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Topic: Question on Furman voltage regulators |
robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2013 10:27 am |
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Personally I'm wary of the claims of power conditioner companies. Indeed, most of these units will sqwash a transient voltage spike that might blow up your gear but they won't regulate in the classic sense whereby the unit would boost the voltage to make up for a lack of voltage coming in.
Ones that mention UPS (uninteruptable power source)- Unless they advertise minutes of holdup capability like a true UPS has, they are simply resonant filters that will hold up for tens of milliseconds at the most.
Only a true UPS has AC to DC back to AC conversion and is capable of making up for voltage sag or brownout.
In fact for the scenario you describe a 250 watt, computer UPS is likely much cheaper and more effective. Although I understand the shape of the waveform the lower cost UPS produces is not pure sinusoid and may induce noise or oscillation.. - try it first. |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Jerry Jones
From:
Franklin, Tenn.
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Posted 8 Apr 2013 11:44 am
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Some of the guys in Nashville turned me on to these....if you're looking for something affordable.
APC Line-R 1200
You can purchase on line at quite a few places...... $50 - $60
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Jerry Jones |
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Dave Diehl
From:
Mechanicsville, MD, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2013 2:50 pm
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| I've used the Power Factor Pro for a few years now and really like it. I also used other Furman products and had good outcomes with all of them. |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2013 3:13 pm
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Those APC units are very good for use with a steel rig. I'd use one if I still gigged.
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Best regards,
Mike |
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 9 Apr 2013 5:00 am
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Thanks to all for the fast replies and advice. I ordered a APC LE1200 Line-R 1200VA Automatic Voltage Regulator with 4 outlets - Amazon $48.48. In the reviews - a couple musicians also said it solved the problem of low power/low tone to their amps. Thanks again for the advice.
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 9 Apr 2013 7:04 am
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This is the unit I have in my rack. When you turn the power on, it determines and adjusts your power input. If it is too far off it kicks out so as not to damage anything. I feel it's worth the money.
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robert kramer
From:
Nashville TN
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Posted 9 Apr 2013 2:04 pm
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| Thanks Erv - That's my plan "B" |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 9 Apr 2013 2:54 pm
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| Jim Pitman wrote: |
Indeed, most of these units will sqwash a transient voltage spike that might blow up your gear but they won't regulate in the classic sense whereby the unit would boost the voltage to make up for a lack of voltage coming in.
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The specs on one popular unit, the Furman AR-1215, indicate otherwise:
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| Delivers a stable 120 ±5 VAC whenever the input AC line voltage is between 97V and 141V |
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 15 Apr 2013 10:13 pm
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I use the Furman AR-1215, which offers both spike protection and voltage regulation. It's hard to say whether it's valuable or not: if you play a venue with sagging power, this unit is supposed to correct that, so I guess you'd never know that's it's solving a problem. I just feel better knowing it's in line and doing its thing. I have played at low power venues (pre AR-1215), tone and volume became completely ugly.
It is one heavy gizmo, though, by far the heaviest unit in my 4U rack.
_________________
E9 INSTRUCTION
▪️ If you want to have an ongoing discussion, please email me, don't use the Forum messaging which I detest! steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net |
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Jim Pitman
From:
Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2013 5:46 am
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| Indeed I spoke out of turn. I should have looked at those newer offerings from Furman. |
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Larry Hamilton
From:
Amarillo,Tx
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Posted 16 Apr 2013 7:37 pm
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I was taught in the 70's that low voltage like might be found in the honky tonks in the country may cause a tube type amp to distort like my Twin did. I found some big ole voltage regulater that was second hand but worked and my Twin's distortion stopped in the rural honks. The in town jobs had better power and it never distorted. Just my experience. BTW never had a problem with solid state amps.
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Keep pickin', Larry |
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John McClung
From:
Olympia WA, USA
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Posted 16 Apr 2013 7:47 pm
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I ran into brown power issues with my Webb amp (solid state) on 3 or 4 occasions.
Other steel players report that especially when a bass amp starts roaring, it eats up a lot of available juice, and their Peavey steel amps sag pretty horribly.
_________________
E9 INSTRUCTION
▪️ If you want to have an ongoing discussion, please email me, don't use the Forum messaging which I detest! steelguitarlessons@earthlink.net
Last edited by John McClung on 17 Apr 2013 8:03 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Eric Philippsen
From:
Central Florida USA
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Posted 17 Apr 2013 4:33 am
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I use a Furman power regulator to maintain a constant voltage.
Playing with dropped voltage does all kinds of weird things to your gear and sound. I think it happens a lot more than you believe.
Often you can't put your finger on why things aren't sounding right and the possibility of low voltage isn't even a considered as a source of the problem. It's usually last on the list, if it's even on the list. Worse yet, if you do think that's the reason, there's little to nothing you can do about it because you don't have a power regulator on hand to correct it.
Using a regulator does give you peace of mind and assures you that your gear is getting a constant voltage. |
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