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I accidentally back-charged an electrolytic a few years ago (I wired a 90V B battery in reverse on a 3-way portable tube radio).
A soft, slow explosion, a puff of smoke, and a trip back into the chassis to replace an electrolytic.
This was when I found the answer to my old question of why so many electrolytics had a cross in the top. the top is scored so that it fails if the pressure gets too high, allowing a relatively soft "pop" instead of exploding like a firecracker, and it worked.
Last edited by Robert Grant; 04-30-2011 at 11:56 AM.
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