Home Theater Design, Surround Sound Wiring

Home Theater design is not a new idea, but it sure is a growing one! With the prices of large screen displays dropping substantially, the average tv viewing has increased. Many folks now have a reciver for video and a receiver for audio. Not to mention, a DVD player and VHS, high definition, surround sound, sub woofers and even high definition. Quite a jump from the 13" black and white televisions of our past.

Most people are finding that not only have the costs of large screen displays dropped, but so has their audio counterparts. You can now purchase speakers individually, or in a package. Receivers can be used to power the audio from your DVD player, CD player, Satellite or Cable reception or even your FM radio. A good quality "home theater in a box" can be had for as little as $300 now days and will provide an obvious increase in viewing pleasure.

Because of the volume and recent price drops, many people are now taking into account Home Theater Design. "Surround Sound Wiring" is possible the most difficult part. Did you know there are many types of speaker wire that you can use? Speaker Wire can be had in many gauges, shapes, and lengths. You can find Flat Speaker Wire, or Round Speaker Wire. The surround sound wiring you plan to do can make a big difference on what type you chose to use.

If you plan to run your wire through the walls, using a less expensive round speaker wire is fine. The only downfall to running it through the walls is that if you don't plan for it ahead of time, you will find yourself constantly running into unexpected headaches while trying to drill holes and whatnot. However, when it is all said and done a good quality Audio Video Wall Plate will really clean up your project and leave you with a professional finish.

If you still perfer round speaker wire, but don't want to drill, you can now use a special crown molding thats designed to run speaker wire through it. This will allow you to run speaker wire through your entire home theater, exposing a minimum amount of wire. Be warned, however, that this is not cheap. It does provide another benifit though. The beauty of crown molding throughout your home theater will be sure to get attention.

Another option, is flat speaker wire. Invisiwire is just that. You can run it under carpeting or other floor times, or right up your wall. If you run it up the wall, simply paint over it for a camoflauged look. It's not 100% hidden, but it's definately less noticeable and a big help overall. Especially if you aren't comfortable with drilling holes in your wall.

The last thing to consider when you start your surround sound wiring is the location of the speakers. The average 5.1 surround sound setup has 6 speakers. A Center Channel, two front speakers, two rear speakers, and one sub woofer. Because bass is non direction you can locate the sub anywhere. However, there are some suggestions for the remaining 5.

Locate the center where the tv is. preferrably just above it, but if your tv already sits high, than just below it is fine.

The two fronts should be right around ear level (when you are sitting) on either side of the tv. It's okay to move them around a bit to find out exactly how far from the tv you want them. When sounds are buzzing through your room you want to be able to distinguish a difference from dead center to far right, this will make viewing more enjoyable and cinematic.

The rears should be above ear level by 12 to 36 inches. Now that is quite a variable. Most settle in around 24 inches. Again, I would suggest using this as a guide line and moving them around a bit until you find the sound that suits you the best.

"Home Theater Design" and "Surround Sound Wiring" are more of an art than anything. You can buy all the right products, and follow all the guidelines, but when it comes down to it... you need to make sure it fits your viewing habits. With a little practice and some fine tuning, you'll get it just right and you'll never want to change it!

Dustin Twiggs writes articles for www.TCAcables.com, a computer cable site

Save Time & Money Doing Your Own Basic Electric Wiring

Article from: Nico De Baere

Hiring a professional electrician can be very expensive and is often the reason why people try doing their own basic electric wiring themselves.

I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly results of these efforts and I have come to the conclusion that basic electrical wiring is not something anyone should do without proper guidance, tools and confidence.

It is so important that before attempting any of these basic electrical wiring projects that people are aware of how dangerous electricity is and how important safety is for you and for your family and family home.

90 percent of the time I recommend hiring a licensed electrician over doing your basic electrical wiring yourself. Not doing this will usually end up costing even more money than before and increase the risk of bringing your family into danger without even knowing your doing it.

But doing your own basic electric wiring really isnt that hard to do
if you educate yourself on the topic.

Licensed electricians had to learn the stuff themselves too. So as a
do it yourself person this isnt different. There is no escape possible.

You will see that the more you read about it the easier it will
become and the more confidence you will get.

Just to give you an idea, here are 3 questions I recently got from
people just like you who tried doing their own electric wiring:

Question 1: I installed a grounding probe in your aquarium and every
time anyone in the house turns on or off the lights, the fish jump.
What's going on?

A couple of suggestions:

1. (easiest) Pull out that grounding probe and return it from whence
you purchased it.

2. Check the wiring on your outlet. You may actually have 'Neutral' instead of 'Ground'.

3. Check the wiring throughout the rest of the house. There are some people out there that insist on doing their own home repairs, yet don't understand basic electrical wiring.

Outlets are easy to check by getting a $7.95 outlet tester from the hardware store. Wired-in appliances, lights, heaters, etc. are tougher.

4. Check all your electrical fixtures to make sure they aren't leaking some voltage to Ground.

Question 2: What is the NEC? Where can I get a copy?

The NEC is a model electrical code devised and published by the National Fire Protection Association, an insurance industry group. It's revised every three years.

The 1993 version has been released. You can buy a copy at a decent bookstore, or by calling them directly at 800-344-3555.

The code exists in several versions. There's the full text, which is fairly incomprehensible. There's an abridged edition, which has only the sections likely to apply to most houses.

And there's the NEC Handbook, which contains the ``authorized commentary'' on the code, as well as the full text. That's the recommended version. Unfortunately, there's no handbook for the abridged edition.And the full
handbook is expensive -- US$65 plus shipping and handling.

Question 3: Can I do my own wiring? Extra pointers?

In most places, homeowners are allowed to do their own wiring. In some, they're not. Check with your local electrical inspector. Most places won't permit you to do wiring on other's homes for money without a license. Nor are you permitted to do wiring in "commercial" buildings.

Multiple dwellings (eg: duplexes)are usually considered "semi-commercial" or "commercial". However, many jurisdictions will permit you to work on semi-commercial wiring if you're supervised by a licensed electrician - if you can find one willing to supervise.

If you do your own wiring, an important point:

Do it NEAT and WELL! What you really want to aim for is a better job than an electrician will do. After all, it's your own home, and it's you or your family that might get killed if you make a mistake.

An electrician has time pressures, has the skills and knows the
tricks of the trade to do a fast, safe job. In this FAQ we've consciously given a few recommendations that are in excess of code, because we feel that it's reasonable, and will impress the inspector.

The inspector will know that you're an amateur. You have to earn his trust. The best way of doing this is to spend your time doing as neat a job as possible. Don't cut corners. Exceed specifications.

Otherwise, the inspector may get extremely picky and fault you on the slightest transgressions.

Don't try to hide anything from the inspector.

Use the proper tools. Ie: don't use a bread knife to strip wires, or twist wires with your fingers. The inspector won't like it, and the results won't be that safe. And it takes longer. And you're more likely to stick a hunk of 12ga wire through your hand that way.

Don't handle house wire when it's very cold (eg: below -10C or 16F). Thermoplastic house wire, particularly older types become very brittle.

As you can see, getting the right answers to your questions can make the work a lot easier.

You save time by doing it the right way from the first time and you save money because you wont need to hire an electrician to either do the entire job or to fix your screw-ups.

In any case, no matter what you, be very careful when working on electricity! If needed cut down the entire power of your house just to be sure.

Keep It Safe,
Get an answer to 77 of the most burning questions about basic electric wiring and save time and money doing your own wiring in your home. Visit http://www.basicelectricwiring.comto get started.

How Do You Train at an Electrician School?

If you are good with electrical appliances, have you ever thought of being an electrician? If so, it is important to get your training at an electrician school. Prior to that, what are the requirements of being an electrician?

Given the modern day lifestyle, we cannot not have electricity! As an electrician, you may be working in construction sites or be on call at factories or people's homes. Your job may entail repairs, installations, connecting of wires or parts, trouble shooting and maintenance of electrical systems. It is also important to note that the risks involved include electric shocks, falls and cuts. To minimize these risks, an electrician must attend an electrician school and undergo the proper electrician trade school training program.

Training as an apprentice electrician includes a mix of work based and class room learning at an electrician trade school. Prior to training as an apprentice, candidates should have a good high school education and they must be 18 years old and above. Certain people may choose to train before getting a job as an electrician or attending an electrician school.

Some criteria for being a good electrician include: good hand-eye coordination, good physical fitness and being well balanced. Other attributes include good problem solving skills and being able to distinguish colors. It is also important to be able to maintain and improve on the skills developed during the electrician trade school training program.

When we talk about the career prospect of electricians, we can say that it is looking bright. Since the usage and consumption of electrical systems and equipment is high, it is no wonder that the workload of electricians has generally increased. With the expected advancement in electronic technology and consumer market, we do not expect any bad performance in the terms of the career prospect of electricians.

However, the real estate industry may have a negative impact on electricians working on construction sites. This is because if the number of development projects drop, their work will also decrease proportionally.

If you have always wondered about how much an electrician is paid, then wonder no more. An apprentice electrician can start off at around $25,000 per annum. But, as a fully trained electrician, he can earn $46,000 or more per annum. Ultimately, how much an electrician gets depends on the company he works for and how well the economy is doing.

As they always say, whatever is worth getting is worth putting in some effort. So, get started on looking for the right electrician school for you and start your training program today!

Go here for the right Electrician Trade School Training Program. for you and everything about being an electrician at Top Electrician or http://www.topelectrician.com

When Do You Need an Electrician?

Just what do you need an electrician for? Well, most people think that you only need an electrician when you are constructing a new home, but this is simply not the case. In fact, if you have anything in your home that has to do with electricity and it needs repairs, it is far better to call in an electrician and to get them to fix it for you. If you make a mistake while trying to fix your own wiring and the like, such an error can be quite costly to you. Thus, when it comes time to repair or upgrade the wiring in your home, it is time to call an electrician.

Electricians go to school and learn everything they need to so that your wiring is correctly installed in your home. Newer homes must undergo inspection, as do those that have had recent additions. If the wiring is not correctly placed, you can run into increased financial costs to fix errors. This is where relying on a professional to do the work for you comes in handy. If you have a professional that knows all the ins and outs of installing electrical wire and breaker boxes, you are far better off then if you attempt such things on your own.

You can find a professional by using your local yellow pages. Or, if you prefer, you can find a professional that can handle your electrical wiring issues on the Internet. Conversely, you can even find a professional that can help you via word of mouth. Just as long as you realize the importance of hiring a professional in the first place. Don't play fix it yourself if you have no clue as to what you are doing. It can be quite dangerous to install electrical wiring incorrectly.

So just what does an electrician handle? Well, that depends on the type of electrician you have called on! An electrician can work on homes or cars, on electrical wiring or the wiring of security systems. It all depends on what their focus is. An electrician can usually read a blueprint and is often found working on construction sites, the sites of new homes, the sites in which people are making additions to their home and the like.

There are a variety of electrician associations that can help you locate and identify a quality electrician. An electrician is specially licensed to handle whatever area of electrical work they perform. At least, most of them are. Not every electrician requires a license. Nevertheless, when you do hire an electrician you should ask if they have a license and who issued it to them. There is nothing wrong with you checking the credentials of any electrician you are planning on hiring. What the license proves is that they have met the state mandated study hours and curriculum so that they can do the job right for you. You can never be too careful and checking the credentials of anyone you hire is always a prudent move.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Electricians