Tropical Fish

[Cursitor Doom]

Does anyone know how tolerant these are to over-voltage? For example,
would one rated at 250V be able to handle 260V - 265V for a minute or so?

thanks.

[MJC]

In article <mpie6h$3pq$1...@dont-email.me>, cu...@notformail.com says...

>
> Does anyone know how tolerant these are to over-voltage? For example,
> would one rated at 250V be able to handle 260V - 265V for a minute or so?
>
> thanks.

Electric eel?

Mike.

[John Robertson]

All my fish preferred 0V...otherwise it was just a tank full of floaters.

John ;-#)#

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[Cursitor Doom]

On Sat, 01 Aug 2015 09:47:48 -0700, John Robertson wrote:

> On 08/01/2015 9:18 AM, MJC wrote:
>> In article <mpie6h$3pq$1...@dont-email.me>, cu...@notformail.com says...
>>>
>>> Does anyone know how tolerant these are to over-voltage? For example,
>>> would one rated at 250V be able to handle 260V - 265V for a minute or
>>> so?
>>>
>>> thanks.
>>
>> Electric eel?
>>
>> Mike.
>>
>>
> All my fish preferred 0V...otherwise it was just a tank full of
> floaters.
>
> John ;-#)#

Oh yes, jolly amusing.
I was of course talking about TF capacitors. I think I may have fried one
accidentally by careless use of a variac. Something on the board I was
testing made a muffled sizzling sound for several seconds and I'm trying
to establish what I damaged. There are no visual signs of damage and I
didn't see any smoke at the time; just heard that noise.

[Gareth Magennis]

"Cursitor Doom" wrote in message news:mpj3fg$fm5$1...@dont-email.me...

I think it unlikely that any component on that board will not be designed to
tolerate 10% above the voltage expected.
The figures you quote are around 6%.


Be wary of jumping to conclusions.
Just because component X dies just as you made a cup of tea does not mean
the cup-of-tea-making caused the failure of said component.




Gareth.

[John Robertson]

Well, not knowing what you were talking about as the thread was long
dead (always best to quote) we had no clue as to what you were talking
about and did have a little fun.

As for your caps - check the absolute maximum voltage rating. If you
exceeded it then chances are the caps need replacing.

[John Robertson]

On 08/01/2015 11:34 AM, Cursitor Doom wrote:

Oh, Tropical Fish Capacitors - you know I've seen those in many an old
radio but never heard them called that.

Interesting.

How well it would take any voltage depends on the seal - if any moisture
has leaked in (likely) then the breakdown voltage would drop.

Something that old is probably best replaced with a modern capacitor IMHO.

[Cursitor Doom]

On Sat, 01 Aug 2015 13:21:55 -0700, John Robertson wrote:

> How well it would take any voltage depends on the seal - if any moisture
> has leaked in (likely) then the breakdown voltage would drop.

That could be relevant, then. These old TFs had hairline cracks in them
at the sides. I touched one with the tip of a screwdriver and a flake
fell away exposing the edge of the plates and the dilectric.
So yes, they should certainly be replaced and if as you say that crack
would have let moisture in, then 260V might easily have killed it.
Hopefully we have the culprit. :-/

[Sjouke Burry]

That was an electrolytic cap, boiling off the liquid inside.

[Cursitor Doom]

On Sat, 01 Aug 2015 23:09:52 +0200, Sjouke Burry wrote:

> That was an electrolytic cap, boiling off the liquid inside.

I like your thinking; sound entirely feasible. I'll check them all out.

[Cursitor Doom]

They've all checked out fine. The TFs remain the prime suspects.