[Amps] 220V service for amplifier

[Gary Schafer]

ka1xo at juno.com wrote:
> Dear Jason,
> 
> On your amplifier there will more than likely be an attachment
> to the metal box where a grounding conductor can terminate.
> 
> The metal frame of your amplifier should have an independent
> grounding connection to a known and verified earth ground where
> the earth ground connection is tied in with the primary a.c. electrical
> ground in your service entrance.
> 
> The metal box grounding provides you with two different protections:
>  In the event of the failure of the a.c. electrical ground the frame
>  of the amplifier will not become energized, and,
>  In the event of a static surge travelling along coax shields, etc.,
>  the frame ground conductor will drain the charge before it makes its 
>  way through the circuitry of the amplifier to the a.c. electrical
>  ground connection within.

They should be one and the same.

> 
> The external grounding connection also serves as a drain for RF voltages
> appearing on the case of the amplifier, so it might be said that the
> frame ground provides three separate and distinct levels of protection.
> 
> In my shack I use a size 1/0AWG WELD type cable as the frame ground 
> feeder. The 1/0 WELD cable has many, many fine wires, all of whose
> skin conductance on their outer one-molecule of copper happily convey
> fault, static and RF away from the gear. The reason I use such a large
> diameter wire is to reduce the voltage drop between the equipment and the ground connection (a clamped water pipe with a jumper to the aceg).
> 

Small strand, large strand or solid wire all work the same. Only 
advantage to small strand wire is that it is easier to bend.


> Places like Graybar Electric carry the wire and the appropriate tin plated compression lugs to fit the copper in.
> 
> Hal,
> KA1XO/2
> _______________________________________________


73
Gary  K4FMX