Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Path: utzoo!henry
From: henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer)
Subject: Re: Xenon flasher
Message-ID: <1990Jan17.185603.14584@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
References: <10224@microsoft.UUCP> <1990Jan15.214459.6707@waikato.ac.nz>
Date: Wed, 17 Jan 90 18:56:03 GMT

In article <1990Jan15.214459.6707@waikato.ac.nz> spt@waikato.ac.nz (Simon Travaglia) writes:
>Be bloody careful with these things they can give you a nasty shock.
>(Even when they are turned off, because of the large cap...

The high-end Fuji "disposable cameras" have a tiny little flash unit built
into them.  I took one apart to see what was inside.  Being careful, I
shorted the flash capacitor with a screwdriver before exploring too deeply.
I'd expected it to have some charge on it, but the great fat spark and the
nasty loud CRACK was quite a surprise.  No damage, just startled me, but
I'm glad it was a screwdriver and not my finger.  Nasty shock is the word
for it, especially with a larger one...
-- 
1972: Saturn V #15 flight-ready|     Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology
1990: birds nesting in engines | uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu