[mythtv-users] Poor electrical ground (older apt.) + Nvidia tv out = poor tv quaility

cythraul cythrault at gmail.com
Fri Oct 8 22:24:49 UTC 2004


Would a UPS help?

On Fri, 08 Oct 2004 16:03:59 -0400, Kyle Rose <krose+mythtv at krose.org> wrote:
> Wayne Steenburg <w.steenburg at myactv.net> writes:
> 
> > I live in an older
> > building which doesn't have grounded recepticles so I had connected the
> > ground screw to the neutral wire ( They eventually go to the same place
> > in the electrical panel, so it's usually better then nothing.)
> 
> Aaaahhh!!  You are putting users in danger doing this by giving them
> the false impression that there is a separate path to ground when in
> fact there is not.  The safe thing to do here is described by the NEC:
> install a GFCI, leave the ground unplugged, and label it "No Equipment
> Ground."
> 
> > in the message I ran a new circuit to my entertainment center.  Not only
> > did the humming go away, but the tv-out is crystal clear.
> 
> This is definitely the right thing to do.
> 
> I know tihs is off-topic, but in case anyone decides to do what you
> did above (Bad! Bad!): an acceptably safe solution (with the standard
> disclaimer that I am *not* an electrician and will not be held
> accountable should you disable yourself or a loved one by following my
> advice) is to hook the ground screw up to a pipe (baseboard heating,
> cold water, etc.) with a grounding clamp and then connect that
> somewhere on the same system to the breaker panel ground, also with a
> grounding clamp.  A ground wire doesn't ever need to carry line
> current for any long period of time, but you need to make sure the
> impedance is low enough that a breaker will trip if the circuit ground
> faults.
> 
> Still, running a new circuit is the much, *much* better solution, if
> possible.
> 
> Cheers,
> Kyle


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