OT: General power supply question

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Mon Nov 9 09:04:20 1998

At 03:44 AM 11/9/98 -0800, you wrote:
>
>Time for an Electronics for Dummies question...
>
>If I have a center negative power supply (the diagram shows that the
>negative is in the center of the connector) does that mean the center of
>the connector on the device to be powered should be connected to the
>ground plane?
>

 Not necessarialy. It could be grounded or it could be floating. But as
long as the connector supplies power and the return path (two wires
supplying + and -), you should be able too leave it disconnected from
ground with no problem. Circuits are grounded for two reasons; (1) to
provide a power return path through the chassis and saving the cost of a
wire or (2) for safety reasons. Reason 1 is a poor practice since chassis
grounds aren't very reliable and cause galvanic corrosion. Reason 2 is
generally only required in high voltage (> 100 Volts) crcuits.

  Joe
Received on Mon Nov 09 1998 - 09:04:20 GMT