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From: jtl@chinet.chi.il.us (Joe Lynn)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Improper ground in house wiring?
Keywords: ground wire
Message-ID: <1991Jan10.171947.2718@chinet.chi.il.us>
Date: 10 Jan 91 17:19:47 GMT
References: <3667@ntmtv.UUCP>
Organization: Chinet - Public Access UNIX
Lines: 35

In article <3667@ntmtv.UUCP> adrian@ntmtv.UUCP (Adrian Brandt) writes:
>I just got one of those surge protection/EMI/RFI plugs to
>plug a bunch of home entertainment system stuff into.
>
>The unit has two LEDs on the top of it.  According to the
>very brief description on the package, the red LED indicates
>that surge protection is working and the green LED indicates
>that the unit is properly grounded.
>
>So, I go to plug it in and expect to see the green LED come
>on and stay on, and the red one to flicker on once in a long
>while to indicate surge supression.  Instead, as I plugged
>it in, the red LED came on immediately and the green one
>doesn't.  It stays this way whether I've got anything plugged
>into the unit or not.


I used to sell these things for a large, catalog-based
computer supply company (you guess which one).

The LED that indicates surge protection is *on*.  It will 
always be on as long as that circuit (usually a capacitor,
a couple of ferrite beads, and not much else) is active.  
It will definitely *not* flicker.


My sugguestion is to try it in other outlets to see if the 
grounding LED comes on.  Go around your apartment, or even 
a friend's place, your work, school, etc.  It may be the
LED is burned out.

If you're really in doubt, take it back to the store and exchange it.


Joe Lynn