Capacitor plague

Common card · No. 243647

The capacitor plague was a problem related to a higher-than-expected failure rate of non-solid aluminium electrolytic capacitors between 1999 and 2007, especially those from some Taiwanese manufacturers, due to faulty electrolyte composition that caused corrosion accompanied by gas generation; this often resulted in rupturing of the case of the capacitor from the build-up of pressure. High failure rates occurred in many well-known brands of electronics, and were particularly evident in motherboards, video cards, and power supplies of personal computers. A 2003 article in The Independent attributed the problem to an incorrectly copied electrolyte formula. According to the article, an unnamed scientist left Japan’s Rubycon Corporation in 2001, taking his knowledge of the company's secret formula to Luminous Town Electric in China. Later that year, members of his team at Luminous defected to Taiwan, taking the incorrectly copied formula with them.

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