#31

Sorry to give you contradicting advice but what you are experiencing is likely NOT loose wires or any other improper galvanic connection. That would be more likely to shock the shit out of you. The tingling you feel is most likely this: your chassis is being charged up via parasitic capacitance. If you measure between your chassis and outlet ground using the AC voltage setting on your multimeter I bet you’d see something like 40-60 VAC, but in current measuring it would likely pass only a couple milliamps.

Mildly unsafe, rather than wildly unsafe.

Your gear is not properly grounded. This is likely a fault in the design of your power supplies rather than an issue with your outlets but it’s worth checking both.

Please don’t take my word for it as I can’t verify your configuration.

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#32

So since all the synths are “connected” via audio interface that is why I get the electricity tingling through all of them? If I understand you right I have to check resistance between chassis and synth outlet, yes? Then the one that is in the range you mention is the culprit

#33

No, resistance would tell you if there is a connection that would pass DC current but you are experiencing an AC current (the tingling is a dead give-away).

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#34

Not knowing the specific circumstances in your case, I would like to add the following. Some of it has been mentioned one way or another by others before, so I’m basically seconding their input but nevertheless, here we go:

I used to have the exact same problem in the past: tingling eurorack modules whenever I just got close to them, zapping me once I touched them. Same goes for pedals and stomp boxes. As well as my mixer. To be honest, it hadn’t been fun.
However, I need to add some context: I have been living in a variety of places around the globe and using the exact same gear, it only happened to me in one place. That means, the problem was not the gear but the local circumstances regarding power supply.
Also, the electric “shocks” only happened when I was barefoot or not wearing any shoes (which was most of the times). You are describing a similar situation here I believe. Try wearing shoes with rubber soles and you might notice that your gear is calming down instantaneously without any further issues…

I may want to add that also all my Apple Mac gear was giving me shocks and tingles whenever I touched them too. So that again indicated the problem laid not with my gear.

Speaking to some locals about this, I came to the conclusion that the electrical issues at hand were inherently tied to the structure I was living in and it’s grounding as well as electricity supply. Basically nothing I could do anything about but wearing trainers while using my synths…

Meanwhile I moved to a different location in a different country and non of my gear (which stayed the exact same) is giving me any of the above-mentioned troubles any more. So it might be worthwhile looking a bit further than your synth for fixing the issue, if the issue is fixable at all.
If any of this is unsafe or not, I’m unable to say though.

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#35

I see, do you know what I am risking here? I thought the issue could have been an old adapter I am using but now I am not sure anymore. When you say power supply you mean my home power supply from the wall or the PSU of my gear?

#36

I am moving home soon, so I’ll probably just stop using my gear in the meanwhile :frowning: you got me worried and there is basically nothing I can do

#37

Well, that’s definitely worth waiting for and see what the new house will be like regarding its electricity supply.
But I wonder nevertheless, what are you worried about in the meantime? I mean, did you try using your gear wearing shoes and see if that makes any difference? I handled the above described situation like this for three full years and had no further issues as long as I was wearing shoes and therefore not conducting the grounding issues of my building…

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#38

Well, I am worried just because I don’t know what’s happening. Dunno if it’s dangerous for my health and for my gear or even my house

#39

Here’s a list of things to try:

  • Have your outlets inspected for proper earth ground
  • Stop using the interface, record to handheld device instead
  • Try using the interface with “audio ground isolators”
  • Make a proper chassis bond to ground for all your affected gear
  • Isolate yourself from being part of the circuit (rubber-soled shoes or rubber gloves, etc)
  • Increase the humidity in your home (for marginal improvement)
  • Consult Graham Hinton on MW
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#40

It honestly sounds like the power supply within your interface has gone bad. What is its model?

Regarding risks: I am shy to possibly over- or understate your risks… I am an engineer, but I am not your engineer. The likeliest risk is only discomfort, but this could be a symptom of an unexpectedly serious electrical fault. Or you could be unexpectedly susceptible to electric shock due to weak heart, etc. I can only say, I have been in similar situations (temporarily) and endured the issue rather than fixing it.

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#41

If it worries you this much you should contact an electrician to inspect it. The cost will probably be worth your peace of mind.

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#42

I concur with oot here. There are to many variables and this should be looked at by somone with fluency in how electricity and electrical current works on a practical level. It would be easy enough to trouble shoot with a meter and a systematic approach to isolate the problematic gear or other source of the problem. I have never been shocked by musical gear, my car though is a giant static genetator and shocks me often, like rubbing socks on a carpet…

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#43

I am thinking it could be a power supply gone bad. How do I check that?

#44

I already gave you a whole list of things to attempt; feel free to post here with new info and we’ll try to help as best as we can.

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#45

Seconding @desolationjones’ advice. My advice was concerning an understanding that a specific piece of gear seemed to be shocking you regularly rather than many.

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#46

Ok, I will keep you posted and make sure I check both the outlets and the synths individually. Do you think my synths could have been damaged by this “parasitic” electricity? I am using a power strip with the on-off button but I am not sure it is a surge protector

#47

Surge protectors are for protecting against over-voltage events (lightning, etc.). We are talking about leakage current, i.e. electrical power being dissipated through the chassis. Your chassis is electrically coupled to mains via capacitance; this is either by poor design (parasitic capacitance), degradation of power-coupling capacitors (direct capacitave coupling), or a fault with your electrical grounding. Or any combination thereof.

The safety mechanisms against leakage current include: fuses, and ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), aka residual current device (RCD). Fuses protect against high-current faults and are more about preventing fires than preventing you from getting shocked. GFCI/RCD somewhat protect you from leakage current but are typically only found in bathrooms and kitchens in the USA. Some countries have whole-house RCD.

If the voltage on your chassis is high enough to feel, then it is high enough to damage sensitive electrical components. But the same could be said for the static electricity from your socks. In truth these voltages will be attenuated greatly by the design of the synth circuits and you are much more likely to get unwanted humming rather than any damage.

Inspection of your outlets is critical. I would also suggest removing or replacing your interface. Don’t worry about the health of your synths until you have taken measures to ensure your own welfare.

Some reading on the subject:
I’m Shocked: Why am I getting a Tingle?
Handbook for Sound Engineers: Leakage Current

Tingle says, “Stay safe; get an electrician! Koo-loo lim-pah!”
image

7 Likes
#48

These articles are great! I need more please! :slight_smile:-) this is making me think a lot, especially about my 15 years old boss pedal I am using in my setup and about my korg volca drum which got spilled beer in its inlet…I also used pretty old cables a few times

#49

I just saw a guy posting on Facebook the photos of all his burned synths. His whole studio destroyed. He said it was raining and he had left all his gear on. He was downstairs, the light went off and then everything was burning.

Reading this and watching the pictures made me deeply sad and got me anxious.

What could’ve happened?
Was it lightning? Could the guy have died?
Should we avoid to play our synths while it’s raining?
Any suggestions?

#50

It sounds like you need to “get your hands dirty” with electricity. You have a lot of a fear of a thing you don’t understand well, but there are lots of good (and safe!) ways to build useful things with electricity. The phenomenons you’re afraid of are things that are much easier to make sense of once you need to work with it.

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