[crad]

I recently was given this ancient (Perfectionist Audio Components) PAC IDOS DC/digital conditioner/power strip and found what's inside interesting. When given old items like this, I always try to look/check inside before powering them up and glad I did with this one as I found some bare wires. It's been sitting in a large bin of cables at a friends shop. It's appears to be helping DC power trapping?

It's appears the first outlet (right/RED) is the only one with a wired ground and has two resistors, the other four are groundless with two caps and another third resistor. Not sure of the values and haven't yet checked. Power cable will be replaced and connectors removed. It was going to be used for a small secondary system with a tv.  I'm guessing you would add an adapter for more outlets to the red digital socket and plug in the small DC digital stuff and keep the other sockets for non DC ?

What do you guys think of this piece? Do you think it's doing anything useful and not limiting current for analog (35w-50w integrated amp) in the designated non-digital outlets?

Sorry for the low rez pics, they came out like this when uploading them.






Stock photo:

[jjss49]

i still use mine... but not for amps that draw big current

to my understanding it is just an outlet strip with the top socket having some filtering and noise isolation from the rest of em... guess that may not quite be right...

[crad]

i still use mine... but not for amps that draw big current

to my understanding it is just an outlet strip with the top socket having some filtering and noise isolation from the rest of em... guess that may not quite be right...

It appears when looking inside, it's more that just a power strip with capacitors and resistors inside. I wasn't planning to use it with any high power but I do have a rather efficient 50w-ish integrated amp that may get plugged into it. Plus a cheap DAC, and a couple of switching PS's (for cable & router...etc).

I found this  online: works by shunting RFI (radio frequency interference) back to the ground and needs to plugged into a proper outlet with ground

Would love to hear if anybody could elaborate more on what they were trying to do inside this box and if it's worth trying to keep?

[GeorgeAb]

I see the capacitors which filter noise to ground. I do not think those are resistors, but inductors wired in series tuned to pass 60 Hz and block higher frequencies for the "digital" outlet. Looks like a decent unit, if it was me I would not put anything that draws significant current to the digital outlet.

I still use an API (audio power industries) power wedge which is also fairly ancient, it uses solid filtering and doesn't limit current to the power outlets.

[crad]

I see the capacitors which filter noise to ground. I do not think those are resistors, but inductors wired in series tuned to pass 60 Hz and block higher frequencies for the "digital" outlet. Looks like a decent unit, if it was me I would not put anything that draws significant current to the digital outlet.

I still use an API (audio power industries) power wedge which is also fairly ancient, it uses solid filtering and doesn't limit current to the power outlets.

Thanks George,

I agree about not using any significant loads on the digital or really on this whole strip.
In the past I was once told to use a three outlet extender into the digital outlet for the small noisy wall wart switching supplies to feed the noise back into the ground and separate them from the analog?

Looking closer at the ones I thought were two capacitors, they may actually be inductors/chokes? I see can see wire wound around a core under the heat shrink. Are we talking about the same thing?

PS> I've heard good things about power wedges, I believe each duplex or socket has it's own transformer and I think RfI filter?

[GeorgeAb]

Yes, you got this. On the API, I cannot recommend its use based on how it was intended to be used. I only use the 4 non-transformer outlets. I found the transformer outlets to not sound as good as plugged directly into the wall or in this case my power strip. For power strips I really like the Wiremold Legrand Hospital Medical Grade Outlets super cheap on eBay and the like. There is a youtube video comparing the internal construction of Legrand hospital plugs to Hubbel and others, quality receptacle.

I do use the API transformer outlets for anything that uses a switching power supply (wall wart). More to isolate my other gear from the potential noise of the switching power supply being reflected back into the plugs. I have a couple switching power supplies for my NUC computer and a router. So if you have any switching supplies you may consider plugging those into the plug with the inductors to keep reflecting noise back into your other outlets. Just a thought. Like most things in this crazy hobby logic only gets you so far. For things like this, I have to listen casually over time and almost intuit what I prefer. 

[crad]

Thanks George and interesting to hear about your finding with the transformers. Shame the SQ is not as good with the transformers but at least you now have a bunch of good outlets to plug in wall warts : )