fun with exploding capacitors - Electronic Circuits Projects Diagrams Free

9th April 2007, 04:31 AM

if you have a bunch of very low voltage capacitors, say under 10V, you can blow them up easy!

All you do is take a high voltage supply, with a 5+ voltage higher than the capacitor. and put a switch on one side. Use a aligator clip and connect the switch side, and connect it to the reverse polarity of the capacitor (red to -, black wire to +)

Once you have that all set up, turn on your power supply, and flip the switch. wait a few seconds, and BOOM! you exploded a capacitor

it may smoke, melt, or do nothing. Make sure connections are correct and you are a safe distance away.

Large value capacitors in uf may take longer to explode

9th April 2007, 04:32 AM

*also*

Do Not Breathe In Fumes!!!

Gayan Soyza · 9th April 2007, 04:50 AM

It’s not a good idea……Don’t do that.

But it’s cheaper than buying crackers from the market.

9th April 2007, 05:11 AM

lol

I know its not a good idea, but very satisfying after a bad day...

Sceadwian · 9th April 2007, 06:14 AM

I've done this, great fun if done safely (at a decent distance)

Andy1845c · 9th April 2007, 02:00 PM

Don'y kill them!

They are our friends!

Seriously, I'd make sure I hade goggles or a face sheild on when trying this.

Zed · 9th April 2007, 02:20 PM

You need small capacitors to explode as the big ones are usually vented to prevent an explosion.
I was repairing a PSU at work years ago that was 415 3 Phase in and 24VDC out at over 100A (if memory serves) and during the fault finding I had been desoldering thyristor wires to test them (there were quite a few).
The final diagnosis was that the output smoothing capacitors were faulty so I replaced them put a few electric fires on the output for a good load and fired up the PSU for a soak test. Measured the DC voltage and current which was fine and left it to soak test while I got on with the next repair.
A couple of hours later there was a hissing sound that got gradually louder and a big plume of smoke came from the PSU which actually turned out to be capacitor electrolyte vapour

It turns out I'd left some of the gate wires off the thyristors and there was a considerable ripple across the smoothing capacitors.
Lucky for me it only destroyed the capacitors....Fhew

HiTech · 9th April 2007, 02:25 PM

Sheesh, the things some people get their jollies from! Tell ya what, try that with a tantalum cap. We'll send you a get well card as you recuperate from the Critical Care Unit.

Zed · 9th April 2007, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HiTech

Sheesh, the things some people get their jollies from! Tell ya what, try that with a tantalum cap. We'll send you a get well card as you recuperate from the Critical Care Unit.

Tants should be destroyed. They are evil

lol

-=GST=- Nemisis (cs/cz) · 9th April 2007, 03:05 PM

i keep accedentally blowing up LEDs, i just wanna see how bright they can go and then boom

sucks with UV or blue ones because they're expensive. when i was at school these guys connected an LED to a 15v supply, that eally did go boom :P

9th April 2007, 05:53 PM

I heart the big fat low voltage rating and low capacitance capacitors (yes they are out there!)

Ambient · 9th April 2007, 09:20 PM

A buddy of mine reversed a motor cap on his speed control once. What an awful smell. It took all night to get rid of it. Smelled like ass, literally. No blowing caps for me.

HiTech, are tants really that dangerous? Fumes or shards of ceramic?

phalanx · 9th April 2007, 10:08 PM

Just plug your electrolytics into a wall socket and get your hand out of the way fast!

-=GST=- Nemisis (cs/cz) · 10th April 2007, 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ambient

Smelled like ass, literally.

LOL hilarious!

HiTech · 11th April 2007, 01:39 PM

Tantalums emit seriously noxious fumes that will send you to the emergency room. Not everything that explodes or goes up in smoke is safe to inhale, nor indicative of a smelly ass... whatever that must be like.... sheesh! I'm very concerned for that poster, Ambient, who seems to know about smelly asses!

Tip: don't go around the 'net advertising the fact that you know what a smelly ass, smells like!

Zed - those tantalums are great for audio sections in many transmitter circuits. They help to clean up the audio response versus their electrolytic counterparts.

9th April 2007, 04:31 AM	(permalink)
Souper man	fun with exploding capacitors if you have a bunch of very low voltage capacitors, say under 10V, you can blow them up easy! All you do is take a high voltage supply, with a 5+ voltage higher than the capacitor. and put a switch on one side. Use a aligator clip and connect the switch side, and connect it to the reverse polarity of the capacitor (red to -, black wire to +) Once you have that all set up, turn on your power supply, and flip the switch. wait a few seconds, and BOOM! you exploded a capacitor it may smoke, melt, or do nothing. Make sure connections are correct and you are a safe distance away. Large value capacitors in uf may take longer to explode

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9th April 2007, 04:32 AM	(permalink)
Souper man	also Do Not Breathe In Fumes!!!

9th April 2007, 04:50 AM	(permalink)
Gayan Soyza	It’s not a good idea……Don’t do that. But it’s cheaper than buying crackers from the market. __________________ Gayan My Website http://gsmicro.blogspot.com/

9th April 2007, 05:11 AM	(permalink)
Souper man	lol I know its not a good idea, but very satisfying after a bad day...

9th April 2007, 06:14 AM	(permalink)
Sceadwian	I've done this, great fun if done safely (at a decent distance) __________________ "Because I be what I be. I would tell you what you want to know if I could, mum, but I be a cat, and no cat anywhere ever gave anyone a straight answer, har har."

9th April 2007, 02:00 PM	(permalink)
Andy1845c	Don'y kill them! They are our friends! Seriously, I'd make sure I hade goggles or a face sheild on when trying this.

9th April 2007, 02:20 PM	(permalink)
Zed	You need small capacitors to explode as the big ones are usually vented to prevent an explosion. I was repairing a PSU at work years ago that was 415 3 Phase in and 24VDC out at over 100A (if memory serves) and during the fault finding I had been desoldering thyristor wires to test them (there were quite a few). The final diagnosis was that the output smoothing capacitors were faulty so I replaced them put a few electric fires on the output for a good load and fired up the PSU for a soak test. Measured the DC voltage and current which was fine and left it to soak test while I got on with the next repair. A couple of hours later there was a hissing sound that got gradually louder and a big plume of smoke came from the PSU which actually turned out to be capacitor electrolyte vapour It turns out I'd left some of the gate wires off the thyristors and there was a considerable ripple across the smoothing capacitors. Lucky for me it only destroyed the capacitors....Fhew

9th April 2007, 02:25 PM	(permalink)
HiTech	Sheesh, the things some people get their jollies from! Tell ya what, try that with a tantalum cap. We'll send you a get well card as you recuperate from the Critical Care Unit. __________________ Don't make me reach through this monitor to slap you a good one!

9th April 2007, 03:05 PM	(permalink)
-=GST=- Nemisis (cs/cz)	i keep accedentally blowing up LEDs, i just wanna see how bright they can go and then boom sucks with UV or blue ones because they're expensive. when i was at school these guys connected an LED to a 15v supply, that eally did go boom :P __________________ http://www.freewebs.com/equilibrium-...-misc_kata.gif

9th April 2007, 05:53 PM	(permalink)
Souper man	I heart the big fat low voltage rating and low capacitance capacitors (yes they are out there!)

9th April 2007, 09:20 PM	(permalink)
Ambient	A buddy of mine reversed a motor cap on his speed control once. What an awful smell. It took all night to get rid of it. Smelled like ass, literally. No blowing caps for me. HiTech, are tants really that dangerous? Fumes or shards of ceramic? Last edited by Ambient; 11th April 2007 at 08:38 AM.

9th April 2007, 10:08 PM	(permalink)
phalanx	Just plug your electrolytics into a wall socket and get your hand out of the way fast!

11th April 2007, 01:39 PM	(permalink)
HiTech	Tantalums emit seriously noxious fumes that will send you to the emergency room. Not everything that explodes or goes up in smoke is safe to inhale, nor indicative of a smelly ass... whatever that must be like.... sheesh! I'm very concerned for that poster, Ambient, who seems to know about smelly asses! Tip: don't go around the 'net advertising the fact that you know what a smelly ass, smells like! Zed - those tantalums are great for audio sections in many transmitter circuits. They help to clean up the audio response versus their electrolytic counterparts. __________________ Don't make me reach through this monitor to slap you a good one!