How can I shield my TV from electrical interference?
January 23, 2006 6:59 AM Subscribe
I have a small LCD television hanging on the wall. I hung it in front of the power outlet in order to hide the cord, but it picks up a little bit of interference in that position. If I move it away from the outlet, the interference goes away, but you can see the cord. Is there a solution that will allow me to sheild the TV from the interference and keep it hanging where it is?
Response by poster: Well, that's the principle, but I'm not sure I see a solution in those links that I can tuck neatly behind a 13" LCD... Maybe I just need higher quality coax?
posted by spilon at 7:35 AM on January 23, 2006
posted by spilon at 7:35 AM on January 23, 2006
Since you know the source of the interference is the outlet, a faraday cage is probably a bit overkill. A magnetically permeable (e.g. iron) or conductive metal (e.g. galvanized steel or aluminum), can be placed in between the source of interference and your power supply. You could try putting a sheet of aluminum foil between the TV and the wall, keeping it as flat as possible against the wall, and as large as you can make it without pruotruding from behind the TV (to maintain aesthetics).
posted by pmbuko at 7:36 AM on January 23, 2006
posted by pmbuko at 7:36 AM on January 23, 2006
Best answer: Also, to rule out the coax cable, if you switch inputs oin your TV to something other than the coax, is the interference still there? If it disappears when you switch inputs, then a better-shielded coax cable would probably do the trick.
posted by pmbuko at 7:38 AM on January 23, 2006
posted by pmbuko at 7:38 AM on January 23, 2006
If you don't mind being somewhat of a nut about a noisy power cord, you can build your own shielded cord, or order one pre-built. Since they are usually for audiophiles, they'll definitely be sufficiently shielded for your TV. Bonus is you can size them exactly to your setup.
If you're mostly concerned with the aesthetics of ugly power cord display, there are various products to hide the cord, including paintable enclosures, of which this would be but one example -- Wal-Mart not required if considered e-vile.
posted by mdevore at 8:10 AM on January 23, 2006
If you're mostly concerned with the aesthetics of ugly power cord display, there are various products to hide the cord, including paintable enclosures, of which this would be but one example -- Wal-Mart not required if considered e-vile.
posted by mdevore at 8:10 AM on January 23, 2006
Why not just replace the socket outlet with one of a metal finish? Faraday Cage-tastic!
posted by nthdegx at 8:53 AM on January 23, 2006
posted by nthdegx at 8:53 AM on January 23, 2006
Response by poster: I switched inputs and everything seemed cool, so I went out and bought the most expensive piece of coax I could find, and now all is good. Thanks!
posted by spilon at 12:41 PM on January 23, 2006
posted by spilon at 12:41 PM on January 23, 2006
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Faraday Cage
Set up around the power supply, not the TV (obviously).
posted by alby at 7:21 AM on January 23, 2006