4 ms·
The dangers of aquadag charge are enormously exaggerated. The real danger is not that the shock will instantly vaporize you and everyone you love, but that when
by formerly_proven 5y ago
The dangers of aquadag charge are enormously exaggerated. The real danger is not that the shock will instantly vaporize you and everyone you love, but that when you disconnect the anode improperly the spark jumps to something-not-quite-ground and destroys electronics, or, when it jumps to you, you hurt yourself because you hit something or drop something.
Off-line SMPS are far more dangerous because their main caps actually contain 100-1000x more energy than a charged CRT tube. And unlike the aquadag on a tube these are very low impedance as well.
- jacquesm 5y agoYou need to discount here for CRT size. A 9" will zap you, a big 30" Barco will happily kill you if you are not going to be careful, those things will put out HV at appreciable current. Ditto for old glass tube large screen color TVs.
- formerly_proven 5y agoYes, with big picture tubes there's certainly a potential for receiving a lethal shock (of course, depending on the circumstances even very weak shocks can become lethal). My point is more about risk, respect and understanding what you're dealing with instead of apocryphal stories and fear. The former is imho more conducive to safe procedures being followed.