Posted by Seth on 2, 2001 at 10:06 PM:
In Reply to: Does anyone use mega-ohm resistors to discharge monitors? posted by Wong Fey Hung on 2, 2001 at 7:02 PM:
: I used to work on high-voltage industrial equipment. When I would test high-voltage capacitors, I used a resistor to safely discharge them. You don't get a snap because it discharges at a low current. I bet it would also be easier on the monitor itself.
One website I read stated that you should discharge with a resistor to avoid damaging the cascade rectifier (whatever that is, I assume its an important part).
However, when I bought the cap kit from Bob Roberts, I asked him about this, and he had a good point: If you use the resistor, you won't get a spark, and you won't know for sure that the monitor discharged. This made a lot of sense to me, as I had never tried discharging a monitor before - I didn't even know what I would find beneath that rubber cap on the side of the tube. Now that I've done it a few times, though, I would feel comfortable doing it with the resistor. In fact, that's how I'll do it from now on.