Sparks now fly whenever plugging DC power source into amp. Is that...normal? Safe-ish?
Discussionjust dusty from lack of use over a year (due to being scared of the sparks)
Understandable, have a good day
No
You probably should unplug the power supply before plugging it into the amp. My guess is it temporarily shorted when you plug the power plug in.
it's not shorting it's just arcing because of the voltage difference between the socket and the plug
Voltage that low is not going to arc
Please stop plugging it like this 😠first plug the device, THEN the power plug to the wall, what the fuck i thought that was general knowledge
I didn't know this haha. So it is NORMAL to arc, if you plug it in this order? And since it doesn't spark when I plug device -> plug wall, I shouldn't be worried anymore? I was worried there was an underlying problem
No there shouldnt be an underlying problem, it arcs like that because the wire is bad quality but jeeeeeeeesus
To be exact, that is not arcing. Arcing happens only when the voltage is large enough to cause dielectric breakdown in air, so unless you are using a power supply with over 10kV, it should not arc. As I have mentioned in another comment, it is most probably you shorted the contacts when you plug in the power cord.
If mine did that once and then wouldn't power on, what would that suggest?Â
Something in your amp has burnt due to the short, or the fuse in your power supply was blown out due to the short
Thank you, I thought it was something like that. I'll have to find somewhere where I can get it looked at.
I thought it was the opposite ;[
you usually want to connect as many things as possible with no power connected. that means wall is last
I always heard the opposite, with the reason being that the 120V AC is more likely to arc than the 12V-ish DC side, so you want to plug it into the wall with no load. I'm sure it can depend on the device, though, and whether the power supply's output is isolated.
In my case, the power button is broken and so as soon as the device is plugged in, it’s instantly on causing the surge
that’s exactly why it sparks!
Nope! not safe
do you know what could be the cause? Or who I would even take it to, to fix this? I know nothing about electricity. In fact, it scares me.
It looks like a wire inside could have desoldered and is causing a short. Probably the only way to fix it would be to open it and check inside.
Why is everything so dusty???
You should probably clean your electronics (and their internals) before you start a fire.
just dusty from lack of use over a year (due to being scared of the sparks)
Dust creates shorts and can seriously damage electronics. Heck, internal dust could be the reason for the sparks.
But yeah, that sparking is NOT normal, regardless of the way you plug it in.
Thanks, didn’t know that
Looks like you dredged that amp out of the bottom of a lake.
Also, seeing sparks coming out of electronics is never normal.
what the fk
How does it sound?
One slightly distressed mCTH going up on eBay soon?
That’s where I got this used. And the power button never worked, it’s always on when it’s plugged in which might explain the power surge as soon as I plug it in.
You should have lead with this in the title or description. You buried the lead. Pun heavily intended.
I’d have trouble fitting all of that in the title
It's likely not dangerous other than burning yourself if you were touching the metal. You said the power button is broken but the unit still works so the circuits are all ready to receive power the second its plugged in since its broken in the on position. Being an amplifier it has high capacitance and so the second you connect that barrel plug the circuit is energized and is pulling a massive inrush current to fill the caps. This is pretty common in electronics with many capacitors assuming you didn't design in an active input circuit or a series resistor. Likely if the switch was off this would not happen since the barrel plug would connect then you would switch on the unit while the connection was already seated. I've seen this plenty of times on network switches that have POE. You can just work around it by plugging the AC outlet end second. I can't say there isn't actually something wrong or dangerous without inspecting it but to my eye that's all this is.
Survey sayyyyys...No. (r/FuckImOld)
Always plug electrical equipment in at the device first, power second.
I didn't know this haha. So is it NORMAL to arc, if you plug it in this order? And since it doesn't spark when I plug device -> plug wall, I shouldn't be worried anymore?
Low voltage electronics should not spark when plugged in. It's normal for 120v ac outlets, but should generally never happen on a headphone amp.
Yes, it can cause a spark if you plug devices incorrectly like that. I can't tell you if it's damaged permanently. If it still works, you're probably okay, but who knows.
Lol you know the answer to that question.
Why are you plugging live power into the device? Put the plug into the device first, then the outlet. Christ on a bike!
Is it not conventional to have a switch at the mains outlet where you are? If so, don't turn it on until everything is connected. If there's not, then as others have said, connect device first, power last.
Get it checked or something
It is not normal and I would stop using it.
not normal at all usually stuff that does this doesn't work after.
You plug it in with the amp off right? That's the purpose of the off switch, so that you dont instantly charge all the power capacitors and arc the dc input
I bought it used and the power button was broken. It’s always on the moment it’s plugged in
Thats probably your problem. Connectors aren't mean to act like switches which is why its arcing
Don't plug things in that are turned on. Use a powerstrip switch or something if your button is broken
Yeah I plugged it into a smart switch as of today, and set it to turn on/off with my computer
The dancing pixies are angry
If a huge spark fly like that regularly with your equipment, DO NOT USE IT. Have a professional go over it and see what's wrong. There is NO WAY to tell you what could have gone wrong, because there are many things that can go wrong.
I've also seen a wall outlet falling apart, huge spark flying, and the family just kept using it like nothing.
I kept the outlet I removed as a reminder of how ridiculous it can be, and made a video of it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lecL58aXgus
What kind of professional/shop do I even bring it to?
stereo repair shop, household electronics repairs and the like. Not sure where you are located, but these shops are dying out, and might be harder to find. Might want to look them up in facebook marketplace to see people doing this kind of stuff out of their home.
she dead jim
It's shorted somewhere lol. don't run it hot
This is the same reason why we plug all the cables on an instrument before turning it on. Its a short.
Caused by faulty electronics or just from plug in order ?
Bad design on the port and cable. But you usually learn with sound applications that the outlet should always the last part to be plugged to avoid equipment damage
WoW. Please check the power either.
dude no.... and also What did you do to that amp?!?!