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Old 19th Sep 2006, 10:58 am   #3
ppppenguin
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Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: North London, UK.
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Default Re: Can you give me advice on safety please?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ballistic View Post
Am I insulated by a soldering iron when resoldering dry joints on the flyback line to the tube heaters? Am I insulated by a normal screwdriver for adjusting G2 or the individual colour pots?
It's good to see forum members who want to live. Naming no names there are 1 or 2 who are a collective worry.

Don't solder anything with the power on. Power off means switched off at the mains outlet and preferably unplugged. The capacitors in the power supply can hold a nasty belt for several minutes after switch off. The CRT can hold a charge for even longer but you won't meet that unless you disconnect the EHT lead from the CRT. If you feel the need to do that please ask again as the precautions are quite simple.

An ordinary screwdriver is fine for all the adjustments. A plastic trim tool is even better because a careless slip won't cause any problems. I find a large plastic knitting needle is very handy for safely prodding and tapping things that might be intermittent.

PS: Pete got his reply in while I was writing. I endorse everything he says. Particularly about jewellers screwdrivers which I used recently to give myself a lovely belt. I don't want to resurrect the old RCD vs isolating transformer debate but unless you are working on the primary side of the switchmode power supply I think a 30mA RCD is a more useful safety device. Neither RCD nor tranny will save you from anything nasty in the bulk of the monitor. Peter's comment about 500V is valid but mains (230V with lots of oomph behind it) is much more lethal than EHT (up to 25kV but with limited power). I'd still rather not be bitten by either.

Last edited by ppppenguin; 19th Sep 2006 at 11:04 am.
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