On Saturday 27 April 2024 08:24:59 pm Mark Weedon wrote:
Peter,
I agree - tantalums are a pest.? Perhaps the problem isn't the tantalums but our fascination with equipment from the dodgy tantalum era.? We can replace tantalums, dried electrolytics, leaky backup batteries etc but who really wants to cure that fascination?
The tantalums exposed to immediate voltage at turn on are the most likely to fail. Those in timing circuits, charged via a resistor seem to be OK.
My impression is that the ones that fail are those that have voltage applied to them which is close to or at the part's rated voltage. One instrument that I'm familiar with used a *lot* of parts rated at 25V in a circuit that might under some conditions put 30V across them. Yes, there were failures...
--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin
