I wanted to illustrate this thread with an example of mains pass-through box, and I remembered that a section of the mains distribution of my lab was equipped with a filter, housed in such a box.
This section is unswitched, thus permanently connected to the mains, and I use it for low power, sensitive instruments, like active probes, distortionmeter, etc.
I thus removed the box to take a snapshot, and I noticed a funny smell.
I took the picture and left it on my desk, but the smell didn't go away and became more and more present.
In the end, suspecting an anomaly, I opened the box and here is what I found:
The filter has overheated, and the hot gases inside the case reached such a pressure that it visibly bulged:
Fortunately, the gases were able to escape through the wires passages, and the case didn't burst, which would have been catastrophic and could have caused a fire.
Yet, the filter is from a reputable maker:
I am almost certain that a paper cap caused the incident, which could have had dramatic consequences.
I have no idea when it happened, the smell was only noticeable from a very short distance.
Thus, beware of paper caps!
This section is unswitched, thus permanently connected to the mains, and I use it for low power, sensitive instruments, like active probes, distortionmeter, etc.
I thus removed the box to take a snapshot, and I noticed a funny smell.
I took the picture and left it on my desk, but the smell didn't go away and became more and more present.
In the end, suspecting an anomaly, I opened the box and here is what I found:
The filter has overheated, and the hot gases inside the case reached such a pressure that it visibly bulged:
Fortunately, the gases were able to escape through the wires passages, and the case didn't burst, which would have been catastrophic and could have caused a fire.
Yet, the filter is from a reputable maker:
I am almost certain that a paper cap caused the incident, which could have had dramatic consequences.
I have no idea when it happened, the smell was only noticeable from a very short distance.
Thus, beware of paper caps!
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That's rather specific. Why 31?
There is an 8831 date code on it. That would be the 31st week of 1988.
Perfect nailed!!!There is an 8831 date code on it. That would be the 31st week of 1988.
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