Low-leakage tantalum capacitors for detonating explosives

[tggzzz]

To anybody that reads this "Repair" sub-board, that headline to an article states the blindingly obvious.

The only surprise is that it hasn't been suggested before 

Even after reading the article, I like the concept

[tszaboo]

Use is foreseen storing ignition energy in remote detonation systems for mining and demolition.

One would think the use is: using it at it's voltage rating as an ignition source.

[tggzzz]

Use is foreseen storing ignition energy in remote detonation systems for mining and demolition.

One would think the use is: using it at it's voltage rating as an ignition source.

Doesn't even have to be at the rated voltage A 15V tant on a 13V line is sufficient. C911 (of course!) took out R965.

[David Hess]

Just had a epoxy dipped solid tantalum capacitor fail in my Tektronix PG506.  It gradually overheated, cracked, and started oozing molten metal, and it is not the first time this PG506 has done this.  Last time I was watching it when it happened, and I changed all of the similar solid tantalum capacitors.  Now I have more to change, and need to check the regulator circuits.

Tantalum capacitors might fail in this way when the power supply has current limiting.

[tszaboo]

Use is foreseen storing ignition energy in remote detonation systems for mining and demolition.

One would think the use is: using it at it's voltage rating as an ignition source.

Doesn't even have to be at the rated voltage A 15V tant on a 13V line is sufficient. C911 (of course!) took out R965.

I was making a revision in a board, where the 25V rated tantalum on a 24V rail was catching on fire in the ATE in about 1% of the cases. Nice green flames.
I don't use tantalum for ATEX for some reason.

[T3sl4co1l]

I don't recall ever hearing about them used for rocket ignitors, but they damn well ought to do a good job of it; the composition is very similar, innit?

The cognitive dissonance reading that article while trying to think about something other than self-combustion is quite delightful.

Tim

[langwadt]

I have a pair of glasses with a mark right in the middle of on of the lenses, two tants on a board i was debugging, one turned white hot desoldered and burned the table, the other exploded and would have hit me right in the eye if I wasn't wearing glasses

[tggzzz]

The cognitive dissonance reading that article while trying to think about something other than self-combustion is quite delightful.

[BILLPOD]

Sure beats lighting fuses with a match.   A very timely subject on this Independence Day.

[antenna]

To store energy for remote detonation systems, not to initiate them directly.  I was thinking that they were using the caps tendency to explode as a mouser-ready initiator lol

That brought me right back to my days experimenting with various methods of directly detonating certain secondary explosives without primaries or low explosives. Fun times for sure.