Electric shocks from microphones

[paulears]

Sorry - I must remember irony doesn't work in text modes. I do suspect, however, that at the time, such tingles were not taken too seriously - kind of an annoyance, not - at that time seen as dangerous as we treat it today. The fact more people didn't die is down to luck.

[KevinE]

There was a well-covered gruesome article in the press a few years ago, it made front page in some tabloids. A guy was getting the odd faint shock off his kitchen cold tap which he put down to annoying static thanks to the trendy cushion flooring that was on the floor.

 

After several months of putting up with this, he was about to do the washing up and turned on the cold tap when upon he was electrocuted, his family had to watch him die and couldn't prise him off.

 

The accident investigators found some faulty wiring on the central heating boiler down the corridor due to inadequate water pipe bonding, the plumber had bonded the pipes and then used one of them as a neutral return for part of the boiler electrics.

 

The plumber was tried (and convicted I think) of manslaughter.

[risc]

A nice foam windshield will cure Mr Fogg's problem. Showing my age, I often wondered why when SM57s first came out they usually had a Shure open foam windshield on them for vocalists - a pretty useless filter, but good for stopping shocks!

 

This is bad advice.

 

 

Peter

 

Disagree with such a sweeping statement. The cause of these shocks could be attributed to a number of things, some more life threatening than others!

I too have had performers getting static shocks caused by them grounding themselves when they made contact with the microphone. This was caused by them standing on arcyrilic and charging themselves up. Nothing life threatening in this situation and paulears advice stands very true IF the shocks are being caused by static.

 

Poppadom

 

I've come accross the static problem a lot when associated with nylon and acrylic furnishing. forced air heating seems to make the problem worse.

Equipment pa/band all fine one day and then shocks from mics next day and then all ok for weeks.

 

A foam wind sheild solves the static issue, but before employing, do as many safety checks as you can/know how to do. make sure its not caused by a more dangerous fault.

[veen]

Whenever I've encountered this it has always been with American bands. Maybe a pure coincidence but I doubt it.

[KevinE]

To be fair to Paul I used to work at a venue as DJ with a great, safe sound system, I kept getting a shock off the mixer over the christmas period (only) and it was only when I thought about it that I realized it was this awful nylon santa suit and beard they'd made me wear over my regular clothes!! It gave the game away when I made a spark from my knuckle to the door handle of the DJ box.

[mr.purple]

In 23 years of doing this its always been a lifted earth or a dodgy four way in my experience

 

Getting a shock FROM the microphone is unlikely as the microphone body is connected to ground

 

providing an earth path onto it is almost guaranteed.

[WAL]

I too have had the odd shock from an SM58 or two. I've also seen a keyboard player fly - courtesy of dodgy wiring in pub.

 

Usually if it's a mains problem, death will ensue (or at least a nasty shock). The "licking the battery" thing will probably be caused by a build up of static" which will be uncomfortable rather than lethal. I used to get this from wearing trainers on a nylon carpet at a place we used to rehearse. The drummer was an electrician and didn't seem too concerned, so we were pretty sure that the mains were safe (although he was also a drummer, so maybe not!!!! ** laughs out loud **).

 

HOOOOOWEVERRR! get an RCD box in front of all of your gear and live to play another day. If it's just static then there is a good chance your gear will stop working, but you won't. And although a wireless unit won't electrocute you while you are playing, since the receiver will be connected to the rest of the gear and the mains, there is still the possiblity of getting shocked when you go to switch it all off - unless of course you are fortunate enough to be in a band that has roadies who are willing to "take the bullet" for you.

 

This is a public information message for anyone daft enough to do pub and social club gigs - where the wiring will nearly always have last been repaired by Thomas Edison when he put the phones in.

 

Regards

 

WAL