Furman AR-1215 and EMI

While looking into the purchase of a Furman AR-1215, my interest was piqued upon reading that Furman power conditioners emit EMI UPWARDS which can lead to damage of your axe if mounted in close proximity to one another with the axe ABOVE the Furman.

I know there are a few proposed solutions including mounting the axe BELOW the Furman and flipping the Furman upside down.

With the way my rig is setup these two options are not very desirable and I am wondering if I can sufficiently shield the axe from the Furman's EMI by using some 3M EMI shielding tape on the INSIDE of the Furman's top panel.

Will my idea work?

It is definitely the cheapest option I believe, and easy to accomplish. All I would need to do is remove the top panel of the Furman and apply the tape!

There's also some 3m EMI absorbing foam that could be mounted on the components generating the EMI?..

EMI/RFI Absorbers - 3M | DigiKey



Thanks!
 
EMI from a power condition damage the Axe-fx? That is the first I have heard of that. Where did this information come from?
It might be able to cause signal inteference, but damage the Axe-fx?
 
EMI from a power condition damage the Axe-fx? That is the first I have heard of that. Where did this information come from?
It might be able to cause signal inteference, but damage the Axe-fx?
Agree
Damage? Hmmm... I don't think so. But it can make some serious noise.
Ask Maschoff from the forum. He uses his furman upside down, because that is his last (bottom) unit in his rack.
 
Believe it or not this is straight from Furman.

See the following thread - http://forum.fractalaudio.com/lounge/27535-all-those-who-place-their-axefx-top-their-furman.html

EMI is known to damage circuits and memory among other things..

I agree it's ironic that the Furman produces EMI which is something it is supposed to filter.

I am more interested in the Furman for voltage regulation and the protection it offers at unknown venues.


So we're back to my question, will the shielding tape work??
 
Believe it or not this is straight from Furman.

See the following thread - http://forum.fractalaudio.com/lounge/27535-all-those-who-place-their-axefx-top-their-furman.html

EMI is known to damage circuits and memory among other things..

I agree it's ironic that the Furman produces EMI which is something it is supposed to filter.

I am more interested in the Furman for voltage regulation and the protection it offers at unknown venues.


So we're back to my question, will the shielding tape work??

That wasn't straight from furman? That was some one saying they were talking to a furman rep. I doubt the EM field is going to be great enough to damage circuits. And I have certainly not heard of an confirmed instance of this. If the furman is eminating an EM field that string, it should be thrown in the trash regardless of which direction the field is emanating.
 
Right, I agree. It seems ridiculous that the unit could cause such damage.

Here's what the AR-1215 manual says about EMI. It's only mentioned this one time.

"
RFI/EMI INTERFERENCE: Noise from RFI (Radio
Frequency Interference) or EMI (Electro Magnetic
Interference) involves lower voltages and less
energy than is found in spikes, but it is continuous
rather than transient in nature. It is not likely to cause
physical damage, but it can certainly be annoying,
producing static in audio circuits, “snow” on video
screens, or garbled data in computers. Noise can be
introduced into AC lines by nearby radio transmitters,
certain kinds of lighting, electric motors, and others.
Because noise occurs at higher frequencies than
the 50 or 60 Hz AC line, it can be effectively reduced
through use of low-pass fi lettering.

"
 
Right, I agree. It seems ridiculous that the unit could cause such damage.

Here's what the AR-1215 manual says about EMI. It's only mentioned this one time.

"
RFI/EMI INTERFERENCE: Noise from RFI (Radio
Frequency Interference) or EMI (Electro Magnetic
Interference) involves lower voltages and less
energy than is found in spikes, but it is continuous
rather than transient in nature. It is not likely to cause
physical damage, but it can certainly be annoying,
producing static in audio circuits, “snow” on video
screens, or garbled data in computers. Noise can be
introduced into AC lines by nearby radio transmitters,
certain kinds of lighting, electric motors, and others.
Because noise occurs at higher frequencies than
the 50 or 60 Hz AC line, it can be effectively reduced
through use of low-pass fi lettering.

"

For the Axe-fx, by the time you get enough EMI to garble any communication, you going to have so much noise you would be able to stand playing.

Whether that tape will work or not I think would depend on how much EMI the unit is putting off. Really the best thing is to put it somewhere else or get a unit that doesn't do that. The funny thing is the unit claims low stray magnetic field leakage. That is EMI. Guess not.
 
Been using an AR1215 in a rack with other digital devices for years (mounted right side up). There have been a variety of digital FX mounted right next to it without issue. It wouldn't hurt to mount it elsewhere, or put something between it and the AFX, I suppose, but I seriously doubt it would corrupt the Axe Fx data based on my experience with the unit. Being as you are the one who will deal with the result, I'd say base it on your own feelings though!

The A1215 is not what I use with the Axe FX, though it is also a Furman (PL-Pro DMC) and that is mounted above the Axe Fx because it has downward facing lights. It has been ultra-reliable in protecting gear. I have shared here before that my rack and the keyboard player's gear that was plugged into it as well were all that was spared when bad wiring sent 240V to our stage circuit. My friend's Boogie went, quite literally, up in smoke. I know it's a big debate here at times, but I don't gig without one since that day. My point is that you are, IMO, smart to use a conditioner or regulator... you may just need to use a different one if the AR-1215 gives you concerns.
 
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