Power Conditioners

CactusTone

CactusTone

Inspired
I've been using a Furman M-8x for my live rig, which consists of an XL+ and an ASM-12 only. At home, I use a Furman P-1800 Pf R, which supplies power to my entire home studio rack. I totally trust the P-1800 to do what is should. The M-8x, not so much. I feel like the M-8x is more-or-less a rack mounted power strip, which is convenient, but I wonder if it's really providing protection.

What are you all using for your live power conditioners?
Would you trust the M-8x with your rig?
 
I am using the older version of the P-1800 for gigs.
The M-8x will not supply power during a power drop which is more likely at a gig and it probably has minimal surge protection so no, I would not trust it.
 
I've experimented a few surges and my AXE, Matrix and laptop were just fine every time. All I did was reset the fuse and problem was cleared.

I use a PL8C
 
AR-1215.JPG
 
While not a UPS, and also what I'd consider a "true" power conditioner, it's good enough for most of my needs. Everything in the rack attaches to it. And there is a HUMBUSTER that is at the end of the Furman's power cord.

It can be interesting to turn on the ammeter and watch it go up with power chords into the Matrix. ;)


Furman PL-PLUS DMC - 15A w/Voltmeter/Ammeter

The Furman PL-PLUS DMC is the latest generation of Furman's legendary 15 amp power conditioners, featuring Furman's exclusive Series Multi-Stage Protection Plus (SMP+) with Linear Filtering Technology (LiFT) and Extreme Voltage Shutdown (EVS) for ultra-reliable protection of your gear.

Furman PL-PLUS DMC Features:
  • Maximum Output Current: 15 amps
  • Line Cord: Captive 3/14 AWG, 10 ft. black cord with NEMA 15 plug
  • Pull-out Lights: Two multi-LED, dimmable lamps
  • BNC Socket w/Switch: Rear rack lamp, 12VAC 500MA maxx (lamp not included)
  • Operating Voltage: 90 to 139 VAC
  • Spike Protection Mode: Line to neutral, zero ground leakage
  • Spike Clamping Voltage: 188 VAC peak @ 3,000 Amps
  • Response Time: 1 nanosecond
  • Maximum Surge Current: 6,500 Amps
  • Noise Attenuation: 10 dB @ 10 kHz, 40 dB @ 100 kHz, 50 dB @ 500 kHz
  • Dimensions: 19" W x 10.5" D x 1.75" H
  • Weight: 12 lbs.
  • Power Consumption: 12 watts
 
All the Axe really needs is a basic power strip, more doesn't hurt of course, but the Axe is not sensitive to fluctuations et al., to require the cost (and weight) of a high end unit

No one right or wrong answer, but there are tons of Fractal units, laptops etc out there all running just plugged straight into the wall socket at lots of venues with shady AC and we seldom if ever hear any reports of issues. Doesn't mean they don't or wont ever happen, but its just not too big of issue.

Its got a fairly wide operating range and small dips and surges aren't going to hurt it, power supply was spec'd with that in mind, so its not going to suddenly reboot with the slightest flutter of the AC, and as such, things like UPS probably aren't worth carrying around, unless you have someone else to move your rack lol
 
lqdsnddist said:
All the Axe really needs is a basic power strip, more doesn't hurt of course, but the Axe is not sensitive to fluctuations et al., to require the cost (and weight) of a high end unit

No one right or wrong answer, but there are tons of Fractal units, laptops etc out there all running just plugged straight into the wall socket at lots of venues with shady AC and we seldom if ever hear any reports of issues. Doesn't mean they don't or wont ever happen, but its just not too big of issue.

Its got a fairly wide operating range and small dips and surges aren't going to hurt it, power supply was spec'd with that in mind, so its not going to suddenly reboot with the slightest flutter of the AC, and as such, things like UPS probably aren't worth carrying around, unless you have someone else to move your rack lol
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Good to know! Thanks!
 
I'm using a Furman PL-PLUS DMC for my rack. I purchased it because I felt it was better than some other models and I liked the aesthetic look. Best bet for protection against brownouts and intermittent power loss would be a rack mount UPS. I have an APC Smart-UPS SC 450VA rack mount for my X32 mixer,which would be perfect for the AXE, if you wanted battery backup protection.
 
Actually there have been a few that have replaced power supplies in the axe fx over the years. I would suspect that would be the first item to take the brunt of an electrical supply issue.
 
FreeMind said:
So far, i have never seen a post "My axe fx blew up because of bad electricity".
Why?
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Being in Florida Electronics Get Zapped all the time. I have a UPS on my TV and all my low voltage electronic gear. It's not so much burning up the axe but more shutting off in a performance. Is it necessary? About as necessary as gear insurance.
 
FreeMind said:
So far, i have never seen a post "My axe fx blew up because of bad electricity".
Why?
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Having a universal power supply means The Axe-Fx operates normally under such a wide range of voltages, so this means it's less susceptible to malfunction due to supply fluctuations. They are rare, but have happened. Simply replacing the power supply has fixed the unit in those cases as far as I'm aware.
 
craiguitar said:
Having a universal power supply means The Axe-Fx operates normally under such a wide range of voltages, so this means it's less susceptible to malfunction due to supply fluctuations. They are rare, but have happened. Simply replacing the power supply has fixed the unit in those cases as far as I'm aware.
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Universal power supplies are what's in Computers. They don't help the brown out, rapid power drop, or electrical surge caused by distant lightning or power company glitches. And they are not always the first thing to go. It depends on the weakest link to ground. Motherboards fry all the time, due to power issues. Anything resembling a computer, like digital mixers, digital processors, etc., could reboot, shut off or get damaged. So down here your playing a live show and your AXE will shut off, because it lost power for a nano second. It happens all the time. No power conditioner or sophisticated surge strip will prevent that. The only way to prevent it is to have an Uninterruptible Power Supply (battery backup). The plus side is you never have to worry about any form of fluctuation or even a power short, because the UPS kicks in, in milliseconds. Overkill? maybe, but why risk damaging a $2000+ piece of gear.
 
Tommy Tempest said:
Universal power supplies are what's in Computers. They don't help the brown out, rapid power drop, or electrical surge caused by distant lightning or power company glitches. And they are not always the first thing to go. It depends on the weakest link to ground. Motherboards fry all the time, due to power issues. Anything resembling a computer, like digital mixers, digital processors, etc., could reboot, shut off or get damaged. So down here your playing a live show and your AXE will shut off, because it lost power for a nano second. It happens all the time. No power conditioner or sophisticated surge strip will prevent that. The only way to prevent it is to have an Uninterruptible Power Supply (battery backup). The plus side is you never have to worry about any form of fluctuation or even a power short, because the UPS kicks in, in milliseconds. Overkill? maybe, but why risk damaging a $2000+ piece of gear.
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The Axe's power supply seems to be sturdy enough to cope with most, otherwise we'd see a heck of a lot more issues reported on here. As with the other components Cliff and the FAS team have chosen to use, they tend to be over-engineered, with good reason. I'd still advocate use of a decent power conditioner if you're out and about gigging though.
 
The Axe isn't picky about voltage dips and won't reboot like a computer.

It really doesn't make sense using UPS for a live gig because any brownout et al, that would be enough to affect the Axe is also going to affect the power amps, sound board etc, so while the Axe could remain on via battery power, everything else would be affected, so what's the point ?

Now my home PCs do have ups, because annoying little ripples do reboot things which is really annoying. Not enough dip to even affect the microwave clock etc, but totally makes me lose my computer work.

My Axe has never had any reboots from any power issues, though I did have to replace the PS once, not due to anything, just died. Was like $40 from Mouser and plugged in with one cable, took 30 seconds
 
The Axe is not the only electronics in my rack. And, here in the PWN, while lighting is rare, brownouts occur fairly frequently. I hate when that happens to the whole house with TVs, computers and amps, etc. Everything here is protected with some sort of protection, and usually with something more than a one-time diode which burns out after a spike. YMMV.

I would agree that a decent power strip with a diode-type surge protector is OK. I just prefer more than OK. ;) Like anything, your budget may drive your decisions. Plus, I like seeing the voltage and ammeters. Pull-out lamps are sometimes useful too. :)
 
About a week ago we had a terrible storm lightning thunder rain and wind were heavy! It was one of them nights were it was my only opportunity to jam while the fam were away at a relative's house. I was nervous to the point where I was screwing up playing because all I could think about was my new AxeFx getting f'd up in a surge. About halfway through some killer riffage BOOM, power kicked out at the house and I just froze. Lost all power, heard a small pop through the amp as the power came back on then everything kicked out a second time, then a third before I immediately ran to my axe and while the power was still out, I hit the off switch on axe and my powered FRFR cab. The
Power continues to flicker for about 10 mins then finally stays on. Nervously wait 30min to see if the house power is stable and it is. Nervous as heck, Now I need to power up the axe rig and hope to hell my brand new axe rig ain't fried or something. I power up and cycle/play through numerous presets and thank God everything is just fine. My axe survived about 3 or 4 power surges in about 5 seconds lol. I have both my AxeFx and cab plugged into a power strip that has built in surge protection which then plugs straight into the wall outlet. Thanks FAS for making some solid units!!
 
Just an FYI ... typical surge protector power strip can only survive a spike or two. After that they have no more Spike protection. Since they're inexpensive, consider replacing it.

That is the key rationale for why I bought the product that I did.
 
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