Hi I have mesa boogie dual rectifier solo head. I've buy it in US. In Poland I have difrent voltage. I can use transforme to get lower voltage (110V). some amplifiers have power supply transformers with wiring for both voltages (110V and 230V) Do you have some schematics of that transformer? Or do you know how to connect that trafo.
mesa boogie stepdown voltage
I am in the same boat.
I have recently purchased a mesa boogie amp from the states and now need to run it in Australia.
It is 100w output with four 6L6 mesa tubes and five 12ax7 preamp tubes.
In Australia the wall outlet is 240 V. 50hz
The back of the Amp states:
120V
3.5A
50-60Hz.
The power lead is earthed.
A local mesa retailer tells me that the circuitry will be different in US models and the local amp tech won't touch it because they are too scared of voiding their "authorized Mesa repairer" status.
I'm looking into a step down transformer- 240v to 120v.
Is a variac a suitable solution?
Will stepping down the voltage from 240v to 120v ( which the amp was made for) effect the performance of the amp.?
What are the pitfalls i should watch out for?
I am in the same boat.
I have recently purchased a mesa boogie amp from the states and now need to run it in Australia.
It is 100w output with four 6L6 mesa tubes and five 12ax7 preamp tubes.
In Australia the wall outlet is 240 V. 50hz
The back of the Amp states:
120V
3.5A
50-60Hz.
The power lead is earthed.
A local mesa retailer tells me that the circuitry will be different in US models and the local amp tech won't touch it because they are too scared of voiding their "authorized Mesa repairer" status.
I'm looking into a step down transformer- 240v to 120v.
Is a variac a suitable solution?
Will stepping down the voltage from 240v to 120v ( which the amp was made for) effect the performance of the amp.?
What are the pitfalls i should watch out for?
I would not recommend using a variac, as an incorrectly set output voltage could damage the amp. 3,5 Amperes @ 120 Volts means that any additional transformer - stepdown or variac - would have to be rated 420VA or more - quite a big one...
IMHO the most elegant solution would be to have the US transformer replaced with an export transformer, any skilled amp tech should be able to do this. I have never heard of any other circuit differences between US and export models. (What should this be good for? Did your dealer provide any information about this?).
An external stepdown/variac certainly affects sonic performance to a certain degree, as mains supply becomes "softer". This might - to a smaller extent- even be true for the original export transformer, as this one of course has different winding parameters than the 120V model.
Greetings, Georg
IMHO the most elegant solution would be to have the US transformer replaced with an export transformer, any skilled amp tech should be able to do this. I have never heard of any other circuit differences between US and export models. (What should this be good for? Did your dealer provide any information about this?).
An external stepdown/variac certainly affects sonic performance to a certain degree, as mains supply becomes "softer". This might - to a smaller extent- even be true for the original export transformer, as this one of course has different winding parameters than the 120V model.
Greetings, Georg
First of all sorry to Metal master if I dropped in on your thread but I hope we can both get the answers we need if we both ask the right questions.
Thanx Georg K for your help.
I got my amp second hand form the states and had it shipped here. I didn't think changing the Voltage would be such a big deal.
I figured that foreign bands would need to do a similar thing whilst touring Aus. I'm sure they would want to use their own amps set to their specs.
The dealer that gave me this information was from a local music shop who sell big brands. Mesa, Marshall, Fender ect. It was a bit cheeky of me to go in the shop and ask questions about amps that cost five times as much as what i payed.
He admitted that he wasn't much of an amp tech and had me a bit worried about getting it working at all and that NO ONE locally would be game to touch a Mesa amp.
I am less convinced.
Now can anyone give me info on the type of transformer (Auto or triac or whatever) I should be looking for?
Maybe someone could suggest particular brands used for this application in the music trade.
Thanx Georg K for your help.
I got my amp second hand form the states and had it shipped here. I didn't think changing the Voltage would be such a big deal.
I figured that foreign bands would need to do a similar thing whilst touring Aus. I'm sure they would want to use their own amps set to their specs.
The dealer that gave me this information was from a local music shop who sell big brands. Mesa, Marshall, Fender ect. It was a bit cheeky of me to go in the shop and ask questions about amps that cost five times as much as what i payed.
He admitted that he wasn't much of an amp tech and had me a bit worried about getting it working at all and that NO ONE locally would be game to touch a Mesa amp.
I am less convinced.
Now can anyone give me info on the type of transformer (Auto or triac or whatever) I should be looking for?
Maybe someone could suggest particular brands used for this application in the music trade.
Do not be tempted to use an auto transformer or a variac. What you want is a stepdown transformer rated at > 420VA. A quick look shows that Jaycar has cat no. MF1084, 500W 240 - 115V ISOLATED STEPDOWN TRANSFORMER, which would fit the bill, although not cheap at $219 it's probably cheaper than getting the amp modded.
Jim
Jim
I don't know if it's the same over there, but in the UK site power tools have to use 110V, so big isolating transformers are very common, and pretty cheap s/h. One of those would fit the bill perfectly.
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=16158&ts=20358
http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?id=16158&ts=20358
So I emailed Mesa and got their reply;
Hello there,
That warning is in case you use an incorrect step down transformer and
damage your amp, in that case we are not liable. The only issue you may
notice is that when using a correct step down transformer, you may
notice that the amp hums. This is completely normal. If you wanted to
look into converting your amp to your voltage I'd recommend contacting
our distributor:
Pro Audio Supplies
87-89 Gladstone Street Fyshwick A.C.T. 2609
Contact Tel +61 (0)2 6249 7766
Fax +61 (0)2 6247 5960
Email sales@proaudio.com.au
They will be more than happy to assist you with any questions you may
have.
Best Regards,
Marcus Daniel
Mesa/Boogie
Customer Service/Product Specialist
1317 Ross Street
Petaluma, CA 94954
Phone (707) 778.6565 ext. 336
Fax (707) 765.1503
www.mesaboogie.com
Hello there,
That warning is in case you use an incorrect step down transformer and
damage your amp, in that case we are not liable. The only issue you may
notice is that when using a correct step down transformer, you may
notice that the amp hums. This is completely normal. If you wanted to
look into converting your amp to your voltage I'd recommend contacting
our distributor:
Pro Audio Supplies
87-89 Gladstone Street Fyshwick A.C.T. 2609
Contact Tel +61 (0)2 6249 7766
Fax +61 (0)2 6247 5960
Email sales@proaudio.com.au
They will be more than happy to assist you with any questions you may
have.
Best Regards,
Marcus Daniel
Mesa/Boogie
Customer Service/Product Specialist
1317 Ross Street
Petaluma, CA 94954
Phone (707) 778.6565 ext. 336
Fax (707) 765.1503
www.mesaboogie.com
If the step down transformer causes the amp to hum, moving it a little will almost certainly cure it, unless the amp is very poorly designed.
I suggest you borrow/hire a transformer and see how it pans out. In fact, just buy one from Dick Smith, and if you have problems take it back.
HTH
Jim
I suggest you borrow/hire a transformer and see how it pans out. In fact, just buy one from Dick Smith, and if you have problems take it back.
HTH
Jim
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