I've found a new way to hurt myself...

Mongo

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I\'ve found a new way to hurt myself...

Before working on a Monitor, one must discharge the Flyback Transformer. To do this, wrap a legnth of wire around an old screwdriver and ground the other end. Slip the tip of the screwdriver under the suction cup on the monitor and listen for a "snap". Wait a few seconds and repeat. The suction cup should now be safe to touch.

If the clip pops out during this procedure, just touch the metal clip with the screwdriver. Now I just found out a charge can be stored in the tube itself and can be released by GENTLY touching the rim of the hole the clip attatches to. If you forget to do this and you accidently touch the hole while attempting to put the clip back in... you will know!
 
Re: I\'ve found a new way to hurt myself...

The tube actually holds the charge, not the flyback.
 
Re: I\'ve found a new way to hurt myself...

Yup. I had a monitor the other day that the rubber cap was off of but the tube still had a charge. Had a nice blue spark when it was grounded out too.
 
Re: I\'ve found a new way to hurt myself...

I touched the hole one time well after discharging. I was mounting the monitor and my hand slipped, and the pinky on my left hand slipped into the hole. Knocked the hell out of me.

I wear rubber gloves now whenever dealing with one of these things just for that very reason.
 
Re: I\'ve found a new way to hurt myself...

huh.. I always just grab the cap with my teeth and pinch the clip loose with my lips. Never had any problems... bzzzzt!

Yeah, been lit up plenty-o-times, kinda getting used to it.

How can you tell if a tech has 'been around' when he/she gets shocked?
 
Re: I\'ve found a new way to hurt myself...

you usually have to discharge it more than once to get rid of all the charge, not a big deal. Just wait a few min before you do it again and it should be completely discharged then. Also, if you have a junk tube and you vent it, it can still hold a charge, hence the idea for discharging it twice.
 
Re: I\'ve found a new way to hurt myself...

My revelation came to me due to poor lighting. I had just put a G07 board back in and couldn't see the hole for the flyback clip. I had forgotten the clip popped out while discharging earlier so the monitor was still charged. Instead of picking up the flood light at my feet, I decided to just "feel" for the hole! :shocked:
 
Re: I\'ve found a new way to hurt myself...

Did you drop the monitor when it zapped you?
 
Re: I\'ve found a new way to hurt myself...

I have yet to drop a monitor... and just in case I do, I have some spare (but crappy) tubes in the garage!
 
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