New Smart TV for a Dumb Guy :>)

 
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Sting
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Post by Sting » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 5:22 pm

Yanche wrote:
Sting wrote:is a ground rod enough
Sting, like you say it depends. It's important to under stand the ground wiring path to your TV. If for example your TV is using rabbit ears there is only one ground, the green safety ground in the AC power outlet. BUT, in the more typical case you have cable TV and/or and external antenna. Both of these have a grounding rod if install according to code. So far so good. BUT if the entry location of your antenna or cable TV coax is a different place than your service panel entrance wiring you could have a problem. Ideally all conductors entering your house enter at the same physical place and use the same earth grounding rod. What happens in a strong lightning strike current flows in the earth between any to different grounding rods. This very large current causes a voltage difference. If for example, this voltage difference is between your cable TV coax shield and your AC safety ground, this voltage also enters your electronics. It produces a current. How much depends. Too much and something burns out.

A more detailed explanation is here:

http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_lhm/IEEE_Guide.pdf

So what would I do? (1) Install a whole house protector in your circuit breaker panel. Buying your own is cheaper that renting or buying the meter socket type from the power company. (2) Use a quality surge suppressor on the TV power cord and (3) also have a surge suppressor on the TV coax/antenna input. Look for units that combine (2) & (3).

I've posted before on this topic. Do a search.
yes _- I will do that search - In my infrastructure .... The house is on a sub panel feed from the old shop 400amp service. I was going to put in a whole house surge protector but read that only 20% of surge comes from outside the house - so I bought a Prowervar 700-11 off ebay for the entertainment center -

the ground rod for the house sub panel is near the new antenna install - I will tie onto it as described - I don't have cable anymore - Now its DSL and that is grounded to the water line attached back to the well


 
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Sting
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Post by Sting » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 5:23 pm

grumpy wrote:Build your own surge protector, its easy and cheap. Store bought ones are worthless, also if you really want to play is safe build a relay drop out. That is also easy and cheap to do. You can combine them in one little box.
Thats interesting -- any links you like better than others for build / design???

 
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Post by grumpy » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 5:42 pm

I never looked for any, its no big deal just take whatever size MOV you want, the bigger the better and put them across Line - Neutral , Neutral - Ground and Line - Ground.

You can get them at Digi Key, I think you want the 150v if not the 130v I would have to look I don't remember..

BTW They do wear out due to using things like vacuum cleaners, hair dryers ect. so they should be replaced after some time.

 
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Post by Freddy » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 5:47 pm

titleist1 wrote:The separate ground rods should be bonded together with at least #6 copper.
Oh, great..... Around the house, through the cellar? Over the roof? .... Actually... over the roof wouldn't be that hard...I could attach them all to the third ground road. The solar panels are all looped with #6 stranded to a separate ground. All I'd need is about 15 feet to make all grounds together. Oops.... didn't mention that third one did I. Yup... all three robs are 5/8", 8 foot, one steel, two copper plated.

<edit> I forgot! The steel ground rod is actually two rods connected, ten feet apart. Code at that time.

<edit> Oh, crap! What about the two ground rods on the garage? No way are they getting connected to this mess!

<edit> Oh no! What about the ground rod on the 60 wind mill foot tower out back? That's 150 feet away! There might even be two out there.

 
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Post by grumpy » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 6:12 pm

Here is the relay dropout surge I built...

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Post by Lightning » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 6:20 pm

Wow Grumpy that's some perty fancy wiring..
Uhhhh, whats it do?? :lol:

What would you charge to build one?

 
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Post by grumpy » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 6:37 pm

Lightning wrote:Wow Grumpy that's some perty fancy wiring..
Uhhhh, whats it do?? :lol:

What would you charge to build one?
Thanks, I built that 25 years ago, kinda messy by my standards today.

What a relay dropout does... the relay is a switch, a DPDT switch. It supply's power to the equipment, TV, stereo ect. When there is a drop in voltage or a loss of power the relay will open and the equipment will be turned off. When the power is restored the equipment stays off until a manual reset is done.

This is done by taking the "switched on" output of the relay and using it to power the relay itself, so once it opens it stays open.

The worst time to have anything plugged in is when the power comes back on..

The black disk like things wired to the outlets are the MOV's.. Metal Oxide Varistor .. that is the serge suppression.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varistor


 
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Post by Lightning » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 6:42 pm

Oh ok... I understand.. But will it cut power if there is a lightning strike? I had a strike last spring that that roasted my 55 inch LCD TV, computer, modem and dish antenna and receiver..

Lightning Strikes!

 
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Post by grumpy » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 7:04 pm

Lightning wrote:Oh ok... I understand.. But will it cut power if there is a lightning strike? I had a strike last spring that that roasted my 55 inch LCD TV, computer, modem and dish antenna and receiver..

Lightning Strikes!
No , it will only cut power when the voltage drop's, if you take a lightning hit your pretty much screwed, if it gets in the house its game over..say good bye to all, my neighbor took a hit and it took everything out even his well..

 
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Post by titleist1 » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 7:19 pm

@freddy....dang man, I think i'd just take the hit, submit to insurance and pay the deductible rather than bond all that together!! :lol:

 
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Post by Freddy » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 7:50 pm

titleist1 wrote:freddy....dang man, I think i'd just take the hit,
That's what I'm thinking! I'm secretly hoping the giant electric substation across the street will suck up any lightning.....or the windmill tower will take it. The substation has grounded 100 foot towers all over the place and the windmill is 75 foot total with a copper arrester at the top. Did you know that lightning is actually very predictable. Every time, no exceptions, it does whatever it wants!

 
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Post by 2001Sierra » Wed. Feb. 19, 2014 10:33 pm

Smart UPS done! Provides true sine-wave, cleans dirty power, and provides power when there is none, protects from surges. APC makes some. Batteries do need to be replaced 3 or so years, front panel will tell you or the Power Chute software will inform connected pc, or laptop of what is going on.

 
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Post by Horace » Fri. Feb. 28, 2014 4:15 pm

titleist1 wrote:wow....looky there - a simple cable......

you guys up there in central pa get all the neato gadgets..... :verycool:

my next trip outta ceciltuckybama i'll have to check the stores in PA and pick me up one of them. toothy
The Amish around here use a lot of them. ;)

 
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Post by SMITTY » Fri. Feb. 28, 2014 10:34 pm

Hey Sting! When your around that new TV, start talking loudly around it that your ready to storm D.C. with your heavily armed crew.

Let me know if you get your door kicked in at 4am. :woot: toothy

 
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Post by Richard S. » Fri. Feb. 28, 2014 11:04 pm

titleist1 wrote:
By the way is there something simple they sell that I can plug my ipod into and have it feed through one of my stereo inputs? I have two tape inputs on the amp that aren't being used.
They have mini jack to RCA adapters, you can usually find that at Radio Shack or other electronic stores for $5. The home theatre we have has a regular docking station.


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