Unpopular opinion: Sticking to capacitor discharge made my repairs way safer

I used to skip discharging capacitors because it felt like extra work. After frying a board last year, I made it a rule to do it every time. Just last month, I was fixing an old TV power supply and discharged a big cap. It sparked, but nothing got damaged because I was ready. Another time, on a computer monitor, the same habit prevented a short. Now I see fewer blown components and my repair jobs are more reliable. It's a small step that makes a big difference.

4 comments

4 Comments

kim4801mo ago

Ever get cocky and skip discharging a capacitor? I sure did, and my pride has a few scorch marks to prove it. On an old cassette deck, I assumed the caps were safe and ended up zapping the bias circuit, which fried the recording head. Now I always discharge, just like you, and it saves a lot of headaches.

emmam891mo ago

Some caps really are safe though.

leehall1mo ago

Noticed that overconfidence bites us everywhere, @viola_lopez30.

viola_lopez301mo ago

Wow, I used to think the small ones couldn't hurt much either! One scary pop blew that idea away, lesson learned for good.