Exploding Capacitor

What happens when you dump all of the energy from a 200V 7530uF capacitor bank into a 16V 10uF capacitor. It was MUCH louder than the camera makes it sound. My ears were ringing for quite a while after.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• explode
• capacitor
• bank
• volt
• boom
• pop
• wire
• crack
• plastic
• high
• voltage
• exploding
• fun

[erikals2]

pow! that capacitor sure blew up. I have a 9V battery and one 1000uF electrolytic capacitor rated at 10V. if I connect a 9V battery the wrong way to the capacitor will the capacitor blow?

[Andyman3k]

@erikals2 Unlikely. Unless you left it connected that way for a few hours or something... then it might burst and vent the electrolyte. but it wouldn't explode.

[260830107]

would a bank of 200V capacitors explode if i charge it up with 250V

[Andyman3k]

It likely would not, and it would probably just get hot or get damaged internally. You would have to charge it pretty darn high and with a lot of current to get it to explode.

[pimpmastahanh]

for those of u who have ever set off a model rocket, remember how u ran a wire to a disposable charge u stick in the rocket fuel's ass? basically thats a capacitor blowing up. It like rated at .5v and u plug 2 9vs in. Not to mention it own match like start material all around the spark site.

[Andyman3k]

Model rocket starters are usually just a thin piece of high resistance nichrome wire. When current runs through it, it gets red hot and ignites the black powder (or other solid fuel)

[hondasaki7999]

Techno junkies RULE!

[superninjaworm]

Infact elgranto7 is right. The reason the cap explodes is because the current that you are putting though the cap is far too much for the dielectric material between the plates of the capacitor to handle. This creates heat and gas as the dielectric material breaks down, and consequently - pressure! This is why the cap explodes, pressure. That's why on some of the larger caps they have a weak spot stamped into the metal at the top, to encourage the cap to explode in a safer manner due to problems

[MRdeadlyVAMPIRE2]

OOOOOOOO

[SerialKIillerrr]

Gay

[SerialKIillerrr]

'It broke the glaaaaaass' lmao

[randommscience117]

@Andyman3k No, it works fairly quickly.

[FalloutFanBoy101]

@er10b 5 seconds maby?

[er10b]

@FalloutFanBoy101 lots of smoke or just a little wisp?

[FalloutFanBoy101]

@erikals2 it wont blow up but it will vent



[whiskeyify]

I used to do this when I got bored....I worked in a TV repair shop...I'd hook up a small capacitor to the Variac a variable AC transformer. the AC voltage will blow up the capacitor.

[ZachiswakYT]

pussyyy my friend put a capacitor in an outlet at school :) it exploded like a gunshot :)

[TuneMaestro]

I accidently put 12v across a 16v capacitor today - all would have been well, if the current was going in the right direction. It wasn't. The capacitor exploded in a similar fashion.