I am doing a low volume outdoor solo piano gig with my Roland digital piano and a little amp. They asked me if I need a 1000 watt or a 2000 watt generator. Any experts know?


UPDATE :

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???

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/p...&category=play

Honda Inverter Technology
"Honda's inverter technology means stable, clean power in a smaller, lighter package. By taking the raw power produced by the generator and passing it through a special microprocessor, Honda generators are able to produce a sine wave equal to or better than your household power. This means you can even operate the most sensitive electronics without fear of interruption."

1000 watts should be plenty.

Powering lights too?

No lights, just a Roland FP4 (22 watts)and a little 80 watts max amp.

It depends on how many amps you're going to draw.
Volts X Amps = Watts
OR, Amps = Watts / Volts
But here's the rub: Power transformers are rather inefficient; so, double what you think you'll need to have a reserve.

The most important thing is that the generator puts out steady consistent voltage. Cheap (and older) and heavy industry (eg. welding) generators that do not have constant voltage can harm your equipment from "under" (low) voltage.

Also, remember to ground the generator to a substantial "earth" ground as a safeguard to you. That means using a wire of substantial size to connect the frame of the generator to a copper ground spike that has been driven into the earth (or some well grounded water pipe with a clean, non corroded connection.)

Perhaps this will help.

If you are going to power your equipment with a generator, I would recommend you also use a UPS to balance out the spikes and dips generators are known to produce. Also, a toroid based filter will go a long way in filtering out line noise that can damage digital electronics.

Thanks

I don't think you'd have too much to worry about, but using a power conditioner would be strongly advised. I think I'd more worried about how LOUD the generator is. Newer generators are being made quieter, but some are still pretty loud. If you've got a gas generator churning away at around 70-80 db, you'll have some annoying competition in the noise department.

I think I'd more worried about how LOUD the generator is.

That would be my concern as well.

Ask them if they want you to play softer than the generator. (no, don't ask them that. )

Then you get into having the generator so far away so you can't hear it that the voltage drops by the time it gets to your gear.

Okay, you've got a couple of different issues going on here.

First, generators that are not designed for theatrical or movie work are stupid loud.

Second, if you remote the generator far enough away that the noise is acceptable, you then need 10 or 12 gauge cable to run the power from that generator to you. (You can rent this from a theatrical lighting house or sound company)

You might have better luck, if there is a nearby carpark, in renting a power inverter. You hook it up to the battery, leave the car running, and it converts the DC auto power to 110ACV. Not much juice there, and you'll still need to use 10 or 12 gauge supply lines.

Probably the best answer is to take an acoustic piano.

But what is missing from your entire presentation is size of audience, size of space, desired coverage, desired SPL, and any local conditions (wind, wildlife, nearby audible distractions...) that you may have to overcome.....

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???

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/produ...p;category=play

Honda Inverter Technology
"Honda's inverter technology means stable, clean power in a smaller, lighter package. By taking the raw power produced by the generator and passing it through a special microprocessor, Honda generators are able to produce a sine wave equal to or better than your household power. This means you can even operate the most sensitive electronics without fear of interruption."

The 1,000 watt generator is fine. Thankfully, your power requirement isn't near "59 dB @ rated load 53dB @ 1/4 load".

The bad news is, you will hear that generator humming along. Definitely grab a long 10 or 12 gauge extension cord.

Sounds like a solution. I might be tempted to do some drone tunes in the key of the generator.

So how's that amp working out?

Great minds...I started to mention transposing everything to the key of the generator. Might as well make the best out of the backgound ambience.

I don't believe anyone has mentioned it, be sure the generator has a solid EARTH GROUND. Don't just plug into the generator without a ground.

Mike T.

Is a ground neccessary? How do I do that?

Read the above post by rocket man.

It is done by driving a six foot copper rod into the ground, and attaching the proper clamp to the rod, which will hold a wire (pref 6 gauge or better), which screws on to the generator on the appropriately marked grounding terminal. It is a pita. Probably costs about $ 20 to do, but driving that rod..... whew! And doing it without help and without breaking the sledge hammer is tough.

No a ground isn't strictly speaking, necessary... you could allow yourself to be the safety ground. Once.

Just to give you something to work from, a standard wall circuit is usually able to handle 2400 watts, which is 20 amps. (though the plug is only rated at 15 amps, almost everyone has upgraded their circuit breakers from 15 to 20 amps.) We usually round off the number to 2000 watts, just to have a little head room, and because breakers are electro mechanical devices, which wear over time, and can trip early. Better to leave a little headroom. So your 1000 watt generator is giving you roughly 9-10 amps. At the plug on most gear is a wattage draw listing. You add up all the wattage from the gear that you have and if it is under 1000, you are good to go. Most band gear doesn't draw much, with the exception of amplifiers and conventional lighting equipment.

Or a lighting rod, tree or kite with a wire running to the keyboard.

The hiring party should be providing that generator and setting it up. I'd guess available power outlets are in the contract. Telling them the amount of wattage needed is all Jazz+ should have to do, and tell them it must be properly grounded.

Several ultra-long industrial extension cords running to the nearest available outlet might be easier.

No a ground isn't strictly speaking, necessary... you could allow yourself to be the safety ground. Once.

Can someone describe in technical terms the scenario where a ground would be beneficial? I am not about to drive a copper post 6 feet into the ground

Can someone describe in technical terms the scenario where a ground would be beneficial? I am not about to drive a copper post 6 feet into the ground

'
Ok - here's the way to make sure you're properly protected against any electrical misfortunes.....

1. Set up your gear, on a metal stand, in a large puddle.

2. Hot-wire your keyboard/amp into the nearest lamp-post.

3. Wear a suit of armour.

4. Carry a nine-iron in one hand, an umbrella in the other, and tie the above-mentioned kite to your waistband.

5. Hope for lightning to strike.

DO NOT WEAR RUBBER-SOLED SHOES.


For any youngsters reading - please do not try this in your own home..... only outside .

.

Here is a technical term....lightning.

You do not want to deal with ungrounded, high-powered source of electricity.

It is not the same as the shock obtained from simple static.

Proper grounding is always essential. otherwise you run the risk of electrocution, especially outdoors. I understand not wanting to drive a friggin' 6 foot stake in the ground though. I've done it and it's a drag!

Here's a question for the forum:

In this case is it possible to connect the gennie's ground to an existing ground? Is that safe?

There won't be puddles or lightening... I wear rubber souls.

Puddles and lightning aside....

1) Safety: If you are touching anything that is touching the ground, and the generator's "ground" drifts from earth ground, you will complete the circuit. That means the current will flow through you. That's bad. This will most likely not happen, but it most definitely can. UL requires proper grounding for personnel safety. Your UL rating on your gear is void if not plugged into a properly grounded power source. Which means if you die from electricution, that UL symbol don't mean squat if the circuit wasn't grounded.

2) Sound Quality: Have you ever had a ground loop? They are notoriously hard to nail down and can cause massive hum/buzz/noise/whatever in your signal. Everything else will be referenced to earth. If the power is, also, no ground loop.

I once played a place where we were getting absolutely massive rediculous 60Hz buzz through the FOH and our IEM's through our own monitor rack. I went through painstaking analytical systematic process of eliminating sources, trying ground lifts, etc, until I ended up plugging everything on stage into one power strip... problem went away. The grounding was for shit in the place. By everything being grounded from the same source as FOH it went away. We don't run much onstage anyway so we can run through a power strip. If you got amps, forget it.

Not quite sure what that means.

We're still going strong on this thread ... ?