Electric shocks, please advice!

[rstlne]

In less than 3 years, analog TV broadcasting in the US will cease

forever (12/31/2005, unless it's extended).

It's unlikely that VCRs will be made much after that date.

Do you have tapes that you will want to watch 5 years from now?

If so, better have a plan for doing that, because at that point, you may
not be able to buy a new analog VHS VCR.

It amazes me the number of people who are buying things (TV sets, in
particular) who have no idea how short the life of those items will be.

12/31/2005 at 11:59:59pm is the END of TV as we have known it. From
that point on, the ONLY legal TV, cable or broadcast, will be digital HDTV.

It's not that far away.

I hope you invest all of your money into it...
I would hate to call you dufus or dope or anything like that but
comon man.. get a grip..
This will happen gradually over about the next 10-15 years..

 

[Craig Burke]

With this kind of a problem, I wouldn't even try to fix it myself. Sounds a
little too dangerous to me. I would take it to a pro to get it looked at.
If the problem doesn't show itself in the shop, I would then call an
electrician to fix the outlet.

 

[Ed Light]

It amazes me the number of people who are buying things (TV sets, in
particular) who have no idea how short the life of those items will be.

I read that they'll have converter boxes so you can use your old stuff.

 

[rstlne]

There will be, the only thing is that you'll have to deal with loosing some
of the screen, having the edges clipped.. It's sad really that "Amerika"
didnt accept the global standards for DVB and DAB.. They chose their own
systems and I think that will sting them later down the road.. It's just
another "Legal" way they can force americans to get things through their own
contacts..

 

[Barry Watzman]

Re: "

That is, if enough people adopt digtal receivers.
"

You don't seem to understand that the demise of current-system NTSC
analog Television is a matter of law; Congress and the FCC have ALREADY
passed laws mandated that it will end on 12/31/2006. Although the law
can always be changed, and might be, as the law is currently written,
the date is fixed and has nothing to do with "demand" or the "the market".

Converter boxes? Sure, of course they will be available. But they will
be a bad and somewhat expensive solution at best.

 

[Matt]

Bingo. We have a winner. The common mode EMI filter inside a switching
power supply leaks current into the safety ground. This is not an issue
when the safety ground is connected to a solid ground at the wall. If
no safety ground path is available, then the case becomes electrified.
The impact to the user is a function of the amount of leakage current
available through the leakage path, and how sweaty your hand is when
you touch the equipment.

I was building a an electronic project for a friend's radio gear, and
the damn thing burned out a chip.

Then I got a fair old bolt from the the case!

If the Earth is missing, and The L-E and N-E suppression capacitors
are identical, then the case will have half supply voltage on it, at a
relatively high impedance (I believe the maximum capacitor values are
specified to ensure it's non-lethal).

The result of that high impedance, is the initial contact is the most
jarring shock.

If that case was properly LIVE, you'd be properly DEAD.
The only thing it can be is an earth fault!

Suspect the power lead, any multiway, and the main socket in that
order.

 

[MeatballTurbo]

This CAN'T be good for the hardware (I know it's not good for me!).
Anyone have a clue where to start looking for a solution, what ahve I done
wrong in both machines that cause this? Is it related to the PSU, the case,
the motherboard, what??

Check the socket back at the wall, you might be getting zapped by mains
voltage through the PC case, if the earth/ground at the wall is bad.