The PC Doctor's Fix-it-Yourself Guide- P15: A technical director for a UK-based computer company who teaches such courses as Caring for Your PC has developed prescriptions for treating sick PCs. Arguing the benefits of fixing it yourself rather than relying on experts, his mission is to empower users with trouble- shooting and safe repair skills. | CHAPTER 6 What You Need to Fix-It-Yourself- and Stay Safe 119 Monitor Dangers Here are some of the reasons why you should not consider opening the case on a monitor to attempt any repair or even to take a look inside at what it contains Monitors are very dangerous. Even monitors that are unplugged can still hold lethal levels of electrical charge. Worse still they can hold these lethal charges for days after being unplugged. Specialist knowledge and equipment is needed to deal with this charge safely. When inside a monitor there is an ever-present risk of breaking the glass CRT cathode ray tube . The glass that makes up the CRT is very thick at the front end the bit you look at but the other end is thin delicate and easily damaged. Since the tube contains a partial vacuum breaking the tube will result in a violent implosion of the tube which presents a significant risk of injury from flying glass. Breaking the tube poses a risk of injury not only from the glass but also from the chemicals that it contains. A CRT contains large amounts of lead and other toxic chemicals that while the tube is sealed pose no health risks. However this changes when the tube is broken. A monitor doesn t contain any user-serviceable parts anyway so you might as well leave it alone PC DOCTOR S ORDER Dispose of old broken or unwanted monitors responsibly. If you have an old monitor that still works but you want to get rid of it ask around in case someone else wants it before you dispose of it. Also if you have the space consider keeping it. You never know when you might need a spare Handling Devices Safely Working on a computer doesn t just pose a risk to you you also pose a significant risk to the computer s well-being. This risk comes from the invisible normally harmless electrical charge that we can carry about with us. This is a risk from static electricity. 120 The PC Doctor Fix-It-Yourself Guide What Is Static Electricity Static electricity is a type of electric charge. It is .
