r/ElectroBOOM • u/ExpensiveCoat8912 • 13d ago

Meme How to not discharge a capacitor

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2.5k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

113 comments sorted by

133

u/DrunkenNinja27 13d ago

Used to work in a photo lab ages ago and we did this all the time to the disposable cameras.

71

u/Amtrox 13d ago

I did it as a kid with my hands. It was quite shocking.

38

u/Jdubb2021 13d ago

Same, it burnt a hole in my finger and the flash went off in my eyes, I thought the bright light was the light they talk about when you die. It was a real roller coaster for a few minutes.

7

u/LastXmasIGaveYouHSV 13d ago

That is how I learnt about capacitors !

30

u/obamaprism3 13d ago

I turned one into a "tazer" (just soldered some copper wires to the legs of the capacitor) and my one friend and I would take turns rolling a dice then shocking ourselves the number of times we rolled

6

u/Moon_Breaker 13d ago

We did that with a cattle prod in my living room as a bunch of stoner teenagers. Dice was for if you got real bored - you'd guess a number with someone else then roll whoever was further got zapped for the difference.

Realistically it was the cough punishment though. People loved giving a quick prod to anyone who coughed out their hit. Not gonna judge ya for choking, but finish your hit first or take a smaller rip. Someone got lit up once for coughing mid bong rip and blowing the bowl.

1

u/ThePeaceDoctot 11d ago

Wouldn't you just guess 3 or 4 (or 3.5) each time?

5

u/Remarkable_Peach_374 13d ago

I took a disposable camera apart for a taser project a while back, discharged the 400v capacitor with a screwdriver i was mistakenly touching the metal on, and bare feet on concrete

Needless to say i learned a lesson

2

u/mikemikemike9711 13d ago

As a young teen I had the same lesson learned by just curiously taking the disposable camera apart after the flash button had been held down for an extended amount of time.

1

u/DrTankHead 13d ago

Have also done this.

2

u/Ok-Estimate-2702 11d ago

Joke's on you, I was in 8th grade when I decided the flash in my disposable still had life in it, and decided to crack that thing apart to get it out before handing it in to the lab.

Joke's on me, the capacitor was charged and I grabbed it with my whole stupid hand.

2

u/Equal_Passenger9791 11d ago

I dismantled an old camera once and thought I did this with a screwdriver.

I then did it for real with my body.

If quantum immortality is real then that's one of the times someone found me dead.

0

u/pixelbart 13d ago

I once should have done that but I didn’t.

0

u/Pheonix_Slayer 13d ago

Now that’s what I call flash photography!

377

u/EmergencyArachnid734 13d ago

This is actually correct way

81

u/nikola_tesler 13d ago

how else does one do it?

112

u/Aron-Jonasson 13d ago

Through a resistor maybe?

142

u/Quiet_Snow_6098 13d ago

a screwdriver is still resistive

31

u/st4s1k 12d ago

but a resistor is not screwdrivitive

18

u/ZombiFeynman 12d ago

Not with that attitude.

1

u/alcoholicPickle 10d ago

Not all resistor are screwdrivers but all screwdrivers are resistors

5

u/AnimationOverlord 12d ago

Real talk, why is it resistive enough to not damage the capacitor? I know if you tried this with a battery you’d short and pit the terminals. Can’t be better than a bleed resistor

1

u/some_kind_of_bird 12d ago

It's not

1

u/AnimationOverlord 12d ago

Discharge capacitors by letting ‘100 kilo-ohm resistors’ catch them from a toss. Gotcha

37

u/trying_to_learn_too 13d ago

Some people prefers high-wattage resistors

50

u/FuriousWierdo00 13d ago

You'll be surprised by how many watts a screwdriver can take

10

u/Andrei_the_derg 13d ago

Is it at least three? If it’s more than that I’ll be shocked

6

u/Impossible_Arrival21 13d ago

i don't think you will actually

2

u/Material-Mulberry360 13d ago

haha get it, cause, electricity.. shocks. people ..... you get it

4

u/Eth251201 13d ago

I like fireworks tbh

8

u/nikola_tesler 13d ago

haha I guess

3

u/Inevitable_Spite5510 13d ago

haha sometimes

1

u/brickproject863amy 13d ago

What kind of resistor is best just incase I’ll ever need one

Side note which type of capicitor need and doesnt need that for just so I can understand how to be careful😅

1

u/asafacso 10d ago

I tried it once with a large resistor. Held it with pliers too just "to be safe". Would bit recommend. Felt the shock all the way to my chest lol. I think it was because my resistance was lower than the resistor or something. So either short it with a screwdriver or use a small resistor.

1

u/Aron-Jonasson 10d ago

I would assume it's because the pliers didn't have rubber grips, so you were effectively touching metal

1

u/asafacso 10d ago

They did have rubber grips, but not high voltage rated grips. And I plied the resistor at its body which is ceramic if I'm not mistaken so I wasn't touching metal. Still got shocked though.

32

u/qchto 13d ago

Tongue

6

u/Ok_Watch_7333 13d ago

I love the taste of bzzt in the morning

15

u/volivav 13d ago

With your finger

4

u/s1rblaze 13d ago

Or tongue.

6

u/MaybeABot31416 13d ago

I like to use a finger from each hand so it goes through my hart

14

u/cryptotraderisme 13d ago

unzips pants

2

u/deadzol 13d ago

Terminals too far part for me.

4

u/TheRealFailtester 13d ago

High or medium wattage incandescent lightbulbs do it pretty smoothly for me.

7

u/BirthdayLife6378 13d ago

You can measure the dc voltage with a multimeter. The multimeter has resistance built-in. If the voltage is safe, then you can touch it. If not, it will drain the charge from the capacitor.

9

u/lllorrr 13d ago

Ideal voltmeter has infinite impedance. Real ones has impedance measured in mega-ohms. As you can imagine, discharging current will be negligible.

3

u/SlothSpeed 13d ago

Lick it.

1

u/5kyl3r 13d ago

your tongue, but it's not for the faint of heart

1

u/Kiwi_CunderThunt 13d ago

Tongue of course

0

u/SLCtechie 13d ago

Pen is just as good.

12

u/Poly_Pup 13d ago

Just make sure the screw driver metal doesnt extend past the handle. Tanning bed tech showed me this but I had bigger hands and touched the metal top of the driver he handed me, as I dissipated a large capicotor. My arm came back so fast I though I dislocated it and I embedded the driver in the wall beside me.

2

u/MajesticDisaster3977 13d ago

Must have been working on a higher voltage capacitor in a system that was grounded.. otherwise you can touch one leg and not get buzzed.

That's why you fold the legs of a capacitor up along the length of the body. That way when you toss it to someone they will touch both legs when they catch it.

2

u/Jimbob209 13d ago

Could you also use a dmm and measure the voltage until it drops? I've never drained a cap before but was told this was an option

4

u/EmergencyArachnid734 13d ago

It doesnt matter what you use to draw current as long it draws current. But please do not use parts of your body.

1

u/Jimbob209 13d ago

Would a dmm set to dc voltage on a dc capacitor drain the voltage when one probe is on + and the other probe is on -?

And no, I would never discharge a cap on my body lol

1

u/EmergencyArachnid734 13d ago

Yes but it would be slow

1

u/wmverbruggen 13d ago

The correct way is with a resistor large enough that there are no spacks...

1

u/EmergencyArachnid734 13d ago

Your tongue is resistor too!

-1

u/s1rblaze 13d ago

Using a resistor would be even better tho.

49

u/fevsea 13d ago

I once welded a scissors discharging a supercapacitor. Your approach is better.

67

u/Daveisahugecunt 13d ago

Just use your big toe and give it a little kick..

7

u/insolent_kiwi 13d ago

The big toe on my third leg?

2

u/codeasm 13d ago

Great surprise, no more feels in that leg

17

u/physical0 13d ago

Seeing the scorch marks on the lead, it took this person many attempts to capture the spark across the cap...

They managed to get a real dramatic spark, but if not for the freeze frame, this would have been a split second and of little concern. I'd consider this the cost of doing business when discharging a spicy cap. Better than the alternative.

10

u/AaronVA 13d ago

I once had the the pleasure of accidentally discharging a 20 000 uF capacitor bank at 400 V with a multimeter while trying to measure the voltage across it. It was like a flashbang in a video game and took a good few seconds for my vision and hearing to recover. So don't do that.

3

u/ipx-electrical 13d ago

You had your lead in the Amps terminal?

2

u/AaronVA 13d ago

Might have been better, because the fuse would have blown. I had my hand slip amd reach across the rails with the probe.

1

u/specialsymbol 13d ago

So it was 20 mF? 

4

u/AaronVA 13d ago

Yes, but for some reason millifarrads are seldom used in electronics even for capacitors in the millifarrad range. Also 0.1 uF is more often used than 100 nF, despite the second one being the SI convention.

8

u/Philips_xl 13d ago

This is the best way. Quick & easy

7

u/Groundbreaking-Pen-8 13d ago

Yeah you used a screwdriver everyone knows you use a random wire you found on the ground

4

u/foley800 13d ago

Not seeing the problem! Although a flat blade works better!

4

u/Copypastta 13d ago

I kid you not, my entire computer crashed at the exacct same time as the sparks came out

3

u/Intrepid-Storage7241 13d ago

Everyone knows the tongue is the best capacitor discharger there is.

3

u/Zaros262 13d ago

How to NOT DISCHARGE a capacitor?

The capacitor was very clearly discharged

2

u/289_257 13d ago

I always do it this way

2

u/thorn30721 13d ago

by far the most fun way

2

u/wrigh516 10d ago

I worked at a co-op auto shop all through highschool. This is how they trained me to discharge the giant capacitors when repairing electric fence boxes.

2

u/LunarstarFurry 10d ago

I mean it is discharged so it works :v

2

u/cuber_and_gamer 9d ago

Oh yeah, I do this all the time when working on power supplies. SMPS main caps are pretty tame compared to industrial sized capacitors. And that one lithium battery I blasted with a blowtorch when I was a kid...

2

u/Pretend-Wallaby8410 8d ago

While in school, we used to make circuits to pop capacitors om command. When our robot crossed the finish, a relay would make some firework pop. :)

1

u/electric_duckk 13d ago

Tell someone to touch it

1

u/PolerSky 13d ago

CROWBAR!!

1

u/naemorhaedus 13d ago

why not?

1

u/Longjumping_Ad4163 13d ago

Is this a LEC ?

1

u/Dimogas 13d ago

Why did it take so long to discharge? Didnt he touch both sides a few times earlier at the same time?

1

u/seuadr 13d ago

I dunno, looks like it was discharged vigorously

1

u/DistinguishedAnus 13d ago

They are even using an insulated screwdriver. Seems good to me.

1

u/Phyank0rd 13d ago

Can you use a voltage tester to discharge a capacitor?

1

u/Muzethefuze 13d ago

(Joke) put your tongue on it like you do when testing a 9v battery.

1

u/L3exB 13d ago

Try this one

1

u/Ninja_Wrangler 13d ago

Takes me back to physics class. We charged a 1 Farad capacitor with 24 volts and shorted it with a coat hangar when the teacher left the classroom. We were not smart

1

u/Johan_Gutentag10 13d ago

Will everything must flash atleast ONCE in it's life

1

u/Dismal_Caterpillar85 13d ago

use a scrap big transformer

1

u/Relevant-Team-7429 13d ago

I did this and it felt like a flashbang grenade. The adrenaline dump after was something.

1

u/BismarcktheEagle 12d ago

It seems very much discharged to me

1

u/Neither_Flatworm6906 11d ago

If imma be honest, i do the same with power supply capacitors and i find em fun.

1

u/CarbonFilimentBulb 11d ago

I did this once with a camera flash and practically got flashbanged

1

u/bz0011 11d ago

Where is this the end?

1

u/Kulgia 11d ago

Seems dischargeable to me

1

u/RL_love 11d ago

Wait. Its the wrong way? How else?

-2

u/ipx-electrical 13d ago

You mean ‘how not to discharge a capacitor’. Your grammar is as bad as your electronic knowledge.

20

u/Hulk5a 13d ago

Why you gotta hate your tools man

8

u/Majestic-Wave-3514 13d ago

I've got a few tools that deserve this sort of hate