Extended Video Problem - Possibly Electrical?

[barrp]

In the last couple of months I have gone thru 3 video cards. I have one bar where I have always had problems with the extended video on their TV's. I noticed that when I plugged in the video cable at the last show I got a very mild electrical shock when I plugged in the RCA cable. Also when the external video is plugged in it distorts the video on both TV's. My TV (monitor) is clear unless their TV is plugged in. I'm not having video problems anywhere else.

There is another company that also does karaoke there and the bar owner keeps reminding me that the other company does not have trouble when hooking up to their TV's. I explained to him that the other company does not run a computer and that I suspected the problem may be with his electrical or satellite system. I have tried 2 different TV's in the bar and got the same results.

I'm wondering if anyone else has had this type of problem and what the solution was? I'd like to keep the bar happy and keep the gig if possible, but I can't continue to keep replacing cards.

[gd123]

You need a buffer between you Video Card and the venue's TV:
http://store.grandtec.com/ultimateez.html

Just go from your Computer's second head vga to the Vga IN of the adapter.

Then, you have your choice as to how you want to feed the venue's TV:

VGA
S-video
RCA

Or, when in doubt, feed the RCA out, of the adpater, to the RCA IN of an RF modulator and then COAX OUT of the RF Mod to the COAX IN of the Venue's TV, which should be set to Channel 3 or 4, depending on what your RF Mod is set.

I have two Venues that "sparked." An RCA at one club and a COAX at another. None caused a problem with my Video Card as I was using the above adapter.

[barrp]

Thanks, I had never thought about protection on the rca cables, the only part of the system that is not protected. I also found this one which I'm thinking about ordering. http://www.skyvision.com/store/mi3000116.html
I'm still running a a/b switch as I still have a player to play any disc brought to the shows. Everything is running out of the a/b switch on rca cable, including to a rf modulator if needed. I run a player because I don't load anyone else's cd's.

I don't know if surge protection will solve this problem or not. I did not describe this problem very well. I should have said that I felt a very mild electrical current running through the cable as I plugged it in. It wasn't as if it was a mild shock or spark, but a constant current. After talking to a electrician he thinks that it may be a bad ground in the bar and could be causing backfeed.

I'm still open to ideas and possible solutions.