possible to filter dips in AC line?

[ryuji]

averaging maybe once a hour, the AC line voltage sags in my house enough to make the lights dim noticably, and then about half a second to a second later it rises back up. Have not really found anything in the house that's the cause so it must be the power company. Unfortunately (i assume) this is also making my B+ sag as my volume goes down and then back to normal again closely following the lights. only solution for that would be a massive capacitor bank? or is there a different, simpler solution

[hidnplayr]

You can buy a device wich regulates your AC.
They used to be used with old TV's etc
Dont know how they are called tough.

The one i have consists of 2 transformers/inductors and 2 capacitors.

EDIT: or simple use a regulated power supply in your amp

[zigzagflux]

I do not see any country info in your profile, but if you were in the US you could contact your utility and complain of consistent sags - they are normally good about checking the quality, and in fact the Public Service Commission often requires them to respond to a customer complaint.

Beyond that, if it truly occurs once per hour it is likely a problematic regulator or a parallel load starting up. Are you rural or urban? Tree branches tend to do this, but not on a regular basis.

[rederikus]

You could try an uninterruptable Power supply like those used on PC servers.

Newegg.com - ups

You would need to find one that matched the wattage input of your amp too.

This will solve the problem completely but my feeling is that you would be far better off seeking the root cause of the power dips rather than "black-boxing" the problem.

[ryuji]

Originally Posted by zigzagflux

I do not see any country info in your profile, but if you were in the US you could contact your utility and complain of consistent sags - they are normally good about checking the quality, and in fact the Public Service Commission often requires them to respond to a customer complaint.

Beyond that, if it truly occurs once per hour it is likely a problematic regulator or a parallel load starting up. Are you rural or urban? Tree branches tend to do this, but not on a regular basis.

I live in the boston suburbs. Ill investigate home appliances a little more and if I find nothing I'll give them a call

[sharpi31]

Switch mode PSU for B+...? It won't care what happens to your mains voltage!

[ryuji]

Originally Posted by sharpi31

Switch mode PSU for B+...? It won't care what happens to your mains voltage!

I currently am using a tube rectifier to avoid as much switching noise as possible. But you do have a very good point

[MrCurwen]

I would simply regulate B+. With my tube regulated supplies I can flick the power switch on my amp, and the amp continues working for several seconds like nothing happened, then it slowly starts to die out. If the power dip is longer than the regulator can deal with continuing normal operation, at least the change in volume would be very slow compared to unregulated.

Of course there are also sonic benefits from regulating B+. You essentially separate the PSU from the signal parts, eliminating any sonic penalties from caps etc.

[smoking-amp]

"averaging maybe once a hour, the AC line voltage sags in my house enough to make the lights dim noticably"

hot water heater maybe

[ryuji]

Possible to build a tube regulated supply for 300 to 330 mA at 400V? I use tube regulation presently for my 300v grids