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

  • From: "Cameron" <cameron@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:34:25 -0400

Hi.  ah, yes, that would be good to have.

Cameron.





-----Original Message-----
From: ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ddots-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of Nick Dotson
Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 10:44 AM
To: ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any
suggestions?

Also, Richard Oehm makes a talking output tester VOM Meter combination for 
around $100, which I intend to buy.  I don't honestly remember whether it 
does 110 and 220 V.AC, but if so, that would be handy in venues where you're

taking a 220 line and running it through a power conditioner that steps it 
down for the 110 equipment, and generally gives you at least the equivalent 
of 2 30 amp circuits, and often I've found those 220 lines stepped down are 
less noisy than the 110 lines in venues with everything from beverage 
coolers to light dimmers kicking up noise.

Nick


----- Original Message ----- 
From: <albertm13@xxxxxxxx>
To: <ddots-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, September 19, 2009 8:57 AM
Subject: [ddots-l] Re: getting shocked by equipment in home studio, any 
suggestions?


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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