"hr(bob) " writes:

On Nov 30, 8:46 am, "peter" wrote:
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?

It is fairly important to use them regularly, like once or twice every
couple of months, to keep the internal chemistry formed. The quality
of those old capacitors is probably much better than average, and I
wouldn't worry about them blowing up. You probably wouldn't want to
sit and stare at them for hours at a stretch, but I wouldn't hesitate
to use them like yhou say you do.

Geez, twice a month? I let them sit 5 years and there is no problem,
except a slightly longer initial charge time.

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