Re: gEDA-user: electrolytic capacitors

[Dave McGuire <mcguire@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Dec 27, 2008, at 2:17 PM, Dan McMahill wrote:
>> They can explode pretty violently, so let me tell you a story.   
>> Back in the
>> mid-60's I came across a tube type, mobile cb radio that had to be  
>> one of the
>> few attempts to build one for a 6 volt vehicle system, and  
>> predated the old
>> Johnson whiteface by probably 10 years.  My pickup at the time, a  
>> 52 ford,
>> had long since been converted to 12 volts, and I was in the radio,  
>> on the
>> kitchen table, moving wires to convert it to 12 volts.  I missed  
>> one without
>> realizing it, and had it running on a 12 volt supply for test.  It  
>> worked
>> really really well, talking to the neighbors on a piece of wire  
>> laying on the
>> floor for an antenna.  But after about 15 minutes the main filter  
>> capacitor
>> let go, and the top of the can put a quarter sized print in the  
>> plastered
>> ceiling that was about 1/4" deep.  I'm glad I wasn't in front of  
>> it at the
>
> too funny.  My exploding cap story is also related to automotive
> electronics.  The explosion happened at 2 AM when I was in high  
> school.
>   Mom and Dad were not too thrilled about it if I recall correctly.
>
> Makes a lasting impression though doesn't it?

   Years ago, I had a friend who used to have some pretty wild  
parties.  Sometimes us geekier types would head down to the basement  
with him, fairly drunk, and start blowing up small (very small)  
electrolytic capacitors with a nice power supply that he had set up  
for exactly that purpose.  He had a box of hundreds of capacitors  
that he'd harvested from old PCBs.  It was great fun. :)

            -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL




_______________________________________________
geda-user mailing list
geda-user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.seul.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geda-user