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

  • From: "albertm13@xxxxxxxx" <albertm13@xxxxxxxx>
  • To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 13:57:01 GMT

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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