Main problem with 99.9% of filters, including IEC combos is their "Y" capacitors: they are so convenient for passing EMC/EMI tests that they have become ubiquitous, but they are in fact the culprits: they couple to the protective earth (which surprisingly [or not?] happens to be the chassis and general ground) all of the crud present on the mains wires. OK, in theory Y caps come in pair and this should balance things out, except it doesn't for a number of reasons, and an overwhelming one is the mains distribution system: in most areas, one of the conductor is neutral, and is earthed somewhere.
Even where it isn't, as in some older networks (a few still remain in Belgium), there is no way the conductors can achieve balance at frequencies where that matters.
Solution: opt for/build class devices II, and/or opt medical grade supplies filters which are forced to eliminate, or at least limit very much the amount of Y capacitance
Even where it isn't, as in some older networks (a few still remain in Belgium), there is no way the conductors can achieve balance at frequencies where that matters.
Solution: opt for/build class devices II, and/or opt medical grade supplies filters which are forced to eliminate, or at least limit very much the amount of Y capacitance
I'd have thought the way to deal with power supply problems is to have your own. Not that difficult these days. Adds a bit to the expense.
You can run everything you need from DC. Unless you're just being precious.
You can simply charge a battery bank from the mains. If you have 2 banks, you can run completely isolated from the mains. Or solar.
You can run everything you need from DC. Unless you're just being precious.
You can simply charge a battery bank from the mains. If you have 2 banks, you can run completely isolated from the mains. Or solar.
I remember a fellow that did just that while developing circuits. When he got what he liked, then he would start on the power supply and try to get the same sonic results.
Probably 3 or 4 disagree. 😀
Fully agree.
Usually lower current rating ones have better filtering. That's why overrating
isn't alway a good idea. However, with a AB power amp I'd be very careful as
current draw is non constant.
Those little inlet main filter has just been a quick example. I've used (and still
use) several of them, most of them Corcom, Schaffner and Schurter, which I
believe doesn't matter. Basically they do come with pretty much the same L
and C values.
I also have a Sifi C, which has better filtering, but at the expense of higher cost
and of course being physically bigger.
Ok, so someone asked what the real problem is. Well, my problem is I'm in China. And each time you plug anything in any outlet there are always those tiny little sparks zapping away. I've already noticed with the line R unit that sometimes it cuts out because of weird power fluctuations or whatever.
So the problem is: random ****** up unstable power supply from the walls.
I'd say a good quality power conditioner should help for that.
So the guy I usually go to here, has agreed to lend me some stuff, cables and conditioner.
So I plugged it all in, and for sacd definitely an improvement as I hear background voices and other sounds I didn't hear before. For vinyl it sounds a bit thin so I'll be swapping cables on that one.
Having said that. The guy said the cables are new and need to burn in for a bit.
I'll keep you guys posted on how things develop.
So the problem is: random ****** up unstable power supply from the walls.
I'd say a good quality power conditioner should help for that.
So the guy I usually go to here, has agreed to lend me some stuff, cables and conditioner.
So I plugged it all in, and for sacd definitely an improvement as I hear background voices and other sounds I didn't hear before. For vinyl it sounds a bit thin so I'll be swapping cables on that one.
Having said that. The guy said the cables are new and need to burn in for a bit.
I'll keep you guys posted on how things develop.
It sounds more like you need an Online/double-conversion power regenerator....iow a UPS with pure sine output. Uninterruptible power supply - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Dan.
Dan.
If sparks fly when you plug into an outlet, contact is horrible, temperature rises and wall plug overheats, melts, and eventually burns.
It can be solved with new $2 wall plugs and sockets, the kind you buy in any corner hardware store.
You need an Electrician to check your home installation.
As of it happening everywhere in China, I don't believe you.
The Country simply can't exist that way, even less technologically advanced China.
You want us to believe that lights in Shanghai (where you claim to live), flicker and sputter at night?
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
That there's permanent brownouts?
That electrical installations in all those buildings are so poor that electrical fires start all day long, everywhere?
Because that's what happens under the descriptions you give.
Please do the tests I suggested so we know how does your home supply installation behaves with load.
See above 🙄
Replace home installation, specially wall plugs and sockets first or your house will burn.
I think the Guy is a real Con artist
As of sound quality changes, what does it have to do with sparking power plugs and sockets?
Please do and post wall voltage measurements I asked.
Last edited:
Your POWER cables need to burn in a bit? Now I've heard everything. That's ridiculous. That's salesman talk for "live with it and let it grow on you and you'll eventually convince yourself." Look out for that guy, he's a charlatan or a fool, or one of the mystical tweeky-heads to whom it's about faith and religion and belief systems not science; and either way don't ever listen to him as he has no clue. Get yourself some electrical engineering friends instead of hobbyists. And the cables are not going to help with bad power, in fact they'll just deliver all the badness. Go for power amps with a fully regulated power supply.
@JMFahey: of the apartment was mine then I'd make sure the electrics were western standards. As it is, in an expat so no its not. As such replacing any wiring pluget or other construction type modifications to the apartment is it if the question.
And yes, all plus soak when u plug something in. I been here 4 years and that's just what it is like. No nothing burns down, but that doesn't mean it meets EU standards, and it doesn't mean sparks don't appear. It is what it is.
And yes, all plus soak when u plug something in. I been here 4 years and that's just what it is like. No nothing burns down, but that doesn't mean it meets EU standards, and it doesn't mean sparks don't appear. It is what it is.
Even any cable capacitance is getting fed AC and doesn't form up like an electrolytic. A power cable's performance is best when new, and remains about the same if protected from corrosion and the insulation protected from ozone and sunlight.
Balanced power from an isolation transformer sometimes reduces hum and spikes.
Power filters at the chassis power jack sometimes do transmit noise between the 3rd pin ground and power pins.
Power in Africa really sucked, and generally was never available for 24 hours a day.
Balanced power from an isolation transformer sometimes reduces hum and spikes.
Power filters at the chassis power jack sometimes do transmit noise between the 3rd pin ground and power pins.
Power in Africa really sucked, and generally was never available for 24 hours a day.
The IEC can screens the internals from the EMI that the filter emits.
The can must be electrically secured to the Chassis leaving only short gaps between electrical contacts. The longer the gap the more interference gets through to the internals.
When this is done correctly the filter is effectively OUTSIDE the Chassis.
A can with a plastic face bolted to the inside of the Chassis leaves an interference gap around the perimeter and all the EMI from the filter leaks into the Chassis.
Is your receptacles connected using "Stab in" Or "Back Stab" connections? If so, move the wires to the terminal screws.. I've fixed this issue in a few homes where wire comes loose.. Not sure if your receptacles are designed with these push in style connectors but check..
dumbfounded.
How in the name of Dog do you expect upgraded power cords to have any impact whatsoever on what (if it is as bad as you claim) appears to be an electrical supply system in rapid decline?
I'm going to quit commenting at this stage. There is way too big a divide between your logical capacity and your credulity for me to close.
How in the name of Dog do you expect upgraded power cords to have any impact whatsoever on what (if it is as bad as you claim) appears to be an electrical supply system in rapid decline?
I'm going to quit commenting at this stage. There is way too big a divide between your logical capacity and your credulity for me to close.
Egads!...you missed the salient point here....no amount of cable upgrading or ac filtering is going to improve anything if the source (mains) AC is as unstable and dangerous? as the OP describes.
No, that's not the point being made. You inadvertently however did cast an opinion that hopefully the OP will take into account.
I'm not sure what to do about such irregular power besides forms of storage. Perhaps some regentators have lots of supercaps?
While I'm sure some areas of China have good power, I wouldn't in the least be surprised if others did not.
Nope that's exactly aardvarkash's point...and mine! There was nothing inadvertent about it as the OP has described some alarming symptoms regarding his mains supply.
I think that DiD really went to the heart of the matter. So many of us in the West take abundant, reliable power for granted, that we tend to forget that it isn't that way everywhere.
I believe that the OP is looking for a "fix" and is hoping that some Magic Tweak (or Power Cord) will set things right. If the electrical service in his area is unreliable or fluctuates a lot, then he may want to look at a "bank of batteries" to run his system. I've known a few people that are off the grid (at least some of the time) so I know that it's possible.
Best Regards,
TerryO
I'm still curious as to what the APC Line-R does, from the image below all i can see is a transformer and a bunch of relays. First observation is the lack of mains filtering with no chokes or caps at all so it looks like voltage regulation is the limit of its abilities. I'm guessing its some sort of autoformer which switches between taps via the relays if the voltage dips or peaks. Basically a surge/brown out protector, but no going to do anything to filter line noise per say.
Guys, there's nothing wrong with the OP wall power.
He's not in a VietCong tunnel with an adapted bicycle human pedal powered dynamo, not even in a small isolated rural hut with a sputtering gasoline generator, he's in f*ck*ng SHANGHAI !!!!!
The largest City in the World !!!!!
Maybe this skyline is candle lighted?
We're already on the 6th page and the OP hasn't yet offered a single wall voltage measurement.
Although in fact we need at least 2: one with load (I suggested a cheap electrical heater) and one without.
I suggested that very simple test in post #24 ... still nothing.
Of course, that would introduce numbers and measuring in a Faith based argument.
Really ... how do I dare to introduce Logic into this?
All he does is babble about :
Just "the guy" told you so.
Sounds like a made up fake Science "Technical explanation" brewed by your power cable salesman.
Will store it in the same garbage can where I put the "millions of tiny micro diodes" pseudo Science sometimes mentioned here to "explain" why you should buy some expensive cable or connector instead of another.
As legit as:
and for the same reasons: it addresses people's anxiety.
Although there are far better means for that.
"out of the question"?
Sometimes it's hard to follow you. 🙁
Anyway, tearing down walls is "construction type modifications" .... hiring a licensed Electrician to replace some wall sockets or even to check (and correct , if necessary) presumed poor house wiring is well within your rights .
In fact, if you notice such grave problems and do not correct them, or tell the owner to do so, both you and the owner share responsibility.
Besides your funny ideas, poor typing makes them even harder to follow 🙁
Feeling homesick?
That would explain a lot of what you are perceiving.
But I'd spend a couple thousand dollars in a short vacation home rather than on misrepresented power cables.
The invisible ones?
The ones across "bad connections" which don't show a voltage drop across them?
Hope you realize that for sparks to fly you need a voltage differential between conductors.
He's not in a VietCong tunnel with an adapted bicycle human pedal powered dynamo, not even in a small isolated rural hut with a sputtering gasoline generator, he's in f*ck*ng SHANGHAI !!!!!
The largest City in the World !!!!!
Maybe this skyline is candle lighted?
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
We're already on the 6th page and the OP hasn't yet offered a single wall voltage measurement.
Although in fact we need at least 2: one with load (I suggested a cheap electrical heater) and one without.
I suggested that very simple test in post #24 ... still nothing.
Of course, that would introduce numbers and measuring in a Faith based argument.
Really ... how do I dare to introduce Logic into this?
All he does is babble about :
Get better speakers, power cables won't help you there.
And clearly you are not happy with that.
Tiny little sparks you imagine, because you never saw them.
Just "the guy" told you so.
Sounds like a made up fake Science "Technical explanation" brewed by your power cable salesman.
Will store it in the same garbage can where I put the "millions of tiny micro diodes" pseudo Science sometimes mentioned here to "explain" why you should buy some expensive cable or connector instead of another.
Numbers please.
Of course, "the guy" 's business is legit.
As legit as:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
and for the same reasons: it addresses people's anxiety.
Although there are far better means for that.
I guess you mean "IF the appartment was mine"
"I'm an expat" ?
"wiring plugs"?
"out of the question"?
Sometimes it's hard to follow you. 🙁
Anyway, tearing down walls is "construction type modifications" .... hiring a licensed Electrician to replace some wall sockets or even to check (and correct , if necessary) presumed poor house wiring is well within your rights .
In fact, if you notice such grave problems and do not correct them, or tell the owner to do so, both you and the owner share responsibility.
Maybe: "all plugs suck when you plug something in"?
Besides your funny ideas, poor typing makes them even harder to follow 🙁
Unbearable, isn't it?
Feeling homesick?
That would explain a lot of what you are perceiving.
But I'd spend a couple thousand dollars in a short vacation home rather than on misrepresented power cables.
What sparks?
The invisible ones?
The ones across "bad connections" which don't show a voltage drop across them?
Hope you realize that for sparks to fly you need a voltage differential between conductors.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.