[Amps] Old Power Cord

[Jim Brown]

On Sun, 4 Mar 2007 10:36:00 -0500, Harold  Mandel wrote:

>If it's a 240 volt, you might consider upgrading the power cord to 
>a four-conductor, Hot-Hot-Neutral-Ground, so as to provide
>a separated Neutral where no a.c. return goes on the chassis
>ground lead. 

As others have noted, there is no need for a neutral UNLESS the 
amplifier needs 120 volts from the power line. 

And it is ILLEGAL to take 120 volts between the equipment ground 
(green wire) and one of the hot (phase) conductors. No reputable 
company is likely to have built an amplifier wired that way. If you 
DO want to take 120 volts from a 240 volt circuit, you MUST use the 
neutral as the return, not the green wire. 

Another point. It is illegal to connect the neutral to ground within 
equipment. While the neutral IS grounded, it is grounded at ONE, AND 
ONLY ONE, point -- at the service entrance (that is, in the panel 
where the power comes into your building). The only exception to 
this is that in a large building where there are stepdown or 
distributionh transformers, the secondary neutral must be bonded to 
ground adjacent to the transformer.

73,

Jim Brown K9YC