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what food are you feeding your system

L

lovemytoys

Active Member
i was thinking of rewiring the feed for my av system.i was going to feed my tv -sat and internet true 20 amp circuit and a apc ups .my amps and blueray i was going to feed with 20 amp 10 gauge wire with and ps audion power strip .both with a PS Audio Soloist .i still havent pick a av stand yet but i guess i should jump on this first
 
A few years ago I ran 2, dedicated 20 circuits behind my system. One of them powers the Sub and the other powers my Power Amplifiers. The other components that are in my system run off an APC Surge strip on a standard 15 AMP Outlet.
 
Those are awfully expensive... unless you really know that you've got serious problems or current limitation (just how many amps are you running?), those might be overkill. You could get the a standard UPS, and hook everything up to something like a Furman power conditioner that will monitor the line voltage so you can see if you're drawing more than the line can handle.

:text-link:

Seriously guys, for home audio, having these massive 20+ amp dedicated lines is probably WAY overkill.

However, there are others (Batman? Flint?) who have set up various power sources for their a/v racks, maybe they can chime in as I'm sure they know more about it than me, as most of my experience with this type of thing is with P/A systems (e.g. a lot more juice).
 
It might be a little overkill Pauly, but I can't run my Dyson on the same bank of outlets as the amp, or it sends the amp into protection mode. I could see at least one 20 amp circuit.

It's too bad Hot Monkey doesn't come around here as much anymore. I believe he had a couple of dedicated circuits, but of course he had like 12 Rotel 2 channel amps to run the speakers! Overkill, maybe, but it looked awesome!
 
I think all of those power conditioners and accessories are cool but probably not needed for most situations. Maybe I'm biased because I can't afford them.

That said there can be a benefit to having a circuit with the ability to deliver sufficient current to your equipment. Whether that circuit needs to be dedicated solely to your equipment is entirely dependent on what else is on the circuit.

All of the gear in the rack is connected to a Tripplite UPS/power conditioner. My front speakers are active and are connected to a Tripplite IsoBar. I could easily run a dedicated circuit for the rack and front but I've found no reason to so far.
 
^^^ any of you guys remember Rich (rmyAddison) at the old place? He ran three dedicated 20 amp lines for his Def Tech based HT.


I've thought about a single 20 amp run for my setup sometime in the future. I'm pretty sure the previous owner has all the outlets in my basement on one circuit. I think (haven't really counted) I have 8 outlets total, but I'm only using two of them for the HT and a third one for my mini fridge and lamp. I haven't had any issues, even when I had my powered Mackies, but I would like to have an isolated circuit specifically for my HT. This way the other outlets wouldn't be overloaded if I add other electrical appliances downstairs (microwave, mini kegarator, etc.).
 
Please define "haywire".

Do you suspect insufficient current when all of your equipment is on? If so than a dedicated circuit may be required.

Is it possible that the APC is malfunctioning?
 
Seems the biggest current draw is at power-up. Are you turning on the amp separately from the other gear? If so and it's still a problem for the APC, then yeah maybe another circuit will help, though it's not certain depending on the supply to your house, other stuff on at the time, etc. How's the voltage level shown on the APC when the system is up and running (assuming it has a voltage display)?
 
think I'm have a to big of a voltage drop .my receiver is wired to trigger the parasound amp with a 15-20 second delay .the other amp i turn on when needed .it think it 14 gauge wire .at start up the alarm goes off on the apc,if i remember the voltage drops to 103 volts input output is 120 volts.running the line are no problem at all.i have 200amp service and plenty of room in the panel.the reason for the ups is i have a generator backup and I'm afraid the voltage isn't to stable from it for the equipment .
 
lovemytoys said:
right now i have one of these http://www.apc.com/products/apcav/produ ... se_sku=S15 with marantz a v7005 -Parasound Halo A51 -Emotiva XPA-2 - sony 46 -direct tv .when i turn it on the pac goes haywire
Click to expand...


The APC Unit should have a sensitivity setting that can be adjusted to prevent this. Is the unit switching to Inverter (battery) during power up? The inrush current during power up is most likely causing the power sag and is also depended upon where on the power cycle the equipment is being turned on.

APC has a great customer support Team, give them a call and they should help you out.
 
PaulyT said:
Those are awfully expensive... unless you really know that you've got serious problems or current limitation (just how many amps are you running?), those might be overkill. You could get the a standard UPS, and hook everything up to something like a Furman power conditioner that will monitor the line voltage so you can see if you're drawing more than the line can handle.

:text-link:

Seriously guys, for home audio, having these massive 20+ amp dedicated lines is probably WAY overkill.

However, there are others (Batman? Flint?) who have set up various power sources for their a/v racks, maybe they can chime in as I'm sure they know more about it than me, as most of my experience with this type of thing is with P/A systems (e.g. a lot more juice).
Click to expand...


This maybe overkill, however it wiill never hurt!

My experiances in the Power Converstion Industry caused me to do this. Large Reactive (capacitive/inductive) Loads can put a strain on all equipment on a similar circuit. There was a discussion about this on the other forum with a little more detail.

Anyone that is setting up a dedicated home theater that has the ability to run a couple of dedicated circuits should do this (when practical).
 
lovemytoys said:
right now i have one of these http://www.apc.com/products/apcav/produ ... se_sku=S15 with marantz a v7005 -Parasound Halo A51 -Emotiva XPA-2 - sony 46 -direct tv .when i turn it on the pac goes haywire
Click to expand...


One more thing, are you running the Power Chute Software that comes with the APC Unit?

It will give you the complete data of the line condition and all events with respect to the power quality that the unit is seeing.

It is very user friendly and comprehensive.
 
Yeah, that makes sense. My amps are actually on all the time in my HT, since they're not remote switchable. So I never have this inrush issue. But then, my biggest amp is only 75 watts per channel, and I don't listen at heeman-spl-levels. :laughing: So my power requirements are modest, and I've never noticed an issue. I do have everything plugged into good quality tripplite surge protectors, and the power around my house has gotten more stable since we upgraded to a 200amp feed.
 
PaulyT said:
Yeah, that makes sense. My amps are actually on all the time in my HT, since they're not remote switchable. So I never have this inrush issue. But then, my biggest amp is only 75 watts per channel, and I don't listen at heeman-spl-levels. :laughing: So my power requirements are modest, and I've never noticed an issue. I do have everything plugged into good quality tripplite surge protectors, and the power around my house has gotten more stable since we upgraded to a 200amp feed.
Click to expand...


Remember 2 things:

1. If your electronics are on the same circuit as any appliances, these appliances as they turn on and off, CAN effect the power quality to your equipment.

2. When your amplifiers are ON, they are drawing significantly more power than when they are switched off. The power in the ON position is from the Core Loss of the Transformer in the Power Supply Section of the Amplifier and other components that are energized. So maybe you can save a couple bucks per month on your electric bill by turning those wimpy little amplifiers off when not in use :laughing-rolling: .
 
Yeah, I know, but I'm too damn lazy to turn them on/off manually, since that system is used on a daily basis. It's a lot of manual switches - three amps, two crossovers.
 
Ok, My Carvin Fet450 feeding a sub in bridge mono is fused at 4 amps. The Carvin Fet1000 feeds left and right mains with a fuse for 7 amps. The second 450 with the other sub is another 4 amps. That would be all I can run on the 15 amp circuits in my home. Now I need to run the Video (another 3 to 4 amps) on another breaker with the control and source boxes (pre/pro, blueray, comptuer, etc). The amps and subs are from my band PA.

I have Sansui B-3000 with a 2.5 amp fuse 120 watts a side. Kenwood 200 watts for center 3 amps. Pioneer 75 watts surround 3 amps. 42 inch Vizio video. This is 13 amps at start. The amps are on a relay that is triggered by the Pre/pro.

It is easy to use up two circuits in a home theater. Lighting, Ceiling fan, Cooling.
 
malsackj said:
Ok, My Carvin Fet450 feeding a sub in bridge mono is fused at 4 amps. The Carvin Fet1000 feeds left and right mains with a fuse for 7 amps. The second 450 with the other sub is another 4 amps. That would be all I can run on the 15 amp circuits in my home. Now I need to run the Video (another 3 to 4 amps) on another breaker with the control and source boxes (pre/pro, blueray, comptuer, etc). The amps and subs are from my band PA.

I have Sansui B-3000 with a 2.5 amp fuse 120 watts a side. Kenwood 200 watts for center 3 amps. Pioneer 75 watts surround 3 amps. 42 inch Vizio video. This is 13 amps at start. The amps are on a relay that is triggered by the Pre/pro.

It is easy to use up two circuits in a home theater. Lighting, Ceiling fan, Cooling.
Click to expand...


Let's see if I can try to explain this with typed words where it makes since.

Max Current Rating for a 15A Branch Circuit typically is 12.5 Amps Steady State (continuous).

The Fuse ratings on your equipment is not the steady state rating, it is actually an overload protection device rating. So your equipment's steady state rating should be significantly less than that. Furthermore, your equipment should have a name plate that indicates it voltage and current rating.

You will need to add up the total nameplate current rating of your equipment to determine MAXIMUM Load. I call this Maximum, because it will actually be the Maximum Load. Steady State load should be less.

Also remember that the Branch Circuit for your HT or equipment, may not be dedicated to that room and may have other outlets in your home connected to it.

You typically will not have problems unless you have high powered amplifiers in your system. These devices CAN draw high current during peaks in the audio signal.

It is a good idea to understand the branch circuits in your home to help clarify the loading in each circuit.

One reason I ran 2 dedicated 20Amp branch circuits to my equipment, is knowing that nothing else in on those circuits.

I hope that this helps you understand your systems loading/current requirements?
 
Seperate for each. 2 conductor 12 AWG + Bare Gnd; each. I made sure that the 2 discreet breakers each were conected to different sides of the 240 coming into the box (opposite rails).
 
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