I have a background with electronics and never researched this or understood it. What gives? What is affected??? Can anyone explain in full detail?
76Nemo - full detail would be difficult as it varies from product to product.
There is an standard electrical interference test called "RF common mode".
It is intended to simulate the effects of radiated electromagnetic interference (
like keying up a radio).
In this test you can inject varying levels of current into conductors under test depending upon the immunity level the device must be able to withstand.
Some common levels are 3V/meter and 10V/meter. In the RF common mode test this may correlate with as much as 33 milliamps of high frequency current.
If you induce as much as 33ma of noise current into wires (
and in the case of a GFCI in an unbalanced fashion) then you can see one way a failure may occur.