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Furman IT 1220 shutdown


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Hi guys. Not sure this is the place but I have a sick Furman IT 1220 balanced power thing and I'm guessing sound pros would be familiar with this type of unit. It recently started blinking the voltage overload warning and has even gone into thermal shutdown. This is with over a decade of usage on home current with no such runaway voltage. No heat, smells or other clues. Any ideas?

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Failure of the unit? Perhaps giving the manufacturer a call would be in order. This device was sold as a "cure" to a problem that didn't really exist, or was just as easily cured by correcting the wiring deficiencies that caused the symptoms that the marketing folks perceived as potential. While based on sound principles, the need was almost universally exaggerated by the aggressive marketing departments.

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Have you measured the voltage at the wall with a known good voltmeter? While the unit could be failing, it also could be doing its job. If this is in a residential home and you're seeing excessively high voltage (over 130v), call in an electrician to check for a failed or failing service neutral.

 

If the wall power checks out, then agedhorse is on the money; contact Furman to get the unit serviced.

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Is the unit displaying the power overage while you're reading 120v on the meter?

 

It had always read high 122 - 125 plus, whatever the LEDs were. Then recently it started flashing, the operational hum was gone but it still produced standard current and then yesterday it shutdown and I unplugged it. When I have the time I'll remove all the gear plugged in and retry if only for a reading.

 

If you have to ask - no' date=' it's not safe for you ;) .[/quote']

 

Liked for astuteness.

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It had always read high 122 - 125 plus, whatever the LEDs were. Then recently it started flashing, the operational hum was gone but it still produced standard current and then yesterday it shutdown and I unplugged it. When I have the time I'll remove all the gear plugged in and retry if only for a reading.

 

 

To be clear, I meant when you just tested outlet voltage at 120v, does the unit show a voltage overage? If so then the unit is suspect and should be serviced. If not, then there may have been an actual overvoltage condition when the unit shut down. It's supposed to do that, if I understand the literature correctly.

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The unit had shut down and is unplugged so I just got the wall reading.

I hadn't previously checked the voltage at the unit but it had been flashing in the red for several days. My gear ran fine. Also why I didn't suspect an actual overload. I do think the the balanced noiseless current was out of commission and it was just passing standard current. There was no audible difference on the guitar amp. I did notice the grommet that secures the ac in cord had become loose and suspect that may be the source - a partial short possibly,

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The unit had shut down and is unplugged so I just got the wall reading.

I hadn't previously checked the voltage at the unit but it had been flashing in the red for several days. My gear ran fine. Also why I didn't suspect an actual overload. I do think the the balanced noiseless current was out of commission and it was just passing standard current. There was no audible difference on the guitar amp. I did notice the grommet that secures the ac in cord had become loose and suspect that may be the source - a partial short possibly,

 

A short at the input would result in a tripped mains circuit breaker, if intermittent it may not be enough to trip the breaker, but it would be unlikely to cause a failure inside the unit.

 

We don't really have enough info to make a good diagnosis, so your best bet is to continue on the path of getting the unit in for troubleshooting/repair.

 

If there's no audible difference heard, then that may speak volumes about the need for such units. Good building electrical wiring, good cordsets to your gear...that's all you really need.

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I too have a furman, prob a different model. Many opinions on here about what they can do and don't do. If this is a hijack of this thread I am unarmed. I have smoke machine. It's stinky, smelly and noisy. I do know one thing, if I don't use the furman and use standard line strip, I get buzzes snaps popping and whirring interference sent down the audio line. In this real world scenario it did seem to do something and that's take the interferance the smogger is sending down the line away. Anyone answer why this is? Apologies if this is a hi jack.

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To be frank ... I think you completely misunderstand what's going on here. That device is basically just a simple transformer that balances the voltage across the line. It doesn't have any "circuitry" in it. It does not regulate nor stabilize. If it is putting out too much voltage it is because you are putting in too much voltage. If it thermaling off it's because either the power switch (which is a breaker) has failed or you are drawing too much current.

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To be frank ... I think you completely misunderstand what's going on here. That device is basically just a simple transformer that balances the voltage across the line. It doesn't have any "circuitry" in it. It does not regulate nor stabilize. If it is putting out too much voltage it is because you are putting in too much voltage. If it thermaling off it's because either the power switch (which is a breaker) has failed or you are drawing too much current.

 

Correct, it's a 1:1 isolation style power transfomer with a center tap that connects to the incoming safety ground, hot and neutral are from the opposite ends of the CT winding. It's the lifting and re-establishing of the ground that is probably responsible for many of the "improvements" that marketing flouts, and that can't be done without transformer isolation on the power side.

 

Don, some models have additional housekeeping circuits /monitoring that can do over/undervoltage shutdown, etc. It's not uncommon for these circuits to fail rather than the transformer itself.

 

 

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To be frank ... I think you completely misunderstand what's going on here. That device is basically just a simple transformer that balances the voltage across the line. It doesn't have any "circuitry" in it. It does not regulate nor stabilize. If it is putting out too much voltage it is because you are putting in too much voltage. If it thermaling off it's because either the power switch (which is a breaker) has failed or you are drawing too much current.

 

It has the self monitoring protection circuitry which I believe to be at fault. It also supposedly cycles AC into a noise cancelling wave. I don't think there was any dangerous voltage except as perceived by the protection circuits. All the equipment ran comfortably much of it low voltage solid state stuff. Regular household usage is unaffected as well.

 

Waiting on a reply from Furman but appreciating all this input here too.

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