Monitor removal


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Build Your Own Arcade Controls message board ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by DmentD on 12, 2001 at 11:58 AM:

In Reply to: removing monitor from old cabinet. Please help posted by pipeme on 12, 2001 at 7:57 AM:

: How do I get my screen out of the cabinet? (I want to replace it with a PC monitor)?

: Do I have to discharge it first? Or is that just for when you want to open it up?

You're on the right road... a healthy respect for a monitor and electricity. There's ~25,000 volts stored in the tube, which for all intensive purposes is a big capacitor. While that wouldn't normally be enough to kill a healthy person outright because the AMPS are very low and not sustained if the monitor is unplugged, it is enough give you a nasty bite and if you're holding it at the time you will drop that sucker. Implosions are bad.

BUT, if you stay away from the anode cap (the 'suction cup') and the other HV components you should be able to haul it out of the cabinet by the framing on the front. I'd discharge it just to be safe, myself. You can go to Bob Roberts' tech page (follow the link below) and find out how to make a SafeBack discharger for yourself.

The wisdom of the ages I finally found from 40 year veterans for discharging monitors is this:

- Discharging is a misnomer. You are really equalizing the potential charge between the two sides of the cathode (which is a big capacitor). The charge doesn't 'go' anywhere per se.

- Uplug everything from commercial power.

- Ground your discharger to the metal framing of the monitor - NEVER to the AC ground.

- Discharge several times, even if you never hear the 'snap'.

- Solder your grounding clip to the screwdriver, don't use clips on both ends. You'll get a reliable connection this way (see Bob's SafeBack)

- Put your unused hand in your pocket when discharging. Many theories on why, but do it anyway.

Hope this all helps. I wen't on a mission about a month back to find as much info as I could about this whole thing - I wanted to be absolutely sure about what I was doing - no zap for me.

- DmentD



Follow Ups:



Post a Followup

Name:
E-Mail:

Subject:

Comments:

Optional Link URL:
Link Title:
Optional Image URL:


[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ Build Your Own Arcade Controls message board ] [ FAQ ]