IEC AC Plug Mod

[lngbruno]

Okay, I have seen this mod now in two other forums, so I thought I would bring it over here in case one of you haven't see it or read about it. It makes total sense and it seems like it's equipment dependent to get the best results.

It's cheap and completely reversable. I think I'm going to give it a try this weekend unless the bride has other plans for my time (outside clean up stuff - yuk!). OBTW, on a standard IEC plug you will only need a 1" diameter sleeve...the 1 1/2" is for those after market ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piPI_ByD0Q0

http://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/t.mpl?f=tweaks&m=162067

Happy DIYerin',
Lou

[emac]

Good stuff, Lou. Interested in hearing your opinions. No DIYing this weekend for me. Only Bball!!!

[soloz2]

interesting, but would only work if you have shielded power cables.

[lngbruno]

Soloz2,

Correct.

Ed,

I have been watching Bball too. GO SIENA! Hey, it could happen!

Okay, I did get my hands on a voltage detector to fool around during all those insidious commercials. First thing I found out was my Zu Cable Bok PC's already are shielded at both ends. Next I checked out my MIT Z-chord II PC's and they demostrated beeps as the video demonstrated. I tried the copper sleeve and it still showed leakage. My wife wanted me to stop with the beeping.

I then had to dig though my box of extra "stuff" to find a male three prong plug to make a ground plug. This worked very well to eliminate the beeps, so now I have to do a few more before some serious listening. Oh, and my wife asked me to stop playing around with the beeping thing.

In my case the Bok cables are on my digital units, so I am going to use some spare Belden PC's and see if I notice a difference.

Unsheilded cables on lamps and such are very interesting and noisy.

Did I mention my wife asked me to stop with the beeping... :begging:

She has a baby shower to attend this afternoon, so I will have the golden opportunity to watch my games and beep all I want. :applause: :thumbsup:

Lou

[lngbruno]

GO SIENA! Hey, it could happen!

:crying: :crying: They played pretty respectable considering who they were playing against. :crying: :crying:

[Magnatest]

In the YouTube video, he used the "detector" with the copper sleeve removed. After placing the copper sleeve on the IEC, he did not turn the "detector" back on.

[ben9732]

Good eyes. While the second demonstration with the sleeve is invalid, he still proves his point on the first demo then pulling the sleeve.

I would think you could do the same thing by wrapping the exterior of the plug with aluminum foil tape that is used for HVAC connections. Just putting the copper sleeve against the sheet metal does not insure a permanent connection. But a small wire soldered to the copper sleeve and attached tot he chassis, or small wire embedded into the aluminum tape and attached to chassis should take care of the issue.

Maybe its time to get some alligator clips attached to small wires so the components can be daisy chained to ground.

[soloz2]

ERS paper would be another viable solution.

[lngbruno]

Soloz2,

Yes, the ERS paper was mentoned in one of the forums as a possible alternative and may be an effective item to use, but I don't have any laying aorund. I know Emac has some spare pads and I am sure he will try this little DIYer in the near future.

TooManyToy,

The aluminum suggestion crossed my mind, but every time I dust my vinatage Yamaha Tuner I see the copper plate they used underneath the case to effectively block our RFI and EMF signals. I figured if it works for this unit, it should be the right thing to use. So, I decided to go with the copper...besides I had (don't ask) some laying around in my spare parts box. There is a lot of odds and ends in boxes. MacGyver would be impressed with what he could find in my boxes.

I did notice that to effectively ground the ends I had to make a ground plug for the male end and affixed a wire to the case on the IEC end. I had some magnet wire laying around from a SC DIY project and it works great. It's also not that noticeable until to get up close to the unit.

Magnatest,

I haven't gone back to watch the video, but my meter was turned on and my wife reminded me of it often. :yes:

[lngbruno]

Found this company who has taken this DIY tweak to the next level...and beyond.

GO HERE

[emac]

Soloz2,

Yes, the ERS paper was mentoned in one of the forums as a possible alternative and may be an effective item to use, but I don't have any laying aorund. I know Emac has some spare pads and I am sure he will try this little DIYer in the near future.

Lou, you know me too well. Yes, I will likely try the ERS paper when I get a chance. My experience w/ ERS has been somewhat mixed. There have been a couple of cases where I wouldn't dream of going back (e.g. around transformers). But there have also been times where it killed the sound and the most common result is no change at all. None-the-less a cheap and interesting tweak. I've got about 1.5 pads laying around, so this'll be worth a shot.