What does soaking-out run capacitor mean?

Question

In the capacitor tester's manual they give several situations regarding to the reading:

1)If the test capacitor is a short capacitor, it will be over-range and only figure “1” is displayed
2)soaking-out capacitor, the reading will high its value
3) open-circuit capacitor, will displayed “0”. (maybe ±10pF at the 200pF range)
4) Display value will fluctuated, if a soaking-out capacitor connected.

What does it mean by soaking-out capacitor? Why will the reading be high in the soaking-out capacitor and why will the display value fluctuate if a soaking-out capacitor is connected?

Answer 1

Using your screenshot, I was able to find the model number of your capacitor tester. Keep searching the model number in Chinese, I was able to find the Chinese manual of a very similar model here.

The original text reads:

• 当电容器短路时，仪表指示过载，并只显示“1”；
• 当电容漏电时，显示值可以高于其真实值；
• 当电容开路时，显示值为“0”（在200pF量程，可能显示±10pF）；
• 当一个漏电的电容接入时，显示值可能跳动不稳定；
• 当使用其它测试表笔来测量电容器时，表笔可能带入电容值，在测量前记下数值，并于测量后减掉。

Which can be translated to:

• When a capacitor is shorted, meter indicates "overload", only "1" is displayed.
• When a capacitor is (electrically) leaky, indicated value can be higher than its actual value.
• When a capacitor is open, indicated value is "0" (at the 200-pF range, it may indicate ±10pF).
• When a (electrically) leaky capacitor is connected, the indicated value can be "jumpy" and unstable.
• When different test probes are used to measure a capacitor, the probes (themselves) may introduce (parasitic) capacitance. Record the capacitance before measurement, and subtract it from the measurement readout afterwards.

Thus, 'soaked-out capacitor" appears to be a mistranslation of "leaking/leaky capacitor".

Answer 2

It clearly refers to leakage. Here is a manual for a similar product in the original Chinese. A DeepL translation of the relevant section is as follows:

• When the capacitor is short-circuited, the meter indicates overload and displays only "1";

• When the capacitor leaks, the display value can be higher than its real value;

• When the capacitor is open-circuit, the display value is "0" (in 200pF range, it may display ±10pF);

• When a leaky capacitor is connected, the display value may jump and be unstable;

• When using other test pens to measure capacitors, the pens may bring in capacitance value, note down the value before measurement and subtract it after measurement.

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That's clearly what is meant, however note that "soakage" is another (somewhat old-fashioned) term for dielectric absorption, a non-ideal capacitor behaviour for which oil-filled capacitors are notorious. Most capacitors exhibit this effect to one degree or another. A symptom of DA in a dual-slope converter's integration capacitor is rollover error.

Answer 3

This reads like something that has been translated back and forth from English using tools or translators not actually well-versed in the respective languages and/or electronics.

My guess at "soaking-out capacitor, the reading will high its value" is "if the capacitor has significant leakage current, the indicated capacity will be inflated".

Your best bet likely is to get the specification in the language it has originally been written in (or at least a native rendition by the person having written it in bad English) and then find someone to translate it for you (or do selective reading from several machine or dictionary translations).