[photo-3d] capacitor safety

[John Toeppen <toeppen@xxxxxxxx>]

Elliot wrote:
"Whenever I work on a flash, I always 
discharge the capacitors-- several times. This is one of the key reasons 
inexperienced people should never take an integral flash camera apart-- 
touching the wrong place can potentially kill you if you have heart
problems, 
and hurt like hell if you don't. Those capacitors can hold a charge a
long 
time."

Once you have applied the shorting wire keep it on to keep the 
capacitor "safed".  Never trust a cap that is not so shorted.  Some of
the 
capacitors that I have work with fire Xenon lamps that are 6ft long and
two inches in diameter.  A capacitor bank will fire a dozen of these
lamps at at time to drive a laser amplifier.  Caps not in use are always 
shorted by bus bars or wires after firing.  Capacitors can recharge
themselves after
apparent discharge - so strive to survive - beware of hidden stored
energy.

John Toeppen