[jeffreybehr]

It arrived yesterday, very well packed; shipping weight was 67 pounds.

Looks good...very well made.  Here's the optional aluminum front panel.


The back panel.  This unit is the first built in the new six-duplex-outlet chassis.

I supplied the duplex outlets and inlet, all Furutech--GTX-D-Rs (black), FPX-Rs (clear), and an FI-33(R) 20-amp inlet.

Transformer wiring is 10g, in and out.  Transformer is by Plitron.


Here's the inlet side of the rear.  Barely visible at the left of the 1uF, X-rated cap is a gas-discharge-tube surge protector.


Some detail of the outlet caps and wiring.

I recall vaguely Chris telling me that the outlet caps are a 0.1 paralleled with a 0.01uF.  Note the metal plate mounted between the rear panel and each of the FPX outlets; those fill the gaps of this physically smaller outlet compared with the larger GTXs which leave no gaps.

I have some 600VDC MultiCap RTX ('styrene) caps to replace the caps on the outlets, but even the 0.1uFs are LOTS bigger than the originals, and the 0.47s are relatively huge.

Don't know if I want to torture my mildly arthritic hands with that kind of work.   

And, wonder of wonders, here's a manufacturer of hi-end electronic equipment who understands that the sheetmetal chassis and cover are NOT supposed to resonate/ring!


I believe that's SoundCoat the thinner.

Am building the powercord now (actually, my goodbuddy is!), so I'll soon be able to see if it works--Chris failed to include a powercord.    More later.

[jhrlrd]

Hey, looks great. What are the output caps there for exactly? Would they prevent noise flow from one outlet to the other?
My unit doesn't have those. would it be advised I put those in mine, and why wouldn't the manufacturer(silver circle) have put them in
originally?   

[jeffreybehr]

Hey, looks great. What are the output caps there for exactly? Would they prevent noise flow from one outlet to the other?
My unit doesn't have those. would it be advised I put those in mine, and why wouldn't the manufacturer(silver circle) have put them in
originally?

Yes, as I understand it, capacitive (and inductive, as in my Audience aR-12* [Imp.]) on or to each outlet reduces noise in both directions and especially from one outlet paralleled with another. Hence noise generated by, for instance, a digital disc player won't contaminate the line feeding an analog-only preamp.  Why one manufacturer does or does not use them probably is part of their proprietary filosofy...and maybe that's one reason that different p-cons cause the music to sound different.

* which has each of 12 outlets fed by a separate inductor (what's called a common-mode choke or CMC) and also capacitively filtered.

This shows the original CMCs and caps per individual outlet.  This also demonstrate's Audience's filosofy of using lower-value caps on outlets feeding digital equipment v. those feeding analog equipment.  B-P-T does not use different caps values for different outlets.

[Speedskater]

a] Are any of the pictured capacitors safety rated to be used on an AC power line?
b] Are any or all of the capacitors connected between Hot and Neutral?
c] Are any or all of the capacitors connected between Hot and Safety Ground?
d] Isn't that a lot of total capacitance?

[RDavidson]

Actually, the way I understand the use of different cap values to work (excuse me if I'm reiterating what I think you were trying to say), as shown in the Adept Response unit is this:

The outlets are in parallel. They are not fully isolated from each other. With that in mind, it doesn't really matter which outlet a piece of digital gear or analog gear is plugged into, unless you know what capacitor value corresponds with the noise frequency/frequencies the piece of gear generates.....which is unlikely in most cases. Any generated noise will travel up and down the line of all the paralleled outlets. The job of the different cap values is to filter varying frequencies of noise travelling throughout. The more varying cap values, the better the chance of filtering the varying noise frequencies.

[jea48]

a] Are any of the pictured capacitors safety rated to be used on an AC power line?
b] Are any or all of the capacitors connected between Hot and Neutral?
c] Are any or all of the capacitors connected between Hot and Safety Ground?
d] Isn't that a lot of total capacitance?

Speedskater,

Do you see any GFCI protection?

[jeffreybehr]

a] Are any of the pictured capacitors safety rated to be used on an AC power line?
b] Are any or all of the capacitors connected between Hot and Neutral?
c] Are any or all of the capacitors connected between Hot and Safety Ground?
d] Isn't that a lot of total capacitance?

Which p-con?  If you're addressing the B-P-T:
a. I believe all of them are X- or Y-rated, but the writing on them is difficult to see.
b. I believe all of them are.
c. I don't think so.
d. The outlet caps add to about 0.6uF; the inlet cap is a 1uF.  Neither IMO is much capacitance, at least as compared with that in the original Audience.

[jeffreybehr]

IF IF IF you're discussing the Audience p-con, then...

Actually, the way I understand the use of different cap values to work (excuse me if I'm reiterating what I think you were trying to say), as shown in the Adept Response unit is this:

The outlets are in parallel. They are not fully isolated from each other.  I disagree with that statement. They're isolated inductively and capacitively; all we have left is resistively, so I'd say they're rather well isolated.


With that in mind, it doesn't really matter which outlet a piece of digital gear or analog gear is plugged into   I again disagree.  The noise generated by, in my earlier example, a discplayer, is filtered initially by the outlet cap, and then its own CMC inductor, and then the next outlet's CMC, and then the 2nd outlet's capacitor before it hits the device plugged into the 2nd outlet. 


appears at the must , unless you know what capacitor value corresponds with the noise frequency/frequencies the piece of gear generates.....which is unlikely in most cases. Any generated noise will travel up and down the line of all the paralleled outlets.  Nope; see above.

The job of the different cap values is to filter varying frequencies of noise travelling throughout. The more varying cap values, the better the chance of filtering the varying noise frequencies.

I agree with your last statement.   

[jeffreybehr]

Speedskater,

Do you see any GFCI protection?

I don't know what Speedskater sees; there's no GFI in the unit.

[jea48]

I don't know what Speedskater sees; there's no GFI in the unit.

Why?

.
NEC Code

ARTICLE 647 -- SENSITIVE ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT


647.1  Scope.  This article covers the installation and wiring of separately derived systems operating at 120 volts line-to-line
 and 60 volts to ground for sensitive electronic equipment.

647.7   Receptacles.
.
(A)  General.  Where receptacles are used as a means of connecting equipment, the following conditions shall be met:
(1)  All 15- and 20-ampere receptacles shall be GFCI protected.
(2)  All outlet strips, adapters, receptacle covers and faceplates shall be marked with the following words or equivalent:

WARNING - TECHNICAL POWER
Do not connect to lighting equipment.
For electronic equipment use only.
60/120 V. 1-phase AC
GFCI protected.

[Quiet Earth]

Look at the 4th photograph in the first post. There is a black box that says Carling Technologies. That is the magnetic circuit breaker. The little gray box just below it looks like it is the GFCI.

All standard (non-modified) BPT isolation transformers have a regular GFCI outlet. They are usually the first outlet next to the switch. When you press the test button the whole unit shuts down. But since this particular unit was a custom build, it appears that there was no room for the regular GFCI outlet so the little GFCI box is just hanging there below the Carling magnetic circuit breaker.

This is the way it that appears to me, but you should have Chris of BPT verify this if you really want to know how it was built. I know that my own BPT has the regular GFCI outlet, and the same Carling magnetic circuit breaker.

[jea48]

Look at the 4th photograph in the first post. There is a black box that says Carling Technologies. That is the magnetic circuit breaker. The little gray box just below it looks like it is the GFCI.

All standard (non-modified) BPT isolation transformers have a regular GFCI outlet. They are usually the first outlet next to the switch. When you press the test button the whole unit shuts down. But since this particular unit was a custom build, it appears that there was no room for the regular GFCI outlet so the little GFCI box is just hanging there below the Carling magnetic circuit breaker.

This is the way it that appears to me, but you should have Chris of BPT verify this if you really want to know how it was built. I know that my own BPT has the regular GFCI outlet, and the same Carling magnetic circuit breaker.

Quiet Earth,

Look at photograph #3; see the secondary leads of the power transformer that connect to the first duplex receptacle. The output receptacles of the BTP unit are not GFCI protected. For the rear panel metal fabrication of the unit the first device opening could have housed the GFCI device. All duplex remaining duplex receptacles what be fed of the load side of the GFCI device.

Putting GFCI protection ahead of the primary would not give any GFCI protection to secondary side of the transformer connected duplex receptacles. The secondary of the isolation transformer is a separately derived system. 

[Quiet Earth]

Thanks for noticing that jea48,

Like I said, this is a custom built unit and the owner wants to modify it even more. I am just taking my best guess about the GFCI feature based on the pictures we are looking at. You are right about the placement of the GFCI. It is normally placed after the transformer. GFCI code is not an area of expertise for me, so I will defer the critique to you guys.

I will say that I know for sure that my own BPT has proper GFCI protection as well as the two Equitech units that I own. First outlet is always GFCI. I have never seen a "regular" BPT built without a GFCI outlet, but I have not been keeping up with what the company does for the last few years.

The best way to clear this up would be for Chris to chime in here and explain what he built and why he built it that way. It's a nice looking unit IMO, and if it is wired correctly with regards to safety it should do a very nice job with the AC. I use mine every day for the last 10 years and I enjoy it very much.

[Speedskater]

I don't know what Speedskater sees; there's no GFI in the unit.

While I never mentioned a GFCI, it does bring up an interesting question:
Why not a GFCI?
********************
Also what about the safety test stickers?

With a GFCI and a safety sticker, you can do intersting things with the Safety Ground.

[RDavidson]

IF IF IF you're discussing the Audience p-con, then...

I agree with your last statement.   

Thanks for the insight. My understanding of these things is limited, at best, and I was probably making the mistake of applying what I learned about a similar power conditioning scheme (from another manufacturer) to the Adept.

[jeffreybehr]

Look at the 4th photograph in the first post. There is a black box that says Carling Technologies. That is the magnetic circuit breaker. The little gray box just below it looks like it is the GFCI.

No; the gray box is a 1uF cap.

In answer to why no GFCI, when I asked Chris about the outlets and could I furnish my own, he said yes, that the first is a GFCI type, that it probably doesn't sound as good as a normal outlet, and that if I didn't want one, he'd assemble it with all normal outlets.  I then had those six Furutechs and the inlet sent to him.

---------------------------

Chis just e-mailed me and among other things reminded me that he as a manufacturer is not allowed to participate on this forum without paying a $300/year fee.  So if Chris e-mails me any answers to questions posted here, I'll post those here.

Speaking of 1uF cap, here's the new '1uF' cap, now a pair of MultiCap RTX 0.47/600s.  The RTX is a 5-star-audio-quality polystyrene-film, tin-foil cap.  Here's a pic including the powercord my goodbuddy assembled, made with Furutech connectors--the male a FI-50M-R and the IEC a FI-53-R-N1--and the cable Neotec 10g. NEC-3001.  Both ends and the cable are constructed with UPOCC copper--the best-sounding copper that money can buy--while the ends have rhodium plating.


Here's a little more detail on the new input-filter cap.


I've decided to replace the combined 0.6uF of outlet-filtering caps with some of these RTXs, and for a while I thought I'd solder them to the black and white jumper wires between the outlets.  But because I'll have to remove the wired-together assembly of outlets to remove all the original caps, probably I'll use three 0.47s and anchor them to the backs of the GTXs.

[jeffreybehr]

My younger, stronger goodbuddy did most of the work to get this 50-some-pounder into the bottom shelf of the rack.



Connected it item by item, making sure each piece worked as I added them--I was a little apprehensive about it.  But, everything worked and the system was quiet.  Used all 12 outlets.   



For this pic I was sitting on the floor directly behind the rack.

[audioseduction]

When I ordered 2 BP-3.5 Signature Plus Ultra units a few years back I opted for the V-Cap TFTF caps.