ELi5: Why do you need to wait 10 seconds to power cycle certain electronics?
In: Technology
Electronics use capacitors, which store a small amount of charge. Some (probably most) electronic devices have capacitors that are sufficiently large that they can continue to power the device for a few seconds after you have turned them off.
This means that if you switch an electronic device off then on again immediately, the capacitors may keep the electronics running right through your attempt to power cycle them.
Have you noticed how on many devices that have a small “power on” LED, it doesn’t go out immediately you turn the device off but rather stays on then fades out? Same thing – capacitors are continuing to power the LED for a few seconds, till they run down.
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