[sdiy] Tube amp cap discharge tool?

[Bob Weigel]

I fully agree Harry and I like I said should have been a little more 
comprehensive in my statement given that.  However...people have dragged 
it into various other areas and it's getting kind of silly it seems and 
I think it's been covered as well as possible.  I seriously wasn't 
thinking about people working on non-typical tube amps when I initially 
said 'let er rip' but then I continue to have silly argument from people 
about how evil even that is.
     Meanwhile..regarding liability of advice...if I make a grammatical 
mistake or speak without remembering that someone might use their Sears 
lawnmower to discharge a capacitor YES I should be liable YES all my 
assets should be immediately liquidated and YES I should be imprisoned 
for life.  ANy other questions?  :-)  I mean c'mon.  I was trying to 
help and I spoke advice on obviously a touchy subject with some people.  
But HEY...in the absence of advice..where are we?  Right back at 
'hmmm..well I've got figure this out for myself'.  I don't think well 
meaning deeds should ever be punished.  But it happens.  I'll just keep 
trying to help and if because I'm imperfect and forget something or 
whatever and someone decides I should die for being imperfect well..so 
be it.  At least I'll get some rest :-) -Bob

Harry Bissell Jr wrote:

>Bob:
>
>what works for you is fine... there is no
>reason for you to change what you do. Advice was
>asked in a public forum. If you give advice
>from an expert point of view (your experience
>as a repair technician), that advice has to be
>sound.
>
>This is a safety issue.  If someone searched the
>archives and found only the advice to 'use a
>screwdriver' they might get hurt.
>
>You are 'skilled in the art' as they say (in fact
>you claimed experience in this field) so you
>would be liable for your advice. Choose carefully.
>
>H^) harry
>
>--- Bob Weigel <sounddoctorin at imt.net> wrote:
>
>  
>
>>Ken...it works for me.  Why should I change just
>>because a bunch of 
>>other people have opinions? I am not asking anyone
>>to do it my way. Do 
>>it your way. I view my way good simply because I
>>have to make a living, 
>>there are only so many hours in a day and I have to
>>pick my battles.  I 
>>don't understand why this is such an emotional
>>topic.    I rarely get 
>>sparks anyway because I'm in tube amps that usually
>>have drain 
>>resistors.    Now if I HAPPEN to be holding a
>>meter...then I just 
>>measure...and if I measure zero I wonder if my meter
>>is working and I 
>>jam a screwdriver across it anyway JUST TO MAKE
>>SURE.  Cuz that's just 
>>the kind of guy I am :-). Ok?  I've been shocked by
>>400 some volts on 
>>these things in my earlier days.  I'm absent minded.
>> We all need to 
>>find something that works reliably for us.  I won't
>>tell YOU how to do 
>>it and you don't black list me or
>>whatever..unless...that's just the 
>>kind of guy you are.  OK? -bob
>>
>>Ken Stone wrote:
>>
>>    
>>
>>>Truly what we are arguing about here has nothing to
>>>      
>>>
>>do with what is right or
>>    
>>
>>>not, but if YOU specifically are right or not, and
>>>      
>>>
>>from your comments is it
>>    
>>
>>>plain to see that you are incapable of
>>>      
>>>
>>acknowledging that you are anything
>>    
>>
>>>but right.
>>>
>>>Thank you Mr "Always" Right.
>>>
>>>Ken (modifies black list)
>>>
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>:-) I'd love to argue this the rest of my
>>>>        
>>>>
>>life..but we're talking a 
>>    
>>
>>>>concept called 'straining out gnats' here.  I've
>>>>        
>>>>
>>done it for years.  
>>    
>>
>>>>Nothing has been hurt.  Truly. customers would
>>>>        
>>>>
>>tell me if their amps 
>>    
>>
>>>>dropped out. I'm really GOOD about that.  I find
>>>>        
>>>>
>>out what I'm doing 
>>    
>>
>>>>wrong by writing rigorous invoices and I can tell
>>>>        
>>>>
>>if a capacitor were to 
>>    
>>
>>>>have failed where I might potentially have done
>>>>        
>>>>
>>something to start it 
>>    
>>
>>>>down the bad road.  As it is..no such incident.
>>>>        
>>>>
>>ALL CAP FAILURES in the 
>>    
>>
>>>>decade I've been doing work on tube amps have been
>>>>        
>>>>
>>first timers.  Never 
>>    
>>
>>>>has anything come into my shop with a dead
>>>>        
>>>>
>>capacitor that I had 
>>    
>>
>>>>previously worked on except one or two where the
>>>>        
>>>>
>>customer said 'leave 
>>    
>>
>>>>the old ancient ones, I dont' have money to fix
>>>>        
>>>>
>>now' and then they bring 
>>    
>>
>>>>it back later.  I recall that maybe once. Nearly
>>>>        
>>>>
>>everyone here just has 
>>    
>>
>>>>me replace old ones when in question.  ENd of
>>>>        
>>>>
>>story.  I have no further 
>>    
>>
>>>>input to the topic. It works for me. If others
>>>>        
>>>>
>>choose not to do it 
>>    
>>
>>>>fine.  My repair bills will continue to be cheaper
>>>>        
>>>>
>>then because I waste 
>>    
>>
>>>>less time in the process of things like this. If
>>>>        
>>>>
>>you don't want your 
>>    
>>
>>>>caps cro-barred..dont' bring the amp to me.  I'm
>>>>        
>>>>
>>fine with that :-)  -Bob
>>    
>>
>>>>The Peasant wrote:
>>>>
>>>>   
>>>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>>>>>>Sure but that's continuous duty. Where heat has
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>time to build up and 
>>    
>>
>>>>>>hurt things.
>>>>>>  
>>>>>>
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>Discharging a DC filter capacitor by shorting it
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>stresses it in a number of 
>>    
>>
>>>>>ways, and it is stupid and dangerous to do this
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>unneccesarily. There are 
>>    
>>
>>>>>capacitors designed for this type of use, but
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>certainly not old tube amp 
>>    
>>
>>>>>capacitors.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>     
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>>>Let me give you an example. Ordered from Parts
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>express.....
>>    
>>
>>>>>>  
>>>>>>
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>Bob, your long stories are sometimes interesting,
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>but you appear to be
>>    
>>
>>>>>     
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>ignoring 
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>the important parts of what others are saying
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>here. 
>>    
>>
>>>>>
>>>>>     
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>>>Yeah and just pray the resistor isn't burnt out
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>or you have a fault in 
>>    
>>
>>>>>>  
>>>>>>
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>the connections. 
>>>>>
>>>>>You don't appear to be paying attention, Bob. As
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>stated, you ALWAYS check the 
>>    
>>
>>>>>capacitor with a meter before touching the
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>equipment. Praying won't help.
>>    
>>
>>>>>
>>>>>     
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>>>Like I just 
>>>>>>told John the ideal is put a current meter in
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>line and all..
>>    
>>
>>>>>>  
>>>>>>
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>That is unneccesary and the peak current may
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>damage the meter.
>>    
>>
>>>>>
>>>>>     
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>>>However..while we're nit picking...
>>>>>>  
>>>>>>
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>The only one that appears to be doing that is
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>you. I'm just trying to 
>>    
>>
>>>>>discourage practices that I have been taught by
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>professionals to be
>>    
>>
>>>>>     
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>dangerous. 
>>> 
>>>
>>>      
>>>
>>>>>I really don't want to see anybody here have any
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>unfortunate accidents.
>>    
>>
>>>>>
>>>>>     
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>>>When I see the energy being dissipated in the
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>air, I know 
>>    
>>
>>>>>>it's being taken off the internals of the
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>capacitor which is a good 
>>    
>>
>>>>>>thing.   Right?
>>>>>>  
>>>>>>
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>No, not if you get injured or killed in the
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>process.
>>    
>>
>>>>>
>>>>>     
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>>>>But like I say, I rest my case.  
>>>>>>  
>>>>>>
>>>>>>       
>>>>>>
>>>>>>            
>>>>>>
>>>>>On what? Your dangerous electrical practices
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>based on your own
>>    
>>
>>>>>     
>>>>>
>>>>>          
>>>>>
>>>"experience"? I 
>>> 
>>>      
>>>
>=== message truncated ===
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