Static - A Shocking Experience

[baconbrain]

One thing I really don't like about winter, when the air gets really dry, and you run around the house wearing a thick wool sweater, is that joyfully painful blitz of light that jumps from your fingertip when you get close to your precious electronic equipment.

Well, with Spring now starting to spread it's sunny warmth, and the humidity climbing thanks to some occasional rain showers, I was looking forward to static taking a backseat...

Unfortunately that is not the case. At the moment, it actually seems to be getting worse. 

I recently purchased a new home for my gear, a nicely constructed Artesania Audio Rack. Could the beloved Rack have something to do with increased amount of lightning emitting from my appendages'? Is it essential to ground one of my components to the rack itself?

Any help would be appreciated ...

BB

[K4680]

Hi baconbrain, years ago I had the problem with static electricity, caused by the carpet floor!  Since I had to do with high-quality electronics for professional reasons, I knew anti-static bracelets (ESD). At that time, I attached the bracelet to the metal rack with a hand strap, the end to the grounding bolt of the power cleaner (Isotek).  Briefly touched the rack, the charge (flash) were gone !!

[baconbrain]

Hi K4680,

My Bavarian Neighbor to the rescue!

So, if I understand you correctly, you attached the wristportion of the ESD to the rack and then clamped the bracelet to the power cleaner, correct?

I know that many 19 inch server racks accommodate grounding mounts but honestly never understood why they are necessary given that all of the components in the rack are grounded through their respective electrical power cable(s).

[baconbrain]

Well what can I say? Probably nothing  but RTFM ....

After digging out the Owner's Manual for the Rack, I found this:

   

Clearly, I missed this when putting the Rack together and it certainly explains why I am having the issues with Static, in particular with my Turntable.

Still, if someone could explain to me why this is needed (in simple terms), I would certainly appreciate it.

Live and Learn ...

[TechGuy]

Remember kids google is your friend and can easily answer WHY? 😮 🤩

“ First, let’s talk about ‘Ground’ in general terms. Your hi-fi is packed with electronics and electricity, and Ground is primarily included as a safety measure. All of your hi-fi boxes are electrically isolated from the metal exterior or chassis.

If for some reason, the safety measures within fail and electricity comes into contact with the chassis, the (often rubber) feet would prevent the electricity from going anywhere and it would sit waiting for someone to touch the chassis, with predictable consequences.

Having a Ground will mean any unwanted electricity will travel through the wire back to your electrical panel, tripping the circuit-breaker, and stopping the flow of electricity. Additionally, that wire must be connected to something that is in turn connected to the earth or ‘Ground’ outside.

This is where confusion can occur, because the turntable’s Ground is slightly different. This particular Ground is not a safety issue, it’s there to avoid a Ground Loop. If you have inter-connected equipment, of any kind, with more than one electrical path to the Ground, a Ground Loop can ultimately cause extra noise.

For a turntable, that handles sensitive signals from a delicate cartridge, the issue is (almost literally) amplified. A turntable suffering from a Ground Loop will produce a hum through your speakers. Because of this sensitivity, most turntable designs already arrive with a separate Ground wire attached principally to the tonearm, that can in turn either be attached to the amplifier or phono amplifier’s ground screw. Doing so will reduce the background hum tremendously.”

[K4680]

Well what can I say? Probably nothing  but RTFM ....

After digging out the Owner's Manual for the Rack, I found this:



Clearly, I missed this when putting the Rack together and it certainly explains why I am having the issues with Static, in particular with my Turntable.

Still, if someone could explain to me why this is needed (in simple terms), I would certainly appreciate it.

Live and Learn ...

Hi my Bavarian friend  , the central earthing point is always the full or preamplifier.  The reason here all small signal connections converge!  It would make more sense to make a star grounding, from the amplifier to each device an extra grounding line!

Yes, attach the hand strap to the rack, the clamp to the power cleaner or power strip!

[baconbrain]

Thanks Gentlemen, the explanations and suggestions certainly help.

@TechGuy The ground loop avoidance I understand, but my assumption would have been that since there is a grounding cable between the turntable and turntable amplifier, that should take care of it, and I have not had any issues with hum, etc. Still not sure how the metal chasis of the rack comes into play when the Turntable itself, and the TT Amplifier, sit on a Platform atop the rack with a shelf made of really thick glass plating.

@K4680 The star grounding idea sounds like a good one but with my setup, I am not sure which component to use as the hub. I guess it all comes together at the Trinnov, so that would logically be the prime candidate .... The other issue of course is that not all components have a grounding post/connector, so does one just screw the grounding cable somewhere to the metal chasis?

[K4680]

Thanks Gentlemen, the explanations and suggestions certainly help.

@TechGuy The ground loop avoidance I understand, but my assumption would have been that since there is a grounding cable between the turntable and turntable amplifier, that should take care of it, and I have not had any issues with hum, etc. Still not sure how the metal chasis of the rack comes into play when the Turntable itself, and the TT Amplifier, sit on a Platform atop the rack with a shelf made of really thick glass plating.

@K4680 The star grounding idea sounds like a good one but with my setup, I am not sure which component to use as the hub. I guess it all comes together at the Trinnov, so that would logically be the prime candidate .... The other issue of course is that not all components have a grounding post/connector, so does one just screw the grounding cable somewhere to the metal chasis?

Hi Baconbrain, it makes the most sense to ground the chassis, a screw etc .. I would advise against grounding chinch sockets or other.

[baconbrain]

Following the advice of @TechGuy, I did a bit of research in the Web and stumbled across this article from Bill Whitlock, president of Jensen Transformers:

http://web.mit.edu/jhawk/tmp/p/EST016_Gr...andout.pdf

Definitely interesting if you want to explore the topic of Ground Loops further.

[hardcore]

Following the advice of @TechGuy, I did a bit of research in the Web and stumbled across this article from Bill Whitlock, president of Jensen Transformers:

http://web.mit.edu/jhawk/tmp/p/EST016_Gr...andout.pdf

Definitely interesting if you want to explore the topic of Ground Loops further.

Good article. On the topic of ground loops and leakage current, I actually use a Jensen subwoofer isolation transformer (SUB-2RR) between the RCA output of my Devialet(s) and my sub. I noticed that without the isolation transformer, connecting the RCA cable to the sub affects the sound of the main speakers a little (it slightly reduces the air and openness).