[sdiy] IEC C10 sockets?

[rburnett at richieburnett.co.uk]

I know what you are saying about feeling happier with the accessible 
metalwork securely earthed, particularly as whatever constitutes that 
Class-II insulation is now more than a few years old in vintage synths.  
I always feel a little uncomfortable with Class-II appliances that have 
a load of accessible metal, but it makes sense for modern plastic 
enclosed products.  I can understand someone servicing vintage equipment 
feeling happier earthing the chassis as a matter of routine, because if 
it is done securely, you know for sure that the product is returned to 
the customer with no risk of shock due to the chassis becoming live some 
time afterwards.  But then there's the plague of the earth loop...

It's also a bit worrying that there's only a single-pole mains switch 
used.  Does that 2-pin IEC connector have any polarising feature on it, 
to make sure that the live line is the one that gets interrupted when 
the power switch is off!

I can't understand Roland's decision for the different European regions! 
  To be honest I prefer to have an external adapter that deals with the 
power line interface, and guarantees Class-II insulation requirements 
are met, feeding a synth in a plastic case that doesn't need chassis 
earthing.  It solves the earth-loop problem, but I know many people hate 
wall-warts.  It also causes annoyance for Class-II appliances that are 
in metal cases where the chassis floats to 120VAC (in UK) and you feel a 
tingle when you touch this at the same time as something Class-I with an 
earthed chassis (>.<)

-Richie,


On 2016-01-13 15:31, Oakley Sound wrote:
>> Why ground the chassis if it wasn't grounded in the original design?
> 
> Good question and I don't really have any decent answer. I just get a
> bad feeling looking at the way those Korgs are built. I'm sure they're
> fine. Indeed they test out fine with my insulation checker so deserve
> the class II rating. But I tend to feel happier when I've earthed it
> properly with a 3-pin IEC and a decent earth bond.
> 
> Interestingly a lot of the Roland stuff from that same era is also
> class II for the old 220V regions of Europe. But most of their UK 240V
> gear is earthed and is class I.
> 
> Tony
> 
> www.oakleysound.com
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