Members RoboPimp Posted October 26, 2004 Members Share Posted October 26, 2004 Should I be using one? If so what's a good one for a reasonable price? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members picker13 Posted October 26, 2004 Members Share Posted October 26, 2004 I don't know an answer to your question, but I'm so glad you didn't say "recommend me a power conditioner" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted October 26, 2004 Members Share Posted October 26, 2004 Generally, don't bother. Most modern equipment is well protected. The cost of real protection is more than you are likely to want to spend... like $200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members B. Adams Posted October 26, 2004 Members Share Posted October 26, 2004 They're basically rack mounted power strips. But sometimes the ones with voltage and/or amperage monitors are nice, and if you get one with lights you can see your rack. I have 2 in my FOH rack, one at the top and one half way down. So basically I have lots of lights. And the one on top has a voltage meter, which is kind of interesting sometimes, but MF misprinted the price on it, so I got it really cheap, which is the only reason I have it. Anyway, if you're looking for real power conditioning, Furman makes some good units. But they cost a lot. Anything else is pretty much the same, to a point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoboPimp Posted October 26, 2004 Author Members Share Posted October 26, 2004 Originally posted by agedhorse Generally, don't bother. Most modern equipment is well protected.The cost of real protection is more than you are likely to want to spend... like $200. so what if the power coming from the wall drops down or something? Should "most modern equipment" be protected from that? I have no clue about these things. I might spend 200 bucks if it really offers protection. I notice that most are only noise/surge suppresors. I saw that some have automatic shut off when the voltage drops too low... is that something that could help? The reason I am asking about these is my amp died this weekend and I don't know why and I wonder if I was drawing too much from the outlet? The circuit breaker on my power strip never popped? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted October 26, 2004 Members Share Posted October 26, 2004 Originally posted by RoboPimp so what if the power coming from the wall drops down or something? Should "most modern equipment" be protected from that? I have no clue about these things. I might spend 200 bucks if it really offers protection. I notice that most are only noise/surge suppresors. I saw that some have automatic shut off when the voltage drops too low... is that something that could help?The reason I am asking about these is my amp died this weekend and I don't know why and I wonder if I was drawing too much from the outlet? The circuit breaker on my power strip never popped? Why are you asking us if the circuit breaker on your strip popped? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted October 26, 2004 Members Share Posted October 26, 2004 Originally posted by RoboPimp so what if the power coming from the wall drops down or something? Should "most modern equipment" be protected from that? I have no clue about these things. I might spend 200 bucks if it really offers protection. I notice that most are only noise/surge suppresors. I saw that some have automatic shut off when the voltage drops too low... is that something that could help?The reason I am asking about these is my amp died this weekend and I don't know why and I wonder if I was drawing too much from the outlet? The circuit breaker on my power strip never popped? Probably unrelated to the power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alby Posted October 26, 2004 Members Share Posted October 26, 2004 You're likely to get more benefit from a good balsam conditioner than most power conditioners. If you want to talk about spikes however, a balsam conditioner is the wrong choice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members swedishcubsfan Posted October 27, 2004 Members Share Posted October 27, 2004 i would either go with as cheap as possible (just for the outlits and lighting) or a higher end one, but i doubt it is worth it to buy the higher end model i have a juice goose (not sure which model, probably the cheapest one with lights) and love it, but i know it doesnt really "condition" much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members B. Adams Posted October 27, 2004 Members Share Posted October 27, 2004 I was thinking about this. Is a power conditioner will be a good thing to have? Yes. Is it basically just a power strip? Yes. Is it better at being a power strip than a cheapass Wal-Mart strip? Probably. A possible reason that your old power strip didn't pop may have been that it popped before, and that was all that cheap little breaker could handle. Or maybe it got popped a lot, I don't know. But a Furman or something should be able to handle several pops until it dies. That's something they don't tell you with that kind of thing. They have a finite life span, and it's difficult to tell when they've reached that point. Eventually a Furman will die, and if you trip it enough, your houses main breaker will wear out just the same. I would hope you aren't tripping either breaker though... The best idea is to match your power unit to your power draw. Those things are made to handle 15A. 20A on some of the better (more expensive) ones. Some power strips are only rated for 8A. My FOH rack probably draws enough power to trip one of those. OK, maybe not, but 2 of my FOH racks would... Point is, you were probably pulling too much current through it on a regular basis, and if may have only had the chance to warn you once. Figure out what kind of power you need to draw, and use equipment that can deliver that to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoboPimp Posted October 27, 2004 Author Members Share Posted October 27, 2004 Thanks for the feedback... and I already use Finesse 2 in 1 conditioner but it didn't seem to help much? Sorry, I wasn't asking if the breaker on my power strip popped, it didn't and never has running these two amps. How can I tell what my power amps are drawing? I have two (well one now) Yamaha P7000S amps. They don't seem to give much info on power consumption. They say "max. output consumption: 4000 watts" Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J the D Posted October 27, 2004 Members Share Posted October 27, 2004 I live on the West Coast of Florida which is the lightning capital of the world and have had TVs, amps and computers fried over the years. I now use a computer battery backup/conditioner for my PA that is designed for server use. It converts the AC power to DC, then the DC power is converted back to AC. This keeps the line voltage constant and protects against surges. Unfortunately, that particular model costs way more than $200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted October 27, 2004 Members Share Posted October 27, 2004 Originally posted by RoboPimp Thanks for the feedback... and I already use Finesse 2 in 1 conditioner but it didn't seem to help much? Of course not... your amps have better inherant protection built in! J the D's comments are appropriate for processing type loads, but UPS's for your power amps is like putting a 300HP outboard in a dinghy. Not practical nor prudent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoboPimp Posted October 27, 2004 Author Members Share Posted October 27, 2004 Originally posted by agedhorse Of course not... your amps have better inherant protection built in! no seriously... would most amps have protection for such things? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alby Posted October 27, 2004 Members Share Posted October 27, 2004 Originally posted by J the D This keeps the line voltage constant and protects against surges. Unfortunately, that particular model costs way more than $200. What particular model if I might ask kind sire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J the D Posted October 27, 2004 Members Share Posted October 27, 2004 Originally posted by agedhorse Of course not... your amps have better inherant protection built in!J the D's comments are appropriate for processing type loads, but UPS's for your power amps is like putting a 300HP outboard in a dinghy. Not practical nor prudent. Andy: I use the battery backup to stop the sputters and pops when the power drops out as anything else. We take a LOT of lightining strikes here and it has proven itself time and time again during our afternoon thunderstorms. It may not be necessary in other parts of the country but I won't do anything without it around here. Keeps from having to reset things again and again. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J the D Posted October 27, 2004 Members Share Posted October 27, 2004 Originally posted by alby What particular model if I might ask kind sire. It is a large server unit by APC complete with network control software, I don't remember the exact number. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted October 27, 2004 Members Share Posted October 27, 2004 Originally posted by RoboPimp no seriously...would most amps have protection for such things? thanks Yes, most amps have transformers that have hefty series inductance plus large shunt caps. This is effective. Switching supply amps generally have EMI-RFI input protection filters and series inrush limiting chokes that do a similar thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.