I came up with this question right after I wanted to take apart a microwave to see why it wasn’t heating anything before I remembered that that’s a very, VERY bad idea
Ok firstly.
Never, work on anything that is still connected to a power supply.
This includes any stored energy. Isolate it first. Gravitational, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic and chemical (if possible).
Don’t fuck with stored energy.
Secondly.
Learn how to test if things are live, or have any stored energy.
Thirdly.
Once you KNOW you are safe. Go hard, learn all you can.
This very much depends on your level of skill, experience and awareness of the dunning-kruger effect.
Since dunning-kruger isn’t valid, we’re halfway there!
So basically, go for it?
This very much depends on your tolerance for ragrets.
[peels back t-shirt to display neck tattoo]
- Laser / LED printers can blind you and may have larger capacitors.
- Old CRT style TVs / Monitors can get you if not discharged correctly.
Is it true they can hold on to a charge for decades? I was told that but it seemed unlikely.
I’m treating them like guns. Assume they’re loaded until you prove otherwise.
why don’t you google that?
Do you ever find that sometimes when you intervene in to other people’s conversations to pull out some of your best absolute cracker lines like “why don’t you google that?” that people just don’t react properly at all? Like you’d expect an appropriate response like some light cheering and maybe lifting you up on their shoulders and handing you a medal and at least a couple of trophies. You know, something befitting of your incisive and insightful contributions, and instead they just kinda stop talking to you? That’s so weird huh?
Especially on a forum-style network dedicated to discussion 🙈
Don’t keep us hanging. Google it for us.
No I expect everyone not to be lazy fucks and do some basic research on one liner facts
The original question I see as a useful conversation where a simple search would probably not give as valuable resultes.
Where simple facts like “how long does a crt tube old a charge” is a Google thing.
Why don’t you Google why people don’t Google things instead of asking why they don’t Google it? It’s pretty hypocritical of you to ask that without putting in the research.
That’s the joke.
The coating on the inside of the tube can behave like a Leyden jar caps can accumulate charge over time even without an obvious power source.
That is my understanding. I remember hearing stories about dudes visiting a dump or whatever, kicking through the screen of a CRT and getting zapped like fuck
Unlikely. Even the best capacitors would discharge through leakage in 5 or 10 minutes.
I had a problem with the control panel in my Panasonic microwave and was able to fix it pretty easily. Everything I needed to get to was inside the right front of the microwave; the control pad membrane and the sticker that goes on the front of it.
This is why we have specialized people who you call to handle these things.
DO NOT backfeed your house’s electricity with a generator when your electricity gets shut down. You might electrocute someone working on those lines.
=D--------ᗡ=
At least have it set up downstream of the main shut off and make sure that main is off before firing up the generator. There are devices available commercially that do that for you but they aren’t cheap and require professional installation.
kids today don’t know about the scary suction cup on crts
I’ll expand the microwave to anything that can carry a large electrical charge without you really knowing. I had a UPC that started acting weird, that was one I just sent right back to the manufacturer. I’ll swap out batteries, but I’m not cracking open something with that much potential energy stored in it without me fully understanding everything about it - and unless I helped build the thing I do not know enough about it.
But the blue smoke kinda smells good
Microwave
Old CRT monitors. Particularly if they’ve been recently unplugged. There’s a cable in there my old teacher used to call “the superman cable”.
CRT TVs.
Seconded, they are basically eldritch as far as I am concerned
You can harvest the transformers for a couple junk microwaves to make an arc welder.
If you aren’t experienced then pretty much all power supplies, battery backups, and motors should be left to someone else.
I saw someone lose a finger (later reattached) to a washing machine with a jammed tub. It was plugged in and on when they reached underneath it and yanked the belt, their sleeve ducked their hand into the drive wheel.
That said, if it fits your personality it can be both fun and satisfying to learn how to fix stuff. I try to teach anyone who’s interested and asks. Except LG washing machines, those things can fuck right off.
How did they reattach the finger to the washing machine?
Duct tape of course
super glue. Don’t get it on your eyelids, though.
Anything with large capacitors?
And people don’t realize how long they can hold power after the device has been “off”.
Edit - I forgot to add my thing! A good example of something that doesn’t sound scary is a TV, but it has large capacitors that can end you (or make a bad day).
Not a large capacitor in my case, but I took apart my old camera after it stopped working, and accidentally touched the capacitor for the flash. A memorable moment.
Word for word my answer
I heard once that old smoke detectors have some radioactive isotopes in them. Not sure how true or dangerous but sounds bad.
Ionization chamber smoke detectors have a tiny grain of Americium in them, which is radioactive. However, the radiation is almost entirely alpha particles which are relatively low risk as they don’t penetrate skin particularly well.
They are also still sold, though you should buy the other kind (which use light beams instead) because they’re significantly better at their jobs.
They’re low risk unless you ingest them, because then they’re hitting internal organs directly.
Also if you pool the Americium from 100 detectors together they become pretty dangerous.
Ahhhh gold old nuclear boyscout…
I forget the details, but each design has a use-case.
Though for most people, the newer design is likely the better choice.
Current smoke detectors still do, and usually have some warning on them stating such.
If it had warnings about not opening it, or not containing user serviceable parts, don’t fuck with it.
Eh, I’m not sure about that broad. Macbooks say not to open them because “reasons”, but most items in there can be easily repaired
Actually not. They CAN be repaired, but are a nightmare of soldered and glued shit. The only apple thing I own (Linux/Android/Win user) is an iPad, which admittedly is a sweet performer, and iPads are just plain better tablets, but no way I’m cracking it open. I’ve replaced Android screens, repaired laptops, but fuck apple. Not because of danger, but because breakage is almost guaranteed on newer stuff.
Of course I understand caution with ⚡️, but just about everything has a ‘do not open’ label on it (in the litigous US anyway). Do we not care about right to repair?
I thought in the context of the question it was obvious what I’m referring to.
'Twas not, friend.
“As an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, FUCK. THAT.”
– Me and my spouse.
P.S. Fuck John Deere.
