How to diagnose electrical/plastic smell when switching on device?
I've bought second hand steering wheel (Guillemot Ferrari Force Feedback) on the local marketplace. The owner told me the adapter is missing, so I've bought a universal adapter.
I didn't know the correct voltage so I started as low as possible to see whether the device will work. The adapter only went up to 12V, so that's where I stopped. A strange smell appeared so I immediately shut it off. I'm not sure whether I broke the device by this procedure or it was already broken but just showing it's signs on this voltage.
Later I found out online the exact specifications for the adapter (20V) and bought a new universal adapter. I tried again with the correct voltage and again get the burning smell.
After that I opened up the wheel to see if there was a fuse or some obvious component damage. The only thing I notice is one of the capacitors is (very) slightly bulged, but I find it hard to tell whether this is abnormal or not. It's not exploded or any leakage.
I'm a bit hesitant to keep putting power on the circuit because of the smell and a fear of breaking more.
How can I proceed in this case?
This is an image of the capacitor:
Is this a good question?