On Aug 30, 11:26 am, [email protected] wrote:

> If the PSU fan proves to be the noisy one, replace the PSU.
>
> The PSUs are considered "non-serviceable" as there are lethal voltages
> inside, even after the ac power has been removed.
>
> The potential across some components is over 325 volts.

sounds like advice from someone selling PSUs, or else . . . .

this discussion has appeared on the lem lists before, in regard to
servicing emacs and other all-in-one boxes that contain a CRT.  there
is no danger if you follow simple guidelines, and minimal danger of
mild discomfort if you ignore them.  voltage does not kill.  amperage
kills.  there is not enough stored energy in a QS power supply to stop
the heart of a mouse.  if you want to be anal and drain the capacitors
in the PSU before opening it up and replacing the fan, simply quit all
applications and then pull the power plug while the computer is still
running.  this effectively depletes all the charge stored in the PSU
capacitors and causes no more harm to the computer than if a power
outage had occured.  less, because there is no voltage spike that
might be associated with a power outage.  the PSU fan can then be
safely replace by even the most bumbling idiot.  but it's not really
necessary in the first place.  just be careful not to touch any of the
exposed contact points while the PSU is open.  but even if you did,
the only thing you MIGHT experience is a brief tingling sensation.  no
worse than putting a 9v battery on your tongue.  in the past, this
debate has been conclusively settled by listers who reported being
zapped by the capacitors for a CRT, which may be charged to potentials
as high as 25,000 volts with nothing more to show for it than a good
story.  again, voltage does not kill or cause injury.  if you stand
beneath a typical 1350 volt power line, the potential between your
head and your feet is much greater than 325 volts, and you experience
no sensation whatsoever.  amperage kills.  and there is not enough
stored energy in the PSU to generate sufficient amperage at 325 volts
to cause more than a tingling zap, and whatever amount of current does
flow, it will drain the capacitors in a fraction of a second.  it
takes far more than that to kill or even cause injury.  for crying out
loud, a few people have survived attempted execution in the electric
chair, and thousands have survived direct lightning strikes.  stop and
think before you post.  common sense should tell you that your
irrational fears are unadulterated weapons grade baloneyium.

you can believe who you choose, but i am a university professor,
trained in chemistry, physics, mathematics, instrument repair, and my
father was a commercial electrician.

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