Had a power supply blow up on me during a test yesterday

I was testing an old Tektronix scope from the 80s and one of the filter caps let go with a bang and smoke. Made a real mess on my bench and now I'm wondering if the whole unit is toast or just that one part. Any tips on checking for collateral damage after a cap failure like this?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_nina1mo ago

I used to assume a blown cap meant everything around it was fried too, but after seeing a few of these old scopes shrug it off with just a cap swap, I'd check the rectifier diodes and fuse first before writing the whole thing off.

keith9431mo ago

That old cap probably saved the rest of the circuit.