Who here uses one,
I have used one of these for several years, might be overkill
FurmanSound.com - Pro A/V Product - P-2400 AR
I have used one of these for several years, might be overkill
FurmanSound.com - Pro A/V Product - P-2400 AR
let's talk voltage regulators
- Thread starter tunes4046
- Start date
I have two voltage regulators mounted in my rack. One is a Furman and the other is Pyle Pro (I think). The Furman runs my audio and the Pyle Pro runs my lights. I try to run cords from two different circuits at a venue, so each conditioner is running on a separate circuit.
The above picture is of the lower rear portion of my rack. You can see the rear mounted voltage regulator above the vented panel, and the two inlets on the left side of the bottom panel are where the extension cords for the two voltage regulators are plugged in. The remaining 8 outlets are split evenly between the two regulators, using sockets that are not used internally by the other rack-mounted devices (light controller, computers, mixer, equalizer, etc.).
Edit: Now that I think about it, the Furman is the only Voltage Regulator. The Pyle Pro is just a surge protector. A voltage regulator to run lighting is probably not necessary.
The above picture is of the lower rear portion of my rack. You can see the rear mounted voltage regulator above the vented panel, and the two inlets on the left side of the bottom panel are where the extension cords for the two voltage regulators are plugged in. The remaining 8 outlets are split evenly between the two regulators, using sockets that are not used internally by the other rack-mounted devices (light controller, computers, mixer, equalizer, etc.).
Edit: Now that I think about it, the Furman is the only Voltage Regulator. The Pyle Pro is just a surge protector. A voltage regulator to run lighting is probably not necessary.
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I have two, a Furman 15-amp and a TrippLite LCR2400 (20-amp). I used to keep them in my rack and used them consistenly. Now, the Tripplite just lives in my van, in case I run into a low-voltage venue. I do have a rack mount, power strip with a volt-meter built in.
Furman AR-15 series II here.
Provides both power conditioning and voltage regulation.
It's discontinued now but I would not hesitate to replace it with another Furman.
A lot of people think that a power conditioner includes voltage regulation but that is not always the case so anyone shopping for one would be wise to spend the extra money and make sure it does both.
Provides both power conditioning and voltage regulation.
It's discontinued now but I would not hesitate to replace it with another Furman.
A lot of people think that a power conditioner includes voltage regulation but that is not always the case so anyone shopping for one would be wise to spend the extra money and make sure it does both.
I do not use them. My laptops power supply is good for 100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz, and feeds +19 VDC to the laptops internal voltage regulators. In fact, every piece of electronic gear I have has it's own internal voltage regulation. The only thing that does not is the output stages of my Class A/B power amps (the amps input stages are fed from regulators). Looking inside my one Class D amp, as far as I can tell, it runs on Magic, there are so few parts in there!
Help me here - are you using them for better sound? Equipment protection? If so, do you have definitive proof they actually do as claimed, and are in fact worth the extra weight in the rack?
Help me here - are you using them for better sound? Equipment protection? If so, do you have definitive proof they actually do as claimed, and are in fact worth the extra weight in the rack?
I use them for both purposes, I noticed my active Yamaha system sounded better in venues that had better power, it's what spurred me into my purchase
I use a big Monster Power Conditioner that is apparently no longer available. You should definitely use one, as crappy power can do all sorts of nasty things to digital and analog equipment. Over-voltage might even be the least of your worries........
To be honest, I use them out of an abundance of caution.[emoji2] They may be serving no useful purpose as far as I know, and I could just be lugging them around for the exercise.[emoji2] All I know is I have had no power supply failures on any of my gear, but it could be that I wouldn't have anyway. Just to be on the safe side though, I'm gonna keep lugging them around.[emoji2] Did I mention I'm looking really fit these days?[emoji2]
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OK gang - remember, the OP asked about voltage regulators, not power conditioners.
The old Furman's actually had a big transformer that automatically changed taps to keep the voltage close to constant - that's why they were so heavy.
Does your local electrical utility really have that much of a problem providing relatively constant AC voltage? Ever stick an AC meter in a wall socket and actually watch it? As I previously said, most of the modern stuff we use these days has their own voltage regulators powered by high frequency Switching Power Supplies - the combination of which can tolerate a pretty wide range of input voltages. If you think using an additional outboard regulator helps, good. I remain unconvinced.
The old Furman's actually had a big transformer that automatically changed taps to keep the voltage close to constant - that's why they were so heavy.
Does your local electrical utility really have that much of a problem providing relatively constant AC voltage? Ever stick an AC meter in a wall socket and actually watch it? As I previously said, most of the modern stuff we use these days has their own voltage regulators powered by high frequency Switching Power Supplies - the combination of which can tolerate a pretty wide range of input voltages. If you think using an additional outboard regulator helps, good. I remain unconvinced.
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Down here everything goes through a voltage regulator and then a conditioner. The voltage fluctuations down here are terrifying.
True, but some conditioners accomplish regulation as well. The one I use does this quite well.
I'd be interested to know what brand/model that is. To my knowledge, they are distinct animals. You may have a regulator that also has conditioning built-in but I've never seen a conditioner that also has a regulator built-in.
Rick, it is a Monster Power Pro 3500. Here is a copy of the owner's Manual:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/media/i3d/01/A/man-migrate/MANUAL000070815.pdf
It functions with any voltage between 90 and 130 volts AC. Anything above or below that, and it goes into protection mode. So, I guess an argument could be made that it is NOT a regulator, but it accomplishes the same task.
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/media/i3d/01/A/man-migrate/MANUAL000070815.pdf
It functions with any voltage between 90 and 130 volts AC. Anything above or below that, and it goes into protection mode. So, I guess an argument could be made that it is NOT a regulator, but it accomplishes the same task.
nowhere in the literature does it say anything about voltage regulation, all it says it that unit itself will work with between 90 and 130 volts it does not store that energy and create a constant 120 volts like a true regulator would
Nick, I have the same one .. used to sit in my amp rack .. now it's in my home AV rack .. too heavy to lug around. I use small Furman or RackRider units these days.
It IS heavy. I have it in my large raodcase. I guess I will have to take it out now since it's not bona fide.Nick, I have the same one .. used to sit in my amp rack .. now it's in my home AV rack .. too heavy to lug around. I use small Furman or RackRider units these days.
I think it's Bona Fid-Enough ...
If I had the amps, the Monster would still be in it. I love the dual display of voltage and current.
