question about installation of 20 amp wall plug

$4 at Home Depot but priceless when installing receptacles. LEDs indicate if wiring is correct, open ground, hot/neutral reversed, etc.

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100031636

If the outlet was wired backwards could the amp feed line voltage through the RCA connectors ground wire?

John C.

If the outlet was wired backwards could the amp feed line voltage through the RCA connectors ground wire?

Under most circumstances the answer to that would be no, John. With properly designed modern equipment the ground (shell) of the rca connectors is in common with signal ground, the chassis of the amp or other component, and ac safety ground. All of those are isolated from both the hot and the neutral of the ac wiring. The connection between chassis and ac safety ground is intended to cause the ac circuit breaker to trip in the event that an internal short makes the chassis "hot."

But given all the ways in which the outlet could have been miswired, combined with the possibility (as GS suggested) that the "cheap integrated amplifier" (as the op described it) could have had a defective line filter capacitor, or marginal insulation in its power transformer, combined with the facts that we don't know if a source component was connected, and whether the component(s) had two-prong or three-prong plugs, and whether or not the amp had been used in the recent past, there are probably more possible scenarios than it's practical to enumerate. The op should have the wiring checked out as has been suggested, and also have the innards of the amp looked at by a suitably experienced person, to try to identify what smoked.

Regards,
-- Al

Thanks for all of your help. I will get a volt meter and try again. I have installed 15 amp plugs before with no problem and I thought I had this one installed right but I guess not. The intergraded is not worth fixing. Any way I will reinstall after I get the volt meter,

I have installed 15 amp plugs before with no problem and I thought I had this one installed right but I guess not.
07-10-09: Kedoades

Kedoades,

Why not pull the recept out and check how you have it wired?
(Of Course remember to turn off the power first.)

*Hot black conductor to the brass or black colour terminal screw on the recept.
*White neutral conductor to the silver or white colour terminal screw on the recept.
*Bare safety equipment ground wire to the green colour equipment ground screw on the recept.

After rechecking the wiring to verify you have it correct try plugging in a 2 wire cord and plug table lamp into the recept.... Does the lamp light?

I would still invest in a descent multimeter. You can pick up a nice one at Radio Shack for less than $50 bucks.