capacitor help needed asap

[SuckMikeHawk23 10+ year member]

is it possible to fry my cap? i just bought a cap today and was going to charge it, instructions said to hook up the positive first, so i did, then it said to hook up the negative to some kind of resistor or a bulb, then to the ground.... well, since it didnt come with the resistor or the bulb, i just hooked it straight up to the ground, then it started sparking... now when i touch the negative to the ground terminal on my battery, it wont spark no more... ok, with that said, how the hell do i kno if my cap is even working or not? theres no light on it, or at least i dont see one, and its not digital, so how do i even kno its going?

thanks

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[Steven 10+ year member]

Those instructions meant to hook the cap up in series with a light of your own. this would limit the amount of current allowed to flow to the cap and allow it to charge. Using a light also has the added benifit of telling you when it is charged. When the cap is done charging the light goes out. Since you misunderstood the instructions, it is possible to have fried the cap. I would hook a lest light up between the two posts on the cap and see if the light comes on, if it does, the cap was charged and should be discharged then recharged properly. If the light doesn't come on, try charging the cap again, this time with the test light hooked in series with it. batt(+) -> cap(+) cap(-) -> light -> ground

If the light comes on the cap should be charging. leave it for a while, and see if the light goes out. when it does the cap is charged and ok. If after a couple of hours the light is still on, the cap is fried.

 

[SuckMikeHawk23 10+ year member]

well, everything is running right now, but i havent had time to test the cap with a test light, is there any other approach i can take to assure that my cap is working properly?

thanks