Resending with link as prev reply with attachment didn't make it through.
Did the same thing last month... reverse cap and I was very close. It=20
was 99% a nichicon, as that's what I get from Mouser, and yet the pop=20
was violent.

http://orlandorobotbuilders.com/stuff/Popped-Cap.jpg

Cheers,
-Neil.


On 2/25/2018 8:36 PM, Bob Blick wrote:
> By mistake I put an electrolytic capacitor in backwards. A very generic 1=
00uF, 50V cap exposed to 16V with the equivalent of about 700 ohms in serie=
s with it. It lasted about 30 minutes, then went off with a bang. You can m=
aybe see the damaged heatshrink where the can hit an immovable object.
>
> Please note the scored cross on the top of the can. Isn't that supposed t=
o split and protect me from its rapid self-disassembly? Yes, I was right th=
ere, close at hand, trying to figure out why all the voltages were wrong. P=
erhaps their die for the venting "X" was worn out after 20 million caps. I =
guess that's what I get when I pay USD 0.03 for caps off of Aliexpress inst=
ead of USD 0.11 at Digi-Key :)
>
> I guess I learned a lesson in false economy today. I didn't lose an eye, =
but I'm going to change my buying habits a little. Obviously I made a mista=
ke putting the cap in wrong, but if I'd used a quality cap perhaps I'd have=
 only been startled with a scary hiss instead of a projectile. Take heed! H=
ow many lives do you really have?
>
> Cheerful regards,
>
> Bob
>
>
>
>

--=20
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