Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
That's where the magic of YouTube comes in. I learned that I can discharge the capacitors by laying a screwdriver blade across the terminals. I could've sworn that I heard a fizzing noise when I did that, but it was probably just my imagination.
That's where the magic of YouTube gets people hurt. Capacitors can carry potentially lethal currents, if electrolytic type they do spectacularly explode, which WILL take your eye out, plus the bits are usually pretty [censored] hot, making burns a potential risk. And then there's the corrosive electrolyte all over your equipment.
Never discharge a capacitor by laying a screwdriver blade across the terminals. The safe way involves a resistor across the terminals.
As for Chinese caps, I suggest you just say no. They are by far the most counterfeited components coming out of China, so you cannot be sure that what you have is what is marked on the case, plus you probably paid too much for a premium brand sleeve over an inexpensive substitute.
That's even if you get an inexpensive substitute ... a common form of counterfeit Chinese electrolytic cap is to insert a low value cap inside a large value container, marked as such.
Don't buy electronic components on eBay sourced from China. Transistors, capacitors, ICs are all well known to be counterfeited. Plus, it's usually just as cheap to buy them from Mouser, DigiKey, etc who have documented supply sourcing and the price is usually the same, and often cheaper.