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Too much voltage!


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@Dr Morbius 

 

  1)- a commercial grade surge protector at the source  ,  into the fuse panel  for avoiding  spikes or dips  ,  it filters the electricity from  the pole wires  and delivers it  clean ,  out to the breakers  and further to the house's outlets , this is akin to having Orange outlets ,  this is quite inexpensive and very durable .

 

  2)-  inside the house , buy one of these

2400W 120V Power Conditioner with Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR), AC Surge Protection, 6 Outlets

https://www.tripplite.com/2400w-120v-power-conditioner-automatic-voltage-regulation-avr-ac-surge-protection-6-outlets~LC2400

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22 hours ago, Dr Morbius said:

So grendel, how do you adjust the line voltage from your outlet to your amp? 120 volts is fine for me, not 128 or whatever.

 

I wired a 12v transformer in a buck configuration. If you use a variac, it has to be rated for the entire load. A bucking transformer only needs to be rated for the percentage of the voltage reduced (or boosted). So a 1KVA 120VAC load with a 12VAC buck or boost only needs a 100VA transformer.

This is much cheaper than a decent variac.

I used a center tapped transformer with a DPDT switch so I could switch between 6 and 12 volt reduction.

If you do this, add a fuse, size the transformer conservatively and make sure there is enough cooling.

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"So grendel, how do you adjust the line voltage from your outlet to your amp? 120 volts is fine for me, not 128 or whatever."

 

Morbius, you do know that what your tubes see is the B+ output from the power supply and the bias, right? They don't see the line voltage. If you want to really control and protect your amp, get a qualified tech to put pots and meters in the B+ and bias lines for precise adjustments of those voltages, and stop worrying about line voltage (unless you live in TX, LOL). Especially this summer, our line voltages from the grid will droop with load, not go beyond 120.

 

I might add that I have seen exactly one confirmed case of "dirty power" affecting equipment, and that was in a communications lab which got its power from the same substation as a major shipyard with cranes, welders, converters and servomotors galore.  IIRC, they finally put in a dedicated line from the power plant which cured the problem. 

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I don't think there's a need for a Variac. A surge/spike protector; sure it's a good idea. Variac; not so much.

 

All incoming voltage to your stereo equipment goes through a transformer to a rectifier and voltage regulator. That should be sufficient.

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2 hours ago, Peter P. said:

I don't think there's a need for a Variac. A surge/spike protector; sure it's a good idea. Variac; not so much.

 

All incoming voltage to your stereo equipment goes through a transformer to a rectifier and voltage regulator. That should be sufficient.

Not all equipment has voltage regulation. In fact, a lot of tube gear does not.

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