UPS or Curent stabilizer

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iSiStOy
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UPS or Curent stabilizer

Post by iSiStOy »

Hi,

I detected I have parasites in my current lines in here: when the microwave or fridge is starting, I get pikes with audio.
I know about UPS but I am not sure I need such a device or if I just need some stabilizer. The other thing I am not sure about is the total charge needed, if any (only in case of a UPS I think).

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance,

iSiStOy
dawman
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Re: UPS or Curent stabilizer

Post by dawman »

Are you sharing a tip for extermination?...... :D

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www. ... fpIZ8eoeUw

I'd like to call my Brotha' 'N' Law............Hey.........Is that Oak ??

A UPS is a great investment in case of social collapse or hazzards.
I think a sequential surge and spike protector is a wise investment for stage and at home.
When a spike hits, you get a sequential start up when the power comes back and it serves as a current regulator.
Juice Goose 1U's are on ebay for dirt cheap.The used ones for 20 bucks are a steal.

You'd think we could electrocute those scavengers if they eat throught the rubber.
I know this is probably too late, but my Grandma taught me how to get rid of pests......You feed them. Don't poison them, just feed them Corn Meal. They'll take it back to their nests and eat it. They can't digest it so it kills them. Then they learn that smell, so wherever there's Corn Meal they steer clear.

Funny how Old folks had such simple effective hand me downs of Yore.........
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iSiStOy
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Re: UPS or Curent stabilizer

Post by iSiStOy »

Yes that's amazing!!!
I know reason and physics don't come to people before decades/centuries but people before us, were experimenting nature's behaviour and knew how to adapt.
Can't remember what my grandma told me about pests in the past by the way, but I remember she telling me about it for sure, as she was working in fields since she was young... :)

Ok. Thanks Jimmy.
So, spike protectors aren't a dream of mine?
I mean, it exists and it is sold differently than classic computer UPS stuff?
Or would I have to consider buying these combos ups/filter/stabilizer stuff, taking into account that I have a comp and many hardware stuff to protect from these evil current fluctuations of mine?

Thanks,

Denis
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valis
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Re: UPS or Curent stabilizer

Post by valis »

Inexpensive UPS's (computer or studio) will typically only have the backup battery and a (required) fuse to avoid extreme current draw. These are useless... more expensive UPS's (like APC's "SmartUPS" line) will have a decent amount of filtering (to suppress noise & transients) and a transformer/relay array to adjust for minor voltage fluctuations. Of course noone tells you that these relays give a small spike of their own when operating...and also can't handle usually more than +/- 10v. Many of the studio 'power conditioners' will offer filtering on the lower end of the cost scale, followed by some voltage stabilization in the next tier up. Top tier (for Monster & Furman at least) usually flaunts a backup battery as well as '5 stage power filtering' and so on...but costs quite a bit.

I don't have any experience with Juice Goose but checking their site and a bit of googling shows they're regarded relatively well and compare favorably (better imo) to the Furman products. You basically want something that will offer some line-filtering and voltage stabilization, it doesn't sound like you need 'backup battery' facilities (unless you do get brown-outs?). There was a previous thread discussing this either in the Tech section or in Off Topic, a quick search should reveal it.
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iSiStOy
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Re: UPS or Curent stabilizer

Post by iSiStOy »

Indeed, I'm looking for filtering and stabilization. The backup battery could be useful but is not the main purpose here, as you pointed out.
So, as I see on their website, Juice Goose propose an AC Surge Filter, which looks exactly like what I would need.

Thanks again guys!

Edit: hmm but apparently they don't propose European AC connectors. I'll have to contact them or to find some workaround.
kwild
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Re: UPS or Curent stabilizer

Post by kwild »

Look here :

http://www.apc.com/resource/include/tec ... BE700%2DIT

Great product with backup battery (4 schuko plugs) + 4 balanced/filtered plugs with no backup battery.
And you have no noisy fan like all major UPS's in the market!!
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iSiStOy
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Re: UPS or Curent stabilizer

Post by iSiStOy »

looks interesting as well. I'll check that.

Thanks kwild
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valis
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Re: UPS or Curent stabilizer

Post by valis »

I would skip the BackUPS. There's no voltage stabilization of the kind that will stabilize sustained over or under voltage conditions, that's merely a basic level of filtering that equates to a 'more robust' powerstrip (larger coil+capacitors). Even the larger units are the same, they just have larger batteries.

And the thing that concerns me most about these units, read the specs for this line:
Waveform Type - Stepped approximation to a sinewave

Not all computers & audio devices will be happy with this...and its especially damaging to something like an LCD monitor.

However their Line-R stuff is worthwhile:
http://www.apc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=67

I have 2 1200VA Line-R units sitting before the Furman rack stuff I have here, the only thing that doesn't connect to them are the UPS's that have their own filtering & voltage stabilization. I had found that most of my studio 'voltage stabilizers' (Furman etc) were struggling when I saw 'brownouts' down to 90V (instead of 115-120VAC) they were struggling to cope and I had weird issues (synths would get an 'error' and need to be rebooted etc). The Line-R device on its own actually corrects about a 50-60V range (80-130, 85-140 or 90-150 for the 3 120V settings) and it does so in larger 'steps' so I found having the other power conditioning gear after it was still useful.
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iSiStOy
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Re: UPS or Curent stabilizer

Post by iSiStOy »

Definitively interesting Valis!!!
I'm experiencing synths error as well, with needs to reboot. Sometimes, devices get strange bugs and I am quite sure it is caused by this shitty current lines I have in this old flat.
So you made a first stage of Large Steps voltage regulation before the actual current stabilizer stuff like a Furman's ?
That would be one of the optimal solution for me... Got to try that!

Thanks again guys,

iSiS
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iSiStOy
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Re: UPS or Curent stabilizer

Post by iSiStOy »

Thanks Valis.
I followed some of your past suggestions and I bought myself an APC Line-R 1200. I now wait for a Furman PL-8 CE Power Conditioner.
What I have seen so far, is that the Line-R is triggering itself at least 2-3 times a day (at least when I am at home). It will certainly help my setup to be more stable and devices to last longer.

I'll post some more, after I get the Furman delivered and installed.
What I found boring though, is finding cheap ch plug adaptor for the rack. I saw the needed ones in only one store and it's f... expensive. Plus I need sthg like 10 of them...
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