The Secret Life of XY Monitors (2001)
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The Secret Life of XY Monitors (2001)
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Re: The Secret Life of XY Monitors (2001)
#2> Very likely, the real story is simply that the potting material used in the transformers was not up to the task. Regardless of the cause, by the time the problem appeared the Operators had already made a good return on their investment. That was good news for the Operators but bad news for those of us trying to keep their 17 year-old Star Wars games alive.
I was a big fan of the "star wars" consoles; and they all had a peculiar smell. now i know what that was. cooking flybacks.
Re: The Secret Life of XY Monitors (2001)
#3> It's also a safety issue, since the Cathode voltage might be substantial.
When I was a small kid, my father had a TV set repair side hustle. I was 7-8yo but I would sometimes be called to help him a bit. Once he asked me to clean a bunch of CRT tubes from substantial amount of dust. What he forgot is that he was just testing one of them and the charge wasn't properly dissipated and it did not have time to dissipate on its own.
I got hit with a spark so powerful, that it must have temporarily disrupted my brain because for a brief moment I was completely stupefied, and then I just resumed cleaning it. Then I got hit for the second time, then for the third time. Only after third time I realised that me cleaning the tube has something to do with it. Probably the discharge was much less powerful the third time and did not stun me completely.
I can tell you the voltage and amount of charge on these things is no joke. Multiple tens of thousands of volts is enough to stun you temporarily. Probably not enough to cause lasting damage unless you are extremely unlucky about where the discharge went (stun guns usually have higher voltage and capacity), but enough for you to lose control of your body, fall and hurt yourself.
Re: The Secret Life of XY Monitors (2001)
#4> It's also a safety issue, since the Cathode voltage might be substantial. When I was a small kid, my father had a TV set repair side hustle. I was 7-8yo but I would sometimes be called to help him a bit. Once he asked me to clean a bunch of CRT tubes from substantial amount of dust. What he forgot is that he was just testing one of them and the charge wasn't properly dissipated and it did not have time to dissipate…
>Probably not enough to cause lasting damage unless you are extremely unlucky about where the discharge went
You don't have to be that unlucky. Discharge across your heart can stop it, no problem. It is not at all difficult for that energy to route through your chest. You were lucky.
Re: The Secret Life of XY Monitors (2001)
#5> It's also a safety issue, since the Cathode voltage might be substantial. When I was a small kid, my father had a TV set repair side hustle. I was 7-8yo but I would sometimes be called to help him a bit. Once he asked me to clean a bunch of CRT tubes from substantial amount of dust. What he forgot is that he was just testing one of them and the charge wasn't properly dissipated and it did not have time to dissipate…
>Probably not enough to cause lasting damage unless you are extremely unlucky about where the discharge went You don't have to be that unlucky. Discharge across your heart can stop it, no problem. It is not at all difficult for that energy to route through your chest. You were lucky.
Well... one difference between a stun gun and CRT tube is that in a stun gun you usually have both terminals relatively close to each other. Little chance of the main pulse going deep across the chest. On the other hand working with the CRT you are likely using both hands and that makes the signal go through your upper chest, by default. So yeah, there is something to it.
One thing I learned as amateur EE is to always use just one hand to probe the device under test if there is any high voltage or AC involved. You put the other hand behind you so that there is no chance you create a short right through your chest.
Re: The Secret Life of XY Monitors (2001)
#6> It's also a safety issue, since the Cathode voltage might be substantial. When I was a small kid, my father had a TV set repair side hustle. I was 7-8yo but I would sometimes be called to help him a bit. Once he asked me to clean a bunch of CRT tubes from substantial amount of dust. What he forgot is that he was just testing one of them and the charge wasn't properly dissipated and it did not have time to dissipate…
>Probably not enough to cause lasting damage unless you are extremely unlucky about where the discharge went You don't have to be that unlucky. Discharge across your heart can stop it, no problem. It is not at all difficult for that energy to route through your chest. You were lucky.
That said, direct current is "safer" than alternating current; AC makes your muscles (and heart) spasm/contract 50 or 60 times a second like it's fibrilating, DC locks everything up like a defibrilator.
I recommend neither though.
Re: The Secret Life of XY Monitors (2001)
#7Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Probably not enough to cause lasting damage unless you are extremely unlucky about where the discharge went You don't have to be that unlucky. Discharge across your heart can stop it, no problem. It is not at all difficult for that energy to route through your chest. You were lucky.
Well... one difference between a stun gun and CRT tube is that in a stun gun you usually have both terminals relatively close to each other. Little chance of the main pulse going deep across the chest. On the other hand working with the CRT you are likely using both hands and that makes the signal go through your upper chest, by default. So yeah, there is something to it. One thing I learned as amateur EE is to alway…
And have someone nearby with a 2x4 to beat you off whatever you might be gripping/fell onto.
Re: The Secret Life of XY Monitors (2001)
#8Oscilloscopes are mentioned a few times, but not for the main reason I assumed they would be.
Many of them include an x/y mode to use them as vector displays, even some of the cheap ~$150 ones.
Re: The Secret Life of XY Monitors (2001)
#9Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well... one difference between a stun gun and CRT tube is that in a stun gun you usually have both terminals relatively close to each other. Little chance of the main pulse going deep across the chest. On the other hand working with the CRT you are likely using both hands and that makes the signal go through your upper chest, by default. So yeah, there is something to it. One thing I learned as amateur EE is to alway…
And have someone nearby with a 2x4 to beat you off whatever you might be gripping/fell onto.
Just to add a bit more color here: most flexor muscles in your body are a lot stronger than the corresponding extensors, so when an external command comes in telling both to contract, for example from electricity in the thing you're working on, gripping wins. You can't let go. Great for grabbing a branch as you fall out of a tree. Not so great for repairing a power line.
Late edit: I've heard you can use this factoid to your advantage to avoid being eaten by an alligator or crocodile. Wrap your arms around its snout and hold on for dear life. Their jaws are strong enough to snap you in two, but not enough to force themselves open when you're holding them shut. I don't know what Step Two is, unfortunately.
Re: The Secret Life of XY Monitors (2001)
#10Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Probably not enough to cause lasting damage unless you are extremely unlucky about where the discharge went You don't have to be that unlucky. Discharge across your heart can stop it, no problem. It is not at all difficult for that energy to route through your chest. You were lucky.
Well... one difference between a stun gun and CRT tube is that in a stun gun you usually have both terminals relatively close to each other. Little chance of the main pulse going deep across the chest. On the other hand working with the CRT you are likely using both hands and that makes the signal go through your upper chest, by default. So yeah, there is something to it. One thing I learned as amateur EE is to alway…
> One thing I learned as amateur EE is to always use just one hand to probe the device under test
I was taught to use the back of my hand to avoid gripping the damn thing and never letting go.