Stray voltage from camera - WARNING

smelni

smelni

Veteran
I recently scratched a bit of black finishing off of my hvx near the WB button. My finger was touching this spot and my elbow was on a metal wall liner - voltage traveled through my arm into the wall and gave me a decent (but not dangerous) jolt.

Very surprising and a bit scary -

Why would this be happening - a grounding setup that relies on the thin coating of finish doesnt seem like a good idea and moreover could the camera carry voltage from more dangerous sources such as a monitor plugged into the wall. If so then I guess I need to refinish that spot - but it seems awfully dangerous

Jan - if you read this could you comment - I want to make sure this is not a dangerous situation.
 
i was on battery - it wasnt the wall liner cause i could just rub my finger over the spot to feel the current but it i touched the wall liner as well it became a constant current through my arm - mind you not enough to even nearly do damage - but still shouldnt happen especially if the camera can become a sink for other devices.
 
Wow.

I remember older refrigerators used to do this (pass a sleight current when the chrome/nickel finish became flaked).

Anyways...

Jan ?
 
John_Hudson said:
Wow.

I remember older refrigerators used to do this (pass a sleight current when the chrome/nickel finish became flaked).

Anyways...

Jan ?
Click to expand...

.....DAMN!... I thought OURS was the only one that did that....I had to be simultaneously touching the sink, though....:)
 
Was your camera connected to anything else like a monitor?
If the camera was not connected to anything, there is no way there would be any current from it into your body. Think of the birds sitting on high voltage transmission lines. If the circuit is not closed, there is no current.
 
the camera was connected to a monitor via component cable - but i disagree - this is not a bird on a wire situation - there is a battery in the camera and it can discharge through the body into the wall. THat is what appeared to happen
 
Smelni please do not argue electrical things with a EE, you will loose :-)
Disconnect the monitor from the camera, and see if the problem goes away. It sounds like your monitor has a problem.
 
ok - i just tested it away from the monitor and there is no voltage - so i get that :)

BUT , if voltage is coming into the camera it should not be able to release just because the finish is rubbed off in an area - doesnt that seem like it shouldnt happen?
 
Here is another example. Suppose you stick a piece of bare wire into an AC outlet. (do not do it at home!). Next, if you touch the wire with your hand, you will feel all 110 v going through your body into earth, and you will not like it. The same wire if covered with a piece of insulation will not do anything to you. Your camera body is made of metal alloy (conducting). It is plugged in into a monitor that has damaged insulation, connecting the monitor circuits to AC. Once you touch the camera exposed metal, you connect yourself to AC via the monitor. It is not the camera fault, it just passes electricity through its body like any metal object.
BTW the camera battery is only 7.2v, even if you manage to connect yourself directly to its contacts, you will not feel anything, it is just too low voltage.
 
adolgin said:
Suppose you stick a piece of bare wire into an AC outlet. (do not do it at home!).
Click to expand...
No problem, I'm at the office at the moment -- I'll see what happens and will report back...
 
It is entirely possible that the voltage is in the metal wall. Check it with a volt meter against a ground.

It has to be AC. Doubt you would have felt anything from the camera battery.
 
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