When is it safe to work on?

[ajs]

Hey, just finished a 5e3 build, and im trying to de-bug it, its a bit qiute... Any help on that would me much apreciated- check out my post in the 5e3 forum if you think you might be able to help...

The reason im posting here is- how low does the voltage need to be before i can work on it? I know i have to drain the caps befor i do any work on the amp- i connect a voltmeter between the grond, and the last capacitor on the board- there usually about 10 volts, which drain pretty quickly, but once it gets down to about 1 volt it takes ages to drain any further... Can i start to work on it yet- waited for 5 mins, and got the remaing voltage down to 0.2 volts- is it safe/ will i damage anything, or myself if i work on it with this voltage?

I know its sound silly, especially because a battery of 9 volts only gives the smalles of shocks, but id just like to check from you quys...

Cheers...

Adam...

[Enzo]

Under 10 volts i have no concerns. The last volt or so can take a while. There is nothing magic about it. the low voltages won't hurt you. nor will you damage the circuits. These are tubes after all, so there are not any static charge issues. The voltages to concern yourself with are the ones that will conduct through your skin.

Now I would recommend unplugging the amp from the wall before working in it. A cord could snag the power switch and flip it when you are not expecting it. I've had it happen.

Of course, the amp has to be running to take any voltage measurements.