"Power filtering" of my house?

Started by WhenBoredomPeaks, August 04, 2009, 05:16:39 AM

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WhenBoredomPeaks

Sometimes i can hear through my amp that someone uses a drill or something. (i can hear the actual noise of the drill through the amp and other noises) (i can hear our washing machine too) My amp is absolute low-gain (Fender Champ 600), even when no pedals plugged in and guitar connected.

When i turn down the volume on the guitar, a huge amount of the noise is disappear.

Maybe a drill a few houses away can generate enough powerful RF noise that my guitar pick it up?

Or the noise "bleeds" from my houses electricity system?

What can i do?

Should i cut the amps power cord and put a power filter between the two pieces? I wouldn't really mess with 220V. Should i get caps, resistors rated for like 400V and 5W or more?

Or it is more like my guitars problem?

It is a Cort G260. http://www.cortguitars.com/english/products/common/view.asp?product_id=118

scorpion victim

about a year ago, there was a report on news radio (yeh shutup!) about a company that does floabw- powerconditioning of your home.  Cost a couple grand but company claimed to kill all noise for audio, cleaner and consistent regulated supply.  Also claimed it would pay for it self because of the years it would add to the lifespan of electronic devices in the home from the protection he provided. may of been bs, but i still remember it.  dont own a home so I never pursued it.

WhenBoredomPeaks

Quote from: scorpion victim on August 04, 2009, 09:08:39 AM
about a year ago, there was a report on news radio (yeh shutup!) about a company that does floabw- powerconditioning of your home.  Cost a couple grand but company claimed to kill all noise for audio, cleaner and consistent regulated supply.  Also claimed it would pay for it self because of the years it would add to the lifespan of electronic devices in the home from the protection he provided. may of been bs, but i still remember it.  dont own a home so I never pursued it.


Its not my house either, its my parents house but in the last 10 years, i only found 1 device which was clearly died because of electrical problems.

Lightning stroked in our house and a DVD player died. Apart from that only hairdryers dying here constantly, so i am skeptical about paying that lot of money. Its not like i have that amount but if i had a couple grands, i would spend them on something else.

jacobyjd

yeah--that's probably a good decision :)

If the treatment is legit, it would be something you'd want to do if you had a professional home studio, but other than that, big deal. If you play any gigs, you'll run into ALL kinds of power situations. A $50 rack-mounted power conditioner would do a better job :)
Warsaw, Indiana's poetic love rock band: http://www.bellwethermusic.net

Paul Marossy

#4
It sounds to me like your guitar pickups or guitar wiring is picking up EMI from household appliances. But it could be due to something else. These kinds of problems can be very difficult to pinpoint. When I lived in an apartment a long time ago, sometimes my multi-FX unit would pick up cordless phones or maybe it was walkie-talkies, but they could also hear me playing on their end, too. These were momentary situations, but it would have ruined a recording session if it happened during recording.  :icon_confused:

Anyway, don't EVER cut the ground prong off of your power cords, it's there for your safety.

On that Cort guitar you have, is that like one of their economy models?

The French connection

I know, but the pedal i built does not boost...it just increases volume!
My picture files:
http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/French+connection/
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DougH

Ask yourself some basic questions first: "Do other guitars/pickups/cables behave the same way?" for example.

Try the simple things first- swap cables, check the 1/4" jack on your guitar, etc. Some amps have EMI filters built into the power cord socket. If you want to try EMI filtering, see if you can find one that plugs into the wall instead of doing surgery on your amp.
"I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you."

R.G.

Quote from: WhenBoredomPeaks on August 04, 2009, 09:33:10 AM
Its not my house either, its my parents house but in the last 10 years, i only found 1 device which was clearly died because of electrical problems.
Lightning stroked in our house and a DVD player died.
You could console yourself with the idea that if lightning struck your house and only a DVD player died, it's in pretty good shape. There aren't many things that will stand up to a solid lightning strike. My in-laws had a lightning strike on a 35 foot tall 4foot by 7foot masonry chimney. It broke off the top half and dropped it in the back yard. That was well over two tons of rock and mortar.

On the other hand, it's likely that you didn't get a direct hit, only a spike through the power lines. I live in a rural area, and lightning within 20 miles causes me spikes. I was losing $100 digital thermostats every lightning storm. I put on three Eaton/Cutler-Hammer CHU-Ultra surge suppressors and the losses stopped. NOTE: this is a job for an electrician!!

But lightning is not merely an electrical noise issue, it's a survival issue.  :icon_lol:

Quote
Apart from that only hairdryers dying here constantly, so i am skeptical about paying that lot of money. Its not like i have that amount but if i had a couple grands, i would spend them on something else.
It would be wise, I think, to have an electrician check the house for a "high-impedance neutral" and "high impedance ground". Those can float the line voltage much higher than normal, and that would kill hair dryers, all right.

But it won't change the noise issues.

For noise, shield/filter the power going into your audio, and shield your guitar.
R.G.

In response to the questions in the forum - PCB Layout for Musical Effects is available from The Book Patch. Search "PCB Layout" and it ought to appear.

WhenBoredomPeaks

#8
Quote from: The French connection on August 04, 2009, 11:40:57 AM
Maybe you should wear this:





Now that is what i call a high output single-coil. ;)

Answer to Paul: I dunno its hardware and woods are really nice, but im not sure about the pickups. They could be really low quality or maybe not, i dunno. It has quite good reputation at Harmony Central (http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar/product/Cort/G260/10/1) the guys are comparing it with USA strats.

Quote from: R.G. on August 04, 2009, 12:19:38 PM
For noise, shield/filter the power going into your audio, and shield your guitar.

The normal aluminium foil  which is good for cooking and storing food is good for shielding the pickup cavity and stuff?

doitle

That should be fine. I'd use foil exhaust tape though just because it has sticky stuff already on it and is nice for coating spaces.