In Reply to: Under what "right" conditions, may I learn from you? (nt) posted by cheap-Jack on February 26, 2007 at 13:03:17:
The bang comes from the release of electrolytic fluid caused by resistive heating. The fluid releases through a designed vent or the side of the capacitor. This is not usually an instantaneous condition and may take several minutes to several hours to build up enough heat and pressure to blow up the cap. If you have a temperature gauge you can measure the heat build-up. By observing the voltage drop caused by the reversed cap you can calculate the amount of current draw caused by the unhappy cap. Your cap will explode, just give it some time.I have observed this personally when, early in my building career, reversing an electrolytic cap rated at 35 volts DC in a 20 volt DC circuit. The ejection of boiling fluid went away from me, thankfully, but the loud bang made my wife aware of my incompetence.
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Follow Ups
- Re: Under what "right" conditions, may I learn from you? (nt) - Chris O 13:18:42 02/26/07 (15)
- Re: Under what "right" conditions, may I learn from you? (nt) - thermionic addictions 13:20:28 02/27/07 (0)
- So timing is the factor. - cheap-Jack 13:45:41 02/26/07 (13)
- Re: some people shouldn't have guns.... - Matts_ 13:52:01 02/26/07 (12)
- Darwin also wrote ... - danlaudionut 16:16:52 02/26/07 (11)
- Re: Darwin also wrote ... - Dave Cigna 17:02:43 02/26/07 (10)
- Observations... - Triode_Kingdom 08:03:03 02/27/07 (0)
- Re: Darwin also wrote ... - danlaudionut 18:30:32 02/26/07 (8)
- Re: Darwin also wrote ... - sheldone@cox.net 20:12:26 02/27/07 (1)
- Re: an extraordinarily organized event - danlaudionut 16:29:28 03/02/07 (0)
- What flood? - Lew 17:07:25 02/27/07 (1)
- Re: Noah & the Flood...AH forget it (nt) - danlaudionut 16:30:58 03/02/07 (0)
- a thought.. - knugen 04:32:48 02/27/07 (1)
- Re: a thought.. - Mahatma Kane Jeeves 05:25:56 02/27/07 (0)
- Re: Darwin also wrote ... - Dave Cigna 02:11:13 02/27/07 (1)
- Re: Darwin also wrote ... - Matts_ 08:01:52 02/27/07 (0)