alt Hacker NewsIf you like playing with old hardware, be aware that old CRTs have a gotcha that can getcha: they hold a charge that can shock you across the room, and they can hold that charge for weeks or more. Google how to discharge it before poking around in a CRT.
Replies
RedShift1 • yesterday at 3:26 PM
Not just shock you across the room, but shock straight into your next life.
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macintux • yesterday at 4:25 PM
I have a vague recollection that my little cousin was nearly ended when he managed to destabilize the stand that a CRT was sitting on, and it fell just behind him, but I may be entirely hallucinating that memory.
Regardless, there are multiple ways old CRTs can cause great harm.
asciii • yesterday at 3:06 PM
My family bought our first one and we used it keep it on a carpet floor - boy was that an electrifying experience
addandsubtract • yesterday at 4:00 PM
Same goes for your microwave.
When I was about 12 I got an old TV in my room which I of course decided to take apart to figure out how it worked.
I was VERY smart and of course unplugged the TV before doing anything.
My flat head screwdriver brushed against the wrong terminal in the back, I was literally thrown across the room several feet, and my flat head screw driver was no longer usable as the tip had deformed and slightly melted.
I later found an electronics book that had a footnote mentioning grounding out the tube before going near it…