Could anybody tell me what the consequences of smashing a television that’s plugged in and turned on would be? More accurately, would I be able to do it with a baseball bat or sledgehammer, and if so, what precautions should I take? I’m curious about this because I want to involve smashing a live television in a performance art piece that’s in the process of being mapped out. Any input would be greatly appreciated, as this could be a matter of life and death.
The biggest danger would be from flying glass. The picture tube contains a high vacuum, and the resulting implosion can send shards of glass flying quite far. Electrically, there’s not a great deal of danger, though whatever you use to do the deed with should have an insulated handle, in case you contact the high-voltage anode. And it might be prudent to have someone stand by with a fire extinguisher.
To reduce the risk of flying glass, I’d have some sort of screen between you and the audience. And do wear safety goggles. I don’t think a bat would be heavy enough, but a 20-pound sledge with a wood handle should do the trick.
Definitely have plenty of insulation between you and the picture tube. Even TV sets that are unplugged have a lot of electricity stored in them. I had a friend who once touched the anode with an insulated screwdriver and regained consciousness on the other side of the room.
I would also have someone off-stage kill the electric circuit as the set is being smashed.
If it’s a performance piece, I think turning a fire extinguisher on the rubble would be a nice touch, whether or not there’s actually a fire.
Of course, I am in no way endorsing the idea of smashing a TV set on stage, live or unplugged.
In the annual UofA terminal bash, many outdated pieces of hardware meet a grisly fate. None of them are plugged in, of course (kunilou is right - CRTs have caps with massive amounts of voltage in them, even after they’ve been unplugged), and the smashee is wearing gloves, goggles, and surrounded by a plastic curtain.
The ones we smash are normally taped. The application of clear packing tape to the surface of the TV would help prevent wayward glass, though IANAL, not an engineer either, not recommended, etc. I think in any case you’re going to be surprised how much abuse one of those puppies can take. The normal implement of destruction is a sledgehammer, and when designing a 21" Sun monitor, it sure seems like “Can be safely hit by a car” was a design goal.
Last time this came up on the Boards, I remember hearing that the phosphors on the inside of the screen could be a Big Problem. It seems they’re rather poisonous when injected, and a bunch of shards of flying glass make for a very effective injection mechanism.
Makes me think of the TV-smashing scene from The Wall, right as “Another Brick in the Wall, Part III” begins.
I did that once. When I was about 12 years old. I was messing around inside an unplugged 25" TV. Next thing I knew I was doing a somersault.
It was afterwards when I learned you must discharge the high voltage before working on a TV…