Slashdot Mirror
Taiwanese Capacitors Leaking, Exploding
ackthpt writes "A few astute slashdot readers were on to something back when this article was published. After a tip (at e-insight.net) on failing caps over at amdmb I did a little looking around and found this article by Dennis Zogbi on TTI Inc.'s site, which goes into more detail. In a nutshell, many motherboards are now failing due to electolytic capacitors made with an inferior water-based electolyte. Within days or a few months these capacitors build up hydrogen gas and blow the rubber bung out the end of the capacitor, leaking electolyte and causing havoc. The problem may be widespread, as many consumer electronics made with these capacitors may also fail prematurely. Gary Headlee specializes in Abit motherboards, but as his FAQ states, he will work on other makes and the FAQ has more info on capacitor problems."
When everything was made in the USA, we never had this problem. Now, all that matters is "who makes this thing cheaper?". This is what you get: Taiwanese capacitors in our mission-critical systems failing and causing who-knows-what.
No longer will the joke be "What does this red button do?" when it comes to space shuttle problems