No grounding on DAC and amp?
Jun 27, 2012 at 2:59 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 12
qoouep

qoouep

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I wasn't sure the best place to post this, but I thought it would be okay here.
 
Over the Summer I will have no ground on my outlets. Should I not plug in my Schiit DAC and amp? I'd really like to be able to use them...
 
What are the risks?
 
Jun 27, 2012 at 8:10 PM Post #2 of 12
Quote:
qoouep said:
I wasn't sure the best place to post this, but I thought it would be okay here.
 
Over the Summer I will have no ground on my outlets. Should I not plug in my Schiit DAC and amp? I'd really like to be able to use them...
 
What are the risks?
Click to expand...

I had the same problem, no grounded plugs, I hired an electrician.
 
Jun 27, 2012 at 10:57 PM Post #4 of 12
Technically speaking (And this does not mean "I am advocating this") you could use cheater plugs (and if you've ever read the install directions for these, they do request you to anchor them to a ground somewhere), but this poses a legitimate safety risk to you and the dwelling (nevermind the equipment). I'd either hire an electrician, or use internally grounded (Class 2) devices. In theory you could also wire your own ground to plumbing in the house or a ground spike out in the yard, but I'd really suggest getting a professional.
 
Jun 27, 2012 at 11:39 PM Post #5 of 12
Quote:
qoouep said:
Maybe I'll just go without for the Summer. I'll only be here till September. Hopefully my place next year will have the ground. I'm studying abroad in Japan next year.
Click to expand...

 
Most Japanese electrical sockets do not have a ground prong. Grounded plugs will not fit into the two pronged sockets without the "cheater" adapter.
 
Jun 28, 2012 at 8:47 PM Post #10 of 12
Just a general question. 
In this case, I guess the ground is 'floating' ? There's no separate 'earth' point, but the neutral is also referenced to ground, right?
Would an isolation transformer help in this case?
 
Jun 29, 2012 at 7:14 PM Post #11 of 12
proton007 said:
Just a general question. 
In this case, I guess the ground is 'floating' ? There's no separate 'earth' point, but the neutral is also referenced to ground, right?
Would an isolation transformer help in this case?
Click to expand...


I don't know world-wide standards, but in the US it's my understanding that it violates NEC for the iso transformer to disconnect from earth. Due to safety. Every iso I've ever used/seen is a Class 1, and has an earth (all CVTs/AVRs are also wired like this); going back to the safety thing. You can't just float it because those C1 devices can become lifetakers in a fault scenario when wired like that. Even with cheaters you're supposed to tie that little washer bit into earth somewhere; they're just designed to let you plug into two-prong outlets and ref ground elsewhere. They aren't designed, explicitly, to defeat the protection features of the device. :xf_eek:

Now, all of that having been said, I've seen some class 2 devices (at least I should say: devices with a class 2 logo on them) with 3-prong connectors. These devices are curious and also serve to annoy me, because they usually make trouble for the rest of the world.
 
Jul 1, 2012 at 8:57 PM Post #12 of 12
Quote:
obobskivich said:
I don't know world-wide standards, but in the US it's my understanding that it violates NEC for the iso transformer to disconnect from earth. Due to safety. Every iso I've ever used/seen is a Class 1, and has an earth (all CVTs/AVRs are also wired like this); going back to the safety thing. You can't just float it because those C1 devices can become lifetakers in a fault scenario when wired like that. Even with cheaters you're supposed to tie that little washer bit into earth somewhere; they're just designed to let you plug into two-prong outlets and ref ground elsewhere. They aren't designed, explicitly, to defeat the protection features of the device.
redface.gif

Now, all of that having been said, I've seen some class 2 devices (at least I should say: devices with a class 2 logo on them) with 3-prong connectors. These devices are curious and also serve to annoy me, because they usually make trouble for the rest of the world.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.
AFAIK, for electronics, the logic section (5V) can work with floating ground. The power section (supply/amp) needs a proper ground (or earth) as safety requirement.
 
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