14 Feb
2010
14 Feb
'10
11:59 a.m.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Al Kossow" <aek at bitsavers.org>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk at classiccmp.org>
Sent: Sunday, February 14, 2010 2:28 PM
Subject: Re: Getting to dislike tantalum caps
On 2/14/10 10:45 AM, Randy Dawson wrote:
The aluminum electrolytic were the ones with problems.
Tantalums are nice as long as you don't have a voltage spike (they hate
going above their rated voltage and short). At least when the aluminum
electrolytic leak/go bad they just quit working (open), hopefully not eating
the circuit board.
Dwight,
There was some criminal stuff going on with electrolytes in this era
This has absolutely NOTHING to due with the problems he is seeing, nor is
it even from the right DECADE.
Solid Tantalum capacitors have the failure mode he is observing, they
short.
Many electronics companies banned their engineers from designing them in
for
this exact reason. When they short, they BURN UP, often taking large
chunks of the
circuit board with them.