capacitor plague

English

Capacitors showing signs of capacitor plague.

Noun

capacitor plague (uncountable)

1. (electronics, informal) Premature failure of an electrolytic capacitor, especially when several are beginning to fail at the same time in a piece of equipment (due, for example, to high demands imposed by the circuit design, such as in a switchmode power supply), necessitating "re-capping" (i.e. replacing many capacitors after disconnecting the power and waiting for lethal charge to dissipate).