Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
I know the problems of reviving an old thread but I use google for my problems A LOT and I know many others do, so I'd like to leave this here for whoever has similar issues in the future, especially with a problem as odd and cryptical as mine.
I finally bought a new power supply. And the buzzing disappeared. Forever. No more TV tuner acting as ground, nothing. Back to normal as it's always been.
[b]Conclusion: My issue was a combination of old PSU current filter and lack of grounding. Fixing ANY of the two will...
Searinox
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Last Activity: 01-01-2012, 02:41 AM
Joined: 12-17-2010
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
Okay we've got a clear verdict on the grounding now: there is bad or no ground. Now for the issue at hand: is it normal for speakers to buzz without a ground? I think I've seen several ungrounded PCs none of them buzzed.Leave a comment:
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
Let me make sure one last time - every computer that would, for any reason, have a leakage of current onto their case, but proper socket grounding, would NEVER feel in this way to the touch, shock while touching it grounded, or read current vs ground like mine does. Yes?Leave a comment:
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
I got my hands on an AC volt measurement tool and put one contact on the case and another on a portion of chipped metal on the radiator! I could detect 24V of current(no clue how many amps, tool's quite primitive). When I plug the TV cable in, that voltage disappears and nothing can be measured. I should prolly run yet another test, with the UPS unpligged, which effectively lifts the ground completly while still keeping the PC running. If I get the same reading does that mean that my PC has no grounding at all?
Sadly, it's unlikely...Last edited by Searinox; 02-10-2011, 10:24 AM.Leave a comment:
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
I was not born when my parents moved here, got no clue who lived here before nor could I get it outta my dad exactly how they checked and set up the wiring. This was some 25 years ago.
Scenic: I live in Romania, East Europe in the capital Bucharest. The outlets around here look like this.
The hot and neutral are the two holes. The upper and lower yellow metal connectors are the ground....Leave a comment:
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
I would like to note the difference between the vibration, tingling sensation of an electric shock like when I touch case and ground, and that of when I'm touching the comp case or fridge without touching a ground such as the radiator. The sensation I get when touching only the case is ONLY felt when I move my hand against its surface. I feel nothing when I hold still but as I move a sort of vibration different from that of shock can be felt. It's like something is moving inside my fingers and completly painless.
Until I can...Last edited by Searinox; 02-09-2011, 04:40 PM.Leave a comment:
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
I would normally have thought so. But it seems that whenever grounding is okay, the buzzing also disappears. I haven't been able to work out an instance where one problem is present and the other isn't. Once the TV cable is plugged into the tuner OR the computer is plugged in the socket down the hall, both computer case vibrating sensation and speaker buzz disappear together.
But why has my computer only in the past month started to buzz, since the bad ground has existed for over two decades?
Indeed...Last edited by Searinox; 12-18-2010, 02:04 PM.Leave a comment:
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
It's not that I have a live wire in the other hand, I am touching a "live" metal casing, one that isn't grounded properly. I am well aware of the risks that, apparently, this electrical setup has presented in our house for 25 years.Leave a comment:
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
We would have a problem, in my country outlets don't look like that, and I don't know where to find an adapter either. But if you can just tell me in words what kind of measuring device I need, and how to measure, I will test the earth on all of my sockets. I know one thing for sure, the socket in the hallway will produce the best test results.
EDIT: Okay I understand now - a mains socket tester. I'll look into it....Last edited by Searinox; 12-18-2010, 08:31 AM.Leave a comment:
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
Sorry for double posting, but I've made an interesting test and I may have reached a conclusion, and the board won't let me edit posts 30 minutes old... here goes.
All of my computer parts, including speakers, are powered from an UPS(which ofcourse I also tried eliminating from the system with no improvements). From this UPS then runs a single power cable to the outlet. That one cable is the source for all the power, AND GROUND, of the entire setup. I unplugged it.
The computer ofcourse kept on running backed up...Leave a comment:
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
I tried holding the laptop while touching an unpainted spot on the heater in the livingroom. I could feel a constant current in my fingers, though alot weaker than what the computer case produces. I'd hazard to say that touching the fridge while touching... I don't know, the kitchen sink at the same time, would produce an even stronger effect. The strongest of all. And I haven't the guts to try it, nor has anyone, thankfully, ever touched the sink and fridge simultaneously in 20 years.
I've made some headway. I took a very long...Last edited by Searinox; 12-18-2010, 06:01 AM.Leave a comment:
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
I don't currently have the devices to measure sadly, and in my country we use 220V btw. What bothers me the most is that from what I've read on the internet grounding is supposedly very important to protect people from potentially fatal electric shocks, and we've lived for over 20 years with this type of "grounding" without incident?!
How should I go about to test if the ground connector in wall sockets is indeed draining stray current as it's supposed to?...Leave a comment:
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Re: Is the grounding in my house normal?
The PSU is a ThermalTake 470(?) Watts, ofcourse that's no guarantee that it couldn't have simply gone bad at some point. I noticed that out of 3 sets of speakers, one set didn't manifest buzz at all - the Sony have an amplifier box and all in all are the most superior of all, so it seems that good enough speakers can also filter out the noise. Since it doesn't scale with volume I assume it's not PART OF the audio signal, but rather some sort of feedback up the audio ground wire that indirectly causes the buzz right?
But help...Leave a comment:
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Is the grounding in my house normal?
A while ago after installing some new components I started having an issue with my audio - through the speakers I would get a buzz - not hum - that didn't increase with volume. I tried almost everything, including connecting only the central unit, other set of speakers, other outlet etc. and finally found a solution by putting in my TV tuner, and plugging the TV cable into it, which would kill the buzz completly.
By then I had already been googling things for a while and knew that this was somehow related to grounding. It's normal for the TV cable to shock pinch now and then, but...Last edited by Searinox; 12-17-2010, 05:49 PM.
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