Electrohome G07 Filter Cap WARNING

[HudsonArcade]

I figured as much and that is why I laughed. Even when your expecting it that thing is like a fire cracker! Someone here took that shock to their lap of all places.

I took one to the thigh... someone brought a chassis over for me to look at on a hot summer day, and i rested it on my lap to check fuses & resistors... SNAP.

 

[Spyridon]

What's the best way to discharge this? HV probe across both cap legs from the bottom of the chassis?

 

[gamefixer]

I'd PLANNED on discharging with my HV probe... but I didn't get the chassis out before it slipped and shorted itself out.

You can use a 120VAC 25 Watt light bulb too. Connect one side the the chassis and the other side tap on the little fuse until the bulb lights up and goes out. Nice and safe...

Matt

 

[gamefixer]

Yeah, whenever I get a dead G07, I always discharge that first. Even when you know what's coming, you still jump a mile when it happens. There's enough voltage there that it take a small chunk out of my discharger tip - almost as if it was arc-welding...

I used to use the top of my metal hand truck! The last screwdriver I used the tip blew off a bit.

Matt

 

[VectorJunkie]

What's the best way to discharge this? HV probe across both cap legs from the bottom of the chassis?

That will just short it like a screw driver. You need to use the ground wire on one side of the cap and the tip of the probe on the other. That forces it to drain through the probe instead of across its tip.

 

[modessitt]

From the Internets:

Just a plain incandescent bulb. This method is used by many repair specialists and is very reliable/inexpensive.

Using the bulb to me is much more fun and simple. Connect a lead soldered to the contact on the bulb bottom to the positive leg of the capacitor.....touch the base of the bulb to the negative lead. You might just get a click or you may even light the bulb up depending on the size of the charge. Repeat as needed for full discharge. You can use a 60watt or 100watt for arcade purposes and your tool lasts forever. Of course....if you sit on your tool....you will have to make another one for $1.00 and tell your wife to get the tweezers! ;-)

Some folks put the bulb in a socket and use the 2 wire leads.....works the same way.

 

[bit_slicer]

BTW arcing the + and - leads of a cap with a short will reduce the life of said capacitor. It's always better to shunt it with the proper resistor value.

I like the light bulb idea, that's neat!

 

[ScumBum]

I'm gonna use the light bulb method .

 

[shardian]

I like the light bulb method. I'll use that when I finally pull that G07 to recap. Don't think its really an issue though if the fuse is good. I've manhandled 2 chassis pretty good and not received a 'nasty lap dance'.

 

[orion3311]

Took this exact type of shock with a board from a Wyse 50 terminal. Was carrying the board over to the solder station and the board flattened into the palm of my hand. It shocked me for about 5 seconds and the legs of the cap fused into my palm, I was jumping around trying to shake the board off (much to the entertainment of my coworkers).

My palm looked like I got bit by a vampire but since healed up.

 

[supadave1]

I had a nasty lap dance once... um.. nuff said, lets just forget it pls..

I like the light bulb method. I'll use that when I finally pull that G07 to recap. Don't think its really an issue though if the fuse is good. I've manhandled 2 chassis pretty good and not received a 'nasty lap dance'.

 

[Dokert]

Frizz, I just had to add.....LMAO!

 

[channelmanic]

Took this exact type of shock with a board from a Wyse 50 terminal. Was carrying the board over to the solder station and the board flattened into the palm of my hand. It shocked me for about 5 seconds and the legs of the cap fused into my palm, I was jumping around trying to shake the board off (much to the entertainment of my coworkers).

My palm looked like I got bit by a vampire but since healed up.

Been there, done that with an old Apple II+ power supply. Apple made 2 versions... 1 had 150K 1/2W resistors across the caps to bleed them when the power was off... the cheap-o version didn't. I was working on the cheap-o version.

I grabbed it with my left hand and crossed the connections through my palm and 2 fingers. My hand gripped it and I couldn't let go of it. I jerked my arm upwards and the power supply flew out of my hand and across the room.

It took 10 years for the scars to finally fade away to nothing.

If it were me working on those monitors, I'd use a 150K 1/2w resistor in the middle of an alligator lead to drain that cap off. Clip one side to the hot side of the fuse then the other to a suitable ground point.

 

[Quazimoto]

Took this exact type of shock with a board from a Wyse 50 terminal. Was carrying the board over to the solder station and the board flattened into the palm of my hand. It shocked me for about 5 seconds and the legs of the cap fused into my palm, I was jumping around trying to shake the board off (much to the entertainment of my coworkers).

My palm looked like I got bit by a vampire but since healed up.

Thats funny Shoit !!!! As long as you didnt croak.

 

[YellowDog]

Nothing quite as dramatic, but I took a G07 chassis off and picked it up by the edge of the board and must have grabbed it just right. It probably didn't take long for the cap to bleed off, but it sure felt like it.

ken

 

[Riptor]

I have had this issue on a couple that had the small fuse blown. I used my probe on the small fuse leads thinking it would discharge but it showed nothing. While removing the chassis it shorted and went bang. That cap hold a hell of a punch. Luckily it didnt get me. Not sure why my hv probe wont discharge these caps but it wont. Last one I did with a blown fuse I had to carefully remove the chassis then shorted the cap with a jumper lead and screwdriver. I knew the pop was coming and it still scared the crap out of me.

 

[cleverlyj]

man, i haven't gotten shocked that good in a while, but got a couple of decent neck board zaps this week...

 

[Riptor]

Don't think its really an issue though if the fuse is good.

Its not an issue at all if the fuse is good. The cap bleeds off when you discharge the monitor but if the fuse is blown that cap is isolated and holds its charge.

 

[That80sGuy]

I still have the scar on my hand from grabbing the flyback on my SI deluxe when I was trying to adjust it through the coin door. After being thrown back and having a bloody hand from smashing it on the coin door frame I learned to look where I put my hands.

DUDE!! I did the exact same thing when I had a SI.

 

[shawnbo42]

Yep, I too had "the experience", though not with a G07. Although, I DID weld the tip of my screwdriver to the grey cap on the board not knowing any better. (Way back in the day).
A long time ago, when I was young and stupid(er), I tried to move around a 33" sharp image board to get some cap values without discharging first. Yeah. Didn't throw me across the room or anything, but it really stung. Then, what's worse, it happened AGAIN! (through my own stupidity). After that one, I swore off monitors for about 6 months or so. I've gotten better since then, but still not as knowledgeable as I'd like to be.