Copper shielding

[OldGit]

[quote name='Prosebass' post='308433' date='Oct 17 2008, 11:13 AM']This guy sells the best stuff and it usually arrives within 48 hrs sometimes next day. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/EMI-COPPER-FOIL-SHIELDING-TAPE-LOW-IMPEDANCE-CONNECTION_W0QQitemZ220293313278QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220293313278&_trkparms=72%3A1301%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]Copper Tape[/url][/quote]


Ordered some yesterday and it's here this morning .. Very fast
And: "Conductive adhesive and therefore does not require soldering from the adhesive side to the copper. "
So that may help ...

[Waldo]

It's nice of ernie ball to give your bass the correct sheilding in the first place

I love the DIY solution of using slug repellent copper tape

[Protium]

[quote name='steve-norris' post='308905' date='Oct 17 2008, 08:38 PM']To avoid all that tedious soldering malarkey get the proper shielding foil, it has conductive adhesive so you just stick one piece on top of the other. It really annoys me that some decent basses come without proper shielding, it can't really cost that much can it?[/quote]

Exactly, you spend £xxx on a bass and they can't even put £1 of copper foil in it...

[Prosebass]

[quote name='OldGit' post='309178' date='Oct 18 2008, 12:31 PM']Ordered some yesterday and it's here this morning .. Very fast
And: "Conductive adhesive and therefore does not require soldering from the adhesive side to the copper. "
So that may help ...[/quote]

I buy all my stuff off the guy, top service and he does sheets as well.


[quote name='Protium' post='309252' date='Oct 18 2008, 02:26 PM']Exactly, you spend £xxx on a bass and they can't even put £1 of copper foil in it...[/quote]

because its easier to run a wire to the bridge with the potential (no pun intended) to electrocute someone...cheapskate manufacturers.

[danlea]

[quote name='Prosebass' post='309253' date='Oct 18 2008, 02:32 PM']because its easier to run a wire to the bridge with the potential (no pun intended) to electrocute someone...cheapskate manufacturers.[/quote]

Umm, I think it's more likely to be the manual labour of shielding. The earth connection to the bridge isn't an alternative to shielding, and even if it is shielded, you should still have this connection.

[tauzero]

[quote name='danlea' post='308772' date='Oct 17 2008, 05:18 PM']- Looking into the physics of a faraday cage won't necessarily answer all your questions given that the conducting enclosure is far from complete.[/quote]
A Faraday cage doesn't have to be a solid enclosure, it can have holes in it.

[Prosebass]

[quote name='danlea' post='309566' date='Oct 18 2008, 11:02 PM']Umm, I think it's more likely to be the manual labour of shielding. The earth connection to the bridge isn't an alternative to shielding, and even if it is shielded, you should still have this connection.[/quote]

I agree it is not an alternative but a badly shielded bass will quieten down if it has a ground wire to the bridge as you earth the bass whilst playing it. As we had a member nearly electrocuted to death this week I would encourage everyone to look into either, using a radio link so you have no physical connection to your amp, an isolating DI box , a capacitor and resistor in line with the bridge earth so it protects you if high voltage is present (seek advice on this) or a properly shielded bass with the bridge and strings not part of the ground circuit .
Another problem with grounding the bridge is that it turns the strings into an aerial..

Unless you also use plastic knobs and no metal parts (ie bell plate on a Jazz) it is difficult to totally isolate the player but having a live knob (oo er mrs) is not as bad if your equipment has a fault and your bass has a high voltage on it , than all your strings and the bridge !

If even after shielding properly your bass is still noisy, which can be the case with old unpotted humbuckers then this is the solution if you can only reduce the hum by using a ground wire to the bridge.

Its not totally safe but will block a DC voltage fault from your amp

[attachment=14961:circuit2.gif]

Edited October 19, 2008 by Prosebass

[Bay Splayer]

copper shielding.....







[url="http://imageshack.us"][/url]

[Ou7shined]

Ok duly earthed and I isolated the poles as I was getting a continuity reading through them.
[attachment=15071:SUB_shielding_3.jpg]
I can't say it has improved anything sound wise but at least it's done.

[Count Bassy]

Not quite clear why you'd want to isolate the poles. I would have thought that having the poles earthed would add a degree of screening to the front. As someone else pointed out the screening does not affect the magnetic field, only the electric field.

What do others think?

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='311809' date='Oct 22 2008, 09:29 AM']Not quite clear why you'd want to isolate the poles. I would have thought that having the poles earthed would add a degree of screening to the front. As someone else pointed out the screening does not affect the magnetic field, only the electric field.

What do others think?[/quote]
I was thinking that if they became part of the actual physical circuit then it would cancel something out. I have no proof, just a gut feeling.