Recent content by jmsokol

  1. J

    Musician severely shocked by microphone.

    I've sent you a PM to discuss this more at length off-line.I think it's a matter of semantics, so I'm working on new terminology that will allow all of us to better understand and discuss what we mean by the catch-all phrase - Ground Loops.Mike Sokol
  2. J

    Musician severely shocked by microphone.

    That's true, but I'm talking about real-world situations where there are nearly ALWAYS some other current draw on a sub-panel or branch circuit. You'll only read zero volts between Ground and Neutral if there are no other current loads in those legs, or if you're on a home-run back to the...
  3. J

    Musician severely shocked by microphone.

    Well, I do believe it was a problem with the guitar amp plugged into an improperly grounded outlet or extension cord. And yes, if he grabbed a grounded SM58 mic he wouldn't be able to let go. And here's why. Your body with wet hands has about 1,000 ohms resistance. Now, if you have 120 volts...
  4. J

    Musician severely shocked by microphone.

    Also correct. You can meter between H-N (120-volts), H-G (120-volts) and G-N (approx 0-volts) and an RPBG outlet will measure correctly. Interestingly, one hint that a bootleg ground was done is when G to N measures exactly zero volts with a load on the outlet. Since there's always a voltage...
  5. J

    Musician severely shocked by microphone.

    Mike NYou're 100% correct. I've recently found an outlet in my house that was "upgraded" in the 80's with a bootleg ground. But since my house was built in 1926 with K&T (Knob & Tube) wiring, the electrician accidentally swapped the Hot (120-volts to earth potential) and Neutral (0-volts to...
  6. J

    Musician severely shocked by microphone.

    Guys, I'm Mike Sokol - The guy who created the RPBG (Reverse Polarity Bootleg Ground) video you just mentioned. I've known about this mis-wiring condition for about 40 years, but never really thought about it too much until I tried to design my own high-current 3-light outlet tester using 100...
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