"peter" wrote in message
news:enV3j.18414$B21.13403@trndny07...
Electrolytic capacitors sometimes blow up -- due to heat, old age, or lack
of use(?).

I have some old studio flashes used for photography and they contain some
high voltage electrolytic capacitors. I use them once in a long while. But
if they ever blow up, it would be very unpleasant.

Could someone reassure me that it is not going to happen, or suggest a
solution?

The caps in flashes generally charge via an inverter circuit. Compared to
other types of supply that have electros hanging across the end of them, the
inverter supply is likely to be quite high impedance, and will charge the
caps relatively slowly. This being the case, it is highly unlikely that they
would fail in any 'explosive' way. If they were to fail at all as a result
of being 'woken up' after a long period of slumber, they would most likely
fail short circuit, in which case, the inverter will probably just groan a
bit, and shut down.

Arfa