Strange studio power issues.

[Arpangel]

This is really crazy, and it scared me a lot.
Last night, I went into the studio, the power was completely off, nothing turned on at all.
As I walked over to a rack on the table, my Behringer FX2000 started to power up, when I say "started" and this is weird, only the lower part of the display lit up, not all of it, my hand then touched an MXR Iso Brick, the red light on the top, the "bad power" warning light came on, this really freaked me out.
As I said, nothing is switched on, this ring main was recently completely rewired, so it can’t be bad wiring.
I’m wondering if there is an earth leakage, coming from somewhere in the house, that’s leaking into the new basement consumer unit, is that possible?

[Wonks]

As I said, nothing is switched on, this ring main was recently completely rewired, so it can’t be bad wiring.

Tell that to Zukan!

[Arpangel]

As I said, nothing is switched on, this ring main was recently completely rewired, so it can’t be bad wiring.

Tell that to Zukan!

Brand new 2.5m cable, going back to a brand new fuse box, with earth leakage trips.
Metal wall boxes with double pole switched two gang sockets.

[Wonks]

First a new incoming mains connection burnt half his house down, then the remedial electrical work was condemned as dangerous and had to be completely redone.

New only = good if done by the right people.

[Arpangel]

First a new incoming mains connection burnt half his house down, then the remedial electrical work was condemned as dangerous and had to be completely redone.

New only = good if done by the right people.

I don’t know how we could have done this better, all wiring in correct trunking, correct height, well over specced for the use it’s getting, the tails from the fuse box go straight into the incoming mains from the street, via a multi-way connection block, so I can’t see how any stray leakages could break through.
We had a qualified electrician look at it, and he said it was fine, they’ve done work for us before and they are very good, well up on the regs etc.
This has only just started, the only thing I can think of is that damp has got in somewhere, but why would things light up uf nothings switched on?

[Folderol]

Sounds more like static to me. What clothes/footwear did you have on? Did you walk on any synthetic carpets?

[Arpangel]

Sounds more like static to me. What clothes/footwear did you have on? Did you walk on any synthetic carpets?

Yes that did cross my mind, I don’t wear shoes or socks indoors, but we have a lot of very deep pile synthetic carpets, much to my annoyance (my partner likes them) I hate them.
But, on the way down to our basement, I have to touch handrails, etc, so I would have thought they would earth me.
Also, when I’ve experienced static before, there’s always been a spark, no sparks happening now.

[Wonks]

When you say 'switched off', is this at each individual item or at a mains switch on the wall?

[Wonks]

I'd be unplugging some IEC leads, getting my multimeter out and checking if there were any voltages present at the ends with the mains switch in the off position.

[Arpangel]

I'd be unplugging some IEC leads, getting my multimeter out and checking if there were any voltages present at the ends with the mains switch in the off position.

It’s switched off at the wall.
I’ll get my meter out and do that this morning.

[MarkOne]

Could it be a portal to the dread dimension?

Were there any suspicious folk in black cowl's lurking around your party at the weekend?

See if there is an independent consulting wizard in your area who can come and check for residual magical energy.

Failing that I really don't know. Static? and Yeah, voltages on sockets with the power off.

[Folderol]

It’s switched off at the wall.

This might be significant. Is it a damp wall? Depending on what type of switch it is, there could be enough damp getting to the switch contacts for a very small amount of leakage, and if all the kit is on switching PSUs, one or two could weakly try to fire up. If any of the kit used a conventional transformer (and was itself switched on) that wouldn't happen.

[James Perrett]

Did you smell any odd smells after it happened? I've had something similar happen to me when the spark suppression capacitor across a power switch started to fail. The gear's display lit up for a few seconds and then it switched off again when the capacitor self healed (which is what suppression capacitors are supposed to do).

A short while after it happened I noticed that typical burnt component smell.

[Hugh Robjohns]

As I walked over to a rack on the table, my Behringer FX2000 started to power up, when I say "started" and this is weird, only the lower part of the display lit up, not all of it, my hand then touched an MXR Iso Brick, the red light on the top, the "bad power" warning light came on, this really freaked me out.
As I said, nothing is switched on...

Based on tales of previous weirdness,

How much Tequila had been consumed?

Could it have been reflected light on the screen/light covers?

If the answers to those are none and no, then,

Is this condition repeatable? Has it recurred?

... this ring main was recently completely rewired, so it can’t be bad wiring.

I wouldn't be so certain of that if there is still a damp issue in the room....

I’m wondering if there is an earth leakage, coming from somewhere in the house, that’s leaking into the new basement consumer unit, is that possible?

Anything is possible, but equipment gets its power from the Line, not the Earth. Folderol's suggestion seems possible, if there is some leakage across the wall socket switches due to damp or dead spiders, smps wall-warts might try and power up....

I've never come across it, though. Tequilla and light reflections seems more likely to me!

[ef37a]

One thing bothers me here? I know modern gear is very safe but I would not want to be surrounded by lots of mains powered equipment in bare or even socked feet!

At least have a pair of rubber soled slipper in the basement Arp!

Dave.

[MarkOne]

If there was ever a case that God/The Universe/Fate/A Higher Power/Synchronicity something is trying everything to tell you not to use the basement as a studio, this has to be it.

Damp, working until you're all but hypothermic in the cold, damp, electrical problems, really difficult acoustic problems, damp, being offered a nice upstairs room by the other half, and even getting it ready for you, and now strange electrical apparitions...

Surely you can almost hear the walls vibrating with the cosmic echos of 'Don't use this damn basement as a studio'

[Arpangel]

No tequila, no reflections.
OK, I put my meter across the end of an IEC lead, it read 0.07v
Switch on socket off.
Plugged into the adjacent socket, zero volts.
Now this is strange, measured the first socket again, also, now, zero volts.
It’s like it was discharged by me measuring it.
Also, on my FX2000 the mains switch was also off when half of the display lit up, I can’t figure that out, two "off" switches, and voltage gets through?
Yes, it does look like I’ll have to move upstairs, I’m not at all happy with the potential of low voltages causing arcing, or just being on the system.

[Wonks]

So at least it's not a leaking mains voltage.

You can get induced floating voltages on cables, so measuring a very low voltage that comes and goes is fairly common. And whilst the internal resistance of a multimeter is high, it is not infinite (typically 10 Megohms), so can discharge small capacitative charges.

[Arpangel]

So at least it's not a leaking mains voltage.

You can get induced floating voltages on cables, so measuring a very low voltage that comes and goes is fairly common. And whilst the internal resistance of a multimeter is high, it is not infinite (typically 10 Megohms), so can discharge small capacitative charges.

Yes, I thought it may be discharged.
I can’t get this to reliably repeat itself on the FX2000, but I can get the MXR PSU to do it anytime, and every time, I touch it when it’s powered off, and that damn red light comes on, every single time.

[Hugh Robjohns]

So at least it's not a leaking mains voltage.

It would seem so... but there could be a significant difference in voltage between the physical earth in that dungeon and the mains supply's protective earth.

I can get the MXR PSU to do it anytime, and every time, I touch it when it’s powered off, and that damn red light comes on, every single time.

The manual doesn't explain what that LED indicates, other than 'bad supply' which I presume means low input volts?

I suspect that by touching the unit you're either:

1. passing the physical (wet) floor earth through you to the PSU case which is then referred back to the mains protective earth through the connected gear, and the voltage difference is below the normal 18V but enough to light the LED.

2. Or you're statically charged from shuffling around in your loon pants, and that static discharging through the PSU to the mains protective earth is, again, enough to light the LED.

Neither are, on the face of it, life threatening, but disturbing nonetheless....