Quick Monitor Discharge question

arkanerd

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I've read all the posts on discharging monitors, but nobody ever mentions about actually grounding the monitor frame to earth ground.

It seems the steps are

1. unplug your game
2. disconnect the chassis plug
3. do the screwdriver to the monitor frame zap.

My question, when you unplug your game, you are removing the ground from the system. Does anyone actually reground their monitor frame to the wall outlet ground before discharging?
 
it's just a little spark. it's not like if you touch your monitor frame after you discharge it that it's going to send 2357280357 volts into your little finger if that's what you're getting at. :rolleyes:

unless of course you touch the monitor frame while you discharge it...

or have the neckboard dangling touching the monitor frame while you discharge it...

am I missing something?
 
It's always freaky the first time.

No, just unplug it, take a screwdriver and put a clip on it to the frame. Run that screwdriver under it and you can hear the snap. New monitors may not do that, they auto-discharge.

Keep in mind that it will recover some of that charge later, so do it again a few minutes later.

Also, you should short that big capacitor to itself once you get that board out. I got zapped the other day by the filter capacitor on the board while it was on the bench. It bites too.

Once you zap it, use that screwdriver to pull the second anode off. After you get done doing your thing, zap it again before you put it back on because of the ability of the tube to pick up another charge.

No big deal. I wrote out my will the first time I did it, now I do it without even thinking about it.
 
My question, when you unplug your game, you are removing the ground from the system. Does anyone actually reground their monitor frame to the wall outlet ground before discharging?

No. The monitor's frame being grounded is irrelevant. The picture tube acts as a capacitor in the HV circuit - the anode is one plate, and the outer conductive coating of the tube (aquadag, or dag, for short) is the other. The dag is always connected to the metal frame of the monitor by way of a springy metal strap that goes across the bell of the tube and connects to the metal tube ears, which are bolted to the frame. When you discharge a monitor, you're shorting out the capacitor formed by the tube. You are NOT grounding anything.

Note that some devices (television sets, computer monitors) lack a metal frame. In this case, you would attach the cliplead to the dag grounding strap, or to the metal mounting ears of the tube.

-Ian
 
Also, before you go to reinsert the anode, take the screw driver and put it overt the hole in the tube. I've been bitten before by the tube long after recapping the chassis. The tube can hold a charge long after the anode has been removed.

Remove the second anode??
 
Remove the second anode??

He's referring to disconnecting the anode connection under the suction cup. Technically, it's called the second anode. The first anode is the focusing anode, and it's connection is made at the neck connector - focus voltage, several hundred volts. The second anode, the one with the suction cup, is the accelerating anode, which is the 19kv high voltage connection.

-Ian
 
Thanks Ian, that's what I was looking for.

I've discharged a monitor before with no zap, I was just wondering where the "charge" went to if not to ground.

Thanks,
Matt
 
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