[JDUBS]

Guys, my apartment typically has incoming voltage at 123-126 volts.  I have a Liebert UPS for my stereo that regulates voltage down to 120v...but I'd like something for my plasma and don't need the UPS feature.

Any recommendations on a pure voltage regulator for a situation like mine?  I think my tv pulls like 250-300 watts when its running.

Thanks all,
Jim

[satfrat]

If you're simply looking for a voltage regulator to protect your gear w/o any power conditioning, the Furman AR1215 will give you a constant 120 volts with a 15A output capacity and is made with audio/video gear in mind. Only $550. Adding power conditioning could improve your picture substantially.

 
For $839, there's the Furman P1800AR which will give you so much more than simply regulating the voltage. Surge protection and noise filtration are added along with any other little bells and whistles that may or may not be needed.

 
Just a couple of ideas for your consumption. 
 
Cheers,
Robin
 

[rollo]

 Your voltage is fine. Mine is 126V with no problems. If you must Sarafat made a good suggestion. A Variac may work well.
   


charles

[Occam]

Jim,

Its a given that your plasma TV uses a switching rather than a linear power supply. Inherent in it design, (I assume) is going to be voltage references which the switcher regulates to. A simple linear supply might suffer from problems where its output is multiple/fraction of the mains voltage, but switching supplies of any sophistication regulate voltages by design. As long as your mains voltage is within the power supplies design range, I'm not sure what benefits an external voltage regulator would provide. Power conditioning is another matter....

FWIW,
Paul

[Ericus Rex]

Isn't a wall voltage of ~117 AC just an average?  Doesn't standard 120 V go as high as 160V with every cycle?  I doubt anything will get fried if you're averaging 126.

[JDUBS]

Cool, thanks guys.  It says 120v in the manual, but I shot an email to Pioneer to find out what the operating range is.

Occam, yep, on the power conditioning...I have a Felix in the power cord. 

-Jim

[srb]

120VAC is the RMS average that would have the equivalent heating effect of 120VDC.  The peak voltage of 120VAC would be 120V X 1.414 = 170VAC.
 
The acceptable voltage range of a power supply with a nominal 120VAC input varies with the amount of regulation in the power supply, but I would venture that most electronic devices with regulated power supplies that are rated at 120VAC input can operate from 110VAC to 130VAC.  Some may be able to tolerate an even wider range.
 
Although it's not usually specified, I will be interested to hear what Pioneer says their specification is.
 
I use a voltage regulated power conditioner, Rotel RLC-1040 (same as APC H15), but I have it set to "wide range" so as not to be continually activated for minor normal voltage fluctuations, but to only kick in on major sags or surges, which can sometimes be detrimental to electronics.
 
Steve

[JDUBS]

120VAC is the RMS average that would have the equivalent heating effect of 120VDC.  The peak voltage of 120VAC would be 120V X 1.414 = 170VAC.
 
The acceptable voltage range of a power supply with a nominal 120VAC input varies with the amount of regulation in the power supply, but I would venture that most electronic devices with regulated power supplies that are rated at 120VAC input can operate from 110VAC to 130VAC.  Some may be able to tolerate an even wider range.
 
Although it's not usually specified, I will be interested to hear what Pioneer says their specification is.
 
I use a voltage regulated power conditioner (Rotel RLC-1040), but I have it set to "wide range" so as not to be continually activated for minor normal voltage fluctuations, but to only kick in on major sags or surges, which can sometimes be detrimental to electronics.
 
Steve

Hopefully Pioneer is responsive.  I'll definitely post hear if they get back to me...will be interesting to see what they consider the operable voltage range.

-Jim

[NagysAudio]

You don't need to regulate your voltage. Most electronic equipment are not sensitive to incoming voltage. Your TV will operate just fine with 80 volts as it will with 160 volts. It has an internal voltage regulator.

[satfrat]

You absolutely don't need to regulate your voltage whatsoever! Most electronic equipment are not sensitive to incoming voltage. Your TV will operate just fine with 80 volts as it will with 160 volts. It has an internal voltage regulator. Any kind of voltage regulators for an audio/video system are a complete waste of time.

 
Just like Nagys Aerospace Grade Cables  maybe? 
 
Cheers,
Robin

[gerald porzio]

I also agree the 123 to 126 volts is not too high. This is real world voltage that has run gazillions of audio systems since Tesla turned on the world to AC. Well designed equipment shows no degradion or reliability problems. Why brood over non issues?

[evan1]

Guys a distribution transformer's voltage is usually around 126V when measured going to your home

[Kevin Haskins]

Guys a distribution transformer's voltage is usually around 126V when measured going to your home

Yea... you know the price of one?   I just had a quote for my dream warehouse which is on the bottom side of my property 700ft from the pole.   So... we needed a transformer due to the excessive length.   Cost for that monster is only $680 which I thought was quite the bargain.   If I got the cryo treated silver version the price went up the $20K.   

I have 124V at the current warehouse.   You can run into issues with some equipment.   Not all audio equipment is run off regulated power supplies.   Most amps are not and if there is some sort of overvoltage protection built into the device you might trigger it with 130V lines.    I know this because Hypex has overvoltage protection in their amps and people have sourced transformers with the maximum allowable voltage for the module without planning for high line voltages.    They always call me asking why it doesn't work. 

[Bill Baker]

I have seen many components that will not function properly for long periods of time with higher voltages. Most of these products start experiencing problems at 124V+.

 This is a big problem with much of today's imported Chinese products that were not designed to be run on North American voltages.

If the component is not designed with higher voltages in mind or does not have a regulated power supply, some type of voltage regulator is obviously a good thing. I do agree this is not the 'norm' but with so much 'cheap' stuff coming in, there more problems presenting themselves.

 I doubt this effects most TV's out there as I thought they used regulated supplies but I can only imagine having a steady regulated voltage for a Plasma would be beneficial for long term reliability.

[Kevin Haskins]

I have seen many components that will not function properly for long periods of time with higher voltages. Most of these products start experiencing problems at 124V+.

 This is a big problem with much of today's imported Chinese products that were not designed to be run on North American voltages.

If the component is not designed with higher voltages in mind or does not have a regulated power supply, some type of voltage regulator is obviously a good thing. I do agree this is not the 'norm' but with so much 'cheap' stuff coming in, there more problems presenting themselves.

 I doubt this effects most TV's out there as I thought they used regulated supplies but I can only imagine having a steady regulated voltage for a Plasma would be beneficial for long term reliability.

If they are using the cheap Chinese electrolytics it definitely will shorten their lifetime or you could pop them.   I typically plan 20% safety margin but the cheap fake electrolytics that are in lots of gear are all just hanging by a thread.   If your vendor is cutting corners the caps in the power supply are one of the easiest places to do it because good caps are expensive.   

If I had 130V line voltage I'd do something about it.   I don't worry about 124V but much higher and I'd be calling the power company.   If I had mega-dollar gear I'd run a voltage regulator.   

[Bill Baker]

I agree Kevin but another part of the puzzle that has a high failure rate is the transformers. Cheap transformers have no place in audio.

 I test all my designs from 110V-130V and 220V-240V and all of our upper end products have transformers custom design for the component they are being used in.

I do believe voltage regulation is a good thing to have if you have inconsistent voltage. Vishan (spelling?) in Washington comes to mind.

[JDUBS]

I'm glad this thread is still going.  It took forever to get through to someone at Pioneer who had a clue about what I was talking about.  "They" said, 120v +/- 5%.  I kind of doubt this came straight from the engineers but this is the best I got out of them.

-Jim

[Kevin Haskins]

I agree Kevin but another part of the puzzle that has a high failure rate is the transformers. Cheap transformers have no place in audio.

 I test all my designs from 110V-130V and 220V-240V and all of our upper end products have transformers custom design for the component they are being used in.

I do believe voltage regulation is a good thing to have if you have inconsistent voltage. Vishan (spelling?) in Washington comes to mind.

I don't do repair work so I've not seen a good cross-section of what is out there.   A transformer are a very dangerous place to cut corners since you are dealing with line voltages.  Most of the factories that are serious transformer companies have very good Q/C in place simply due to the liability of getting it wrong and they have to hit UL/CE standards.   I wouldn't deal with a place that wasn't ISO certified and whom transformers were not their only business.    I always spec Class II double insulation, shields between the primaries and secondaries and higher tolerances for secondary regulation.   In production run the extra effort cost $2-$3 so there is no reason in my mind not to spend the money and get it done right.   

[decal]

There is nothing wrong with your incoming voltage.Don't waste money trying to fix a problem that isn't there.Just my opinion,humble as it may be.