Ground Loops

  • Thread starter Thread starter EZP
  • Start date Start date
DOH! My bad.......

Sorry... you're right... they aren't anti-static... they're simply workspace mats - kind of a rubbery, vinyl-type material of some sort - definitely NOT anti-static nor conductive....

Apologies for the confusion......

Bruce
 
EZP said:
I don't want to be showy, but I'm an educated eletrotechnical engineer, in 6 months...
Click to expand...

I used to be a Hydro Ceramic Technician as a Kid (Dish washer).

Fangar
 
Fangar,

I guess what you're saying is that I should have noticed that anti-static mats are not a good directions to go to. Then again I also guess that you have checked my relative 'newness' beeing a newbie on this BBS. The Dutch have a saying which deeper meaning states that when you are new you should always wait and see how stuff works and how people treat each other, so that you can fit in more easily. Enough Dutch wisdom, I should have been more alert!

EZP


BTW: I got my setup working hum free last friday evening, and even relatively safe too! I'm curious how it will all react when I hook-up the HA4400 in the same rack to the same mixer, I'll keep my fingers crossed!
 
Good deal. Glad it works,

My wife still makes me do the dishes. =)

Cheers,

Fangar
 
I had a difficult ground loop with my laptop PC connected to my Roland Studio Pak (attached to my stand-alone). Lots of mouse and disk activity noise when plugged into AC.

I knew it was a ground loop because when I tested with an AC adapter from Radio Shack; with the ground prong cut of, the noise disappeared. (do NOT do this for any reason except a VERY brief reality check, and make sure there is some around to pry you off if you get zapped or your equiment is smoked......:-)

The answer to the problem was a DI box WITH a ground lift switch for each channel. Whirlwind makes a box they call the pcDI - two channels, but a ground lift switch for each channel. You then get an adapter to go from the balanced output to rca or whatever...... This breaks the ground at the signal, and you need two of them for stereo in and out. (or at least for my laptop.)

But it solved the problem just fine; it is not the DI box (pads, etc.) that are the issue, but the ground lift switch.

Hope this helps,

Best Regards,

Chuck
 
Blue Bear has covered it all -

just one other thing though. It's probably worth checking that your earth is earth!! I've had instances where the copper earth rod was not connecting to ground properly due to the soil surrounding it being tooo dry. A gallon of salt water poured over the rod fixed it. Some people actually add extra rods connected together to be sure of a proper ground connection.

cheers
John
 
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