TV Backfeeding Voltage

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I am not really sure where to place this thread so I threw it into this place. Here is the issue: I got a new under cabinet mount tv for the kitchen. Almost immediately after installing it my cable internet started having problems with low signal, high bit error rate, low s/n ratio, etc. After about a week of this my cable modem just went kaput and will not even connect. I took the simple path first by replacing my cable splitters, checking cable runs in the house, checking cable ends and all other connections. When I was replacing the splitters for the cable I just happened to brush my arm against the cable run to the kitchen tv and I felt that distinctive tingly feeling of voltage. So I get my DIMM and test to find that there is 44 VAC between the shield of the cable from the kitchen tv to ground. (This would explain my modem giving up the ghost) I investigated further by going upstairs and measuring directly from the coax jack on the tv with no cable attached (the shield, NOT the center conductor) and got the same 44 VAC. Now here's where it gets wierd-the tv is powered by an AC adapter with an output of 12 VDC. If there is only 12 volts DC going into the tv how could there be 44 volts AC coming out of it??? (Yes the receptacle is wired correctly) This tv is a small LCD screen type so there is no high voltage flyback transformer inside it to power a traditional picture tube. I know that a small amount of "leakage" is normal in electronics because nothing has a metal chassis ground and three prong plug anymore but 44VAC?!? All my other devices show less than 1 volt of leakage through coax jack. I am totally freaking stumped on this one. Obvoiusly I am going to return the tv but it has still got me intrigued. Anyone else?:scratch:
 
1. What did you measure 44 volts to? The outlet ground, outlet neutral, or something else?

2. Frank is correct, if the cable were grounded, the voltage should have dropped when all was connected.

3. Plug the tv into a gfi, then connect the tv shield to ground. If the gfi pops, you may have a significant safety problem with the tv.

4. If the wall plug is two prong, there may be a line filter in the supply, it may be the source of the leakage.

jn
 
Yes, sounds like filter leakage. Very common, can be annoying but probably perfectly legal. It is quite normal to measure around half the AC supply voltage on a 'ground' such as a TV aerial socket, but the current is quite low. I think 1mA per item is the limit? Enough to make you jump but not enough to hurt you, unless you are startled and drop something heavy on your foot. This is the price we pay for 'internationalisation'.

At least it shows that your wall-wart has a mains filter - many don't!

My guess is that this AC leakage is not the cause of your cable problems. However, the TV or its power supply may be generating lots of RF hash which could affect your cable.
 
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