Monitor just tried to kill me...

modessitt

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Working on another K7400 today. Had a bad sync issue which I fixed (shorted D700). Got it on the tube with a decent pic. Went to adjust the focus a bit and...

ZAP!

Turns out there was a tiny hole just above the focus knob. Since there was no metal nearby, it didn't arc out until I put my hand near. Saw lightning shoot out about 4" to my finger. I said something clever like "Gnngnggxckk!" and did a quick little dance before moving away and cutting power. Replaced the flyback and all is good with the chassis now.

Of course, my finger has a weird feeling, even 30 minutes later.

Boy, that experience never gets old...
 
Several years ago I was showing someone what to be careful of while working on a Sony Trinitron tv. As I was pointing to the suction cup thing I got a good jolt. It is nice to know I am not the only one.
This post made me laugh and remember that.
 
Several years ago I was showing someone what to be careful of while working on a Sony Trinitron tv. As I was pointing to the suction cup thing I got a good jolt. It is nice to know I am not the only one.
This post made me laugh and remember that.

Thats a great example of how to show someone what to be careful of. :D
 
I don't know if I mentioned this, but I was trying to swap tubes on a U5000 and when I went to pull the yoke off the old tube it apparently wasn't discharged or something, zinged me in the elbow somehow.
 
My poor innocent mother. One time I was adjusting the color on my monitor while trying to reach around and set the colors. Finding it to be a difficult task, I had asked my mother who just happened to be there to adjust the specific knobs and not touch anything else, so I could comfortably stand in front of the game and observe the color settings.
Anyways to make a long story short, while I was dictating what knobs to turn, all of a sudden I hear a LOUD POP and the screen collapsed and went out. Then I hear GWAHHHHHHHHHHHHRR#%$&#*!!! My poor mother got zapped real bad, and her finger had turned dark color. She also had pins and needles in that finger for a good few hrs. I've never felt so bad in my life. I would've hate to lose my mother to Altered Beast.
 
Working on another K7400 today. Had a bad sync issue which I fixed (shorted D700). Got it on the tube with a decent pic. Went to adjust the focus a bit and...

ZAP!

Turns out there was a tiny hole just above the focus knob. Since there was no metal nearby, it didn't arc out until I put my hand near. Saw lightning shoot out about 4" to my finger. I said something clever like "Gnngnggxckk!" and did a quick little dance before moving away and cutting power. Replaced the flyback and all is good with the chassis now.

Of course, my finger has a weird feeling, even 30 minutes later.

Boy, that experience never gets old...

Ah, i remember my first time (and only time), damn flybacks.
 
Of course, my finger has a weird feeling, even 30 minutes later.

Boy, that experience never gets old...

I heard of putting your hand to sleep... it's called "the stranger"...

But I've NEVER heard of doing that to your finger. :D:D:D
 
My poor innocent mother. One time I was adjusting the color on my monitor while trying to reach around and set the colors. Finding it to be a difficult task, I had asked my mother who just happened to be there to adjust the specific knobs and not touch anything else, so I could comfortably stand in front of the game and observe the color settings.
Anyways to make a long story short, while I was dictating what knobs to turn, all of a sudden I hear a LOUD POP and the screen collapsed and went out. Then I hear GWAHHHHHHHHHHHHRR#%$&#*!!! My poor mother got zapped real bad, and her finger had turned dark color. She also had pins and needles in that finger for a good few hrs. I've never felt so bad in my life. I would've hate to lose my mother to Altered Beast.

holy shit. yeah, Altered Beast is totally not worth that! I like pulling monitors out and setting this door from one of our prize cases with a mirrored side in front of it for that kind of shit. and then I don't trust the mirror and have to go look at the tube directly. I think I have OCD. oh and mind you, I deal almost exclusively with 25" monitors, not little 19s. lol
 
Yea really. I've also have some g07 work coming up, it's my first monitor recap and repair and now I'm nervous as hell about it. Probably going to bust out the rubber gloves and touch everything with really long nonconductive tools.

At least it's in a cocktail so I can flip the top and get easy access.

It's good to know even the knobs aren't safe.
 
G07 knobs aren't part of the flyback. They are mounted above. Also, having a metal wall nearby usually means the arcing goes directly to it.

I always stand back when first turning on a monitor - either for testing or diagnosing - just in case something like this happens. Once it comes up and isn't shooting out lightning, then I figure I'm safe from the flyback. I have a long plastic screwdriver for adjusting spots where it might not be safe to stick my hand.

This is the first time I've seen a flyback come up and work without shooting lightning - until I got too close. It could probably have the pinhole epoxied and then work just fine....
 
Here's a thought: make an "arc testing rod". Take a decent sized pick, file off the point so it doesn't poke through anything, wrap it in electrical tape up to the end, then ground it. You hold it near the flyback knobs and see if you get an arc / monitor shuts down.

Actually, at that point, you should probably just invest in a plastic screwdriver...
 
High Voltage is some pretty wild stuff.....
The minimum clearance on the 345kV stuff at work is 10 FEET!!
Most people think electricity is something you have to touch for it to kill you......
Sometimes it'll come right out and TOUCH YOU!!!!
The higher the voltage, the further out of its way it'll go to get you!! :)
 
Lesson of the day: Just because there isn't neck glow doesn't mean the tube hasn't gotten a nice HV charge.

Learned this yesterday when I was trying out an untested chassis. It's funny how time slowed down for me at that moment. I saw the spark of electricity arc to my finger and then my arms and body shook for a moment and my fingers were left tingling for a few minutes.

I grabbed my discharge tool and discharged the tube and removed the anode cup. After I swapped the chassis I went to discharge the tube again before connecting the anode cup and sure enough there was another arc/spark of electricity. So don't forget, you should always discharge a monitor before disconnecting the anode cup and before connecting it. Especially if the tube was charged moments or minutes before. It's funny how the tube charged up again.
 
I know this is probably going to come back and bite me in the butt some day, but I haven't been zapped by one of these yet. In fact a lot of the monitors I went to discharge never even made a pop or crackle upon discharge........but I always make sure to discharge it more than once. Even with the Anode disconnected!
 
I know this is probably going to come back and bite me in the butt some day, but I haven't been zapped by one of these yet. In fact a lot of the monitors I went to discharge never even made a pop or crackle upon discharge........but I always make sure to discharge it more than once. Even with the Anode disconnected!

You WILL eventually come across that one flyback with a hairline crack in the housing, that otherwise works great... until you try to adjust it. ZAP!
 
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