Voltage Regulators
- Thread starter bongoboy
- Start date
PRHunt
I void warranties
Your preamps probably do run a bit hotter when the supply voltage is higher.
This is because the higher supply voltage translates to a higher voltage coming out of the power transformer into the rectifiers and power supply reservoir capacitors.
That means that a higher voltage is being applied to the preamp power supply voltage regulators, which must then be dissipated as heat. (This is assuming that the preamp power supply is linear, as opposed to switched mode).
The increased heat will be largely generated by the preamp voltage regulators, not by the preamp circuitry itself, since the voltage supplied to the preamp circuitry will be... regulated.
Looking at the math: 130V is about 8% over spec and 113V is about 6% under spec.
This will translate to a couple of volts variation each way on the rectified and filtered voltage applied to the preamp regulators. That should probably be OK, if the on-board voltage regulators have good heat-sinking.
Anyway, the above doesn't actually answer your question
but perhaps is something to think about?
You could look at something like a Furman regulator : FurmanSound.com - Pro A/V Product - AR-1215
but note that the regulation is ±5VAC which is pretty close to what you already have...
Hope this helps!
Paul
This is because the higher supply voltage translates to a higher voltage coming out of the power transformer into the rectifiers and power supply reservoir capacitors.
That means that a higher voltage is being applied to the preamp power supply voltage regulators, which must then be dissipated as heat. (This is assuming that the preamp power supply is linear, as opposed to switched mode).
The increased heat will be largely generated by the preamp voltage regulators, not by the preamp circuitry itself, since the voltage supplied to the preamp circuitry will be... regulated.
Looking at the math: 130V is about 8% over spec and 113V is about 6% under spec.
This will translate to a couple of volts variation each way on the rectified and filtered voltage applied to the preamp regulators. That should probably be OK, if the on-board voltage regulators have good heat-sinking.
Anyway, the above doesn't actually answer your question
but perhaps is something to think about?You could look at something like a Furman regulator : FurmanSound.com - Pro A/V Product - AR-1215
but note that the regulation is ±5VAC which is pretty close to what you already have...
Hope this helps!
Paul
Thanks for your reply! I realize that most gear is made with a +/- 10% range of acceptable voltage ( at least that's the standard for the industrial components I use at work- I build industrial automation. PLC, servo motion control, force transduction and the like.), so is this a heat dissipation issue? The difference in input gain is substantial, to the point that I have to adjust input gains every time I record even though I keep mics set up with no changes in position.
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
Get the regulator.
I've been running all my gear on regualted voltage for the last 20+ years now.
You analog gear, especially preamps, amps and of course, guitar amps and tube gear will be more consistant, and also run at an good level.
My AC tends to always run on the high-side....125V and sometimes it will rise up close to 130V (around here, 125V is what the power company is NOT supposed to exceed on any regular basis....not sure if that's everywhere).
Last year I notice the regulators had 130V incoming....I called up the power company, and within an hour they managed to adjust it....and they actually thanked me for letting them know, and said if I see that again to call back. I guess some of their equipmet is also pushed with the higher voltages, and then they can lose a transformer.
I've been running all my gear on regualted voltage for the last 20+ years now.
You analog gear, especially preamps, amps and of course, guitar amps and tube gear will be more consistant, and also run at an good level.
My AC tends to always run on the high-side....125V and sometimes it will rise up close to 130V (around here, 125V is what the power company is NOT supposed to exceed on any regular basis....not sure if that's everywhere).
Last year I notice the regulators had 130V incoming....I called up the power company, and within an hour they managed to adjust it....and they actually thanked me for letting them know, and said if I see that again to call back. I guess some of their equipmet is also pushed with the higher voltages, and then they can lose a transformer.
PRHunt
I void warranties
I can not see why the gain should change on the basis of mains input voltage.
1 The on-board voltage regulators do just that - they regulate the voltage supplied to the rest of the electronics within a pretty tight range. They do that irrespective of the voltage that goes in to the regulator (well, of course there are specified maximums and minimums). Upshot - the voltage rails supplied to the pre-amp should not appreciably vary. And the higher the voltage applied to the regulator inputs, the more heat that the regulator has to dissipate.
2 Gain is a ratio, and is not a function of supply voltage. The gain for a particular amplifier is typically determined by a resistor or a resistor divider network. That operates independent of the supply voltage. Other factors are influenced by supply voltage such as harmonic distortion and the maximum available swing at the output.
Say you input 10mV, and the gain is set at 10. You'll get an output of 100mV - irrespective of whether the supply voltage is 15V or 18V.
But then, I don't know your setup or what you're observing...
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
What you'll get form the power company is them telling you that their allowed operating range can be anything form like 105 to 125.....so in that regard, they may not do anything, but they may still have a crew come out and put a monitor on your incoming voltage to check for issues. If it's a steady voltage in their operating range, then they might not do anything, but if they find it going up down dramatically, they might go further to asses the cause.
I've had the power company out a few times over the years to check that stuff. Most decent power companies take those things seriously.
I spend a good proportion of my work time these days testing kit at mains voltage extremes and the fact has to be faced that in UK at least (and the EU) the mains voltage is nominally 230 but can depart from that by 10%. That means a a low of 207 and a high of 253 and equipment must be designed to cope with this and generally meet its specification*
Very old discrete transistor designs might not like this, nor maybe some odd "booteek" gear but if you want these old sounds you must put up with the shortcomings.
Modern equipment should not need any external regulation to meet specc' nor for that matter to be subject mains borne noise and RFI!
If the OP's preamp is getting hot and is in a rack, fit a 1U fanbox?
*Valve power amplifiers of course are at the mercy of the incoming mains, all one can do is ensure specified power at nominal mains input.
Dave.
Very old discrete transistor designs might not like this, nor maybe some odd "booteek" gear but if you want these old sounds you must put up with the shortcomings.
Modern equipment should not need any external regulation to meet specc' nor for that matter to be subject mains borne noise and RFI!
If the OP's preamp is getting hot and is in a rack, fit a 1U fanbox?
*Valve power amplifiers of course are at the mercy of the incoming mains, all one can do is ensure specified power at nominal mains input.
Dave.
Sorry I don't have any "ah ha" bits of wisdom for you, but I'm using the Monster Power 2500 and I have been quite happy with it.
LINK: Monster Power PRO 2500 PowerCenter | Sweetwater.com
Monster PRO 2500 PowerCenter Surge Protector/Power Conditioner Features:
✓Monster Clean Power Stage 2 v2.0 filtering for high quality sound
✓Dual-Mode Plus protection provides audible and visual alarm for maximum protection and performance
✓Two-stage sequenced AC power turn-on and turn-off for equipment and overload protection
✓Eight switched outlets for power-hungry equipment are color-coded for error free connections
✓Two unswitched front panel outlets for convenient access.
✓2775 joule rating provides high level of surge protection.
✓Heavy-duty, extra long high current 8' Monster PowerLine 200 cable for maximum power transfer
✓Dimensions: 19" W X 9.5" D X 1.75" H
✓Weight: 11.25 lbs.
The short version is that while it may seem like a bit much for a "power strip" it does a lot more. Plus if you think about the amount of money I have plugged into it, using a $10 Radio Shack power strip just doesn't seem right.
LINK: Monster Power PRO 2500 PowerCenter | Sweetwater.com
Monster PRO 2500 PowerCenter Surge Protector/Power Conditioner Features:
✓Monster Clean Power Stage 2 v2.0 filtering for high quality sound
✓Dual-Mode Plus protection provides audible and visual alarm for maximum protection and performance
✓Two-stage sequenced AC power turn-on and turn-off for equipment and overload protection
✓Eight switched outlets for power-hungry equipment are color-coded for error free connections
✓Two unswitched front panel outlets for convenient access.
✓2775 joule rating provides high level of surge protection.
✓Heavy-duty, extra long high current 8' Monster PowerLine 200 cable for maximum power transfer
✓Dimensions: 19" W X 9.5" D X 1.75" H
✓Weight: 11.25 lbs.
The short version is that while it may seem like a bit much for a "power strip" it does a lot more. Plus if you think about the amount of money I have plugged into it, using a $10 Radio Shack power strip just doesn't seem right.