In past questions (
1,
2), I've described my stereo setup and my desire to build a stereo tube amp. I have no worries about actually
building the kit amp, but I'm not sure what I'd do with all my speakers. In thinking about this, I realized I don't know much about my stereo in the first place. Can you help me understand what it actually
means to have a stereo amp?
[more inside]
posted by Admiral Haddock
on Apr 11, 2013 -
2 answers
I'd like to hook up a small raspberry pi project to my apartment's doorbell. I've taken the case off to take a look at the wiring and it looks pretty simple, but I have some questions about it; apart from some breadboard experiments I'm an complete newbie to electronics.
[more inside]
posted by whir
on Apr 4, 2013 -
5 answers
I've got some car parts I'm selling on eBay, and I need to hook them up to power in order to check a few things and make sure that they work.
[more inside]
posted by iknowizbirfmark
on Apr 3, 2013 -
12 answers
We had lots of wiring replaced recently, including two lamps connected to a dimmer switch; the dimmer was also replaced. Yesterday we noticed that the dimmer was now only allowing fully on or off. Today the light went off with a loud popping sound and a visible spark from one of the lamps, though both bulbs themselves work fine. What happened and how do I fix it? Is it likely just a faulty dimmer switch? Do I need to turn off the circuit (which has many other lights on it) as a precaution?
posted by parudox
on Mar 25, 2013 -
8 answers
Installing my cheap Ikea ceiling light is proving more difficult than anticipated. The issue: after removing the old light, I can't tell which wire is which.
[more inside]
posted by neroli
on Mar 10, 2013 -
15 answers
I live in a one-floor condo unit that was, to put it mildly, poorly built. I, and all my neighbors, have dealt with too many issues to count regarding insulation, wiring, and even window and door frames. I'm no longer satisfied fixing things one at a time...
[more inside]
posted by trivia genius
on Feb 1, 2013 -
24 answers
Electrical Filter: Help me figure out how an electrical circuit seemingly got rewired overnight.
[more inside]
posted by dortmunder
on Nov 11, 2012 -
32 answers
Portland OR telephone/data/wiring brick and mortar? Preferably on the eastside?
[more inside]
posted by dan g.
on Sep 11, 2012 -
4 answers
Another home wiring question: Old apartment, and I want to plug a three-prong plug (for a small fluorescent grow light) into the only two-prong outlet. For the past couple of days, I've been using a cheater plug, but I supposing this is not a good long-term solution. Should I just bite the bullet and use an extension cord to a grounded outlet?
[more inside]
posted by Admiral Haddock
on Sep 4, 2012 -
23 answers
Please help me verify the electrical work of my apartment maintenance high-schooler. I don't trust the work he has done.
[more inside]
posted by Dunwitty
on Aug 21, 2012 -
15 answers
In the past year or so, around four MacBook chargers have basically stopped working (I've lost count as this includes a couple of old chargers from early MacBooks we had lying around), all in mysterious fashion. Generally they overheat more than I think is normal, and often they switch to the dreaded, "Not charging" status. On one of them, the rubber insulation melted completely then buckled. I am wondering whether it's just a coincidence that so many chargers have died, or if the wiring in our old house could be to blame?
[more inside]
posted by nosh, daven, shtup
on Jul 13, 2012 -
9 answers
Can you help me read the diagram for the retrofit rewiring of the ballast for my T12 florescent bulbs?
[more inside]
posted by about_time
on Jul 1, 2012 -
8 answers
Hooray! I got my employers' approval to get some electrical work we've badly needed for a long time in our lab/office suite done. I have no word-of-mouth recommendations of local electricians to go on, so I'm checking around online and trying to get quotes. As such, I have a few questions on how to most effectively screen for quality, recognize a fair price for the work, and deal with the etiquette aspects of the quoting process.
[more inside]
posted by aecorwin
on Jun 28, 2012 -
10 answers
I just installed a new lightswitch in my bathroom. Now, when I turn my living room air conditioner OFF, the power in most of my apartment goes out. And even when the AC is on, the power level is extremely low. WTF???
[more inside]
posted by Artifice_Eternity
on Jun 10, 2012 -
40 answers
I have high-pitched ringing in my the recording set-up of my new home voice recording studio (it seems to have a pulse, not steady, and occaionally disappears). Where should I start trying to get rid of it?
[more inside]
posted by acm
on Apr 11, 2012 -
21 answers
Light install went bad. We have a positive negative and ground wire dangling from the wall. Is it safe to turn the breaker back on if we put a wire nut on the end of each wire (separately)? More, does the ground wire need a nut?
[more inside]
posted by arniec
on Mar 25, 2012 -
13 answers
Panel to Garage sub-panel. How many amps can my sub-panel hold? (You are not my electrician.)
I will be hiring a licensed electrician, I’m just curious as to what to expect.
[more inside]
posted by otto42
on Mar 6, 2012 -
3 answers
I just purchased a new Nest thermostat. My old thermostat gets power from an ancient millivolt system (thermopile on top of pilot light generates 0.7VDC). This is incompatible with the Nest, since the Nest requires standard 24VAC. Nest support told me they've heard some customers have had success using 24v step-down transformer. After lots of research, I think the wiring is supposed to go something like this:
W from furnace (common, -0.7VDC ?) --> W on T-Stat
24 VAC power from transformer (+/- ?) --> C on T-Stat
R from furnace (+0.7VDC ?) --> RH on T-Stat
24VAC power from transformer (+/- ?) --> RH on T-Stat
As you can see, I'm still a bit fuzzy on the details. Questions are below the fold!
[more inside]
posted by jesseendahl
on Jan 22, 2012 -
17 answers
Help me understand the national electric code with regard to rewiring and updating several rooms in my 1940s-era house.
[more inside]
posted by JohnFredra
on Dec 6, 2011 -
8 answers
What I have: a MacBook Pro running iTunes. What I need: some speakers and a way to get the music into the other rooms of a small house.
[more inside]
posted by 5Q7
on Nov 7, 2011 -
24 answers
Ethernet ports in every room, but none of them work. The brains of the system which is in the wall of a closet is a Square D Multi-Link Structured Wiring System. How do I find out how it's set up and how do make it work as it should?
[more inside]
posted by cgomez
on Sep 15, 2011 -
20 answers
I'm wiring and insulating a garage. What kind of creative things should I do now, before the walls go up?
[more inside]
posted by Stagger Lee
on Aug 29, 2011 -
20 answers
Help me create a functional light bulb crown! I saw this
amazing sculpture at an art walk this week, and I'd like to make it into something wearable for Burning Man. My guess is that I can start by buying this type of bulb, but I need some advice beyond that. Wiring type and strategy? Batteries? How about affixing them to my head? I have long hair and could do something creative with little buns - I want to secure everything in a minimalist way (no baseball hats) so that the focus is on the lights.
posted by red_rabbit
on Aug 20, 2011 -
11 answers
DIY-ers: Please help me find wall sconces with a built in switch. Special snowflake details inside:
[more inside]
posted by librarianamy
on Jun 22, 2011 -
5 answers
I just installed a digital thermostat for the evaporative cooler in our house. Works great, hi/lo, pump, fans, etc., but there is a very low buzzing coming from the thermostat when the evaporative cooler is running. When the thermostat is in "standby" (just showing the ambient temperature) it does not make any noises. It is definitely coming from the thermostat and not any nearby location. Any ideas why this is happening? A defective unit? Weird house wiring? Thanks!
posted by jroybal
on Jun 3, 2011 -
3 answers
Am I doing something wrong with my pull chain light fixture, and/or do they just tend to be really crappy? Broke two of them in short order...
[more inside]
posted by rkent
on May 16, 2011 -
4 answers
Why do our light bulbs seem to burn out far faster than they ought to? And our light switches make sparking noises?
[more inside]
posted by treehorn+bunny
on Apr 18, 2011 -
15 answers
Problem: My welder needs 220v power. My dryer is on a 30A 220v circuit but to swap the dryer cord for the welder cord, I need to move the dryer. This is a pain. Can I make or buy an extension cord with two outlets on it so I don't need to swap the plugs?
[more inside]
posted by stet
on Apr 5, 2011 -
11 answers
I might hire an unlicensed electrician to work on my home. Is this bad? Worst case scenario?
[more inside]
posted by thisisdrew
on Feb 22, 2011 -
31 answers
Did I wire this new porcelain lampholder correctly? Replaced an old one in the basement that was slightly different, and want to make sure i did OK.
[more inside]
posted by leticia
on Feb 13, 2011 -
7 answers
All of the electrical outlets in my bedroom—except for one—are switched. The single unswitched outlet is in a useless location. How can I convert one of the switched outlets to unswitched?
[more inside]
posted by ixohoxi
on Feb 4, 2011 -
29 answers
