what kind of wire to ground a passive cable (coax) splitter HELP!!!

[TechBoyJK]

I need to ground a cable splitter, which I assume is making my tv hum when my pc is on. I have a pc hooked up to my 36" tv via s-video. Whenever the power cable is plugged into the pc, regardless if the pc is on or not, and the coax cable is screwed into the tv, the tv will hum. It didn't start doing this until I used a splitter to split the incoming cable line (legally). The splitter has a ground port on it (screw based), and I haven't grounded it yet. I'm thinking that if the cable is plugged into the tv, the tv is now trying to ground it.


anyways, i need to ground the splitter. What would be a good gauge and wire type to use?

 

[AlienCraft]

Minimum 14 ga w/green jacket or green tape on the ends.

 

[AlienCraft]

You may need a 1:1 balun which is video-speak for a 1:1 transformer to decouple the units, electrically speaking.

 

[TechBoyJK]

i understood your first reply, but the second is unclear. Could you possibly elaborate?

 

[AlienCraft]

Originally posted by: TechBoyJK
i understood your first reply, but the second is unclear. Could you possibly elaborate?

Signal ground loops are rarely cured by adding an additional path to ground. By putting a transformer between the two devices, one removes any physical connection and thus the offending ground path.
I would try the ground wire first, then if there is still a hum, go get the Balun. Radio Shack or any decent electronics supply should have them..... Looks like an "F" connector with a slight weight problem.
HTH,
Allen

 

[TechBoyJK]

thanks,

aliencraft, I pm'd a reply.

I have a pc, stereo, tv, and sub hooked up to an outlet, plus a few other components. Everything seems to be grounded, except the splitter. The hum only starts if both the cable line is plugged into the tv and the power cord to the pc is plugged into the back of the pc. If I unplug one or the other, the humming stops. The other side effect is that when the cable line is plugged in, the video from the PC gets distorted. If I unplug the cable line from the tv, the pc video is much better.

I tried a TV/VCR signal Overload Attenuator, f type plug to f type jack, and it didn't help

I tried a 75ohm f-type DC block and it didn't help.

I have yet to ground the splitter yet.

The balun unit, was it one of the above? is it similar?

 

[mdcrab]

It may also help to use a true ground with a grounding rod. They have them at Home Depot and most Electrical Supply Houses.

mdcrab

 

[TechBoyJK]

OK, I used a 12 guage wire, connected it to the splitter, used an aluminum rod (14"), affixed the wire to the rod, and drove the rod into the ground (earth). The hum hasn't gone away at all. This grounding didn't help at all. Could it be the rod and how I grounded it? Should I ditch the aluminum rod and affix the ground to a nearby steel support beam?

 

[TechBoyJK]

I also attached my own f connectors to the coax cable. Could a shotty job cause the hum I am getting? (i mean, i cut the cable myself and crimped on the connectors).