Hifi equipment protection

[Sobersound]

While we are on the topic of equipment protection, any precautions against the high humidity levels of Mumbai during the monsoons.
Have faced lot of issues with my camera gear in the past

 

[sud98]

A belkin power strip wont help you in any typical surge for audio equipments. you need a real fast moving circuit breaker or a online ups to protect you. if you are in mumbai, the chances are low, so it becomes pointless to do so. but in places like delhi/bangalore where there is a lot of switchover to generators, its useful to protect.

 

[antoniodias]

Hi there,
The best solution as mine would be to use a Dehumidifier in a dedicated enclosed room. I learnt this through experience,I kept all my electronics like my Yamaha grand electronic piano, Yamaha clavinova, lg 55 inch Tv, amplifiers turntable, etc in one compact room. I lost a year back my Yamaha rxv 661, lg 40 incnh Smart Tv, to the culprit HUMIDITY.
The cost of repairing are 40 to 50% of the original value, and at times as product being discontinued, replacement parts are hard to procure.Presently in monsoon, the machine collects 5 litres of water every single day.
I purchased a hygrometer displaying % of humidity at any given time. Even today in my living room it reads 89%.
The second option would be to keep the air conditioner on the whole day to at least at 26-27 degrees celcius. But this would add on units to your electric energy meter.
Happy days
Regards antonio

 

[rikhav]

Hi
If you don't mind can you tell us what is the brand of dehumidifier you have and the lorce of it , and finally from where can it be bought?
Also does it needs to be on for most of the day or you shut it down once humidity levels drop to a certain level?
Lastly any idea how much power it consumes?
Thanks in advance sir

 

[Krishroy2004]

Surge Protector Joules and How Many Do You Need?

Valuable Equipment Needs a Higher Joule Rating

Are you protecting a $500 PC or a $5,000 home theater? Obviously, the higher the value of your equipment, the higher the quality of surge protector required. While any device that gets plugged into an AC outlet can benefit from surge protection, inexpensive components such as lamps, digital clocks and blenders don’t need a high level of protection. A unit with up to 1000 joules of surge protection is adequate for these small electronics. Some components have sensitive circuitry requiring protection, but don’t store extensive data. A surge protector with 1000 to 2000 joules will provide sufficient protection for power tools and office equipment such as printers, copiers and routers. Consider the highest joule ratings – 2000 and above – for home theater components, gaming consoles and any computer that stores important data … anything from customer lists to financial information to irreplaceable photos and favorite music.

 

[Krishroy2004]

Targus SmartSurge 6 with 4 USB Ports

Overview
THE TARGUS SURGE PROTECTORS PREVENT YOUR EQUIPMENT FROM DRAWING MORE ELECTRICITY THAN WHAT THE POWER MULTIPLIER CAN HANDLE. THE SURGE PROTECTORS DISCONNECT FROM THE POWER, PREVENTING ELECTRICAL FIRES, AND EXTENDING THE LIFE OF YOUR EQUIPMENT BY ABSORBING THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY UNSTABLE VOLTAGE. THE USB SMART DETECTION AUTOMATICALLY DETECTS THE EXACT CHARGE REQUIRED BY THE CONNECTED DEVICES AND DELIVERS MAXIMUM CHARGING SPEED ACCORDINGLY.
Features

Outlet x 6 plus USB x 4 (24W / 4.8A)
Surge Protection 1,000 JOULES
Maximum Current: 250V, 13A or 3,250W
USB Smart Detection: Automatically detect which the exact charge required by the connected devices and delivering MAX charging speed accordingly
2M / 6.6FT Power Cord
Child Safety Shutter

 

[spirovious]

The best protection will be online sine wave ups with isolation on the output side of the ups, but online ups is very costly.

MZ audio wont give warranty if used with UPS and they clearly mention on box.
Also I have found performane with spike guard degrades.
Lastly corrosion issue is more problem as digital circuit may fail due to it.

 

[antoniodias]

The surge protectors are mostly needed wherever there are power fluctuations. For humidity control solution can only be done with the help of dehumidifiers. One might need both, or if there are no power fluctuations then the dehumidifier is a must, specially if one live close to the coastline.

 

[antoniodias]

Hi
If you don't mind can you tell us what is the brand of dehumidifier you have and the lorce of it , and finally from where can it be bought?
Also does it needs to be on for most of the day or you shut it down once humidity levels drop to a certain level?
Lastly any idea how much power it consumes?
Thanks in advance sir

Dear Rishab,
You see I have been working abroad, for quite some years, and on many trips I have been bringing these along with me. They are mostly under the brand name GE (General Electric) & Westinghouse. If you google Amazon site there are quite few listed, but remember that for a room size of 300 to 400 Sq feet 1 humidifier would suffice. Don’t, buy the wardrobe one as these come with a capacity to collect only 300- 500 ml of water. Also they work on a different principle of cooling using thermoelectric peltier technology. These have no refrigerant. Buy the one using a compressor, just the same we have in a refrigerator, having water collecting capacity of at least 5 liters. As I am near the beach, I often collect around 5 liters in 24 hours period and one needs to empty it to reactivate it for further use. It has an auto shut system once the container is full. Since I am hardly at home, I made an arrangement where I do not need to empty the container myself. It keeps on flowing from the drain pipe to the building exterior drain. Anyway this is a different subject. If you do not want to use often, please buy one hygrometer. In one of my dehumidifier, it tells me the level of moisture in the air.
For energy consumption In my layman’s knowledge should be at least 50% less than a 250 litre household fridge.
Sorry for being too long and lengthy. PM me if you need more help.

 

[hifitoaster]

I had my equipment connected to a BARRACUDA UNIVERSAL POWER DISTRIBUTION CENTRE. After I got my TV, I literally used to get my heart in my mouth every time the power used to go off. So I got myself a Numeric LI UPS. As my apartment's got a generator which switches on in under 5 seconds, my equipment does not run on the UPS, It only prevents it from an abnormal shutdown. I don't know to what extent all this helps, but my heart now stays in its place during power shutdowns.

The abnormal shutdown is the thing which screws up thr devices most of the time. Caps looses their life faster witchibg switching than staying on for years.

 

[sud98]

Dear Rishab,
You see I have been working abroad, for quite some years, and on many trips I have been bringing these along with me. They are mostly under the brand name GE (General Electric) & Westinghouse. If you google Amazon site there are quite few listed, but remember that for a room size of 300 to 400 Sq feet 1 humidifier would suffice. Don’t, buy the wardrobe one as these come with a capacity to collect only 300- 500 ml of water. Also they work on a different principle of cooling using thermoelectric peltier technology. These have no refrigerant. Buy the one using a compressor, just the same we have in a refrigerator, having water collecting capacity of at least 5 liters. As I am near the beach, I often collect around 5 liters in 24 hours period and one needs to empty it to reactivate it for further use. It has an auto shut system once the container is full. Since I am hardly at home, I made an arrangement where I do not need to empty the container myself. It keeps on flowing from the drain pipe to the building exterior drain. Anyway this is a different subject. If you do not want to use often, please buy one hygrometer. In one of my dehumidifier, it tells me the level of moisture in the air.
For energy consumption In my layman’s knowledge should be at least 50% less than a 250 litre household fridge.
Sorry for being too long and lengthy. PM me if you need more help.

Isnt it noisy to keep in a HT room?

 

[antoniodias]

Hi there. It only whispers. It is tolerable, as it is quite silent. In case you feel it is bothering you or interferes, then just putting it off during listening to music, after a whole day being on, would not add humidity to your room Immediately.

 

[dillihifi]

HI after reading about the great no. of equipment failures due to power issues I thought of getting an online UPS which I think will be an long term investment and will help towards keeping my equipment safe.

I contacted a seller in Nehru Place and the got the following quotes :

EATON 2KVA - 26k ; 3KVA - 31k (2 yrs on UPS and 1 yr on battery)
APC 2KVA - 36k; 3KVA - 55K (2 yrs warranty on both UPS and battery)

Both are with inbuilt batteries and was told both are big companies.

Thinking of buying the EATON 2KVA. Will be powering my 50inch Plasma (around 300Watts), Receiver (around 600Watts) the sub maybe 150 Watts

 

[blackscorpio]

HI after reading about the great no. of equipment failures due to power issues I thought of getting an online UPS which I think will be an long term investment and will help towards keeping my equipment safe.

I contacted a seller in Nehru Place and the got the following quotes :

EATON 2KVA - 26k ; 3KVA - 31k (2 yrs on UPS and 1 yr on battery)
APC 2KVA - 36k; 3KVA - 55K (2 yrs warranty on both UPS and battery)

Both are with inbuilt batteries and was told both are big companies.

Thinking of buying the EATON 2KVA. Will be powering my 50inch Plasma (around 300Watts), Receiver (around 600Watts) the sub maybe 150 Watts

Eaton is a good brand. I have an Eaton 3KVA external batteries, little more than 3yrs now, except one breakdown of motherboard, was in warranty period, working good so far.

But I suggest you rethink the solution, I recommend:
1. 1KVA ONLINE UPS for the plasma & for any future equipment like BD player or your desktop.
2. 2KVA Isolation or CVT, for the receiver, sub & for anything to be future proof.

 

[dillihifi]

I agree but a CVT or Isolation though protecting my equipment from the Voltage surges will not help in abnormal shutdown. If that is ok then may consider that route.

 

[blackscorpio]

I agree but a CVT or Isolation though protecting my equipment from the Voltage surges will not help in abnormal shutdown. If that is ok then may consider that route.

Like I said, ONLINE UPS, for the display, projector, desktop or disc player. For every thing else, abnormal shutdown not going to be a problem.

 

[Dr.Lakshay]

Like I said, ONLINE UPS, for the display, projector, desktop or disc player. For every thing else, abnormal shutdown not going to be a problem.

Wouldn't avr be effected by abnormal shutdown? IMO avr is more susceptible to damages due to abnormal shutdown than a TV.

 

[blackscorpio]

Wouldn't avr be effected by abnormal shutdown? IMO avr is more susceptible to damages due to abnormal shutdown than a TV.

AVR, more specifically HDMI boards are more susceptible but not coz of abnormal shutdown but various other reasons.

 

[vinyl]

MZ audio wont give warranty if used with UPS and they clearly mention on box.
Also I have found performane with spike guard degrades.
Lastly corrosion issue is more problem as digital circuit may fail due to it.

MZ audio perhaps refers to the LI UPS and not the online UPS, as LI UPS gives a square or a modified square wave out put during backup, whereas an online UPS gives a sine wave output. Square waves are not meant for not only audio equipment, but numerous other electronic equipments.
Spike guards and RF/ EMI filters do degrade performance. Best is to use servo with isolation.

 

[vinyl]

I agree but a CVT or Isolation though protecting my equipment from the Voltage surges will not help in abnormal shutdown. If that is ok then may consider that route.

Don't use a CVT, as it will require constant load as per it's capacity, otherwise it may heat and start a fire, so better use a servo with isolation.
For your information, when some costly medical equipment is installed, the technician/ engineer installing the equipment will not install it unless an isolation transformer is provided. Servo or online UPS are secondary things and required only when there is a lot of voltage fluctuations or power failures. This information will help you to decide what to use for your equipment.