Thanks JK.

I got a chance to take a closer look at this thing and the neutral wire is
connected to ground, but there appears to be about 200 ohms of resistance
between the ground on the filter cap and the chassis. I didn't see anywhere
were the live wire was connected to the chassis through a cap. Forgetting
about the hum for a second (I'd like to make this whole thing a little safer
1st) would a quick fix for the 120v I've seen on the chassis be to simply
install a polarized plug on the power cord? This way I could ensure that it
was never plugged in backwards thus connecting the chassis to the live 120v
line.

Also, I mentioned a small blue thing that looks like a bunch of thin squares
stacked on top of one another, that someone suggested was a selenium
rectifier. I hear they emit a poison gas when they burn. Would it emit any
dangerous gases during normal operation? Should I make replacing this part a
priority? I should also mention that there is 1 tab on this piece that has
some solder on it but no wires or anything connected to it. Could this be
the source of my hum problems?

Thanks again

"Porky" wrote in message
oups.com...
tempus fugit
Still alive and kicking John, lol.

The "death cap" I assume is the one that is connected
from the live to the chassis? I'm not sure that there even is one in this
unit,

Yes, there is often a .05 or so cap from live to chassis on
transformerless tube gear. It's main purpose is to turn the chassis
into a sheild to keep radio interference.from being detected by the
device. It's secondary function is to shock the @@#$ out of you when it
shorts, (although they are rated at 600v and don't carry much current,
so failures are usually due to moisture and disuse).
If you have small kids, keep them away from the thing. After it is
fixed, install an isolation transformer for $30. Yuo can even build
your own by connecting 2 12V trannys back-to-back. This isolates the
voltages in the chassis from those in your house = no more shocks.
Cheers.

JK