Grounding Schemes

To: NEON Mailing list <neon-l@netcom.com>
Subject: Grounding Schemes
From: Neoman <74203.3041@compuserve.com>
Date: 06 Jan 96 13:32:06 EST
Reply-To: neon-l@netcom.com
Sender: owner-neon-l@netcom.com

>>  it works (might be useful in the sound biz, also...). Telford Dorr <<

Been there, done that. Yea, it is a usual technique for audio systems.
Especially sound reinforcement systems for theater and large arenas. Grounding
is one of those great mis-understood aspects of audio which I pride myself in
being an expert on. I got quite a bit of that knowledge from neon and how it is
attracted to ground. Just developed a sixth sense for where that alternate path
might be and how to eliminate it. It is a lot easier to see at 15KV than 15milV.
They call me the "buzz buster". Seen some people try some really offbeat stuff
to try to eliminate problems. Had one guy remove the system neutral (causing the
sound system to return ON the ground). I stood there with my mouth wide open
knowing that this kid didn't own the equiptment and should have ruined about 6
or 7 hundred thousand $$ worth of gear as it went up in smoke. He was lucky.
They did have ground and neutral tied together and it ran but that was the first
time I'd seen THAT technique. Good to see that the computer people are starting
to see the value of an isolated ground. We also isolate via transformers as well
and I think that has been done for some time with computer systems as well. 

It starts to get very complicated when you have a house console with a monitor
console 300ft. or so away and also have a TV Production truck another 500ft.
away which is tied to the satellite truck, etc, etc. You have to have a good
grounding scheme to reference it all to and pick ONLY one. Hopefully, the right
one. And then there are those moving lights.....


  E-mail from: Neoman, 06-Jan-1996