3 ms·
I've done stupider things during last ditch repairs. Once time I replaced the tantalum caps on a board blindly hoping that it would cure a power rail short. I'd
by setquk 7y ago
I've done stupider things during last ditch repairs. Once time I replaced the tantalum caps on a board blindly hoping that it would cure a power rail short. I'd never used SMD tants before and didn't know that the band was a + band and not a - band.
Within 3 seconds of applying power, there was a fireworks display which destroyed the board entirely :)
- henryackerman 7y agoAh, the good ol' tantalum caps. Violent ones for sure :)
- iSnow 7y agoOh yeah, tantalum caps... I stuck one into a prototyping breadboard but messed up polarity. It's surprisingly hurtful if one of those little fuckers explodes between your thumb and index finger.
- setquk 7y agoOuch!
- snovv_crash 7y agoTantalum caps are great fun. I remember we would booby-trap each other's breadboards with them in EE lab, to this day I'm still extra vigilant about polarity of all components. Measure twice, apply power once. Regular electrolytic caps also make a nice pop and ball of fuzz, often the shell will fly across the room at good speed. Also they have that unforgettable odor of shame that will follow whatever you were working on for a few hours.
- setquk 7y agoI love blowing electrolytic capacitors up. I still do that today.