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plugging in pedalboard causing shock (Need help from electricians/engineers)

willbassyeah

willbassyeah

Oct 9, 2011
1,682
602
Singapore
#1
Hi Peeps,

need your guys help to troubleshoot an issue that i faced yesterday,
so when i was re-arranging my pedalboard, i notice that one of the patch cable is faulty.
The problem is i feel a shock playing through my bass when i turn on the pedal where the patch cable is faulty,

i using 2 cioks dc10 to power up my board, i am just wondering whether it is possible that the faulty cable cause some voltage to go through my bass and shock me.
 
#2
So many questions. What's your full setup? How many pedals between the bad patch cable and your bass. Do you have any pedals not running on 9v? Do you play barefoot? Do you have a DI on phantom power? How bad is the shock? Like licking a 9v or more potent?

Probably start with giving us the full set up and don't forget any connections, including anything that goes to PA our some external processing equip. It's unlikely a bad patch cable is getting you shocked unless you are operating under unusual circumstances.
 
#3
my signal chain is not the most friendly one, but here it is, highlighted show patch cable that goes to the loop of my 3 boss ls2 setup, the shock that i get occurred when i turn on loopA of the lowest shown boss ls2 where it contain my manta and subt

Capture_zps2531f5e0.png
 
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#4
We still need to know which pedals are battery powered, how many power supplies you are using (if you are using more than 1) and, if you are using more than one, which one is feeding what pedals.

Until then, replace what you feel is the faulty cord and see if that cures the problem. If that doesnt, start removing the pedals one at a time and try it until you remove the pedal that's causing the problems.
 
#5
i use 2 dc10 to power up all the above pedals to a power strip to a wall wart, the shock that i get is a tingling feeling, and yes i was barefoot
only the dc10s are being plugged into the power strip,

1 dc10 is used to power 3 boss ls2, darkglass vmt, duality, and korg g5, sa dimension reverb

the other dc10 is used to power boss dd6, iron ether subt, manta,
 
#8
UPDATE: Anyway just play with my pedalboard last night after removing the bad patch cable, i did not get shocked but i was wearing socks last night will try it without socks...so a bad patch cable can cause voltage to go to the instruments... i guess, have a feeling that it is caused by stray voltage? Invalid Link Removed

by definition from wiki"Small voltages often exist between two grounded objects in separate locations, due to normal current flow in the power system. Large voltages can appear on the enclosures of electrical equipment due to a fault in the electrical power system, such as a failure of insulation."

my amp and pedalboard are powered through different wall warts (different ground), patch cable broke (fault in electrical power system)

i guess i need to buy a multimeter for home testing
 
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#10
I still don't know how bad your shock was, and if you were sweating or any of that. There shouldn't be more than 9 volts at any point in your system unless your system is broken somewhere. Replacing the patch cable may have solved the piece that exposed the problem, but I doubt strongly that it is the problem. Check your grounds on your home wiring, check your grounds on your amp and power supply.
 
#11
Hi Guys, realise the problem is not solved yet, i still get a shock when plugging in my pedalboard,
few things to take note of:

1) i know it is not the electrical main fault, i confirmed that they are grounded,
2) plugging in bass guitar to amp directly do not cause any shock

I just bought a multimeter, a Fluke, here is the manual on what it can do: http://assets.fluke.com/manuals/15b17b__umeng0400.pdf

The only test that i found out right now is to use it as a continuity tester to check for bad patch cable by checking the Tip and Sleeve on the patch cable
I need help in recommendations of testing to troubleshoot any possible cause of shock,

Thanks
William
 
#12
cheapbasslovin said:
I still don't know how bad your shock was, and if you were sweating or any of that. There shouldn't be more than 9 volts at any point in your system unless your system is broken somewhere. Replacing the patch cable may have solved the piece that exposed the problem, but I doubt strongly that it is the problem. Check your grounds on your home wiring, check your grounds on your amp and power supply.
Click to expand...
yah it is not a strong jolt, feels like a needle prickling on your skin kind jolt
 
#13
DISCLAIMER: DO NOT PUT YOUR METER ON LIVE VOLTAGE UNLESS THE METER IS ON A VOLTAGE SETTING!!! IF YOU AREN'T SURE WHETHER PARTS HAVE VOLTAGE ON THEM, CHECK WITH THE VOLTAGE SETTING (both AC and DC) FIRST!!!

Check the voltage (voltage AC setting) in the wall between your hot and neutral; also between your hot and ground. Both measurements should be very close to the same. Check the voltage from neutral to ground, it should be very close to zero.

The following are to be done to the amp while the amp is unplugged:

Check continuity (ohms setting) from your amp case to the ground pin on the plug. This should be close to zero. Finding a good spot to measure on your case could be tricky, metal coatings are often non conductive. If you find two spots on the case that conduct to each other, either of those should conduct to the ground pin.

Check continuity from the neutral pin to the ground pin on your amp. This should be a very high value, if not infinite.
 
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