In electronics, a bleeder resistor, bleeder load, leakage resistor, capacitor discharge resistor or safety discharge resistor is a resistor connected in parallel with the output of a high-voltage power supply circuit for the purpose of discharging the electric charge stored in the power supply's filter capacitors when the equipment is turned off, for safety reasons. It eliminates the possibility of a leftover charge causing electric shock if people handle or service the equipment in the off state, believing it is safe. A bleeder resistor is usually a standard resistor rather than a specialized component. Usage DC power supplies The power supply circuits in electronic equipment that produce direct current (DC) needed by the device from the alternating current (AC) supplied by mains use filter capacitors to smooth the DC current. A large electric charge can remain in these capacitors after the unit is turned off, constituting a shock hazard. For example switching mode power supplies use a bridge rectifier to convert mains AC power into DC at 320 V (for 220 V mains) or 160 V (for 115 V mains), before the voltage is reduced by the chopper. These incorporate one or more filter capacitors to smooth the pulsing output voltage from the rectifier. These must typically store enough energy at this high voltage to power the load during the zero crossings of the AC input. In addition, the capacitors in many supplies are made large enough to supply the load during AC outages lasting for a significant fraction of a second. This stored charge is often enough to deliver a lethal shock. The capacitors in high voltage DC power supplies used in devices such as lasers, x-ray machines, electronic flashes, radio transmitters and old style CRT computer monitors and televisions can have higher, more dangerous voltages. This stored charge can remain in the capacitors for a long time after the unit has been turned off. It can be a potentially lethal shock hazard for the user or maintenance and servicing personnel, who may believe that because the device is turned off or unplugged it is safe. Therefore, to discharge the capacitor after the supply has been turned off, a large-value resistor is connected across its terminals. After it is switched off, the charge on the capacitor will drain off through this "bleeder resistor", causing the voltage to decay quickly to safe levels. While the power supply is on, a