Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Re: Power supplies (correction)

Bill Kichman wrote:

>Hmm....not to split electrons, but for the sake of clarity to the
>non-formally trained electrical aficiondos out there, did you really mean to
>say that an undersized cap would possibly cause it to smoke? Undersizing a
>capacitor will cause ineffective DC smoothing, which is why it is there in
>the first place, however will never to my knowledge cause failure of the
>cap.
>

Yes, it actually can. The larger caps can withstand greater ripple current.
The smaller ones will suffer from the high ripple current as the AC line
charges the cap and the load discharges it twice every power line cycle.
A 10 x undersized cap could, indeed, eventually go up in smoke. it would
overheat for some time before failing, however, so you could detect the
problem in advance.

Jon