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[Jonathan Johnson]

Can't sign off on this.

Get rid of the Furman or anything like it.  They're current limiting potential points of failure.  A simple quad box in the rack with a hard-wired tail will get rid of the hinky bottleneck now existing. 

UPS for board boot-up and speaker power sends leaves a spare outlet on the quad box.  The Furman isn't doing anything at all except to split power to multiple taps...but if it's the typical 15W stuff designed for rack powering and there are 20 amps available you've got a 5amp discrepancy which does you no good.

I think you mean 15A, not 15W.

OK, Dick, I'll concede and agree with you, the Furman isn't doing anybody any good. Replacing it with a quad box (or better yet, a rack mount PDU rated at 20A -- also available in a 15A version) would be a better choice. I just said it that way to make it easier to understand the logical connections using the already-existing equipment.

Having spent the last 18 years dealing with neophyte computer users, I've found the many people have an easier time understanding things if I first explain how things work with what they already have. Adding new stuff into the mix just confuses them.

And if the OP wants to have power conditioning, get a real power conditioner.

[Scott Holtzman]

I think you mean 15A, not 15W.

And, I agree with you, the Furman isn't doing anybody any good. Replacing it with a quad box (or better yet, a rack mount PDU rated at 20A) would be a better choice. I just said it that way to make it easier to understand the logical connections using the already-existing equipment.

Having spent the last 18 years dealing with neophyte computer users, I've found the many people have an easier time understanding things if I first explain how things work with what they already have. Adding new stuff into the mix just confuses them.

And if the OP wants to have power conditioning, get a real power conditioner.

Jonathan's link is very important, note it is a switchless design.  While MOV's are troubling, switches on power strips are more troubling.  Guarded versions are certainly better.  Power strips with switches don't belong on any professional stage.

[Jonathan Johnson]

Jonathan's link is very important, note it is a switchless design.  While MOV's are troubling, switches on power strips are more troubling.  Guarded versions are certainly better.  Power strips with switches don't belong on any professional stage.

By the way, the TrippLite PDUs with switches do have guarded switches. You actually have to open a cover to flip the switch. The power conditioner I linked has an unguarded switch, unfortunately.

(And wired microphones with switches don't belong on professional stages either, but that's a digression.)

[brian maddox]

Can't sign off on this.

Get rid of the Furman or anything like it.  They're current limiting potential points of failure.  A simple quad box in the rack with a hard-wired tail will get rid of the hinky bottleneck now existing. 

UPS for board boot-up and speaker power sends leaves a spare outlet on the quad box.  The Furman isn't doing anything at all except to split power to multiple taps...but if it's the typical 15 amp stuff designed for rack powering and there are 20 amps available you've got a 5amp discrepancy which does you no good.

oh crap!  I have to agree with Dick Rees....

But...

I agree with Dick Rees... 

[Scott Holtzman]

The power conditioner I linked has an unguarded switch, unfortunately.

From your link:
Switchless design prevents accidental shutdown

(And wired microphones with switches don't belong on professional stages either, but that's a digression.)

Amen

From the

[Jonathan Johnson]

The power conditioner I linked has an unguarded switch, unfortunately.

From your link:
Switchless design prevents accidental shutdown

You were looking at the first link, which is NOT a conditioner. The second link is the conditioner, which indeed does have a switch. I know it does, because I have installed one of those conditioners.

[Scott Holtzman]

You were looking at the first link, which is NOT a conditioner. The second link is the conditioner, which indeed does have a switch. I know it does, because I have installed one of those conditioners.

Right you are.  We have pedantic down to an art. 

[Mike Sokol]

Right you are.  We have pedantic down to an art.

It's a tough room... 

[Tom Burgess]

It's kind of been lost in the discussion, but what is happening with the setup the way it was is that the amps draw more power than the UPS can provide. This causes the voltage to drop, possibly causing the Furman to disconnect and definitely causing the board to reboot.

Without getting any extra equipment, make the Furman the first piece in the power chain (it will serve as your distro). Plug the UPS into that, and the board into the UPS. Plug the amps into the Furman (so the amps aren't powered by the UPS). That will overcome the problem of overloading the UPS.

Then get a heavy extension cord: 10 AWG if you need 50 feet or more; 12 AWG would probably work for 25 feet or less. Do not use any cord smaller than 12 AWG. Using a heavy cord will go a long ways to preventing voltage drop. Keep the extension cord in good repair: learn proper "over-under" coiling technique (around the elbow is a big NO-NO) and keep the connectors in good repair, especially.

DO NOT USE SOMEONE ELSE'S EXTENSION CORD. EVER. Especially if it's orange. You don't know how it has been taken care of, if it's been abused, if the connectors are worn or not, if the field-replaced connectors are wired properly, or if it's even the proper size.

EDIT: If the jacket on the cord becomes compromised (and it's not near the ends where you can cut it out and put on a new connector), DISCARD and replace the cord. A damaged jacket exposes the insulation on the wires, which can then be easily damaged putting everyone at risk. Electrical safety should be your number one concern, BEFORE quality of sound.

Can't sign off on this.

Get rid of the Furman or anything like it.  They're current limiting potential points of failure.  A simple quad box in the rack with a hard-wired tail will get rid of the hinky bottleneck now existing. 

UPS for board boot-up and speaker power sends leaves a spare outlet on the quad box.  The Furman isn't doing anything at all except to split power to multiple taps...but if it's the typical 15 amp stuff designed for rack powering and there are 20 amps available you've got a 5amp discrepancy which does you no good.

I've built and deployed a few rigs specifically for HS Marching Band Front Ensembles and have a pretty good grasp of the operational challenges faced at competitions.  I think these 2 posts (among others) have excellent points for both the proper way to do things and what is practical for the OP. 

On the practical side I believe Jonathan is spot on in being able to utilize what you have now to get through a show without the UPS problems.  The Furman piece you have isn't one of the cheapo Merit Series and should adequately distribute power for what you're asking it to do.  A 20 Amp capable piece like the PL-ProC would definitely be better but the chances of having the hosting field / venue providing you with the correct 20-Amp NEMA connection is remote, at best.  If starting from scratch I'd probably go with Dick's suggestion of simple distribution with no frills.  Or, if the school or parent organization has the $$ to do so, you can power the entire Front Ensemble amplification rig on UPS's that will do the whole show with time to spare.  I've seen some of these set up with Middle Atlantic UPS's and powered speakers that work surprisingly well.

A little different point is the boot up time of the mixer; if it wasn't for this you wouldn't need a UPS at all.  This is one of the reasons I chose the Mackie DL1608 for these rigs.  The processing all comes from the iPad which is already booted thus there is very little lag in startup time.  As long as you can fit your mix into 16 channels it performs admirably for this application.

[Craig Mashburn]

Thanks everyone for their input on this.

As of right now, we have simply gone to plugging the Furman and the UPS straight into the extension cord (it has three plugs on it) and it seems to be working fine now. If I can get the money, I will upgrade the extension cord and drop the Furman for a quad plug in the rack.

[ProSoundWeb Community]