At 23:00 17-02-02 -0500, "Erik Reuter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >On Sun, Feb 17, 2002 at 09:46:33PM -0600, The Fool wrote: > > > > From: Ronn Blankenship > > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > > And while we're on the subject, why do you have to buy a whole new > > > $25 power supply when it's a 10� fuse that has blown? > > > > > > BT, DT . . . didn't get a T-shirt, though . . . > > > > Opening up a power supply can kill you. NEVER do it. Opening up a > > monitor will kill you. Don't do it. > >A little more explanation: obviously you shouldn't work on electrical >equipment while it is plugged in -- you should always unplug it. But >with power supplies and CRTs, particularly CRTs, there are large >capacitors which can hold a charge for long after you have unplugged the >device. Unless you know where the live wires connected to the capactiors >are, and/or how to discharge them, it is dangerous to mess around with >these devices even if they are unplugged (and if you are going to do it, >it is safer to ground the device to earth ground, which is best done >with a ground cord which looks a lot like a regular power cord but only >has the ground wire connected).
FWIW, I happen to know how to do it safely. In fact, I have written manuals explaining to maintenance people how to do it properly. However, "The Fool" and Erik _are_ correct: unless you know what you are doing, you shouldn't, because the capacitors can hold a dangerous amount of charge even after the equipment is turned off and unplugged. The same applies to a television set. -- Ronn! :)
