2. amps-preamps
  3. 1073696856

static electricity

I have found that when I walk across the room and touch my preamp, sometimes a tiny spark travels from my finger( static electricity) Nothing unusual in static electricty, but it produces a crackle sound in my speakers. The preamp is Audio Experience Mark II (all tube). IF I touch my amp ( Velleman 4040 tube) or CD player ( AMC CD6D TUbe) I never hear any crackle. Is this dangerous to the speakers, tubes or solid state circuits?? Should this happen? Hopefully one of you fellows with some engineering experience can help. All of the equipment has heavy duty, 3 prong, detachable power cords, and are plugged into a surge protector.
davros19
slappy
903 posts
 
It shouldnt, i had a piece of gear i shocked about 5 billion times and it kept working.

if you just want to be careful run a slim strip of magnet wire up the side of your rack and make sure one end of it is connected to a ground source. anything metal should work.
Then just touch it at that should discharge the static build up so when you touch yer gear it wont get zapped
drrdiamond
671 posts
 
I don't know about tubes, but it is possible (although I don't know how likely) for damage to solid state gear. If you can, it is best to always use a remote control, avoiding the possibility completely.

Richard
calanctus
151 posts
 
An easy way to get rid of static: Spray your carpet with a mix of half fabric softener and half water, using an empty Windex bottle or something similar. It gets rid of the static for an entire winter. Be sure to choose fragrance-free softener, or your listening room will have an overwhelming smell of roses/lavender/'ocean mist'!
sean
6,231 posts
 
To answer your question, yes, gear can be damaged by static electricity. This is especially true of digital based gear and / or gear that uses multiple integrated circuits.

In order to minimize the potential for damage, run a wire from the screw on your outlet cover to something located near your rack. Prior to touching any components, touch this piece of metal. This will allow you to discharge any static electricity that you may have picked up along the way without harming the gear. Sean
>
More to discover