Deus Gladiorum :
The amp is a
Lepai LP-2020A+ and the discharge has happened both when I've just touched the top of the amp and when I've touched the volume dial. I have the amp on top of my right Micca MB42 bookshelf speaker, so it's not touching anything metallic.
I'm assuming the volume dial is metallic, or there is a metal surface near it. I'm curious if the amp does its internal shut down when you arc the chassis (aka body/case/etc.)... If so, then you definitely should ground the body to an outlet, as IE explained (haha, same initials as Internet Explorer). Once the chassis is grounded, I'd make it a habit to touch the top of the amp before touching any other part, to prevent arcing directly to the components. The downside is that
if you arcing the chassis, and that causes it to shut down as a safety, then your chassis isn't grounded properly; and that would make me very uneasy.
Deus Gladiorum :
I do have a humidifier in my room, but I'd consider that to be more of a temporary solution or a workaround since I often don't pay attention to when its water tank runs out if the room feels comfortable.
I wouldn't use a humidifier for temperature control, as it actually can cause more problems when used too much around electronics. Electronics can function a bit better with some humidity, but not when the room's temperature is controlled by the humidity (even for a short period of time). High humidity in a room can cause condensation to build up in places that are vulnerable to shorting, and cause more problems than what you have now. Best to keep the humidity limited, unless your health needs it.
If that's a silly question, I apologize, but what would be the most effective way to ground it? It's a carpeted room and I can't do much about that at the moment. [/quotemsg]
Not a silly question. In fact, it's quite common, since the majority of devices have an internal grounding system, and most people don't even know what grounding equipment means. In fact, it's a good question... I've seen some experienced people "ground" devices in a way that made me wonder if they understood what grounding their equipment meant. I've seen plastic being "grounded" to metal that could potentially be hot... it isn't always very clear to some, obviously.
InvalidError :
Deus Gladiorum :
what would be the most effective way to ground it?
If it has a metal case, the easiest way to ground it would usually be to run a #14-16 gauge wire with eyelet terminal at both ends from one of the case screws to the outlet's face plate screw. If the case is plastic, you would need to find some way to attach the ground wire to the input terminal ground.
Forgive me for being blonde, but I can't help it... this won't sound very intelligent, so blame my hair (get it?).
Personally, I would also advise to run a ground from some of the other internal areas of the amp. The input is one, but there are others. If I had it in front of me, I would be able to at least point to places... but I just can't think of anything descriptive enough. Massive brain fart going on here. It's one of those days.