hey y'all

i'm brand0! i've always loved breaking stuff down. when i learned i could make a little scratch doing it i fell in love. i'm building a diverse cache of metals. however, the growing pains in this case, for me, seem to be that i've had to pass up a few different items due to a problem i haven't been able to find an answer to: is the anyway to tell where the shock hazards for every piece? is there a general rule regarding which wires to cut or if a capacitor is charged and what the remedy is? help! and thanks y'all it's nice to be aroun like minded avatars

Welcome

Originally Posted by brand0

i'm brand0! i've always loved breaking stuff down. when i learned i could make a little scratch doing it i fell in love. i'm building a diverse cache of metals. however, the growing pains in this case, for me, seem to be that i've had to pass up a few different items due to a problem i haven't been able to find an answer to: is the anyway to tell where the shock hazards for every piece? is there a general rule regarding which wires to cut or if a capacitor is charged and what the remedy is? help! and thanks y'all it's nice to be aroun like minded avatars

Uh yea there is a few things you can do to help. Or at least a few things I always do that I think help (which may or may not actually help but.... meh)


1) wear gloves.... I know this technically doesn't help or prevent electrocution, but it does prevent burns from sparks or arcing if/when that occurs
2) I stand on a free 1/2 rubber floor mat, like that they have in restaurant kitchens, found some of this free in the trash. this I think can prevent electrocution, and also it helps my back by being a cushion between my feed and the concrete
3) if I think it is something that could spark or have electric flow, I only cut one wire at a time, to prevent my wire cutters from completing a circuit, like by cutting through the + and - wire at the same time
4) the thicker the wires, the more careful you should be. big ol thick ass wires can carry a bunch more electric
5) CAPACITORS.... these are the big deal. these are what CAN kill you, if big enough and still charged. Know what they look like., learn to identify them, and then learn to be careful around/with them. I have hear you can discharge them by laying a screwdriver across the 2 terminals, however, I have also heard, if its a big enough capacitor it could just melt the screwdriver.... you can also check the capacitor with a mutlimeter
6) obviously anything with batteries.... like uninterruptible power supplies and such


So in summary, look our for batteries and capacitors, and youll probably be fine

so this particular item is a vaporizer. it hasn't been plugged in in months. should this be safe or do i still need to discharge? and do i cut the wires before or after discharge?

how a big a vaporizer? what does it vaporize? Most consumer products dont really use or hold enough power to worry. It is (MOSTLY, there may be exceptions) large or bigger commercial products.... that you have to worry about

Hello, brand0. Welcome to the forums.