[sdiy] Tantalum saved my @ss...

[Philippe Derenne]

----- Original Message -----
From: "harrybissell" <harrybissell at prodigy.net>
To: "synth DIY" <synth-diy at dropmix.xs4all.nl>
Sent: Saturday, November 02, 2002 7:22 AM
Subject: [sdiy] Tantalum saved my @ss...


| I was working on a my synth tonight, and due to a late night brain
fart I
| misconnected the clip leads on the power supply...
|
| I smelled an 'event'....
|
| Turns out, a tantalum cap shorted at the power supply input and
forced the
| supply into current limit... thereby preventing individual module
damage.
|
| lesson 1: don't work late at night
|
| lesson 2:
|
| Tantalum saved my @ss !!!   (so there, tantalum foes ;^)


Lesson 3 : put a fuse at the power input, followed by a *big* diode
(anode to the - cathode to the +), so in case of such another 'event',
the diode will short the power supply and blow the fuse... and if you
put a *big* zener diode, you're protected against overvoltage as
well...

Just in case of... ;-)

Phil.