An electrolytic capacitor uses an anodized metal foil as one plate and a liquid or solid electrolyte as the other, allowing it to pack a massive amount of capacitance into a small volume. They are heavily used in power supplies for bulk filtering and energy storage. Because they are polarized, applying reverse voltage or excessive ripple current will cause the electrolyte to boil, vent gas, and eventually burst.
Check the power supply rail, I bet one of those bulk electrolytic capacitors dried out and is causing the ripple.
Also heard as
- electrolytic
- electro
Related terms
Capacitor
A passive two-terminal component that stores electrical energy in an electric field.
Capacitor plague
A widespread issue in older electronics where poor-quality electrolytic capacitors bulged, leaked, and failed prematurely.
ESR
Equivalent series resistance is the internal resistance that appears in series with an ideal capacitor or inductor.