Ralph Mowery wrote:
"Ron(UK)" wrote in message
...

I worked for many years in the domestic appliance repair trade. To
discharge motor caps I just used a neon mains voltage tester, the type
with a croc clip to complete the circuit. thatgets the voltage down to
just a few volts almost instantly, whence you can safely short the cap
if necessary with a screwy or spanner whatever. Shorting out a fully
charged 8 or 10 muff cap with a screwdriver doesn`t do the cap,
screwdriver or customer any good In the absense of a neon device you
could use a light bulb or a resistor of a suitable value.


The neon tester will only get you to around the 70 volt level. Still not a
bad idea. That way you can see if it is charged to the full voltage. If
you are going to use a light bulb, you may as well use the screwdriver as
when the bulb is cold the resisitance is very low.


In theory, but a neon strikes around 70/90 volts, it maintains down to
a much lower voltage and will drain much of the charge. try it. Using a
bulb, you get a flash of light, using a screwdrive you get a big bang
and a flash of hot metal - better watch your eyes.

Ron

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