What does a power conditioner do?

[katri]

what is a power conditioner??
what does it do? and
what features are necissary/recommended on one if i wanted to buy one?


thanks
dan

[superbassman2000]

AFAIK, its like a surge protector in a rackmount version...you plug all your rack effects into it, and you are protected against voltage spikes, or power surges...that is my understanding of them...

[Freaky Fender]

Yeah.

Even though it sounds like bull, there's dirty power.

But dirty power just means that there's an inconsistant stream of voltage, so a power conditioner just makes sure there's a steady stream of voltage for gear.

[katri]

ok makes sence what they do.
now what features do i need on one
and what bells an whistles can i get on them?

[srxplayer]

Common misconceptions about power conditioners.

1. They Regulate Voltage.
2. They Sequence the equipment on and off.

This is basicly what they do:

The most important reason for using them is protecting your equipment from big power surges and filtering out RFI/EMI noise. Keep in mind that they don't regulate voltage. If you want something to regulate the voltage going into you equipment you need a "voltage regulator" they are not the same thing. They also don't sequence the quipment on and off. If thats what you want than you need a sequencer.

I'm sure somebody makes a product that does everything but I don't know who that is. All of my power conditioners are Furmans and I don't think they make an all in one solution.

I use several different versions of the Furman units. I have mostly M8 & M8D's with the voltage meeters and lights. You can get them with voltage read outs (in comming voltage)and rack lights built in but they aren't really needed. The rack lights are handy but I really don't care about what the in comming voltage is fluctuating at. It's an extra you don't really need. The Merit series is the least expensive and are rated for 15 amps. These will work fine for a preamp/poweramp set up. None of the power conditioners compensate for line high or low line voltage so if you play outdoor events hooked to generators you need a voltage regulater, and they don't sequence your equipment. You can get an M8D on MF for $79.99.

I also have some PL Series PL Series II's that I use in multiple amp racks. They have 20 amp ratings, more filtering capabilies as well as LED rack lighting. They cost a lot more than the Merit Series but are worth the extra money in an effects rack or recording studio. These run around $189.00

They don't filter out every RFI/EMI noise but the PL Series seems to get about 99% of it and are worth buying if thats really important for your set up. In most casses the lower cost Merit Series does an excellent job. All in all they are cheap insurance and make things convienent for you.

Hope that helps.

[Gintaras]

My day time gig is as a network consultant. We use UPS (uninteruptible power supply) to not only protect the pc but to keep it from crashing in power outages or line voltage drops. I was wondering if this might useful instead of a power conditioner? Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[ric1312]

they will also take hum out of a line that is caused by having appliances on the same line. this is the main reason you would want one. I have to use one in my house.

[rhythm]

Is there a limit to how many different effects you can plug into a conditioner, or does it depend on which model you have?

[srxplayer]

Originally Posted by rhythm

Is there a limit to how many different effects you can plug into a conditioner, or does it depend on which model you have?

On the Furmans it's limited to 9 plugs. 8 on the back and 1 on the front. It's limited actually to the amps it will draw. I doubt you could create more than a 15 amp load on it with just effects units. Amps might do it though.

[srxplayer]

Originally Posted by Gintaras

My day time gig is as a network consultant. We use UPS (uninteruptible power supply) to not only protect the pc but to keep it from crashing in power outages or line voltage drops. I was wondering if this might useful instead of a power conditioner? Anyone have any thoughts on this?

The voltage regulater might be. Not being familiar with your line of work I'm not entirely sure. You can check out www.furmansound.com and ask them.

[WJGreer]

IMO, the coolest combination of features is the Furman PL-Tuner. It's got the eight switched plugs on the back, rack lights on the front, plus a tuner with an amp mute (although I would probably run from the "tuner out" jack rather than in-line from the bass if I had the option.

[paulraphael]

There are different levels of power protection.

Most basic is a surge supressor.

Next level up provides filtering of noise (added harmonics) on the AC waveform.

Next up from that offers voltage regulation.

Next up from that is a unit that actually regenerates the AC ... it converts it to regulated DC, and then uses a sinewave generator to create a perfect sinewave. This is the only kind of conditioner that can remove electrical noise that results in a distorted AC waveform. It also tends to be too heavy for a gigging musician, and too expensive.

My general feeling is that power conditioners make sense if you use gear that's sensitive to very dirty power and unstable voltages, and if you gig in places where this is common. If so, be sure to spring for one that has voltage regulation. The lower end ones are often glorified power strips.

[paulraphael]

Originally Posted by Gintaras

My day time gig is as a network consultant. We use UPS (uninteruptible power supply) to not only protect the pc but to keep it from crashing in power outages or line voltage drops. I was wondering if this might useful instead of a power conditioner? Anyone have any thoughts on this?

an issue with UPSs is that only the most expensive ones generate a true sinewave. Most of them generate a square wave or a "stepped" sine wave ... a kind of pixelated looking simulation of a sine wave. It's much cheaper to do this, and most computer power supplies can deal with it. But they don't like it ... it's ok mostly because the backup power only gets used ocasionally.

When my UPS kicks in, the computer's fine, but my monitor buzzes and the picture quality goes to hell. I'd be worried that feeding that kind of power to audio gear could sound horrible ... it might be better to just stop playing.

another issue is power capacity. bass amps draw a lot more juice than a typical computer, so you'd need to get a very high capacity unit (big, heavy, pricey).

[katri]

hey guys thanks for the explainations especially srx you made it really clear to me thanks alot

Originally Posted by srxplayer

On the Furmans it's limited to 9 plugs. 8 on the back and 1 on the front. It's limited actually to the amps it will draw. I doubt you could create more than a 15 amp load on it with just effects units. Amps might do it though.

does this mean i souldn't run a head through a power conditioner??

[DaftCat]

Originally Posted by paulraphael

It also tends to be too heavy for a gigging musician, and too expensive.

Just like to add the conditioners on this level consume more power
also. It won't matter playing a club but it could using it at your home.

[Espidog]

Honestly, you guys... Where do you get all this rubbish? Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows exactly what a power conditioner does. It leaves the electricity all soft and manageable after you've washed it!

[evan_phi]

Originally Posted by Espidog

Honestly, you guys... Where do you get all this rubbish? Anyone with an ounce of common sense knows exactly what a power conditioner does. It leaves the electricity all soft and manageable after you've washed it!

yeah exactly...

it makes the internal workings of electrical components (smoke in wires) thinner and easier to breathe when they stop working.

[srxplayer]

Originally Posted by katri

hey guys thanks for the explainations especially srx you made it really clear to me thanks alot




does this mean i souldn't run a head through a power conditioner??

No not at all. It just means you don't want to plug in multiple amps or other equipment that will create more than a 15 amp load.

A preamp / poweramp / pedal board wont create a 15 amp load. A couple of power amps shouldn't either. A single head should be no problem. I'm talking about plugging in 9 Crown CE2000's to the unit. That would draw more than 15 amps.

[srxplayer]

Originally Posted by evan_phi

yeah exactly...

it makes the internal workings of electrical components (smoke in wires) thinner and easier to breathe when they stop working.

And it smells nice too.