The last thing we want to find in our electronic devices is a group of capacitors that have exploded, swollen, or vomiting all their chemicals onto the PCB, but there are many stories of boring days in some electronics labs, shaken by the more or less controlled explosion of a capacitor. That brings us to the Slo Mo Guys channel, absolute kings of slow motion on YouTube, who decided to film a series of capacitors exploding in super slow motion. The results are impressive.
The famous "capacitor plague" wreaked havoc across the electronics world for nearly a decade. The strongest hypothesis suggests a case of industrial espionage combined with the use of an incomplete electrolyte formula, but the point is that our relationship with these components was ruined forever: We hate those damn bugs, and we will always suspect them.
So, how about some destruction? I mean sacrificing a couple of capacitors for our immediate visual pleasure. The difference is that today we are not going to see simple images (remember we have a complete gallery on the subject), but we will enjoy capacitors exploding in super slow motion, courtesy of the Slo Mo Guys.
Exploding capacitors in slow motion
The first sacrifice is a 16V and 1,000 µF capacitor, which basically reacts like an erupting volcano. The "cross" on top works as an emergency system to release the internal pressure of the capacitor without causing an explosion... but the truth is that other capacitors do not have that system, because they are too small. When it explodes, the plastic sleeve inflates like a balloon, while the aluminum casing shoots out mimicking a mini rocket, and throwing its guts in all directions.
The hardware used by the Slo Mo Guys on this occasion allows them to film at an impressive 187,500 FPS, with most shots captured at 80,000 FPS. They even calculated the speed of one of the capacitors, which exceeded 190 kilometers per hour. In the last test, they decided to check whether a capacitor could pierce a balloon filled with water, which it did without much trouble. Imagine what it could do to someone's face...
