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..   keep  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!