Members sp_spaceboy Posted November 26, 2003 Members Share Posted November 26, 2003 which is great. won it on ebay just today. thing is, it's american, and they have different mains voltages than us here in good ole blighty. don't they? i didn't just imagine it? so basically, is it that the mesa will be built to run on an american voltage, and so I might need some kind of transformer to run it here? or will it run fine over here, and all I'll need is a new power cable with 3 prongs (or whatever their technical name is) any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members El Grinder Posted November 26, 2003 Members Share Posted November 26, 2003 ohhhh... yeh, as far as I know, current runs at a healthy 240 volts over on that side of the pool.. unless that mesa was made as an export model, it's gonna be the standard usa 120 volts.. basically, you'll need some kind of transformer that can handle 240 volt input, but supplies 120 volts to the units on the other side.. yes, those do exsist.. you just gotta find one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rocinante Posted November 26, 2003 Members Share Posted November 26, 2003 Spaceboy, look on the 20/20's back panel and see if there's a voltage selector. If you're not sure, go to Mesa's website and download a manual to check it out, as I know some manufacturers provide this feature. If you can't change the voltage manually, you will need a transformer. www.maplin.co.uk should have what you need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kherman Posted November 26, 2003 Members Share Posted November 26, 2003 If the amp doesnt have a voltage selecter switch, check out Furman products.I'm sure they make something that can convert.http://www.furmansound.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cornflakeofdeath Posted November 26, 2003 Members Share Posted November 26, 2003 You also might try calling or E-mailing Mesa to see if it's possible to switch out the internal transformer. It might be more expensive, but it's better than having a loose transformer rattling around in your rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members QBQC17 Posted November 26, 2003 Members Share Posted November 26, 2003 all you need is a step-down transformer. there are lots of online sites to choose from. i had to switch my strategy 500 (europe to america) when i got it and seemingly all the tech had to do change out a couple parts and it works at 110v now. a little extreme, but cheaper than what a step-up would have cost me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sp_spaceboy Posted November 29, 2003 Author Members Share Posted November 29, 2003 ok, I've emailed Furman and a site called thomann.de about it cos I looked at their sites and had no idea what was what. so I'm waiting for a reply But I realised that I wasn't too sure exactly what I needed. So could someone confirm a couple things for me? Am I right in thinking that the power cable comes straight out of the back of the 20/20? ie, you don't plug anything into the bck of it? and then that'll go to a US standard two-pronged mains plug, right? Does that have a technical name or anything that might help me describe to people exactly what I need? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members david_d Posted November 29, 2003 Members Share Posted November 29, 2003 i have no idea, but i cant imagine it goes to a two pronged plug - it's gotta be three Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Banzini Posted November 29, 2003 Members Share Posted November 29, 2003 Originally posted by sp_spaceboy Am I right in thinking that the power cable comes straight out of the back of the 20/20? ie, you don't plug anything into the bck of it? wtf? and then that'll go to a US standard two-pronged mains plug, right? Does that have a technical name or anything that might help me describe to people exactly what I need? its got a standard US three-prong, grounded plug. you can simply change the plug/cord (if you know what youre doing) and put a step-down (as someone previously mentioned) between the amp and the power supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sp_spaceboy Posted December 14, 2003 Author Members Share Posted December 14, 2003 Well, I got myself a transformer. 240V down to 120V. perfect. except.... once i got it I noticed that it says "for use with small appliances up to 50VA" ... well, for a start, what's VA? i assume it's talking about current, ie amps, but why the V? so, what does the 20/20 use? I looked in the manual, and the only useful thing I could find was that it uses a 2 amp fuse... am I ok? do I have to spend even more on a bigger transformer?? thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members QBQC17 Posted December 14, 2003 Members Share Posted December 14, 2003 Abbreviation for "volt ampere" Unit of apparent power in an AC circuit containing capacitive or inductive reactance. Apparent power is the product of source voltage and current. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sp_spaceboy Posted December 15, 2003 Author Members Share Posted December 15, 2003 cool, thanks. but how much VA does the 20/20 use? anyone hve any idea? IF it's voltage of 120, X current of 2 (thinking of the fuse), then that'd be 240 VA, which is much too big... anyone have any idea what it would be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dennis808 Posted December 16, 2003 Members Share Posted December 16, 2003 I know from the manual of my 5150II, a 100Watt tube head, that it consumes about 300 Watts, so i can imagine the 20/20 uses something between 120 and 200 Watts. You need something stronger IMHO... You probably got one of those compact transformers now that looks like a regular wall-wart you get with an effect pedal.The heavier ones are mostly bigger... I think you better use one of these frommaplin good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sp_spaceboy Posted December 16, 2003 Author Members Share Posted December 16, 2003 hmmm... i did a search on it and got this... In a DC circuit, 1 VA is the equivalent of one watt (1 W). The power, P (in watts) in a DC circuit is equal to the product of the voltage V (in volts) and the current I (in amperes): P = VI In an AC circuit, power and VA mean the same thing only when there is no reactance. Reactance is introduced when a circuit contains an inductor or capacitor. Because most AC circuits contain reactance, the VA figure is greater than the actual dissipated or delivered power in watts. This can cause confusion in specifications for power supplies. For example, a supply might be rated at 600 VA. This does not mean it can deliver 600 watts, unless the equipment is reactance-free. In real life, the true wattage rating of a power supply is 1/2 to 2/3 of the VA rating. hmmm... well, IF i was using the figure of 20 for watts, then i'd be ok (20x2 = 40 and 20x3/2 = 30), but if I'm using it's peak wattage (anyone know how to calculate that?) then I'm sure it'll be a fair bit more... or if it's the wattage it consumes, then it won't work either... but of course i need to know quite exactly what it is so I can buy the right transformer. (oh, thanks for the link by the way! realy helpful. god knows how I didn't find that myself when I was on maplin though) aha! I'll email mesa! yay i'll report back, but any help still much needed/appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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