About my amps mains connections

[millwood]

if you all care about is the life of a (mechanical) relay, why cannot you just drop in a SS relay? it lasts practically forever and is cheap too.

[li_gangyi]

I DO expect my amps to last for 40 years...even if I dun use them that long...and yes I do have a amp that is 40 years old...although I'm only 14...it was my dad's...not SS though...tube...but using relay's here makes my skin run cold...coz when they go open...which is often the case when they spoil...the resistors would overheat and possibly case a fire or burn out some stuff inside ur amp...so are you suggesting we put in 100W resistors instead?? Maybe we should forget all about this and instead put in a 13A fuse...lolx...on the topic on inrush suppressors...why would we wanna use relay circuits or SCRs...compared to a thermistor...which is better?? I think there was a thread on thermistors used as inrush supperessors...

[Rudy]

thermistors are fine if you have a clas A amp, clas AB you don't have a load so the resistor won't get hot enouf, so there is a continuesly resistor in series with the mains, not something i like, for clas A, yes a very good sulution becouse the load is always the same..... and a thermistor stays in the mains and the resistor not.

"so are you suggesting we put in 100W resistors instead"
If it is a 1KVA transfo, YES , what i mean is .. i sometimes see DIY amps with 1KVA transfo and caps of 100mF and a seriesresistor of 10W, that doesn't last long, but heck, you don''t have to wurry about your relais in that case, becouse you have to remove these resistors every week

Greetz Rudy

[li_gangyi]

Ok...short of overrating the fuse...is there any better SS way to trigger a inrush limiter...I say SS...coz I hate mechenical parts like relays...although they are used extensively in Speaker protectors...

[Upupa Epops]

With good drive circuit is triac ideal device for " soft start ", but after starting cyclus must be shorted by any relay becouse bring in mains circuit disturbing noise ( about + / - 0,7 V pp ). I mean that is better use for soft start any resistor, which will be shorted by the same relay as by triac. PTC termistor is not good for this, becouse is usable for constand power consumtion and have in " on mode " not so litlle resistance, which bring to the reproduction " dead of dynamic " - my own experience.

[li_gangyi]

Hmmm..ok...so the relay's the best choice??? I'm getting no where here...perhaps I should just forget it and get a circuit breaker installed in my amp...planning on pretty BIG caps there...should I keep the caps topped up with a small trafo when I off the main one...???

[JensRasmussen]

Here is a picture of my startup/control module for my amp

I'll post schmatics later

\Jens