No More Twist

Have you ever read a warning about not using electrical equipment after bringing it from a cold environment to a warm one?

I was trying to fix a PC for a friend (often this means running up the PC and reinstalling the software). I had to power up the PC and to do that without disrupting the other PCs at home, I had to find a monitor.

I had a spare CRT monitor in the garage, so I brought it in. It was a reasonably good quality Dell branded one. In it’s day it probably was a prized piece of equipment. These days there are cheaper and much more attractive flat screen monitors.

At the first attempt to use it, it made an impressive cracking noise, so I turned it off quickly then reached for the camera. Here’s the result:

Even after a session with a hairdrier, and plenty of time to be allowed to come to room temperature, it still made the arcing sound. It was an ex monitor. I know how to open this monitor — but I didn’t dare, not with children about. Instead, I took it to the tip before my curiosity got the better of me.