Power supply

[rachel]

Hi,
can any of the engineers please tell me about the power supply specs for
the ATB-16?

Key things are, will I get a 240V unit with an Australian plug?
Will it have the earth pin wired (it usually does for Aussie gear)?
What are the specs of the power supply?
Is it a wall wart, line lump or rack mounted?


Thanks!
rachel

[Ausrock]

Hey Rachel,

Can't answer your questions but I noticed you mentioned on Gearslutz, that you collect old synths, etc. Just wondering whether you have an ARP Axe.

ChrisO :cool:

[rachel]

Hey Rachel,

Can't answer your questions but I noticed you mentioned on Gearslutz, that you collect old synths, etc. Just wondering whether you have an ARP Axe.

ChrisO :cool:


Hiya,

I don't have any Arp gear at all! I missed out on an Arp sequencer a while back,
which was annoying. I don't think I will be buying any more gear for awhile though, after this mixer!

I guess you saw the current racks I've been using? I did decide to go for the
Raxxess unit, which is now coming from the US. It will take all that rack gear
and definitely has a nice bay to put the ATB in. It's about the right height for me
and I can close the lid to keep the cat off (you did see my cat in the photos?!)!

The Raxxess people assured me the ATB would sit well in there and I can poach
some cable management equipment from work to help keep it all nice and
easy to mantain.

I've been collecting synths for a few years - it's a good hobby!


rachel

[Ausrock]

Yeah, now, having seen your gear, etc., I understand why you needed to make some changes. The reason I mentioned the ARP is that a friend was here last night and mentioned he was considering selling an ARP, he also has/had a couple of other old "gems" that may be disposable.

:cool:

[Alan Hyatt]

Rachel,

The power supply to the ATB-16 is a separate 2U very heavy duty power supply. There is a switch on the rear that allows you to set the voltage to both 120 and 240V. This has an IEC lead so it is a three wire lead and also includes the cable to connect from the supply to the console. It will have your slanted pin cable for your Australian plug.

Remember, read the manual carefully and make sure you fully understand what Star Grounding is. You must follow this concept for things you interface to the console. In other words, the console is the main ground.

The ATB-16 is not a prosumer or introductory professional product. The ATB-16 and all other versions are a very serious piece of kit, and professional all the way. So wiring it up is no small or easy chore. The reason professional studios have no hum or noise is that they pay professionals to come in and do it in a manner that is Star Ground proper.

So, any one item left ungrounded or wired with a floating ground will cause noise. What I can tell you is it is worth your time to do everything you can to ensure the entire system is hooked up and wired correctly. Patch Bays can be the biggest pain if not wired correct.

I hope this helps you.

[rachel]

Hi Alan,
I've read the guide in the manual about Star grounding. It sounds
pretty right to me - I have always tried in the past to make sure I worked to
this anyway! Patchbays are a pain - it took me a while to learn that.
Only one or two bits of gear are giving me noise problems
at the moment. The plan when I move house is to get someone to go over
the power for me and make sure this gear is on it's own 'loop' - not connected
to the same as the fridge and so on! I've done my own cabling and patching
in the past successfully, but I might get someone to help me this time....

I am glad the power supply unit is ready for Australia too!


rachel

[rachel]

This guy here has a good wiring guide for Australian power.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~tabbler/index.html

I knew the ATB would have these special issues to deal with so I've been studying
up.


rachel

[Alan Hyatt]

This guy here has a good wiring guide for Australian power.

http://members.ozemail.com.au/~tabbler/index.html (http://members.ozemail.com.au/%7Etabbler/index.html)

I knew the ATB would have these special issues to deal with so I've been studying
up.


rachel

Yes it is very detailed...A good link to use on our site....

[rachel]

Hi,
I've posted back into this thread, so as to keep the power supply discussion
all in one place! It may be useful to other Australian buyers of the ATB
who are sure to end up in the same mindset as me.

I have made some calls about the Harbuch unit I was looking at for isolated
power and I don't think it's suitable, because it's a test lab unit and was
getting its own special power from the mains which I do not have, because
we just have the usual domestic power, not the heavy duty outlet it was
setup with.

I looked at the Furman units and although they make a product with Australian
Standard inputs and outputs, it's almost as expensive as the ATB to import
itself, so I set out to find a local solution, which was difficult!

But what I finally did find, that will cover all the requirements for the ATB and my
other equipment is this unit which is a balanced AC transformer, which provides
all the isolation and power filtering I think is required for our Aussie grid:

http://www.tortech.com.au/balanced_studio_power_supply.html

After talking to a couple of qualified people, this would appear to do exactly
what we want to run the ATB in a safe and noise free way.

The only missing piece of information I have regards the ATB power supply
ratings, with respect to how many watts/amps it uses so I can make sure the
Tortech unit will be within spec as it is a 2000VA unit.

So, Alan - do you have this info available? I am not going to run the ATB
on our home power until I have ordered and installed this balanced power supply.


rachel

[Ausrock]

Rachel,

I suggest you have a read here....: http://www.turtlerockmastering.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=730 .......before making any firm decisions, actually, it may not hurt to register at Turtlerock and ask questions if necessary, after all, it is a local (mastering/studio) forum.

Chris :cool: