new laptop (grounding issues? )

pete1 · Post by **pete1** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:36 pm

hi all

I bought a new laptop yesterday, toshiba eqiuium core 2 duo

installed my M Audio Audiophile Firewire, once thedrivers were installed and the card switched on, i got an distorted scrathchy noise coming through the speakers

The laptop came with XP Media Centre Edition on and thought, it would be a problem with the M Audio driver, they state on their website they have no supported driver for MCE

Anyway I am going to put XP Pro on my computer as the general concensious is that MCE is a no no for firewire soundcards and Ableton

However i noted that when i removed the power cable from the laptop and run the laptop off the battery, the distortion stopped

could this be a grounding issue and not MCE ???

my laptop was plugged into a 4 way apapter, when i plugged it direct into the socket on the wall, the distortion stoppped again temporarily but came back

anyone got any tips on best way to ground the power supply or could this still be a MCE problem with the soundcard ?? (i guess installing XP Pro will answer that one)

by the way the sound is fine at all times if i use the internal audio card

nerveagent · Post by **nerveagent** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:40 pm

Yeah, one of my Dells always did exactly this. The older one didn't. In the end I bought a D.I. with a ground lift switch to isolate the Dell from the audio system's ground plane.

pete1 · Post by **pete1** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:19 pm

nerveagent wrote:Yeah, one of my Dells always did exactly this. The older one didn't. In the end I bought a D.I. with a ground lift switch to isolate the Dell from the audio system's ground plane.

hi thanks for the reply, can you tell me more on the item you purchased, cost etc

thanks

nerveagent · Post by **nerveagent** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:24 pm

it is a behringer ultra di plus. dirt cheap.

of course it means that I have to use balanced line inputs (the di takes unbalanced in and has balanced out), but these are better anyway. also when i play live its easier as sound engineers know what to do when confronted with a piece of equipment with its own DI. However DJ mixers though typically don't have balanced inputs, but I refuse to mix though a DJ mixer anyway.

pete1 · Post by **pete1** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:28 pm

do you think this would do the job ?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Mod ... g&doy=1m12

pete1 · Post by **pete1** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:30 pm

do you think this would do the job ?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Mod ... g&doy=1m12

nerveagent · Post by **nerveagent** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:34 pm

should do.

muscleandhate · Post by **muscleandhate** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 2:52 pm

I used that one as well, worked like a charm. Heard some people claim it has an effect on overall audio quality, but comparatively speaking, it's nothing on the distortion and feedback experienced without one.

This is a common problem with laptops I think.

pete1 · Post by **pete1** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:18 pm

muscleandhate wrote:I used that one as well, worked like a charm. Heard some people claim it has an effect on overall audio quality, but comparatively speaking, it's nothing on the distortion and feedback experienced without one.

This is a common problem with laptops I think.

yeah been doing a bit more searching to the problem

think that grounding unit will do the trick but will filter some of the audio, which i dont want cause i will be using the laptop for production too

think i need to ground the actual power supply not the audio, theres a good thread in the tipsntricks section

gonna see what i can get from maplin tonight and will post the results

4am · Post by **4am** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:29 pm

i also have the same problem with my 2 laptops,
and it is maybe not so an elegant solution...
but revoving the ground on the ac adapter also works.
(in case you need a quick solution during a gig)

glu · Post by **glu** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:30 pm

problem solved. I used to have the horrible hum w/ the laptop.

4am · Post by **4am** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:44 pm

glu wrote:

problem solved. I used to have the horrible hum w/ the laptop.

looks much better than just removing the ground on the power socket...
but i can't find something similar for europe (switzerland)

interceptor · Post by **interceptor** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 6:55 pm

I had the same problem with my old Dell laptop at some venues. Im in Norway and our power cords have to pins with the grouding in the middle. I just put a couple of pieces of tape between the two pins and I was all good.

glu · Post by **glu** » Fri Dec 01, 2006 7:23 pm

4am wrote:
looks much better than just removing the ground on the power socket...
but i can't find something similar for europe (switzerland)

I have read it's very bad to remove the ground. I thought it's there for a purpose (to keep you from being an electrical conduit, no?)

ek · Post by ek » Fri Dec 01, 2006 10:29 pm

glu wrote:

problem solved. I used to have the horrible hum w/ the laptop.

$90.00? Is this the cheapest thing available that can do this?