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I have quite a bit of outboard, and thought it might be an idea to find some way to protect it from electricalk surges spikes etc. Can anyone tell me if it is worthwhile getting something like a Furman power conditioner. I read some of the threads on here where users have one but not really sure about this side of studio gear, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

These devices are critical for stage rigs.

They have sequenced shut downs, and start ups also. They actually run at 121v.

I slao suggest getting a couple of luminescent 3 way adapters that remain lighted in the dark and also a 12" gooseneck can be attached in the rear of the Furman for showing the back of your racks w/o having to turn on a flashlight and stick it in your mouth,.....Gross.

Thanks for the advice Jimmy,

I have all my gear in a small home studio, so I dont think the criticality of stage life is as bad. I will look into getting one though, and a UPS too.... as once in a while the gf puts the washing machine on and the dishwasher and the electric oven and the TV and does the ironing, all at the same time while I am upstairs in my studio, and sometimes this overloads the main circuit breaker

Anyways, I will look into getting one, so thanks again

t_tangent wrote:...as once in a while the gf puts the washing machine on and the dishwasher and the electric oven and the TV and does the ironing, all at the same time while I am upstairs in my studio, and sometimes this overloads the main circuit breaker

doesn't the electric oven have its own fuses for each of the 3phase power lines?
but an online UPS is nevertheless a good idea since it can protect the connected devices from power spikes etc, because the output power is self-generated from the batteries.

-greetings, markus-

those devices are not really power conditioners. they don't assure you of a set voltage out regardless of the input. they don't guarantee a sine wave. for this you need an expensive, heavy duty, heavy(from the transformer and caps inside) box. 1 space rack boxes called power conditioners aren't, or offer correction/protection for very small loads. none of the $75-200 power conditioners are power conditioners. they are lightmodules/powerstrips.

those one space boxes are very good against spikes(surge protection) and offer a bunch of plugs. often there are useful things like lights and meters on them, so they're nice to have around.....

none of these devices will keep you from overloading a circuit. an ups will keep you from losing data when it does overload.....it might be cheaper to train/beat the gf....

Thanks for the replies kylie and garyb,

For the power conditioner I was looking at the Furman PL-8E Series II, but not quite sure what UPS to get. Would it be necessary to power condition gear that has transformers, such as the A16 Ultra etc, or just the direct into wall stuff, otherwise I would have to get 2 of those power conditioners as 10 plugs wouldnt be enough?

From reading some other related threads as well I think ti would be worth getting an electrician around sometime to check all my mains wiring etc and see if he can advise on the studio setup too.

And yes garyb, the gf training/beating has been working lately... I find electroshock therapy quite effective

the ups will do all the power conditioning you need if you get one whose wattage rating exceeds the power requirements of everything you want to plug into it.....

Ah ok, I didnt realise that. Any ideas on a good UPS item for around 20 outboard units, or would it be btter to get 2 or 3 UPS units each with about 8 plugs. Also how do I calculate what the power comsumption is for my outboard, ie is there some sort of equation or simpy adding up the wattage of each outboard unit. Hope that makes sense. And thanks for the info too

2 or 3 ups and a couple of power strips will likely do it. as they get bigger, they get more expensive. do you really need to do this? if so, get the best quality you can afford.

yes, add up the wattage of the devices(the usage) and then add some more for good measure. obviously, your home doesn't really have a big enough service or enough circuits for all of your electric devices, an ups won't fix this(an electrician will)...

also, be aware, not all these units are the same. not all will correct voltage in all circumstances, not all assure a sine wave. usually the better most expensive models will be required to get a guaranteed, clean voltage(110, 220 whatever). the cheaper ones will just provide backup power in the case of complete power failure(like when a breaker trips while the washer is running)...

An UPS usually has one or more fans. So if acoustic noise is an issue. You might want to place it somewhere else. Also UPSes are said to do bad things to the devices not connected to them.

mine don't have fans....