Mild Shock in DVD player

[nirrej]

Hi All,

I felt a mild shock on the top surface of my LG DVD player.
Checked with a tester and it lit up indicating current.
The current also flows into the screws of my amplifier through the RCA cable.
If the DVD player is not connected in the setup
none of the other equipment in my setup shows any indication
of current leakage.
So i guessed the problem is with my old LG DVD player
and bought a new Pioneer dvd. But the problem still
persists.
What could be the solution to this problem.
Please give your suggestions..

 

[nphutane]

Hi Nirrej,

I too had the same experience with my DVD player and also when at the output terminals of the RCA cable coming from the DVD player.

The issue got sorted out when I connected the DVD player power cord to a seperate socket. Earlier I had connected all 3 - TV, DVD Player and Midi Amp thru' a single multi-plug connector to the stabilizer. Once I switched the DVD Player cord to a different socket, the problem was not there.

 

[nirrej]

Thanks nphutane

I tried connecting the DVD players to
other power points ( just DVD player alone)
but still the problem persists..

 

[myriad]

Hello Nirrej,
You need to ground the DVD player's chassis. You connect a thin wire from your mains ground to dvd chassis (screw on your dvd player)
Regards
Vasu

 

[nirrej]

Thanks Vasu..

Can you please explain the process
a little more in detail.

I coudn't understand what you mean by
mains ground..

 

[myriad]

Nirrej,
We have 3 pins in wall socket. The left pin=live , right= neutral and top=ground . You have to connect a wire from the top pin to the dvd's chassis.
Vasu

 

[marsilians]

I strongly suggest getting an electrician to analyse this for you and fix the issue. Don't do it yourself for God's sake. we all want you to be safe and enjoying your HT.

Thanks Vasu..

Can you please explain the process
a little more in detail.

I coudn't understand what you mean by
mains ground..

 

[krauss]

marsilians is right nirrej. you must get an electrician for the job. i will suggest you to have the power cable of the dvd player changed to a one with ground, i.e., you will now be connecting a 3 pin plug to the power supply for your dvd player. the earth wire can be connected to the chassis of your dvd player on the inside.

 

[nirrej]

As Vasu suggested i connected a wire from the
mains ground to a screw in the DVD player
and the current leakage has disappeared.

But i'm a little worried if this method is safe..

 

[spirovious]

I had same experience with Onida dvdp.
Problem goes if you start DVDp without connecting to TV,AVR.
Sometimes current leaks from other sources (TV more common).DVDp works on 12v.

Rarely the Room wiring can be faulty as I have seen with spike gaurg,evenif we turn it of ,LED on SG glows mildly.

 

[nitinbose]

Hi All,

I felt a mild shock on the top surface of my LG DVD player.
Checked with a tester and it lit up indicating current.
The current also flows into the screws of my amplifier through the RCA cable.
If the DVD player is not connected in the setup
none of the other equipment in my setup shows any indication
of current leakage.
So i guessed the problem is with my old LG DVD player
and bought a new Pioneer dvd. But the problem still
persists.
What could be the solution to this problem.
Please give your suggestions..

Hi nirrej,

It may also be that your home electical wiring is reversed, i.e. the neutral may be the live and the live may be the neutral, in which case even when you switch "OFF" the appliance, its the neutral part that gets cut, however the current still flows from the live to the appliance and leaks to the ground, hence the "shock" you're getting. In a normal wiring, the power switch comes in a series connection with the "live" wire; in your case, it may the neutral wire instead.

Do have this checked with the electrician and things should be sorted.

Thanks,

Nitin.

 

[venkatcr]

As Vasu suggested i connected a wire from the
mains ground to a screw in the DVD player and the current leakage has disappeared. But i'm a little worried if this method is safe..

Niraj, as Marsilians and others have suggested, please get a electrician to ensure that al the sockets that you use for your AV system have proper earthing. This is critical both for your safety and for the safety of your equipment. This becomes doubly critical if you have children at home.

I had same experience with Onida dvdp.
Problem goes if you start DVDp without connecting to TV,AVR. Sometimes current leaks from other sources (TV more common).DVDp works on 12v.

Rarely the Room wiring can be faulty as I have seen with spike gaurg,evenif we turn it of ,LED on SG glows mildly.

This is strange. There should be no leakage of electrical power from one equipment to another. Inside, the circuits that are used for connectivity are usually isolated from the power side. More than anything else, these circuits use low voltages, and if there is a leakage they will themselves get fried first. If it does happen there is serious fault with the way your systems are wired, and needs a serious look.

As has been discussed elsewhere, do not use a single socket for all your equipment. Use as many wall sockets as possible to distribute your load. If possible this should be distributed among the 2 or 3 phases of mains supply that come to your house.

Unless taken care when you build a house, room wiring in India can be extremely faulty. Electricians and builders do not take care as they should, many times leaving out the wiring for earthing completely. Even if they do internal wiring, the earthing that is needed in terms of a 30 feet hole filled with salt, sand, and other material that provided perfect earthing is hardly ever done with care.

In terms of LED burning even when you switch off, this could be because of the capacitor inside that holds some residual current. This should die after a few minutes. If it continues glowing for quite a while, it is again time to look at your wiring. It is possible that your socket continues to supply power even when switched off. I would remove the plug completely from the socket to see if all the system goes dead.

I have been using systems at home for over 15 years without any issue whatsoever. I am quite positive that proper house wiring, and more important, excellent earthing, is very much needed for our safety and for the safety of the equipment we use.

Cheers

 

[spirovious]

My TV was old type ,so I used to connect AV to RF converter when shock was noticed.Now I connect to video in.So didnt get shock.
Old TV used to give shock at RF socket.

 

[nirrej]

When I connected a wire from a screw to the mains ground the leakage was gone. but, a new problem has cropped up. when i play the DVD either via the amplifier or directly through the TV there is a humming noise.

So i removed the wire from the neutral socket and let it hanging ( i.e the wire connects the DVD player screw and atmosphereic air ) Now there is no leakage as well as no humming noise. hope it works fine forever...

I googled about this problem and many people around the world ( Australia, Hong kong, Sngapore etc) have the same problem but no one seems to have
a perfect solution. People have attributed the problem to the SMPS power supply used in modern day appliances like DVD players, computers etc..

Another thing i noticed is the problem seems more rampant among slim devices like DVD players, Laptops, Set Top boxes...

 

[marsilians]

I would still consult with a genuine electrician. Loose wires or current leakage into components should not be there at all.For the sake for few 100 Rs. you don't want to put lives/component at risk.

When I connected a wire from a screw to the mains ground the leakage was gone. but, a new problem has cropped up. when i play the DVD either via the amplifier or directly through the TV there is a humming noise.

So i removed the wire from the neutral socket and let it hanging ( i.e the wire connects the DVD player screw and atmosphereic air ) Now there is no leakage as well as no humming noise. hope it works fine forever...

I googled about this problem and many people around the world ( Australia, Hong kong, Sngapore etc) have the same problem but no one seems to have
a perfect solution. People have attributed the problem to the SMPS power supply used in modern day appliances like DVD players, computers etc..

Another thing i noticed is the problem seems more rampant among slim devices like DVD players, Laptops, Set Top boxes...

 

[ashokec]

I heard from an electronic service person that all most of the DVD players have this problem( may it is a feature )

 

[sub]

Hi

It is because somewhere along the house wiring, ground wire or neutral wire is touching the phase wire so it is not the problem with DVD player.

Regards

sub