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Author Topic: Proper way to power on/off the PA system  (Read 4801 times)

Binh Tran

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Proper way to power on/off the PA system
« on: April 17, 2014, 06:20:00 AM »

Hi everyone, I am a new volunteer at a Buddhist Temple to look after the PA system in the prayer hall, one-in-a-while the system making very loud scratching noise, especially after it just turned on. I see the way they do power on/off the system is using a power strip, one switch at the power strip to power on and off all the wireless microphone receivers and the amp to cut off the power source instead of using the power switch on each component using their power on/off switch. Do you think this will damage the system eventually? I do understand that the power switch on the system does have some kind of relay to avoid a kind of shock to the component and will eventually destroy it. I do not know much about electronic, will someone please explain to me in exact terminology and the effect of improper power on/off the system?
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TJ (Tom) Cornish

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Re: Proper way to power on/off the PA system
« Reply #1 on: April 17, 2014, 07:22:18 AM »

Hi everyone, I am a new volunteer at a Buddhist Temple to look after the PA system in the prayer hall, one-in-a-while the system making very loud scratching noise, especially after it just turned on. I see the way they do power on/off the system is using a power strip, one switch at the power strip to power on and off all the wireless microphone receivers and the amp to cut off the power source instead of using the power switch on each component using their power on/off switch. Do you think this will damage the system eventually? I do understand that the power switch on the system does have some kind of relay to avoid a kind of shock to the component and will eventually destroy it. I do not know much about electronic, will someone please explain to me in exact terminology and the effect of improper power on/off the system?
The amps (or speakers if the amp is inside the speaker) need to be the last thing you turn on, and the first thing you turn off. It doesn't matter the order of anything else - you want all of the electronics to have stabilized before turning on the amps, and you want to turn off the amps before turning off the other electronic devices, so if there is a pop when a device loses power, the speakers will be shut down, and will not play back that undesirable noise.

Welcome to the forum.
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Jeff Carter

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Re: Proper way to power on/off the PA system
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2014, 10:05:10 AM »

I do not know much about electronic, will someone please explain to me in exact terminology and the effect of improper power on/off the system?

I believe that the major problem associated with improperly powering on/off is the possibility of large transient signals (those scratches you're hearing) causing speaker over-excursion (the drivers pushing in or out so far that they get damaged).

As Tom has already explained, you avoid this by turning the amp(s) on last and off first.
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Mothers, don't let your babies grow up to be physics PhDs

Binh Tran

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Re: Proper way to power on/off the PA system
« Reply #3 on: April 17, 2014, 12:12:46 PM »

Thank You to both Tom and Jeff! The other advise I am looking for is that should I continue to use a power strip, may be a second power strip, to turn on/off the amp instead of using the amp's power switch? Unlike the stereo receiver at home, the power switch is on the back of the amp, someone has to reach their hand (blindly) to push the button, having a power strip to provide easy access. Will this doing any harm to the amp, is this NOT recommended?
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Jay Barracato

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Re: Proper way to power on/off the PA system
« Reply #4 on: April 17, 2014, 12:51:10 PM »

Hi Binh,

I am not sure what budget you have available but the product you could be looking for is called a power sequencer.

They are even available with keys to prevent unauthorized use of the system.

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

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Jay Barracato

Binh Tran

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Re: Proper way to power on/off the PA system
« Reply #5 on: April 17, 2014, 01:38:14 PM »

Hi Binh,
I am not sure what budget you have available but the product you could be looking for is called a power sequencer.
That is an exellence idea, I like it very much! I have to check on the budget. I have seen something like this on Amazon for $300 with 5 stars rating: http://www.amazon.com/Furman-PS-8R-II-Sequencer-Conditioning/dp/B000YZ0G5K/ref=pd_cp_MI_0
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Corey Scogin

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Re: Proper way to power on/off the PA system
« Reply #6 on: April 17, 2014, 01:44:54 PM »

Thank You to both Tom and Jeff! The other advise I am looking for is that should I continue to use a power strip, may be a second power strip, to turn on/off the amp instead of using the amp's power switch? Unlike the stereo receiver at home, the power switch is on the back of the amp, someone has to reach their hand (blindly) to push the button, having a power strip to provide easy access. Will this doing any harm to the amp, is this NOT recommended?

Binh, using a power strip to turn the amps or other things on or off will not harm them.  The power sequencer will do that also.  The sequencer will just turn off the amps first and on last.  It's not the power strip that causes the issue, it's the order in which the components are turned on or off.
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: Proper way to power on/off the PA system
« Reply #6 on: April 17, 2014, 01:44:54 PM »


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