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[Bobby Slaton]

Gig at new venue tonight, circuits questionable.

Can I run program with speakers off (as one would do when setting gain structure) and check a venues circuit(s) to see if it/they will trip? Or do I need the speakers driven to draw amperage?

Any other tips?  We never do "full band,lights" sound check.  Just some "check" "check" & ipod to check all monitor mixes & mains & subs.

[Mike Pyle]

No, if you want to test the circuit you will have to load it down. If you want to do that quietly, you could light up a few pars. Meter the voltage, muliply by the amp rating of the circuit, and it should power that many watts before tripping. For example - 115 volts x 15 amps = 1725 watts. You should be able to plug in 3 500w par bulbs (not dimmed) with minimum voltage sag. It would be good to meter the voltage again with the load on it, just plug your meter into an outlet on the same circuit.

Hopefully the breaker WILL trip before you smell smoke.