Be Careful!


With static electricity in this cold dry winter.  I fried the right channel of my Classe Amp last night with the touch of a finger.  I usually have anti-static sheets in hand before touching anything but this time did not.

Good excuse to recap an old amp.
pops
@kijanki 

I did ask Dennis Had who built my Inspire amp and he doesn't understand what happened. That made someone like me with sooo little tech knowledge even more paranoid.

I also talked to Andy from Vintage Tubes when I was ordering new tubes for it, and he mentioned maybe a cap or oscillating. I wasn't clear on what he meant about the oscillating reference and did not want to press the issue at that moment.

I guess my biggest concern since it's playing well is that some parts might have been compromised and could fail prematurely. 

If it ever happens again, I will take your advice and shut down immediately.

   LP


Ended my Pono with just one touch.. been dumping static into a ground wire off to the side of the rack ever since. 
I read a little trick that helps me, as static is a huge problem for me and my system. I touch the little screw that holds on the the light switch cover to my room. I am luck it is near by. Yes, I get a little shock but not as big as when I touch my amplifier. The screw is attached to the receptacle box that is grounded so it minimizes the shock. At least that was how it was explained to me. I don't know if it is right but at least it does the trick.

If all the chassis of your equipment has a secure connection to ground, this should never happen. Voltage
,(static or otherwise) will always seek a lower impedance,
path to ground from the chassis, rather than through any internal electronic  circuitry. I have seen where some equipment has had the chassis ground lifted, in order to eliminate hum. If I am wrong, I welcome comments to enlighten me please.

mg16

Voltage
,(static or otherwise) will always seek a lower impedance,
path to ground from the chassis, rather than through any internal electronic  circuitry.
It will still seek all possible paths to ground, only majority of the current will go thru grounding of the chassis.  Grounding is very important, but danger still exists.  Humidifiers, anti-static mats or sprays, discharging yourself on the different object etc. are all very good ideas.