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Thread ID: 63854	2005-11-25 00:16:00	Grounding precautions for h/w installs	bardin (1950)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
407253	2005-11-25 06:40:00	I mount sticks of ram on my socks like a set of Ice Skates, then skimmy over the carpet at great speed, You should see the sparks fly, The sound of craclke filling the air, and the charge that fills the room. Never had a failure yet.	Metla (12)
407254	2005-11-25 07:31:00	. . . . . . just making sure that readers (internationally) in the US or other places with American standards for wiring and electrical codes from Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) understand that there is ALWAYS a third leg on their plugs . . . if they have that approval label anyway . Do not remove this ground prong even if you 'NEED TO' insert it into an older home or building receptical! There are some dual-insulated power tools and kitchen equiptment that do not need or use the third or ground pin; these are an exception allowed by UL . The largest lug (the round one that is not flat) is the ground, not a neutral! The largest flat prong is the COMMON GROUND and the skinnier flat prong is the 110 volts supply lead . Remember that it's this way in color codes: WHITE WIRE = COMMON; the prong will be silver, NEVER GOLD GREEN WIRE = GROUND the prong may be silver or gold, but is too big and round to mistake it for anything else . Some modern homes use a bare wire here for the ground . It must not be spliced in any way . It must run to a screw lug and MAY be connected to multiple other bare wires at that same lug in the j-box or accesory box as they are all getting grounded at that point and it will use a GREEN lug or screw . ANY OTHER COLOR WIRE = POWER, and will ALWAYS have a GOLD prong!!!!! Now, if there's a fluorescent lamp with ballast on the same leg of the split buss in your power distribution panel (where the breakers or fuses are) , there's always the potential for about 80 volts feedback from the lamp on the common (white) leg of the power cord . This is the place a lot of "electricians" get the nickname "SPARKY", when the zap themselves or a j-box or some grounded enclosure (pc case?!?) by assuming they are grounded when in reality they are on an isolated (floating) ground and that 80 volts will kill a system that ostensibly runs on 5 volts . Be ye very careful here! Use wrist straps if you are not absolutely sure what you are doing . The built in resistors in the straps will keep you from getting cooked, but you will still get a nasty zap if you mess up . There are always exception to rules, and here's the one to remember: Older homes built before a standardized electrical code or "self-built" and bootlegged together MAY not meet codes! These are very dangerous and need an expert to recognize the implications of this old stuff .	SurferJoe46 (51)
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