Posts: 15,811
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Joined: Oct 2011
City: Jackson, NJ
Stay alive please....most states replaced electocution as cruel and not quite usual punishment anyway. Not the least unpleasant way to meet one's maker.
People who have death wish do not fix old radios.
Posts: 4,703
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Joined: Sep 2008
City: Sandwick, BC, CA
Someone has a death wish, do not work on any AC/DC set whilst standing on a concrete floor with bare feet, no wonder why you were getting a tingle from the set. I found out about not grounding an AC/DC the hard way, and this was with one that had the chassis connected through a capacitor, but the radio had a proper antenna coil with what they used to call a "Hank Wire" antenna. The "Hank Wire" antennas used to consist of yards of a light weight stranded wire, almost like Litz wire, wound around a flat cardboard spool, which you would unwind across the room, naturally this set had it clipped down to maybe 2'.
In any event I was playing with the set with the chassis out on the floor, put my fingers on the antenna wire, made the set play louder. So I put the antenna wire on the metal heat register to try it as an antenna, made a bunch of nasty noises and a hum come out of the speaker, register and furnace ducts were obviously grounded or close to ground potential. Then I went back to holding the antenna wire with my fingers, whilst I was sitting next to it, well I must have leaned back with my arm and put my palm on the heat register, ZAAAAPP! So I found out why you do not connect a ground to an AC/DC radio, the hard way!
Regards
Arran
(This post was last modified: 11-14-2014, 03:26 AM by
Arran.)
Posts: 2,128
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Joined: Oct 2008
City: Merrick, Long Island, NY
Don't bet your life on a polarized plug, or 3 prong plug for that matter, as many electrical outlets are wired incorrect especially in older homes (i.e. neutral and hot reversed, or ground lug disconnected. You can get a little wall outlet tester that will tell all in your house.
Posts: 15,811
Threads: 553
Joined: Oct 2011
City: Jackson, NJ
GFI is probably the best protection, povided it is wired correctly and tested regularly.