How to discharge monitor capacitors (or how to not die)

[sfa ok]

I'm about to begin on a project that will involve gutting a monitor, and handling the pcb quite a bit. So, how would I go about not killing myself?

[eh?]

well any real maan would take a pice of metal and jam inbetween them and wiggle it around real good. Of coarse other than the real man i have no idea:D

[trey_w]

you are going to need to discharge them, they can give a good shock

[Placid]

Get a thick wire 12 guage is good then attach one end to ground and touch the other to both sides on the capacitors.

Just make sure you wear rubber gloves and don't touch the bare part of the wire.

[sfa ok]

Thanks, that's what I thought, just making sure.

[IcarusFalling]

GOOD LUCK!!!!

ROFLMAO

[Placid]

Originally posted by IcarusFalling
GOOD LUCK!!!!

ROFLMAO

I spent 20 years working with high voltage electronics up to 40,000v and that is how I was trained and did it.
If you know know of something better then speak up.

[LJ5L]

I got to say, these precautions cross into idiocy given the reality of things.

Let’s not have a sequel to the other travesty of knowledge thread, “Power Supply Capacitors – The Silent Killer!”

[sfa ok]

It's not really very considerate to say that Placid's advice crosses into idiocy considering:
1. He has experience
2. You gave no alternative to his "idiocy"

[Placid]

He is right that you probably face nothing killer but you might get a good jolt that wouldn't make you very happy.

I do not know exactly what is inside the monitor you are working on and it is easier to be safe than sorry.

So let's all just get along :)

[Yodums]

40,000v !

Thats nuts dude your ideas are crazy :p

PS: Nice FSB 190 :)

Yodums

[Gravity Man]

if you put a big resistor in that wire, you can eliminate the big POP, as well as reduce the chances of your wire becoming permantently fused to the capacitor. If you use a resistor though, be sure to follow up with a screwdriver or a piece of wire w/out a resistor to make sure that it was discharged completely.

[sfa ok]

Meh, I like big pops.

[Ichelo351]

the way i always understood computer and monitors with those large capacitors to work is that on the board there is a high ohm resister the crosses the capacitor, so that after sitting for a period of time, the capacitor will discharge its self slowly. i have found this in every ps i have taken apart, but i don't take monitors apart normally, but i would expect the same to be true. so i would reccomend letting it sit for atleast overnight with no power, and then try the wire method to discharge it, so if there is a resister, there may be no discharge at all because it may already be discharged.
just a thought,
-Aaron

[tao52]

Another way to discharge it is before you even open that monitor put on some nice thick rubber gloves then take a long shafted screwdriver and touch it where the power cable plugs in, make sure it touches one of the two prongs the are parallel to each other and it should also touch the ground prong. ex. : - one of the dots to the dash is how you can discharge it. If you dont understand this I dont blame you its kinda hard to explain. Hope this helps ya. :D

[Gravity Man]

Originally posted by tao52
Another way to discharge it is before you even open that monitor put on some nice thick rubber gloves then take a long shafted screwdriver and touch it where the power cable plugs in, make sure it touches one of the two prongs the are parallel to each other and it should also touch the ground prong. ex. : - one of the dots to the dash is how you can discharge it. If you dont understand this I dont blame you its kinda hard to explain. Hope this helps ya. :D
That won't work. I just tested it by unplugging the monitor and touching all the prongs (no one ever said I have much in the way of common sense).

If you could discharge a monitor like that, I wouldn't be typing this right now ;). I didn't get even the tiniest of shocks from touching all the prongs.

[tao52]

I must have been sleeping in class when he said how to discharge a monitor, but I am absolutely sure he said screwdriver and put it somewhere, oh well someone will figure it out :rolleyes:

[Ichelo351]

no, touching the prongs in the back woln't discharge them, they have many things to keep the current from back flowing, cause if they didn't any new person who goes to move their monitor runs the risk of shocking themself by slipping with their fingers...
to my knowledge, the only way is to open it up and find it, and short it out with a screw driver, heavy gauge wire, etc. i personally think that placid's advice is the best for how to do it. i would reccomend the resistor too, just because you probably don't want to weld some wire to your capacitor....

[Crash893]

you could always lick them (zzzzzzzzzzap)


ive hear all over the place that thouse things are dangorus

i think its true even if there not i would rather do the screwdriver trick than get the $#@%# shocked out of me.

i got shocked one time by a flash from a disposable camera it hurts

[Monaco]

I was always taught to do it like this:

1. DO NOT WEAR A GROUNDING STRAP!!! If you do, you will die.
2. crack open monitor and grab a long flathead screwdriver, the kind with a plastic handle. Heavy gloves are a good idea too.
3.get alligator clips on a thick wire and attach one end to the shaft of screwdriver and the other end to metal chassis of monitor
4. use screwdriver to lift off the anode(usually a big suction cup on a wire)
5. watch cool blue flash go "POP!"
6. lather rinse repeat.

haven't died yet from doing this. Although I try to avoid doing it if possible, monitors are so cheap now I would rather just buy a new one than maybe get dead.