[ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any sug gest ions?

  • From: "Bryan Smart" <bryansmart@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 20 Sep 2009 19:49:34 -0400

I agree. It isn't wise for even an untrained sighted person to experiment with 
home level electricity. For an untrained blind person to do it is profoundly 
more dangerous, still. I'm not saying that a blind person can't do it. I have a 
blind friend that rebuilds high voltage radio equipment, and has all sorts of 
safety procedures and special tools that he's worked out that make it possible 
for him to do it safely. However, for most blind people, the act of just 
touching something electrical to investigate it would put them in direct 
contact with an electrical field which can lead to instant death.

Coming in contact with alternating current from the outlet (like putting your 
finger in the socket) is not even the worst. Inside electronics, the 
alternating current is converted to direct current (much more leithal), and 
voltage is dramatically traded off for amps. Even circuits with a portion of an 
amp can kill you, but laptops, home theater gear, and music/recording equipment 
use electrical buses that run at far more amps than that. If you form a circuit 
as part of one of these, you supposedly don't have enough time to realize that 
you're dead.

You live in an apartment, and so it can be fixed for free. Have them fix it. 
I'm a fairly handy blind guy when it comes to fix-it issues around the house, 
but I wouldn't even think twice about paying someone to work out this sort of 
problem for me, both correctly and safely. Besides, if you try to do something 
on your own in an apartment, and anything goes wrong (like fire), it would be 
very simple for your modifications to be accused of being the cause.

Bryan





-----Original Message-----
From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On 
Behalf Of albertm13@xxxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2009 5:51 PM
To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any sug 
gest ions?

Sean's fix is good to do but it sounds like something is connected wrong and 
you'll still have the problem.  His solution may even cause a short which will 
make the circuit unuseable until it is fixed correctly.  This is actually what 
the ground is supposed to do.

Whether it is you someone else: Get a voltmeter and connect it from your guitar 
ground on the cable to the ground of an outlet and if you read anything more 
than 10V then you should get your amp fixed or at least checked.  Even if the 
meter reads 20V it might be OK but I don't want to be respobsilble for your 
death.

Albert





---------- Original Message ----------
From: "Sean A. Cummins" <seanacummins@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any suggest 
ions?
Date: Sun, 20 Sep 2009 06:43:32 -0700

Cameron,

sounds like your building is definitely not up to code.

However, you can usually resolve this problem by adding a three prong to two 
prong adapter that has a wire coming off for the ground prong.

Splice at least 14 or 12 gauge wire to the wire on the adaptor using a wire nut.

You want to make this long enough to go to the nearest copper or iron piping 
like a baseboard heater or old fashion iron radiator .  You will need to fasten 
the bare end of the wire to one of the pipes either by rapping the stripped 
wire around the copper pipe and twisting it back on to itself, or even an 
alligator clip, that can be purchased even at Radio Crap, and clipping it to 
one of the heat fins of the base board.

Using the old radiator, you can even solder the end to the iron pipe, but you 
need to make sure it is iron.  If it is copper, you can cause electrolysis to 
cause the pipe to begin to brake-down , and eventually leak, or worse, burst.  
Remember, if it is painted, which most people have ignorantly dun, you will 
need to remove a little area of paint, or just find an area, like the valve 
control, that is bare iron or steel to attach the wire.

The concept is that, all heating systems will eventually be touching earth some 
where in its travels through the building.

The ultimate and safest way of grounding is to drive a rebar stake into real 
earth and running the wire to this.  But not knowing how far you are from 
actual earth, makes this a sketchy statement at best.

By law, the building owner should have an electrician come and evaluate your 
need, he/she wont want a lawsuit over such a little matter.

Also, if you haven't already experienced this, what ever you do, don't play 
your guitar and let your lips touch the mic at the same time, before you have 
fixed the problem.  You will get a very painful shock when your lips ground to 
the mic, because the lips have vast amount of nerve endings. 
WATCH OUT!  I'm warning you, and I'm not kidding!!

Sean

----- Original Message -----
From: <albertm13@xxxxxxxx>
To: <ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2009 5:47 AM
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any suggest 
ions?


Cameron,

Is it a static electricity shock?  Do you get one short shock and then you can 
hold the mic?

Albert

---------- Original Message ----------
From: "Cameron" <cameron@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any suggest 
ions?
Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:25:31 -0400

Hi.  it happens with dynamic and condenser mics, and even when the phantom 
power is off for the condensers.

plastic mic clips being used since I only have small diafram condensers at 
present.

Cameron.





-----Original Message-----
From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On 
Behalf Of Nick Dotson
Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 4:31 PM
To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any suggest 
ions?


Remember static electricity with carpet?  Also, is the mic condenser with 
phantom power or dynamic?  In either event is the mic mount a spider mount, or, 
just one which you screw onto the boom?  It's probably plastic, but I'm 
wondering if there is a grounding problem, if the mic and stand are breaking

or floating the ground?

Nick

----- Original Message -----
From: "Cameron" <cameron@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 12:30 PM
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any suggest 
ions?


> Hi.  No no no, it's not just when you touch a mic.  it's when you touch
> anything metal connected to the power conditioner, like the control
> surface,
> computer, audio interface, and the conditioner itself.
>
> as soon as the mic is unplugged, everything is back to normal.
>
> Cameron.
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> On
> Behalf Of D!J!X!
> Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 2:02 PM
> To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any
> suggest ions?
>
> Interesting, and you get shocked everytime you touch a mic plugged into
> the
> mixer??? How about when you touch the mixer itself?
>
> D!J!X!
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> On
> Behalf Of Cameron
> Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 12:45 PM
> To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any
> suggest ions?
>
> carpet.
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> On
> Behalf Of D!J!X!
> Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 1:36 PM
> To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any
> suggest ions?
>
> Put on shoes and try it, or wait, are you on carpet?
>
> D!J!X!
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> On
> Behalf Of Cameron
> Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 12:32 PM
> To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any
> suggest ions?
>
> Hi.  not wearing shoes, my desk is not metal, and I am not touching the
> mics
> when I get shocked.  although, touching the mics will shcok me too if I
> do.
>
> they are all 3 prong outlets.
>
> Cameron.
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> On
> Behalf Of albertm13@xxxxxxxx
> Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 9:57 AM
> To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any
> suggest ions?
>
> Hi,
>
> If you have three pronged outlets you could possibly start by going to a
> hardware store and buying an outlet tester.  Sorry, I couldn't find one at
> homedepot.com.  You can read about them at
> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Receptacle_tester and
> www.acmehowto.com/howto/homemaintenance/electrical/outlettest.php
> Make sure you get one that can be plugged into the outlet and not just put
> near the outlet.  You would need sighted help because they only have
> lights.
> They are not expenssive.
>
> If you have two pronged outlets then it's probably a bad piece of
> equipment
> on your end but turning the plugs around might help.  I don't know of an
> easy way for you to test for the problem without a voltmeter.
>
> If the problem isn't your house wiring then you need someone who could
> figure out what piece of your equipment is causing this problem.  Old
> pieces
> of equipment like a tube amps are notorious for causing this problem.
>
> Whenever you get shocked, electricity flows through you which means it has
> to go in one part of you and out another.  Birds on power lines don't get
> killed because they are only touching one thing.  You are touching your
> mics
> but you must be touching something else too.  That's why someone else
> recommended a rubber mat.  Using a rubber mat is only hiding the problem
> but
> the problem is still there.  Are you wearing shoes?  Perhaps your desk is
> metal and it is touching something.
>
> Albert
>
> --- Cameron wrote ---
> Hi all.  I have a problem, hopefully someone can give me some suggestions
> or
> shed some light on why this is happening.
>
> The apartment complex I'm living in now was built in the early sixties I
> believe.  The outlets are not very good, worn out, you can't plug anything
> into the top of any of them because it just falls out.  You can only plug
> things into the bottom plug.
>
> Anyways, when I was using my FW1884, I didn't notice any issues with
> anything except for noise because I am on a dirty circuit/loop being
> shared
> by all sorts of appliances and god knows what else.
>
> My current setup is now my ADK rack mount machine, Motu896 MKIII firewire
> interface, and BCF2000 control surface, which is all plugged into a power
> conditioner.
>
> I started doing some tracking with my new gear for a new job this week and
> whenever I used a mic that required phantom power, as soon as the mic was
> plugged into the interface, I would get shocked if I touched anything
> metal
> that was plugged into the conditioner, including the mic itself computer,
> control surface, interface, etc, .  It's not enough to cause damage, but
> it
> is unplesent and is enough of a jolt to make you quickly stop touching
> whatever control you're touching.
>
> This happens even when the phantom power is switched off for every channel
> on the interface.  I found out this afternoon that it also happens with
> dynamic mics too.
>
> As soon as all mics are unplugged, everything is fine.
>
> My power conditioner doesn't appear to have a ground lift switch.  Is this
> the issue?  Is there anything I can do to remedy this?  I've got 5 months
> of
> writing and recording ahead and I really don't want to be freaking shocked
> every time I touch my gear!
>
> I'm going to make this issue known to the apartment manager on Monday but
> I
> really doubt they will understand what I'm talking about, or give a damn
> for
> that matter.
>
> Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
>
> Thanks,
> Cameron.
>
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