Dash LED Upgrade Doesn't Work - Because?

You guys should feel lucky. The vast majority of various electronics componets die in a hug ball of flame and or smoke when reversed. LED's--at least ones with no external electronics package--don't blow up when reversed, they simply don't work. I've let the smoke out of a few things. First electrolytic cap I blew up was when I was in high school in about 64-65, and the first selenium rectifier failed about same time. Both those make lots of ugly smell you don't forget.

When I was going to Navy ET school at Treasure Island CA the beater / junk box / homebrew high power amplifier someone had built, had the 3000V power supply in the vacant spot in the desk meant for the typewriter. One afternoon I was sitting there tuning the receiver when Ker-feckin-BLAMB-HO!!!! Something had let go and blew up a big dropping resistor in the power supply.