“Q” is the standard designator for a transistor.
You can check resistors on almost any basic multimeter. Capacitor and transistor tests are on some multi-meters.
For simple circuits, it’s very rare for a resistor to fail, a little more common for a capacitor to fail but not if it’s a ceramic or film capacitor, it’s most common that the transistor failed.
Often a transistor used for driving a relay will cost less than 25 cents. Also inexpensive transistor test functions do not give the most accurate results, so often techs will simply put in a new transistor and see what happens.
I wonder if I should find a replacement transistor while I wait for this relay to come in from China…thing is I threw voltage at it and heard it click while simultaneously testing continuity at the contact side of relay…so I do think relay is shot…but perhaps I am dealing with a bad transistor(s) as well if I am only getting 6 volts on that one side of the coil…
If you can identify the make/model and buy the transistor for only a small amount it could save total repair time. (of course if you can’t identify it let us know the markings and we may be able to ID it)
If you end up not needing it, you’ll have a good new part for your electronics parts box.
This assumes you’re now addicted like me and will want to play with electronics hardware for decades to come. When I go through my parts collection I still encounter and smile about parts I bought 30 years ago for repairs/upgrades but didn’t end up needing.
If you start a parts collection a good way to learn a lot is to remove parts from non-repairable devices without damaging them and test them for re-use in other things. When I was a kid I designed & built whole gadgets with recycled electronic components (the first was a battery tester circa 1968).
