|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
72.188.136.119
In Reply to: RE: Safety first when playing around with AC power. posted by Tweekeng on June 21, 2012 at 21:22:55
Hello, I was reading this with interest as I have been using an array of about (5) 25uf Clarity Pollyprop caps in paralell giving me a total of 125uf across the hot and neutral. These are rated at 600 Volts and my AC is 120 volt. This has produced a nice smoothing of the highs and a reduction of "hashy" sounds. They are soldered together and placed in a shoe box then plugged into the wall outlet. It has been like this for years now with no problems. Am I taking a big risk here? Please let me know.
Follow Ups:
I too am using caps rated for something else, I don't know if these other ratings even existed then. But... They are in a metal outlet box with a metal cover siting on the floor with a heavy braid returning the case to safety ground.
My theory is that there are only two risks, fire and shock. As long as the ground run is good on the outlet there should be no shock risk and it seems likely to me that any failure that draws enough current to heat the outside of the metal box enough to start a fire will also trip the breaker. If that thinking appeals to you, you should have a metal shoebox, or at least a fire retardant one, I would be a little nervous with cardboard...
Regards, Rick
The main thing about X and Y capacitors besides they are designed to withstand voltage spikes is they must fail without being a fire hazard.
If you are okay with what you have, enjoy.
Personally I will not risk my home and my family's life for some tweak.
"Personally I will not risk my home and my family's life for some tweak."
Thanks for the thought, I agree which is why I'm considering changing them on GP's. Actually I don't even know if the filtering is doing anything beneficial where I'm using it so it may be a mute point.
I'm confident that they aren't a significant fire hazard for the reasons I stated but if they blow it would probably be a stinky mess. I just built the thing as an experiment over 30 years ago and it didn't do much good sonically so I just threw it in the junk box. But when I moved here I needed a short extension cord and it was in the stereo box so...
I appreciate for your concern and will revisit it.
Rick
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: