I'm back! (plus power component questions) - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

30 Oct 2006

 --- Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote: 
...
  > 
 > 
 > 
 >  --- Tony Duell <ard at p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:  
...
  > > > The first one is what I have dubbed the
"pow er
...
  > > > towers" and they look like
vertical batterie s.
...
  > > > Usually come in groups of 5. Can anyone
tell
 > > > me there name and/or what they do?
 > > 
 > > Sound like electrolytic capacitors. They act a s
...
    energy storage devices,   
 ahhhh. I thought I felt a little electric charge
 when I held my finger on the top of one for
 a few seconds (power was off at the time,
 but it had been on about 10 minutes earlier).  
 You want to be careful here. A common tyoe of powe r
...
  supply, called a 
 switch-mode power supply starts out by rectifying
 (using diodes) and 
 smoothing (using electrolytic capacitors) the main s,
...
  producing about 350V 
 DC. When the power supply is connected to the main s,
...
  that voltage can 
 easily kill you. Even when the machine is unplugge d,
...
  the stored charge in 
 those capacitors can be unpleasant, and may cause
 injury/damage.

 People who know mw know I have little time for daf t
...
  safety rules, but I 
 do treat the mains side of a switch-mode power
 supply with great respect.

 -tony

Yeah, after touching it the first time I thought
that that should be the last time. How would 
you go about replacing them, if you needed to?
Would it be safe after a week of no power, or
would the risk of electricution be just as bad?

Regards,
Andrew B
aliensrcooluk at yahoo.co.uk