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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Author
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Topic: Sound systems - Leave'em on or turn'em off?
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Randy Stankey
Film God
Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 12-04-1999 01:07 PM
I say definately turn the amps off. Heat build up is the number one thing that makes things electronic go bad nowadays. If the amps are fan-cooled then maybe that's not so important.Number two, is the possibility of voltage spikes. They are sometimes more frequent at night. Furthermore, at least if you're there when one hits, you'll be able to tell what happened. If it's at night, you'll just be scratching your head in the morning. Okay, if you've got surge suppression that's not an issue. Mercyhurst does and they leave the Media Matrix and the Smart on 24/365. Doesn't hurt 'em a bit. Matter of fact, people say turning them on & off all the time is worse. We just turn the amps off at night. At TT17, everything goes on in the morning and of at night. (That's over 200 swithces to throw every morning!)
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Scott Norwood
Film God
Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 12-04-1999 02:09 PM
I usually turned everything off...I used the switches on the amps (which had to go off before the CP-50 to avoid a nasty "pop" that might blow or damage the speakers) and then threw the breaker to the sound rack (which killed the processor, monitor amp, and exciter supplies.
200 switches every morning! Wow!
For the single-screen where I worked, I had to flip breakers for: (1) picture changeover, (2-3) threading lights, (4-5) projector motors, (6) sound rack, (7-8) amps, (9) rewind motor, (10) attic blower, (11-14) lamphouse blowers and rectifiers, and (15-21) knife switches for seven dimmer circuits. This doesn't include booth ceiling lights, etc.
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Gordon McLeod
Film God
Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 12-04-1999 02:32 PM
I require that as a condition of warranty on any sound system we install whether it be a theatre or other venue it must be left powered up or don't call us. The reasons are 1 The capactitors in the Powersupplies require a fairly long time constant to charge fully before a signal should be applied (not true for newer switching supplies) 2 System stays at thermal equilibrium a solid state amplifier actually takes longer to properly warm up then a tube one does. 3 No possibility of turn on thumps 4 Low inrush current. Most amps draw enough current to trip breakers on turn on 5 Most amps fail on turn on especially there own power switch 6 Find me a professional recording studio that powers their electronics down at night 7 Systems that are left powered up drift lessWe usually install a contactor on the mains to a rack so if the power goes down the rack will not power itself up when the hyfro comes back on but must pe manually powered up There are several sequencers available for that applications The only amps I have ever replaced have always been where peoiple power up and down The power bill issue is moot as a rack of amps ideling usually is only about 200 watts
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Stefan Scholz
Expert Film Handler
Posts: 223
From: Schoenberg, Germany
Registered: Sep 1999
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posted 12-04-1999 02:33 PM
Turn off, when leaving. Some rteasons, fans are rated for a lifespan of about 10 k hours, so they will pass quicker, you waste electricity for stdby, each Amp. takes about 100 W or so in idle mode, and for fire safety. Unattended equipment might be a fire hazard, rare, but I have seen an amp burning, during intermission.
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Frank Angel
Film God
Posts: 5305
From: Brooklyn NY USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 12-06-1999 09:24 AM
I agree with Gordon McLeod and John Wilson. Steady-state is always prefered over powering up and down cycles. In our recording studio and the network systems "mother room" (which contains all the servers, telephone digital switch and hub racks) nothing ever gets turned off. The amp racks for the theatre sound system in the amp room (which is separate from the projection booth), never gets turned off. Normally I would think amps might fare better if they were off when not in use only because they generate a good amount of heat, but our amp room is kept so cold and the amps have internal fans, that internal overheating is not a problem. In our TV production facility, it's the same -- everything stays on 24hrs.The item of note, however, is that, as I said, these rooms all have very hefty temperature control systems. The temperature is always at an unconfortable 65 degrees in the amp and network systems rooms. The network systems room even has thermometers that read the ambient temp inside the servers and sensors will down a server if it rises above a certain preset. The projection booth is air conditioned, but we read incoming mains voltages as high as 130V at night, so we shut the processor rack down. It wouldn't be uncommon to come in and find four or five hall light bulbs that are always on, burned out over night....not a good omen. Plus, we don't run film on a daily basis. Given this, I decided not to leave the sound racks on. Last week I got a Triplite power conditioner that will regulate the power to the processor racks. In the museum booth, some contractor convinced them to install a power conditioner -- it is the size of house. I have no idea why. It stands 6ft tall, 3 ft deep and 4 ft wide. It gives off more noise than the projectors, but worse, it pours HEAT into the booth. That booth, even though it has air conditioning, is always hot -- I mean like 80 degrees all the time. It's a bitch to work and certainly it can't be good for equipment to be left powered in that environment. Everything in that booth goes off at night. As for all those switches....consider investing in X10 controls-- it's the best thing we ever did. From a single location at the booth entrance, one button can shut everything off -- lights, racks, coffee maker(!!), everything. You can even get a timer controler and set the thing to shut everything down after say 1am. This way, even it a newbie forgets to turn of the single switch, the timer will shut it down for you. The receiver modules only run about $11 and the control box about $9. There is no longer any missed swithes or that 20 min demonstration for newbies coming into the booth for the first time where you have to show him each and every switch.
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Jason Burroughs
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 654
From: Allen, TX
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 12-06-1999 03:59 PM
I'd imagine the debate could go on and on here, just as it has in the PC word... The MTBF on electronics is large now that there isn't much difference either way. At the theatres I've worked at we've always turned everything off, pretty much the same manner that Brad uses, and provided that ambiant temperature and air circulation remain fairly constant and within the products specifications leaving them on shouldn't be a problem. Howerver most theatres turn off the HVA/C systems during the night, I would imagine that this would cause heat to build up in the projection room, not only putting stress on the equipment while it bakes overnight, but on the HVA/C system it self when it kicks back in in the morning. Server rooms have carefully controlled air handlers that conrtoll temperature, airborne dirt, humidity, etc... I've yet to see a projection booth that has air handling on this level.
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William Hooper
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1879
From: Mobile, AL USA
Registered: Jun 99
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posted 12-06-1999 10:00 PM
quote: Last week I got a Triplite power conditioner that will regulate the power to the processor racks.
Is it a monster isolation transformer? I humped one of those up to the booth last year to cut some line noise. Hauling that brick annoyed me more than the pedestals & rectifiers. Furman's got a box that looks really nice: http://www.furmansound.com/IT-Series.html
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