| roflwaffle |
12-03-16 01:39 PM |
I haven't had an LED explode, but I've had two (out of maybe 60+) CFLs blow. With that said, I'm pretty sure the fire risk was less than when an incandescent malfunctions/blows, since those are much higher wattage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wilsonsmith
(Post 52581)
It's no surprise that giving too much voltage to LEDs can make them explode. However, does somebody know the chemistry behind why they explode? I imagine it's due to the heat being generated by the increasing current which would break down some material in the LED causing them to go into a gaseous state. Eventually the pressure builds so much that the LED explodes. But...what exactly gets changed to gas?
I tried googling this, but it seems the internet is more interested in making LEDs (and caps) explode than explaining why they do so.
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YMMV, but my first result is this...
https://www.quora.com/What-causes-capacitors-to-explode
Which suggests it's the electrolyte that's vaporized. If the cap doesn't pop as designed to relieve the pressure, enough pressure can build up to put a whole in something when it blows off. |
