They are high voltage, low amperage.
I have opened Compact Macs many times (as have others). I, like many others, have had no problems.
Straight talk: Act responsibly, and you won't ever have a problem.
There is no need to discharge the CRT if you are popping the motherboard.
There are four cautionary notes about the CRT: 1) Implosion hazard [high vacuum], 2)High voltage, 3) Burn-in [overexposure to a single picture], and 4) Too much time spent in front of it giggling at icanhazcheezeburger.com.
1) Implosion hazard: Simply don't drop it or smash anything against it. The area near the back of the yoke is a bit weak, but just see the previous sentence to avoid this.
2) High Voltage: Discharge before removing or working with the CRT. Simple. You won't need to do this for the motherboard.
3) Use a screensaver -- the quintessential After Dark: Starry Night does a good job of this. (Newer CRTs are not as vulnerable to this)
4) ...Have fun.
EDIT: Most (if not all) SE/30 CRTs have a bleed resistor which drains the residual voltage after powering down. If you're still hyperphobic, turn the machine on, set the brightness knob to the max, then yank the plug (not the power off switch, pull the plug hot).
I have opened Compact Macs many times (as have others). I, like many others, have had no problems.
Straight talk: Act responsibly, and you won't ever have a problem.
There is no need to discharge the CRT if you are popping the motherboard.
There are four cautionary notes about the CRT: 1) Implosion hazard [high vacuum], 2)High voltage, 3) Burn-in [overexposure to a single picture], and 4) Too much time spent in front of it giggling at icanhazcheezeburger.com.
1) Implosion hazard: Simply don't drop it or smash anything against it. The area near the back of the yoke is a bit weak, but just see the previous sentence to avoid this.
2) High Voltage: Discharge before removing or working with the CRT. Simple. You won't need to do this for the motherboard.
3) Use a screensaver -- the quintessential After Dark: Starry Night does a good job of this. (Newer CRTs are not as vulnerable to this)
4) ...Have fun.
EDIT: Most (if not all) SE/30 CRTs have a bleed resistor which drains the residual voltage after powering down. If you're still hyperphobic, turn the machine on, set the brightness knob to the max, then yank the plug (not the power off switch, pull the plug hot).