Pro tip: check your isolation transformer before you assume it's working

I was in my basement shop last Thursday trying to troubleshoot a buzzing old tube radio from the 50s, and I spent a solid hour chasing a phantom ground loop. Turns out the isolation transformer I plugged it into had a cracked winding and was feeding line voltage straight through. Has anyone else had a supposedly safe tool actually make things sketchier?

2 comments

2 Comments

adamgreen18d ago

Man that's the kind of thing that'll wake you up quick.

williams.kim18d ago

Three point two magnitude, that's a shallow one. @adamgreen you're right it gets the heart pumping, but technically it's the P wave that wakes you up before the shaking even starts.