Re: Ground loop boogieman ... can someone explain this

Ground loop boogieman ... can someone explain this in some
detail or point me to a link that does?

I think I know basically - a "ground loop" is where you have two
different return paths for your current but they ain't both
at the exactly the same potential therefore .... problems,
current flowing in a direction it should not be ... but
I'd like to understand this (.... better ... or maybe
"at all" if the above sounds offbase).

I have created my own breakout board by gutting an old harddrive
and putting screw terminals on top. I need 5+ vdc to power my
PacSci 6410 drives and I don't want to bother bringing out another
line from the PC (it's aesthetically unpleasing :-). So I just
use the 5+ supply inside the old harddrive making sure to tie it's
common to the ground pins (18-25) coming from the LPT port ....
right? ok? no problem? ... or is the ol' ground loop boogieman
just waiting to bite me with this set up? It's seems electrically
sound based on what I know (or think I know) but I'm scared of
the boogieman. What if I plug my harddrive/breakout box and my
computer into separate outlets? What if my wife uses her hairdryer
while I'm machining!!!!???

Thanks .... please hurry ... I think he's under my workbench!!!!

> you can get the ground too (but try not to create any ground loops).
>
>
> Doug Fortune
> http://www.cncKITS.com
>

Ken Jenkins
kjenkins@...