diagnosed. Wait 3 minutes to get capacitors discharged to eliminate a risk of electric choke.
2. Press the button of the meter. Set the needle of indicator in the middle of the green area with the balance adjustment potentiometer.
Touch an open area of the metal envelop of capacitor being tested with the tip of the probe. If the needle moves deeper into the green area - the capacitor is OK. If it sets in the red area - the capacitor does not pass the test. Approaching the needle to red area is accompanying with a beep. If the needle almost does not react for touching, this most likely means a mediocre capacitor. In this case you should rely upon a simple rule - if the capacitor works at low audio frequencies or a vertical scan - it's OK. If it serves for higher frequencies - tens kHz and more - it has to be removed.
3. In a most of the cases, setting the needle in the red area means a poor quality capacitor. However, there are a certain limited percentage of the cases, when a good-quality capacitor is coupled with a very high resistance circuitry with both of its terminals, that causes the reading to be reduced. To avoid the ambivalence, INTERLAB L.L.C. elaborated a special technique that employs DCS - Displacement Currents Stimulator. DCS is a passive device that increases displacement current flowing through a capacitor being tested. We recommend using DCS as following. If, while measuring, the needle of instrument sets in the red area, you are recommended to touch either of terminals of the capacitor with a flat tip of DCS, while holding the measuring tip on an envelope. If, after that, the needle moves insignificantly toward the green area - the capacitor is OK. It is simply coupled to a very high resistance circuit. If it remains in the red area - the capacitor is still bad.
4. The main purpose of C-MIRACLE is to measure a quality of capacitor disregarding its capacitance. But what to do in rare instances, when capacitor reduced its capacitance drastically, but still has an acceptable quality in terms of energy loss? To estimate the capacitance, INTERLAB L.L.C. recommends a simple rule. Even if the meter displays a good reading when touching capacitor, touch alternatively both terminals of the capacitor with the tip of DCS. If the needle goes deeper in the green area at each of touching - the capacitor is considered as passed the test. If, at one of touching, the needle goes to the red area - it doesn't pass the test.
5. Another convenient technique, to eliminate the influence of high-resistive coupling of capacitors, is the following procedure, elaborated by the Laboratory. The board being tested is placed on a soft conductive surface, a metal "fur". One puts the board with terminals facing the "fur", which touches the terminals and provide a sufficient displacement current.
6. Your LC-mate is equipped with 9V rechargeable battery that provides its longest life. After considerable amount of time elapses and you note instability in its operation, it means you have to recharge the battery. You can do by plugging recharging cord in. In this case the meter becomes even more sensitive. The best way is to leave it plugged for a few hours.

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