Jul 27, 2005 06:55 am I dunno for sure, but I would certainly get it into an electronics repair person rather quickly...
I found a new feature on my behringer mixer.....
Posted on Jul 27, 2005 05:23 am
colonel_sanders
edit0r
Member Since: Aug 17, 2004
So Im finishing off a mix early this morning at about 7:00 am before i head off for the day, and I go to change the volume on my Behringer pro mixer DX626 (I monitor off this away from home), and i get a massive electric shock when i touch the metal surface of the mixer. Of course, im still alive, so it wasnt massive enough to kill or damage me, but it gave me a hell of a shock. And Being the curious person I am, (*)i touched it again. Yes, another massive shock.
* repeat from this sentence 3 times.
So, to finsh off the mix i had to change the volume with a pen......
Has anybody painfully discovered this before?
Or I should i sue behringer :P lol
Any tips on what might cuase it, and how to fix it?
Cheers
C_S
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Jul 27, 2005 06:55 am I dunno for sure, but I would certainly get it into an electronics repair person rather quickly...
Jul 27, 2005 08:21 am I can see it now... 7AM, barefoot, in the basement (?), concrete floor, ground potential, human made of over 70% water touchs metal of knob and becomes part of grounding ciruit... Ouch, did that really happen? Ouch, yup, sure did!...
First off, could you tell if it was 110 volts AC (I, myself, am a connoisseur of 60Hz, 112.5v AC)? Or was it possibly a lower voltage and DC? AC will let you let go (since its pulse "alternates") and DC wants to hold on to you (ever done a 9 volt battery on the tongue?)
Is that one of those power-brick mixers? If so, you may have a problem with the brick, or the board. Either way, you should not find ground potential at a knob or control on your mixer, if the "system" you use is properly grounded (that means ALL parts that are cabled together). I still wouldn't tempt fate, tho, and use electrical gear bare-footed (had a guitarist in the band way back that liked to play barefoot [hippie & all, ya know?] until he had an inspirational encounter with an ungrounded PA via the SM-58 singing mic - EYOWWW!) or on a steel folding chair (been there-done that - EYOWWW!) or in any, possibly put yourself in an electrical path of any sort.
Another possible cause is static discharge via ground, if you're on a carpeted floor and wearing "crepe" soled shoes...
Jul 27, 2005 08:39 am I would verify that the outlet and/or any extension cords you use are grounded... no 2 prong plugs :)
I electrocuted myself at a video shoot last month off of my camera power supply that way.
Jul 27, 2005 09:13 am Yeah, that's true, rule number 1, even before setting up a studio, should be making sure you have a well-made electrical system in your house with proper grounding and heavy gauge wire. Many times the studio winds up in somebody's basement due to spousal complaining, not annoying the neighbors and reasons like that. Also, often time those areas may have been hap-hazzardly wired and may not be up to the task.
I am half way thru the process of rewiring my basement, it's not bad as is, I just want it better. I am running an extension breaker panel down there and putting a line conditioner in front of it and conditioning the whole basement.
zek has good advice there...might I ask how many power strips and extension cords you are using in your studio? Are they decent quality ones?
Jul 27, 2005 10:46 am Good points dB, we're going to be getting our house in a month, and will be doing the same things for my basement studio as well. I hadn't thought of a conditioner for the studio circuit though, good idea. I may pass on the panel, as the main panel will be outside the studio, in the basement, so I'll be right there close already.
Jul 27, 2005 10:49 am Yeah, my main panel is in my garage, so I ran (am running) an extension panel to the basement. I also am putting an entertainment room down there in the future with a bar, full theatre hopefully a dome hockey game and such, so I want the whole basement conditioned, which is the only reason I chose to go my kinda "overkill" route :-)
Jul 27, 2005 11:02 am oo, i love those hockey games, right up there with foosball.
I'm planning on putting a kids / game / lounge room in the basement as well. Probably a big(ish) TV with a console game or two on it. Probably a stereo / dvd player (ps2) as well.
More the better for good juice, it seems.
Anyway, back on topic:
I'm inclined to agree with the others here, the ground on your receptacle is out of sorts, and there's still voltage trying to get back to ground. If the board is new, then I'd think about returning it. Otherwise, look for a electrically gifted friend, and see if you can find where it's ground is failing.
I also have gotten the zip-zap from playing while in the basement, on concrete, with bare feet. Was a little snapply.
< hmm, tastes like pennies >
Don't you guys down there run on higher voltages? 240 or the like. I can't remember.
Jul 27, 2005 05:30 pm (a)yes the floor is concrete but is layered with a thin piece of carpet, and i had just gotten out of the shower when i started mixing (barefoot). Could this be the culprit?
(b) Everything is grounded in my away from home studio and home studio because we use three prongs? Am I correct in saying this?
(c) Sure do Pjk, 240V
(d) dB, I am running everything off one outlet. Two power strips coming off the wall. Pretty darn cheap as well (cost like $1 US lol)
(e) I am currently located in a high rise apartment complex on the top floor, so no basement or loose wires.
(f) I think it was AC because i could feel a really fast pulse?
(g)Whats a power brick mixer jmail?
(h) the mixers about a year and a half old now, so not very new....
(i) Im pretty sure it wasnt a static discharge lol
(j) From know on im wearing rubber gloves and shoes when i mix :P
Cheers
C_S
Jul 30, 2005 10:16 am A) Nothin' quite like the acrylic fibres of a carpet to help conduct the juice... especially wet and barefoot!
B) Sort of. That's why I wondered if you have one of those infamous power-brick mixers, the kind with only the 2-prong plug, which then has the "double-insulated" mixer panel that can become "uninsulated"... and zap ya when it fails. Applies to F) & G) also. If you had one, you'd know by the brick between the electrical plug and the mixer.
C) N/A
D) You "shouldn't" have a ground-loop problem, then, *IF* EVERYTHING is "properly" grounded, INCLUDING the outlet itself. Get yourself one of those outlet testers from the hardware store ($5?). They look like an oversized 3-prong plug, but with 2 yellow & one red LED on the end. You plug it into the outlets and can tell by which lights light up as to whether or not you've got a properly wired outlet. Your power strips should be checked also, especially if they're the "surge-arrestor" variety that have taken a hit or two already...
E) A concrete floor is a concrete floor, whether you're 100 stories above or below the surface. They still have steel re-bar throughout the structure, all tied to ground...
F) sounds like AC. but - I), it could still be static, what with that carpet...
J) Still scares me to touch ANYTHING that goes to ground. Even my automobile gets me if I wear the wrong shoes! And look-out for my old AKAI 1/4" tape deck!
Nov 29, 2007 02:47 pm I know this topic is a few years old, but I've had the exact same problem with a Behringer mixer. Did you ever find out what the problem was?
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