Hi..
 TC> I do my own repairs on my system - I have for years. However,
 TC> I will NEVER EVER touch a monitor - those I won't repair. Reason
 TC> is because of what you just mentioned. Sure, I play in and around
 TC> printers, being very careful NOT to touch that capacitor in the open
 TC> power supply (the old DMP I have does not have any shielding
Yup.. the 400v capacitor (or 2 x 200v in many designs) can hold a pretty 
massive charge. Now, most designs include a resistor to discharge the cap at 
power off time, but at the same time this resistor is often used as the 
startup pulse provider - so when the PSU dies, but the fuse isn't blown 
(something some people find absolutely inexplicable) this resistor is often 
open circuit, which leaves the cap fully charged. the cap has enough energy 
stored in it to melt a length of ordinary 0.71mm solder, at some 330v or so, 
so it CAN kill you.
 TC> the monitor.  Other than an interface, I won't bother with monitor
 TC> work.  BTW, the "high voltage arcing" mentioned in my other message
 TC> in this thread I had witnessed (but didn't see flashing) at a Rat
 TC> Shack - someone I knew that worked there showed me a CM-8 and turned
 TC> it on, and I heard this squeely hum. When he turned it off and
 TC> explained what it was, I nearly ran out of the store - FAST!  He
 TC> said some insulation in the wires went bad and the electricity
 TC> just arced.
Yup.. it's the same phenominon that makes plasma balls work - a plasma ball 
is just a "weaker" version of an EHT Transformer, but with the active end of 
the works open to your touch (via the glass/vacuum) instead of on the back of 
the CRT.
High voltage, high frequency AC and DC do strange things - i can give you a 
shock (and burn a hole) through a  2" thick stack of paper with an EHT 
transformer.
 TC> Makes me wonder how you guys do that - repair monitors or get inside
 TC> them without getting zapped. I heard that even with the power cord
 TC> UNplugged, the flyback transformer still can hold enough charge
 TC> to kill you. (Same with TV sets - another thing I don't touch).
Not the flyback - it's just a glorified coil of wire, and as such can't hold 
any more charge than any other coil of wire can. The charged device is the 
CRT itself, which is (simply, for the terms of this discussion) a HUGE 
capacitor - i'm not sure it's exact rating , but I'd wager it's something 
like 10,000uf at 30,000v. Enough energy to kill a small community. I kid you
not.
Servicing safely is a combination of:
1. Not bieng scared. I kid you not.. if you're scared of it, DONT work on it. 
your fear will kill you thru lack of confidence.
2. Instead, respect the dangers. If you respect the dangers and are careful 
you will be in a lot better frame of mind to deal with the situation.
3. Use common sense - don't work on a "live" unit - switch off power at the 
wall first. Avoid using non-grounded tools (CRO, Iron etc).
4. use safety devices & practices such as isolation transformers, CRT 
dischargers, capacitor dischargers, eye protection, and TEST before TOUCH
techniques.
Monitor and TV repair IS a black art. I don't recommend anyone tries for 
themselves to fix a monitor unless they are VERY experienced in electronics, 
AND have the right equipment. It is as much an art form as a science, with a 
LOT of talent bieng logical thinking & detective work, combined with a solid 
knowledge of how average componets fail, and the symptoms they cause (for 
example, resistors go high in value, or open circuit, but NEVER short 
circuit, but capacitors go low or open circuit, never high in value).
       Craig
--- FMail/386 1.0g
---------------