[Amps] How to know when filter caps begin to fail

[Ron Youvan]

   Glen K9STH Zook wrote:

> When I was in high school, the physics teacher decided to have a one-semester "electronics" class.  There were parts from all sorts of discarded television sets around.  A couple of the less bright students discovered that if you plugged the electrolytic capacitors into an AC outlet that in several seconds the capacitor would explode.  For several days thereafter, one of those students would go into a classroom (when it was empty) or to a secluded part of the hallway and plug a capacitor into an outlet.  The results were obvious.

> After that, the teacher started checking the capacitors "in and out".  The "explosions" stopped.

   When I was in school (electronics school) we had a wise guy that tore apart "5 tube all 
American's" for the dual 150 Volt electrolytics with three leads molded in, (at home) he would go 
into an unused classroom and "wired in" the electrolytics into one of the ceiling lights, somehow.
   The next teacher was always the witness to  the results if his mischief.  I know only because I 
caught him a couple of times.  (both on "sand box breaks" from different classes)
   He also had a way of adding a 10 minute delay to a cherry bomb.  (Clever!)
-- 
    73 Ron KA4INM - All E-mail sent to this address shall linger in the Google cloud forever!