[SFDXA] THE SMOKE THEORY OF ELECTRONICS: - From the QRZ page of N3UTV

[Bill]

* THE SMOKE THEORY OF ELECTRONICS:*

I have been engaged in the electronics field for a long time.   Over the 
years, I have come to the conclusion that all electronic gear 
really__*_works off of SMOKE_. (READ ON!);*


                                       Above:  Renowned *Smoke Theorist* 
studying the issue  in labs.

The theory goes like this. *SMOKE*...this stuff circulates within all of 
the wires and electronic components within a system, and remains 
harmless and invisible to the user and harmless to the system  unless it 
can find an avenue of escape from  the wires or  components within the 
equipment.  I can remember in my early days in college, as my classmates 
and I worked in the the electronics lab putting together various 
circuits, that occasionally, someone would get it wrong.  They 
would accidentally do something like reverse-connect 
large electrolytic capacitors and apply power to the circuit.  We would 
hear a loud bang and then  you would  see....  you guessed 
it......*SMOKE!!! * *SOMEONE LET THE SMOKE OUT OF THE CIRCUIT! *I also 
recall years later, after I was employed as an young engineer  with a 
transit agency, that a certain transit ticket vending machine began to 
let smoke out of its self, creating a hazard to the general public. 
  The device was found to have two wires chaffing against each 
other that allowed the *SMOKE* to escape out of the 
electronic circuitry.  Trust me......(and this is what we 
conclude).......As far as electronic gear is concerned, *SMOKE IS YOUR 
FRIEND!.*  Our devices are full of it.  The secret is _*NEVER LET THE 
SMOKE ESCAPE FROM THE WIRES IN YOUR GEAR*._  If it does, your gear will 
never be the same.. *k_eep  THE SMOKE IN THE WIRES!!!_   DO THIS  AT ALL 
COST!!!.*  Do not let it escape from coils, capacitors, IC's bi-polars, 
diodes, etc.  Once the SMOKE gets out of your circuits, all is lost.   
There is simply no way to put it back in.     Keep it contained. We say 
again.........*KEEP THE SMOKE IN THE WIRES!*! *(KTSITW).*

Here are some pictures of what things look like if the SMOKE gets 
out the wires.  If any of your equipment looks like this _YOU PROBABLY 
HAVE A SMOKE LEAK!!!_

*ABOVE: SMOKE WAS ALLOWED TO SEEP OUT OF THIS HV CIRCUIT.*

*BELOW LEFT;  THE SMOKE GOT OUT OF THIS CIRCUIT.  IT IS UNCLEAR WHY THE 
OWNER LET IT OUT. **BELOW RIGHT:  THE OWNER OBVIOUSLY WATCHED WITH 
DISMAY AFTER HE ALLOWED THE SMOKE OUT OF THE ELECTROLYTIC CAPACITOR 
PICTURED.   DON'T do this! **IT IS NOT A GOOD THING TO LET THE SMOKE 
OUT.  IT NEEDS TO STAY WITHIN YOUR CIRCUITRY.  AS LONG AS THE SMOKE 
  STAYS WITHIN THE WIRES, ALL IS OK.*

*Someone let the SMOKE out of this resistor and look what happened!*

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