whats inside capacitors

[Alex Gibson]

"Arpit" <DONTSPAMMEF00Lneko4@dodo.com.au> wrote in message news:3ubjlv0mt06ernb52mgiae09ngg9q99t4m@4ax.com...

On Sat, 06 Sep 2003 07:17:10 GMT, "Richard Parris"
_nospam_rparris@bigpond.net.au> wrote:


"Arpit" <DONTSPAMMEF00Lneko4@dodo.com.au> wrote in message
news:t3pilv4lhuf8hni7m0sfdcu1u7e2edv7ht@4ax.com...
I was making an inverter,, and a capacitor exploded, it hit my
forhead, bounced off, hit the roof, and flew down the corridor. I have
a large oval cut on my forhead and blood. THe base of the cap is still
on the breadboard, and has lots of fibres around it. what are those?
are they toxic?

You'll live. Whenever I'm energising something with quite a large amount of
energy (on the bench) I tend to look away from it when I turn it on. That
way, if something like a cap is going to say hello it will do so to the back
of your head, and you won't loose your eye sight.


Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. When I was younger, a similar
capacitor explosion actually happened, I had exceeeded the voltage
rating there, making a voltage quadrupler. It hit me just below the
eye, phew. Im gonna wear safety goggles from now on.

Put a perspex cover or box over the top.

Or put the board or breadboard inside a box with a perspex lid while testing.

Also means a lot easier to clean up.Reduces the chance of zapping yourself as well.
Also longsleeve shirt and or wood working style apron or lab coat
provide a bit of protection.

Learned that lesson well when about the smae age as you
playing with negative ion generators.
Used a 22 stage cockcroft walton voltage multiplier except of course had to
upgrade it to a high current version for use with a small coil gun.


Have you had a look at www.powerlabs.org ?

 

[The real Andy]

"Brian Goldsmith" <brian.goldsmith@nospamecho1.com.au> wrote in message
news:55i6b.85524$bo1.40217@news-server.bigpond.net.au...

"Brian Goldsmith" wrote



The idiot wasn't some clown hiding under the psuedonym "Arpit"as it?

**I also cannot spell "pseudonym" or "was" correctly,Brian Goldsmith.

You are a fuckwit, go do something useful with your life:

PLONK...

 

[Brian Goldsmith]

"The real Andy" <ihatehifitrolls@yahoo.com.au> wrote


You are a fuckwit, go do something useful with your life:

PLONK...


**** I am,I'm obviously annoying you greatly----moron!
Brian Goldsmith.

 

[Thurston Phoremost]

Arpit <DONTSPAMMEF00Lneko4@dodo.com.au> wrote in message news:<t3pilv4lhuf8hni7m0sfdcu1u7e2edv7ht@4ax.com>...

I was making an inverter,, and a capacitor exploded, it hit my
forhead, bounced off, hit the roof, and flew down the corridor. I have
a large oval cut on my forhead and blood. THe base of the cap is still
on the breadboard, and has lots of fibres around it. what are those?
are they toxic?

Some capacitors contain PCBs, this stuff will be in the smoke that
comes out of an exploding or wheezing capacitor. You will never forget
the smell of PCB-laden smoke. It really is the most indescribably foul
odour that you have ever experienced.

PCBs are horrendously carcinogenic and teratogenic. If you get a
lungful of that crap, here's a list of do's and don'ts for you to
immediately be getting on with...

DO - make out your will as soon as possible.

DON'T - get your wife pregnant (or allow your husband to get you
pregnant).

You have been warned.

T.

 

[Phil Allison]

"Thurston Phoremost" <thurston_phoremost@hotmail.com> wrote in message

Some capacitors contain PCBs,

** Only large, very old oil filled paper types - mostly used as PFC
caps on motors and fluoros.

I used to have a couple of Ducon ones - 40 uF, 250 volts AC -
half the size of a brick.





............. Phil