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Outdoor gig: 1000 watt or 2000 watt generator?


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OKAY! I have the Hondas available for me.


My amplifier max consumption is 80 watts and Keyboard max is 22 watts.


Will the 1000 watt Honda be fine???

 

By a country mile. :thu:

 

If you don't like the noise, consider just an inverter with a 12v deep-cycle battery (or two). You could probably rent a PSW (Pure Sine Wave) inverter at your local RV supply dealer, or possibly, at a tool rental outfit.

 

I've used a 12v deep-cycle battery and a Xantrex 300w MSW (Modified Sine Wave) inverter, to power a 60w AER Compact 60/2 combo-amp, with no issues whatsoever. No buzzing, hissing, clicking,,,, nothing. Worked like a charm, and total silence. The inverter cost me $25. (1/2 price sale), and $90. for a deep-cycle battery (Costco)

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when you say "amplifier" your talking about a key board amp right -- not the boss thingy?

 

ALso , did you ask about teh pa they are useing for the service? .. cuase they are going to walk to you 15 mins before it starts, and ask where the mic is.

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when you say "amplifier" your talking about a key board amp right -- not the boss thingy?


ALso , did you ask about teh pa they are useing for the service? .. cuase they are going to walk to you 15 mins before it starts, and ask where the mic is.

 

 

 

Glad you brought this up. I can't count the number of times someone asked me to play background music, and then at the gig said "okay we just want to use your mic for a few minutes". Sometimes they even said, "okay cousin Mabel is going to sing a lovely song by Anne Murray...."

 

I was also going to mention that now that you have a generator make sure your amp is powerful enough to carry outside. Way back in the day I did an outdoor wedding as the background music component. I was caught off guard as to how much the additon of wind... and the absence of reflections... can negatively effect output.

 

But in any case, think about bringing a mic and stand, and a cable or two. Oh yea, and make sure they check the fuel level of the (rented I presume) generator before they take it out.

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No mics in the contract, no PA either. Just me twiddling on my digital piano (has 7.5 watt x 2 stereo speakers built in) plus I hook up a little 80 watt stereo amp. This is a casual ceremony, volume must be kept at acoustic levels.

 

How neccessary is grounding the 1000 watts Honda generator???

There's never lightening and no puddles.

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How neccessary is grounding the 1000 watts Honda generator???

There's never lightening and no puddles.

 

 

Depends on a lot of factors, but generally we like to ground a generator to the earth so that anything we are likely to touch is connected to the same potential and under a fault condition nothing il likely to rise much above the earth potential protecting everybody.

 

Another way to get around this legally if no earth ground is present or available is using a ground fault interrupter on the load. That way any fault (in the load or load wiring) shuts down the power to the circuit and protects you. Most rental center distribution boxes contain GFCI's. I carry a unit when I am on the road with my horses, never know how other folks deal with the important details of their electrical installations so the barn power circuit feeds my GFCI and then feeds whatever I use or my hprses have contact with. I am especially careful since I am often responsible for other people's horses so it's added protection.

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I have used a honda 2000 watt generator to power a small band on a houseboat for the 4th of July before. It worked fine, I made sure the power chords all had ground fault protectors. We used a 1000 watt powered head and a fender reverb and GK bass running all at once. I never noticed the generator even working hard.

 

I bet a deep cycle battery and a 300 watt pure sine wave inverter would be all you need and not have to worry about the sound of a generator.

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No mics in the contract, no PA either. Just me twiddling on my digital piano (has 7.5 watt x 2 stereo speakers built in) plus I hook up a little 80 watt stereo amp. This is a casual ceremony, volume must be kept at acoustic levels.


How neccessary is grounding the 1000 watts Honda generator???

There's never lightening and no puddles.

 

 

interesting how the same words mean 2 different things to 2 different people.....

 

 

When you typed that you ment to say "don't worry about it , not an issue".

 

What I read was "congradulations, you just got a field promotion to PA/sound guy". - welcome to our world. You may want to start considering who your going to call when they ask you for a mic 3 mins before the start of a cerimony. Also, how are you going to play a CD, and plug in the IPOD that is going to show up?

 

Also, bring a power bar, so the video camera guy can plug in to charge his stuff......

 

Also, when you sit down to play and nothing works, it is because while you where not looking someone unplugged the power cable to plug in their cell phone. - feel free to keep said phone when you find it and plug your rig back in.

 

(exagerating ...... but only a little bit).

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Is a ground neccessary?

 

 

Article 250.34(A) of the NEC covers grounding of portable generators

 

http://www.mikeholt.com/mojonewsarchive/GB-HTML/HTML/NECArticle250Sections250.20-250.34~20020124.htm

 

"250.34 Generators-Portable and Vehicle-Mounted

(A) Portable Generators. The frame of a portable generator is not be required to be grounded to the earth if:

(1) The generator only supplies equipment or cord-and-plug-connected equipment through receptacles mounted on the generator, or both, and

(2) The metal parts of generator and the grounding terminals of the receptacles are bonded to the generator frame. "

 

The Honda gennies meet this standard, at least my 3000is does.

 

Todd A.

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That still isn't good enough for my preferences, since a metal stage for example could float above the generator's potential causing a shock hazard or at least a tingle. Bonding everything together and then to earth insures equipotential.

 

Just because it's "legal" doesn't mean it's the best way to do it.

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That still isn't good enough for my preferences, since a metal stage for example could float above the generator's potential causing a shock hazard or at least a tingle. Bonding everything together and then to earth insures equipotential.


Just because it's "legal" doesn't mean it's the best way to do it.

 

 

Well, this is true, but for his purposes, I think he'll be ok. It's avery simple setup....

 

T

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