<div id="RTEContent">LOL... no a 3300uF electrolytic on 650V... :^P<br> <br> (I wish I had saved that photo... maybe I'll see if it is archived)<br> <br> H^) harry<br><br><b><i>James Patchell <patchell@cox.net></i></b> wrote:<blockquote class="replbq" style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"> Depends on the capacitor.<br><br>Tantalums, can and do fail to a short circuit. And I have had it happen.<br><br>Surface mount ceramics, if not soldered correctly (they can crack), can <br>fail to an open...And I have had it happen.<br><br>But in general, ceramics "do not fail", so there isn't a whole lot to worry <br>about with them.<br><br>Shorts across the power supply are probably not much problem. A 78xx <br>limits to about 1.5 amps and has thermal shutdown. 1.5amps isn't going to <br>hurt much. Bigger supplies should have a current foldback, otherwise you <br>will be a lot of smoke.<br><br>A 470uF Tant that shorts a!
cross a
300 amp supply is a sight to behold (and <br>I have seen it happen)....<br><br>At 01:54 PM 12/6/2005 -0500, you wrote:<br><br>>I've been reading up the sage advice on bypass caps, and something started <br>>to worry me...<br>><br>>When caps fail, do they fail into "open circuits" or "short circuits?"<br>><br>>If the later, it could be scary if the cap runs from the power supply to <br>>ground...<br>><br>>- Aaron, working on the transition form theory to practice<br>><br>>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------<br>><br>>Dr. Aaron Lanterman, Asst. Prof. Voice: 404-385-2548<br>>School of Electrical and Comp. Eng. Fax: 404-894-8363<br>>Georgia Institute of Technology E-mail: lanterma@ece.gatech.edu<br>>Mail Code 0250 Web: users.ece.gatech.edu/~lanterma<br>>Atlanta, GA 30332 Office: GCATT
334B<br>><br>><br>><br>><br>><br><br> -Jim<br>***************************************************************<br>http://www.oldcrows.net/~patchell<br><br>***************************************************************<br><br><br></blockquote><br></div>