powering up older machines - is it safe?

[Tony Duell]

> I can understand worrying about something that's not been used for
> a few years, but if you check everything that's not been used for
> just a few months, when do you have time to actually _do_ anything?

Well, if I am using a machine every day, I don't check it every time 
(there's no point, the PSU could fail in the time between checking it and 
reconnectin it to the logic :-)). But if I get a machine out that I've 
not used recently, then, yes, I do check it.

It doesn't take me long. I've probably done it before, so I know what to 
unplug, where to connect the dummy load (if needed) and the meter, and so 
on. In come cases, I've built up test units, in which case it takes even 
less time.

And 10 minutes, or so, spent checking the PSU is easily a lot less than 
the time it would take me to sort out the damage caused by a 
malfunctioning PSU.

-tony