Hey, you know that stripe on a diode?

[LyleCaldwell]

Turns out it's important after all.

Though there is something satisfying about watching a filter cap explode, I'm not so sure I want to do it again.

Life is funny - I put together 15 pedals in a row with no mistakes, but come number 16 and I make such a stupid "beginner" mistake.  But it was worth it to watch the cat freak out.

[Transmogrifox]

...But it was worth it to watch the cat freak out.

Small price for admission to a good show.

[Dragonfly]

But it was worth it to watch the cat freak out.

[mojotron]

Kids - don't try this at home - school either.

When I was in High School (in 1980 - we got away with more back then) and I took a TV repare class. One of the first things we learned was about polarized components - noting that those big caps "don't like" to be put in backwards...

The next day we had a substitute teacher (I think he was actually an English teacher). The first thing we did that day in that shop class was to bread-board up some circuits with a bunch of big electrolytic caps - all in backwards - then we turned on the bench breaker...

We found out that mis-fortuned substitute teacher knew plenty of French as well