Hack a flash camera into a emergency strobe light

Step 2 Hack open the camera!

Start hacking the camera open with a screw driver and be careful not to damage the camera's flash circuit.
Once you got the outer camera's case off, be careful not to touch the circuit board as the capacitor may still be charged, discharge the capacitor by putting a screw driver across the capacitor's terminal and you may get some bright loud sparks.
After you discharge the capacitor, take the flash circuit out of the camera's frame.

Comments

[Swishercutter]

I would discharge the cap with a resistor and some alligator clips to keep it from sparking. I used to use 1 farad caps on my car stereo and this was the best way to discharge/store them. I think it should be noted that after discharging the cap you should short the leads with a bit of wire (or a resistor) to keep the capacitor discharged. Caps will establish a charge from ambient voltages in the air and can charge up to full potential over time. You never know if the circuit that was discharged yesterday is still discharged. I do not remember seeing this in any of the instructables dealing with high voltages so I figured I would point it out.

[uberdum05]

Normally in capacitors that big people connect a high value resistor to the capacitor terminals permanently and then it makes it safe to work around because it is discharged

[Erik J]

good idea

[gx27470]

ive shocked myself multipple times