[Premium-Rx] Nonsmoking Capacitors

[Geoff Fors]

I should have been more precise in my previous message about shorted tantalum capacitors; it's the resistors upstream that let out smoke, not the tantalums.  The tantalums just sit there looking perfectly good but are actually a short.  For some reason it's always the 10uf ones too. Probably the way that value is used.  The blue colored British ones have given me a lot of headaches, but so have the American orange colored ones with the +++++ band on one side.

I have noticed that few of the radial lead tantalum capacitors carry a maker's name.  Possibly on purpose...

Wet slug tantalums seem to be more immune from the shorting problem, but they seem to dissolve into a pile of powder with age.

Geoff Fors
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