Lifting the Ground - How Unsafe Is It?

Ringleader said:
The only way I've been able to get rid of the hum when running to my amp fx return is to use the 3-2 prong converter. Lifting the ground on the balanced outs doesn't fix the hum problem. I use the Axe in 3 scenarios - in the fx return of my amp (not 4CM) - to the QSC - and direct to FOH with IEM's. I'm under the impression that it is safe to lift the ground as long as one unit in the chain is grounded (amp, QSC). My main concern is running straight to FOH without the ground. The whole rack is plugged into a Furman power regulator but I just don't know enough about grounding to determine whether or not this is sufficient. Does anybody know if this is safe - for my own well-being and/or my Axe-Fx?
Click to expand...


Safe and it works:

http://www.amazon.com/Ebtech-Hum-X-Volt ... B0002E4YI8
 
When there is hum due to a ground loop between two or more pieces of gear, it is always due to design flaws in the gear. There are a number of ways to reduce or eliminate the hum that do not compromise the safety of the equipment. Lifting the safety ground is never an acceptable way to accomplish this. Improperly-grounded equipment has been responsible for a number of fatalities over the years. It behooves you not to become one of them.

If your signal interface is unbalanced, the only reliable and safe way to eliminate the hum is to use an isolation transformer in the signal path.

Here is a white paper that deals with the subject:

http://www.jensen-transformers.com/an/an004.pdf .
 
It's probably pretty unsafe. I never tried lifting the ground myself, but I imagine it's pretty heavy. You're likely to bust your back.



Edit - Having given this some more thought, I'm not even sure how you would grab a hold of it (not to mention it's attached to the Earth :shock: ). I just wouldn't try it if I were you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom