Power: conditioner vs. surge protecting strip

[zeronyne]

Originally posted by John William Hofmann:

I just bought a Furman, I believe its the 2nd model up, with pull out lights that swivel(and those bulbs are generic, easily replaceable, I believe the same type of light found in most xmas-tree light things, so I plan on doing that soon for the holidays, throw in a red and green bulb...)

I have 5 of these. Two things to note.

 

1) Red and green lights are fine...i've done amber myself...but you won't be able to see anything at all. Try it and see. If you get a strong enough red one for it to actually throw light on the gear under it, it will desaturate (relatively) your red LEDs.

 

2) The PL Plus has no mechanism to prevent you from retracting those lights while they are on. Those two metal caps get mighty hot...I had one melt spandex to my thigh (don't ask).

 

There's another brand that has been mentioned above that uses cold cathode tubes...much better.

 

All of these furmans plug into a dedicated transformer/conditioner built into the house.

[DONUT]

I have a Power Werks in my rack. Its the top of the line one with the voltage LEDs and the lights and all of that other useless,but important looking stuff. I got it dirt cheap straight from the company because I'm a big mover and shaker in the music biz up here in Duluth.

 

Its nice to have,though. It has a really long,heavy duty cord on it. The GTR player on my side of the stage has been known to plug into my rig,too. I like plugging in one cord,and using one switch.

[Tenstrum]

My Rack rider is defintely not a power conditioner. It's in my rack mainly to provide convenient plug-in access and light in really dark clubs.

[g.]

http://phinixi.com/~greenboy-/MusicImage/CheapStripLightA.jpg

 

Inside the rack (strip could be mounted on top along back edge as well, and then will not use a rackspace at all. But this method works well if you need cooling space.

 

1680 Joule strip - $7 at Costco

cheapie nightlight - $1 on sale at Kmart (shield not shown)

 

total: $8

 

You can also use neon or cathode nightlights, use various wattages, etc.

[g.]

I got a couple of these umpty zillion years ago for a couple bucks apiece. They clamp just about anywhere or can hang on hooks or nails or screws. You can use up to 100 watt incandescent in them, or mini halogen, or colored party bulbs (including palin bulbs you spray painted). They work good in back of PA racks and can even be used after setting up as auxillary stage lighting.

 

http://phinixi.com/~greenboy-/MusicImage/CheapStripLightB.jpg

[Pernax]

Since we're talking about stuff inside our racks, I'm going to use this opportunity to derail the thread slightly and ask the good people (that's you guys, incase you're wondering) whether anyone has seen a rack installable cup holder anywhere?

 

I've seen a few that you clip on to the rack, but what I'm looking for is something that would be a more permanent setup, and would store inside the rack when not in use, and extend so that the beverage would not pose a serious threat to any electric device. Any information about such a product would be highly appreciated.

 

Because it's nice to have all sorts of projects, I've made a few 3D computer model prototypes of such devices, and I'm currently working on a real live prototype which involves a spring loaded mechanism from a Ford van. I'll post some pictures if I ever get the thing done...

 

[g.]

And here is my LittlLite - mounted in a BNC socket I installed into the rack handle area where it can't get hit. These lights are commonly seen on better mixing boards and flex and swivel where ever you need them, and bulbs can be had in several different wattages.

 

The adaptor that powers the socket can be seen in the first shot inside the rack, plugged into the power strip.

 

http://phinixi.com/~greenboy-/MusicImage/CheapStripLightC.jpg

[getz out]

Yeah, but that looks GHETTO.

[The Bear Jew]

I've been wondering who the inspiration for TV's Macgyver was... and now I know.

 

Greenboy... Macgyver... Makes sense.

 

Now... don't lie, dude.. you made that rig outta a plastic 2-liter Sprite bottle, a 9-volt battery and some duct tape, didn't ya?

 

Just kidding. I love your idea with the Littlelite.

[YourMotherShouldKnow]

Originally posted by greenboy:

UNLESS THE RACK IS MORE THAN TWO RACK SPACES IT IS NOT A CONDITIONER. It's just a glorified power strip. Real conditioners have autotap transformer isolation and keep brownouts and overvoltage to +/- 3% of 117.

Ok, that's clear. Now what brands/models would you suggest and what kind of dough should I expect to pay for a real conditioner?

[g.]

From http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=010205 four days ago:

 

"When you step up to the next level where you want voltage-regulated power (auto-switching tapped transformer isolation, basically) as well as surge protection and line noise suppression, Furman and Juice Goose are two music oriented companies that have done that in rack format. It costs more, but it's the bare minimum that one should have for home/project studios. Tripplite and maybe some others also supply products in rack format that were formerly only available in big honkin' transformer box format."

 

and

 

"Basically, the next step up from around a $10-25 protector is a line conditioner at around $100-$250 depending on wattage. It amazes me that fancy surge protectors that can't help a bit with brownout or consistent overvoltage sometimes cost that much. People are really getting suckered. Sometimes I have to read the ads twice to really believe that those units don't even have the basics of studio level protection."

[SteveC]

I don't use a rack anymore, so I just use a power strip. Works fine for me.

[NV43345]

I use the Furman. I like the fact everything

including the Amp plugs into all one unit,then

I only have one AC connection. I do have a

Surge protector on the line where I plug into

house power. I also like the Volt Meter & the

twin pull out lights.When I use a smaller rig

without the rack I just use a power strip with

built in surge protecion.I have lost more gear

over the years to "Low Voltage" then I have spikes.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=10806&stc=1&thumb=1[/img]

[g.]

NV43345: I like the fact everything

including the Amp plugs into all one unit,then

I only have one AC connection.

Once again: unless you have a low-drawing power amp (usually that will only include eithe Class D or Class H designs) - DoNOT plug that into the surge protector. It is too much load and negates the protection in many circumstances.

 

Power amps need to be fed totally to develop their toal wattage as well. I can't rmembere how many times I've seen power amps and power amp racks for PA on a 100 16-gauge extension cord with a couple of cheap strips plugged into either end, and the people are wondering why the PA sounds so bad or why breakers are tripping or gear is acting up.

[alexclaber]

Originally posted by greenboy:

Power amps need to be fed totally to develop their toal wattage as well. I can't rmembere how many times I've seen power amps and power amp racks for PA on a 100 16-gauge extension cord with a couple of cheap strips plugged into either end, and the people are wondering why the PA sounds so bad or why breakers are tripping or gear is acting up.

Just been googling this. In general 12 gauge (i.e. 3 sq.mm) extension leads seem to be the thing for power amps, though I presume that's for 110V power. For European power, i.e. 220-240V power you should be ok with half that thickness, i.e. between 14 and 16 gauge.

 

Of course, the longer the run, the thicker the gauge should be - I have a 30' cable attached to my rig which seems to be fine for most stages I play.

 

The next question is what standard is the venue wiring up to? How thick are the solid core wires that form the mains loop?

 

Alex