i think your post would be better anwsered on audio asylum.
I am looking into the regeneration of ac through a commercial unit. the kind that are used on very expensive computers. it will require less mods to my equipment and run the amp too.
keep up the good work. i enjoy to see progressive thinking.
Jim |
I have a Rowland Model 2 with the optional Battery Power Supply. I think the #1 problem with this BPS was the original retail price - $3000.00.
I bought my BPS used from the original owner for less than half price when Jeff Rowland discontinued the Model 2 - the
factory blew them out to dealers for $1500.00 for a short time.
To be perfectly honest I can't hear any difference with my BPS. I live in the Phoenix area, the ac power here is noisy and fluctuates daily in the summer. I think this shows how well engineered my Model 2 is. It is dead quiet, even plugged directly into a wall socket. I CAN hear an improvement in both my music system & my video system, when I plug in everything but the amps into my Power Wedges.
That said, I plan to keep my BPS. From time to time I contemplate selling it for $ to get something else. But it does complete the amp........
I do wish I could find a cost effective BPS for my front-end components. I would try it in a heartbeat. I woke up at 4:50 a.m. last Thursday after a transformer in the neighborhood blew up - They are loud!
I did my usual routine, calm down the dog, unplug entire music system, go to the living room & shut off all video,
go to work & re-incarnate systems in evening...
|
I also run all battery I can. I have a Reflection Audio preamp and Final Labs Music-6 amp. I still run ac for my Zanden DAC and Audio Note transport, but as sson as I can elmintate my ac, I will. I agree with you totally,power cord manufactures don't like the DC idea, so DC is a bad word. Audio is very political. Sometimes the very best never gets brought up. We swallow elephants and gag on knats! |
Hey, I'm willing to try it. But I have no idea where to begin. It seems that the components that I have that run off of wall warts should be easiest. Is it?
Also, could you elaberate slightly on the comment that you 'use automotive battery chargers.' Do you mean
the type I can buy at Kragen's and hook up to my car battery to recharge it? How do I hook it up? |
Brtritch, I think that the wall wart supplied components are easiest to convert, since many actually step-down and rectify to DC right at the wall wart. This would only require a battery and simple regulator circuit to make it battery powered. Some other units, like my preamp, have outboard power supply that give an easy way in. The charger you refer to as "automotive" is not the one like you use to fast charge your car battery. However a small trickle charger would do the job of charging. The one I use is built into the Portable Power Pack/Jumper Unit that is sold in Auto Zone or others for jumping or supplying 12vdc accessories. It has an charging circuit built in that you can just plug into the wall when it needs charging. Don't charge when you are using the battery, though, or you will get the undesireable charging circuit noise on your power. For small loads, around 2 amps or so, this type of unit will give you a nights worth of listening and you can recharge it during the day or overnight by plugging it in. For components that require other voltages than 12vdc, a simple regulator circuit can be used to set the voltage to whatever the power requirement may be for the component. Be sure to use a regulator that can handle the current needed for the component. That is all there is to it. You have to be a little handy with simple circuits, but it is not too difficult.
I am glad to see that there are at least a few adventurous souls out there that are interested in this subject. I believe that this is the wave of the future in audio design. Leading edge companies like Rowland, Berning, Teres, Redpoint, and others are starting the ball rolling. I will be happy to report more of my results to you guys as I complete further projects. |
I have Merlin Milleniums with the Battery Bam. Once in a while I forget to unplug the Bam, which lets it run in AC mode. It doesn't take me long to realize my mistake, because the sound with the Bam run by batteries is noticeably superior to the AC. It just sounds more 'real'.
By the way, twl, I have a Berning too, only it's the 270. |
Excellent post Twl. It sure would be nice if more manufacturers made it easy to substitue batteries for AC. Almost everything except for some turntable motors rely on DC anyway, so it makes a heck of a lot of sense to skip the AC->DC step, which can't even approach the "clean" power of a battery. Not to mention, batteries can supply gobs more _instantaneous_ current: the typical auto battery pumps out 5-600 amps to start an engine! and even the porta-powers come close.
Your suggestions for exploring components with walwarts or other external power supplies is an excellent suggestion indeed!
Questions:
how does one achieve HIGHER than 12 volts?
Can the batteries be connected in series for say 24 volts?
How about a few in parallel for more stamina?
Is there any danger to doing that?
How many could one connect in series?
If I remember correctly, a typical 100w solid state amp would like 70-80V DC. That then brings up the question of tubes. I think some amps run as high as 600V for output tubes?
I suppose there is info "out there" on the net somewhere. Perhaps others could post links that they have run accross.
Keep carrying the torch Twl. It is a worthy quest. I think I'm gonna hunt down a wal-warted thinga-ma-jigger of some sort. |
Audiofile99, yes you can increase the voltage by adding batteries in series. With 12v batteries, 2 in series would give the 24v you are talking about. And yes, you can parallel the batteries for more run time. No danger in doing this. There is no limit to the number of batteries that you can connect in series or parallel, except for the space required for a large battery bank. Connections should be short, and kept clean and tight. For the higher voltage requirements, the 70-80v should be no problem with several series batteries. The 600vdc you refer to for some tube amps is generally stepped up inside the amp from some lower voltage that is supplied. Just supply the necessary supply voltage, and the amp will kick it up to the high voltage. But remember that whatever voltage you are dealing with, the current requirements must also be met. 1 amp at 600v is going to be 50 amps at 12 volts, or 25 amps at 24volts, or 12.5 amps at 48 volts, etc. The entire package needs to be considered for the parameters involved, including wire guages and wire run length with losses calculated. This is not to be off-putting, but just a necessary part of doing the job correctly. Glad you are interested. Please let me know if you have some successes with your experiments. If I can help you, don't hesitate to email me. |
One caveat to the above post. Since large battery systems can dump enough current to arc weld, proper fusing of the output cables is needed to reduce the possibilty of a fire in case of a direct short circuit on the output lines. |
Call me lazy, but I'm not interested in spending time trying to set up a battery powered system. It seems to me there's a business opportunity for the power conditioner companies...
One unit that houses the batteries and has an intelligent recharge circuit. Build the unit with common automotive batteries making "battery rolling" easy. I envision the unit having six hospital grade plugs. Plug your source components and preamp into the power conditioner, then in turn plug the power conditioner into the wall. A more robust unit could be sold for amplifiers and the like. The KISS principle is alive and well, consumers will pay for intelligent engineering and ease of use. Jeff |
Jeff, I understand your point about making things simple. I am also interested in a simple solution. Unfortunately, at this time, there are few manufacturers working in this direction. That leaves us DIY types to handle the task, if we can. Maybe a few of us could get together and form a BPS company. Of course, we will have to make them with 99.99999999% silver and configure everything in a hyper-Litz configuration, with a pure teflon battery case, and provide replaceable connecting cables for individual system synergy. Just kidding. But, who knows? It may come to that. |
TWL,
I don't think you're crazy. Most of the people that know me think I am however, so this may not be much of an endorsment. ;~)
Happy listening,
Patrick |
I asked the same question on AA thinking a majority would laugh it off. Much to my surprise, most did not and at least one, if I remember correctly, indicated, like you, that he was presently using batteries. I am still far from convinced that the current provided by most utilities should be the source of concern that the sound out of the speakers is negatively affected, but if there is a cost effective way to avoid potentiel problems why not. |
