Ungrounded power cord: Will I die?

Anyway, I have a 2-prong power cord with a 3-prong IEC female end that came with my Luxman amp.
Eugene81

That is just one of the problems with IEC connectors. For some reason here in the USA IEC connectors have next to no safety standard rules/requirements.

Only power connector I know of used in the USA that has a piss poor contact pressure connection.

Same connector can be used for 120 or 240V applications.

You can buy a cord with a 20 amp female IEC connector with a NEMA 5-15P 15 amp plug on the other end.
Can't do that with a NEMA 5-20R female cord body and a NEMA 5-15P 15 amp plug on the other end.

Definitely can not buy a cord with a 3 wire NEMA 5-15 or 5-20 female receptacle on one end with a two wire plug on the other end.....

So basically IEC connectors are not idiot proof because of the lack of a recognized safety standard. You can damn near do anything you want with the thing.

Anyway, I have a 2-prong power cord with a 3-prong IEC female end that came with my Luxman amp.
Eugene81

That cord should not be allowed to be sold in the USA.
Just for the reason of your post. Someone using the cord on a piece of equipment that requires a cord with a safety equipment ground... End result, same thing as using a ground cheater.

Why did the designer/manufacture of the DAC power supply decide he wanted a safety equipment ground for his equipment? You could ask them. It could be he didn't want to spend the extra cost for the double insulated power wiring, or maybe it could be a design thing.

If you still have the Luxman amp check the back of the unit's IEC male connector. I would bet it only has two blades, the hot and neutral. No safety equipment ground blade.
The Luxman amp uses double insulated power wiring inside so it does not need the safety equipment ground.

That is a universal 100-240 switching supply. Since outlets in many countries don't have a 3rd prong for ground it would have to be designed to not need one.
01-28-12: Herman

Herman,

You could be right..... I checked the Net for an owners manual for the unit with no luck. Maybe the OP will chime in and let us know what the manual says.

I did look at the link you provided and noticed the picture of the back of the unit shows the male IEC connector has the safety equipment ground blade contact.

I have no way of knowing if the PS is Listed by a recognized safety testing agency for use in the USA.
(Such as UL)

Just curious about your thoughts,... if the PS uses an IE transformer with an electrostatic shield that is connected to the metal chassis, enclosure, of the PS and the equipment ground contact of the IEC connector. If the ground is floating will that have any effect on the EMI/RFI rejection performance of the PS?

I can say that style of male IEC connector can be purchased without the ground blade contact.

To go back for just a second to the OP's Luxman amp, the manufacture should have supplied with the amp , at least for sales in the USA, a 3 wire plug PC with the IEC grounding type connector. That way the cord would be idiot proof and could be used on IEC fed equipment that require the use of a safety equipment ground.

Just one example, that is how the Arcam Alpha 9 CDP was designed/manufactured. The unit has the universally used male IEC connector with only the hot and neutral blades. No safety equipment ground blade. The unit uses double insulated power wiring.

The cheap OEM power cord the came with the unit is a 3 wire grounding type. The ground wire is not used in this case but if for some reason the cord was just thrown in a box and later found, there would not be safety issue if it was used on a piece of equipment that was intended to be connected to an AC grounded system equipment safety ground.

I was wrong and Elizabeth is right.

The risk of death or injury from floating a ground is so low it is not a practical concern.

I apologize for my previous comment.
01-29-12: Herman

Sorry, to broad of a statement.

If the OP's cord in question was used on a home computer in a basement with a bare concrete floor and for some reason the user was in his/her bare feet it could become an issue.

Plain and simple the cord is not idiot proof. There is a reason for electrical safety standards. Yes they can be defeated. And if the user chooses to do so he/she then takes that risks if any.

But how about the person that doesn't know there could be a potential safety problem with using the cord.

That is why NEMA standards makes sure the square peg will not fit in the round hole.

Herman,

Sorry bout that.... I meant EI....

If the shield is tied to the neutral and the neutral line is tied back to earth ground I'm not sure if the lack of the 3rd line makes a difference, but I don't think all countries use polarized plugs with the neutral tied to earth.

And that is why the shield shall never be tied to the neutral conductor. Reversed AC polarity would make the shield and the chassis hot.

The neutral is a current carrying conductor and should never be used as an equipment grounding conductor.

Per NEC code The Neutral conductor shall be connected to earth ground at service entrance and at no point there after.

Interesting question but I'm not familiar enough with power around the world to answer it.

How about just here in the US?
If the shield was connected to the chassis and the ground contact of the IEC and the equipment ground was floating would the PS enclosure act like an antenna?

Also what are the chances the B- of the DC output of the PS is connected to the chassis as well?

Eugene81,

>http://db.audioasylum.com/mhtml/m.html?forum=amp&n=156311&highlight=Floating+Ground+Does+It+Cause+Damage?&r=&search_url=%2Fcgi%2Fsearch.mpl%3Fsession%3D20110701060759%26SelectForumvinyl%3Dvinyl%26SelectForumvinyl%3Dvinyl%26SelectForumvinyl%3Dvinyl%26SelectForumvinyl%3Dvinyl