In the house of every modern person there is a huge number of household appliances and gadgets. All of them, from an electric kettle to a smart TV and a computer, need grounding. This process, in itself, not only provides protection against damage to computer components, but also protects against electric shock.
How to properly ground the computer
It is important to understand that it is the qualified specialist who must carry out the grounding procedure of the equipment in the first place. Lack of practical skills and knowledge can lead to serious consequences associated with the risk to life. Entrust the work to a professional!
Any modern computer is already ready for grounding. To supply current to the power supply, all modern stationary computers use a cable with three contacts.
Two contacts are responsible for connecting to phase and zero, and the third is used to connect to the ground wire. However, you must understand that only the presence of this cable does not automatically ground your computer.
ATTENTION! Is it possible to ground the computer depends on the type of power supply in your home and the sockets used.
If your house uses an outdated two-wire power supply network, this means that there is no specialized cable in the network and all working grounding is done through the PEN wire. More modern homes use a three-wire power grid with a separate cable for grounding.
The solution to the problem with outdated two-wire networks can be the complete dismantling of the old wiring and replacing it with a more modern three-wire network, which is certainly expensive. An alternative solution to this problem may be to install a conductor from the electrical panel to your computer.
To do this, you must:
- pass a large copper cable to the distribution panel;
- clean the ends of the cable and the connection point;
- fasten the cable to the switchboard housing at the location of the fuses;
- connect the grounding cable to the contact of the used socket.
It is recommended to use the socket outlet for grounding. Using a direct cable connection to a computer is not safe due to the possibility of a break.
ATTENTION! It is strictly forbidden to connect aluminum and copper wires, as this can lead to fire in the shield and poses a threat to life and health.
To ground the computer in houses with a new three-phase electrical network, you can use several methods:
- use of a copper cable to connect to the fourth conductor on a three-phase cable;
- grounding when using a metal structure or frame of the house;
- creating your own individual ground loop.
It should be noted that the use of the metal structure of the house must be agreed with the management company before starting work. In turn, creating your own circuit is a technically difficult task, especially for residents of apartment buildings.
How not to ground the computer
Most articles on the web offer easy ways to solve this problem, but completely ignore the description of the possible consequences when using similar methods:
- Do not ground the computer chassis to a zero outlet. This action can lead to the removal of all 220 volts to the housing, disruption of the entire power supply and is life threatening!
- It is strictly forbidden to ground to a street lightning rod. Even if there are fuses in the current drainage system, there is a high chance of getting a shock of up to 5 kilovolts, which will lead to the instant death of any person using a computer.
- It is forbidden to connect the conductor to the pipes of the gas pipeline, since it can lead to a gas explosion.
- Connection to the heating battery and pipes of the water supply system is also prohibited, since it can lead to dangerous voltage and is a threat to the life of the residents of the house.
Why ground the PC
Grounding of any household appliances is primarily necessary to ensure the safety of human life. In addition to the very obvious danger of electric shock, it should also be noted that complex equipment, such as a computer, can receive significant damage from exposure to static electricity.
Violations of the processor and hard drive in the absence of grounding are some of the most common problems. Despite the presence of specialized filters in the power supply unit that protect the computer from the effects of sudden voltage surges, the absence of permanent grounding in the long term will adversely affect the internal components of the system. In addition, replacing damaged components will not solve the problem, but will only be a temporary costly solution.
In addition to the serious problems already identified with the internal components and parts of the computer, the lack of grounding can lead to disruption of the microphone and cause problems in the operation of headphones and speakers. This will manifest itself, first of all, in the form of the appearance of noise and sound "background". These noises arise precisely due to the presence of electrical vibrations in the circuit.
How to ground the computer so that the microphone does not
The appearance of extraneous noise and background in the operation of the microphone may be due to a number of reasons: from the usual malfunction of the microphone itself or the use of outdated drivers, to the influence of electrical vibrations in the network.
In order to determine the root cause of violations in the operation of the microphone, you must listen to the nature of the background.
High-frequency background is typical for problems with braiding or shielding the microphone cable or a malfunction in the sound card. In this case, replacing and using a new microphone cable may help.
With a low-frequency background, we should talk about problems with grounding the computer. The dull noise that occurs when recording sound is always associated with a malfunction in the computer’s internal power supply and voltage surges.
In order to finally make sure that the problem with the microphone is caused precisely by the lack of grounding, you must first check the integrity of the microphone cable sheath, the operation of the sound card and the state of the connector designed for the microphone.
If it was not possible to identify the cause of the background at all the previous stages, then we can talk about the problem with grounding. In this case, it can be solved by using a grounded outlet, or by installing a direct conductor to the control panel.
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