Worst circuit component that ever exploded on you

[groundfault]

Had a capacitor go off with such intensity that it scorched the board and left shrapnel marks on the case. It was a smoky disaster with a horrible smell, and I was left with quite the cleanup.

What’s the wildest circuit component failure you’ve ever encountered in your shop?

 

[capacitorkid]

Oh man, I once blew a voltage regulator big time! It was late and I wired it up totally wrong. Next thing I knew, POP! Smoke everywhere. The whole room was filled with it. Cleaning up that mess and going back to check everything took forever.

 

[barfle]

I was in the room when a filter capacitor the size of a beer can blew up. Bang, stink, and a big spiral of aluminum foil over the wall! I think the tech put it in backwards.

Then there was the woofer coil that disn’t just smoke, it flamed when I put something like 70VDC on it by mistake.

 

[groundfault]

Damn, when a beer can capacitor blows up, it's on a whole other level! Those kinds of stories are exactly why I always make sure to double-check my polarity now.