Re: tantalum caps was emc success

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@egroups.com, "Mariss Freimanis"
<geckohall@h...> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Yes, you have been lucky. Here's an example of how to change your
> luck:)
>
> You have designed a circuit that will run on +12VDC and will have a
> voltage regulator to provide said +12VDC. It also has a tantalum

cap

> across the power rails. In the meantime you want to test the

circuit

> using your lab power supply, now set to +12VDC and ready to go. You
> connect power leads to the supply when BANG! the tantalum cap
> disappears in a cloud of smoke. What did you do wrong?
>
> Well, you should have brought the supply up after connecting it to
> the circuit, but how many people do that particularly when changes

to

> the circuit are flying thick and fast?
>
> Was the cap bad? No, but it is fragile compared to other caps. Is

it

> bad design practice? No, but it is bad testing practice. Will other
> tantalums "out there" go bad? Not if they are operating within

their

> limits.
>
> Mariss
>

Wally K. replys;

Why do you keep coming up with these examples of how to abuse and
destroy tantalum caps. We all know you can burn them up if you want
to.

The bottem line is there is no reason not to use a tantalum cap in a
properly designed circuit. As i said before there are BILLIONS of
these caps working just fine in all of our electronic equipment.