KurtWAppling wrote: > > Re,I should mention some stuff that is local (cen FLA), I dont know how its > done in missouri,that third hole is earth ground,its best wired to a copper > rod driven into the ground,the white wire called neutral is used differently > in places,an example is that here,the power transformers are wired with one > higher voltage,108/108/190v the white wire carries the voltage > imbalance.this only usual in areas of high lightning risk.also normally, in residential wiring the neutral should be very close to ground potential, normally it's only substantially different in industrial settings where it can be at a much higher potential than ground at some points. it sounds like you have 3 phase wiring for some reason, in which case if you are running large motors etc. you may have a neutral that's above ground potential. depending on soil conditions it may be nearly impossible to get a good earth ground, in some areas people drive 2 or 3 stakes to all wired together to get a suitable ground. there are instruments that can measure the ground quality, might be worth paying an electrician to check the ground and if necessary to have them fix it or fix it yourself. >Im far enough > south that I get interferenmce from comunications satelites and nearby > military installations.and last besides only haveing the minimum voltage > anyway here,changeovers made several times aday cause powerdrops to complete > blackout for several moments.any of these may affect your area > also. in which case a ups and a good surge suppresser and noise filter are a really good idea. these voltage problems do more than make the machine crash sometimes, they can be very hard on the power supply etc. when it's trying to maintain a proper regulated output voltage. as far as external interference, a good ground and some extra layers of shielding would be a good idea, lining a room with tin foil isn't completely insane, but iron plate is best. unfortunately it's fairly difficult to add another shielding layer to the computer, but you may at least be able to get cables that are double shielded, and shielded power cords are available. the shielded power cords reduce the noise picked up by the power cable after the noise filter. you can also try several noise filters in series. to avoid having the noise bypass the filter it's important to keep the input and output cables well separated. definitely sounds like a very challenging environment. one thing you may be able to do is relocate the computer to a basement, being below ground level should help allot. >grounding to waterlines is very no/no,blackiron drain pipe increases > rate of oxidation,and leads lighting strikes inside with you,its just best > to keep them all seperate if possable. ------ absolutely, it's best not to use pipes as grounds, but sometimes it's the best/only option. with copper pipes, done properly it works pretty well, i just switched my aunts ground from the water line to a real ground rod. it had been on the pipes for probably well over 10 years (she just bought it so it's hard to be sure, but the same renters had it forever and no one did any maintenance) and there was no sign of damage to anything. however, this is why hot water heaters, water meters, and anything else that interrupts the pipes is supposed to have a heavy copper wire from the pipe on one side to the other pipe, so you don't get electrolysis and damage to the pipes. iron pipe is another story, it's not a very good conductor, and likely changes to another type of pipe somewhere which causes real problems if there is any current flow. however, for just grounding a computer it should work well, there shouldn't be any significant current flow so there shouldn't be a problem. on the other hand, for maximum benefit from various types of shielding in the machine and cables a good ground connection with minimum impedance is best, it's also required for good surge suppression. that's why i ran a 10 gauge wire directly from the g4's outlet to the ground post outside, the outlets weren't grounded at all before and even though it's a relatively short wire run and the outlets are fed by 12 gauge wire i considered using the larger wire a good idea. -- "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." - Helen Keller, American Blind/Deaf Author & Lecturer... -- G-List is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... Small Dog Electronics http://www.smalldog.com | Refurbished Drives | -- We have Apple Refurbished Monitors in stock! | & CDRWs on Sale! | Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> G-List list info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/g-list.shtml> Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/g-list%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Macintosh? Get free email and more at Applelinks! <http://www.applelinks.com>
