Re: OFF TOPIC: 2-prong outlets

[mech <mech@m3ch.net>]

>At 2:55 PM -0800 2/17/06, Zoe Keating wrote:
>
>So in other words, it's not the end of the world...yet?

Bill and Kevin are right on with their advice, and you should be good 
with implementing those solutions.

If you continue to run into problems, I've seen some tutorials out on 
the Net on how to improvise your own grounding in these sort of 
situations (i.e. using the building's plumbing, or something else 
structural and conductive).  They're frequently geared toward houses 
wired with only two prong wiring, but many of the same tips apply for 
apartments too.

One other thing I've always found that helps me is to use power 
conditioners and multi-outlet boxes to sum my power down to a single 
outlet.  I've found that this is the surest way to eliminate ground 
loops, since all power is coming from a single source.  I've got one 
of the mid-range Furman PDU's (with the power draw LED meter) that I 
try to use as the first in the chain run into the wall.  That way, I 
can see exactly how much average power my whole system is pulling, 
and I'll know when I'm overtaxing the system.  Hasn't happened yet, 
and I've had a whole recording studio run off a single wall plug. 
Although I've probably been lucky in that regard.

(CAVEAT: that last bit is definitely YMMV and all standard 
disclaimers apply.  You're probably safe with the typical small 
rack/recording setup.  Bigger than that, and you should certainly 
know what kind of draw you're putting on the system.  Otherwise, 
you're going to start tripping breakers left-&-right.)

        --m.

-- 
_______
"You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike..."