Power Consumption

[tymzend]

This may not be the right place to post this, but I'll give it a shot anyway.

We've been asked to do a show at a big state park. There is no electrical service there, so the company that is hosting is going to bring in power generators.

Does this create a problem, running a PC off of electrical power provided by a generator?

Here's our main gear....all of our speakers are powered.

(2) Mackie SRM450 Speakers
(1) Mackie SWA1501 Sub
(1) Mackie CFX12 Mixer
(1) DBX-166XL Compressor/Limiter
(2) FTB Jolly 150W Speakers (used as sidewash monitors)
(1) Power Conditioner
(2) Shure SM58 Wireless Microphones
(1) MTU Portable PC
(1) 17" Samsung LCD Flat Screen Monitor

Any idea of the power we'd be needing to run this setup from a generator?

Admin, please feel free to move this to the proper forum if it's a hassle in this one.

Thanks!

[gduns - with the Lord]

If you are running a computer off of a generator, I would recommend to have a small ups on the computer. Voltage spikes can play heck with the Computer, even cause freeze ups, and damage to the computer. The amps, and such should be ok.

as far as generator size this depends on how much power you are running, For me a 4000 watt generator would be sufficient.

[mhollyts]

I would make sure that you have UPS's on all your equipment. Generators are known for their dirty power.

[MTUSUPPORT]

I know that the Portable PC can't take more than about 250 watts Max. The monitor probably will take less than 50 watts, more like 10-30 probably.

Not sure about the rest of your Equipment though.

[tymzend]

Thanks folks.

I'll check my Mackie manuals for power consumption on the rest of the stuff.

Like I said, the only thing I am running right now is a power conditioner. If I need to get a UPS, I'm not sure that it's worth it for a one time gig.

If voltage spikes are common with a generator, then maybe it's not the safe thing to do. Hate to smoke a bunch of my gear for a $600 gig.

[mindonstrike]

All power straight off the grid is dirty, granted not nearly as bad as from a portable generator. Excessive heat and dirty power are the 2 biggest killers of electronic componants. Surge suppresors will help with most small spikes but it takes them a few miliseconds to clamp down and offer no protection from brown outs. A UPS will keep your power at a nice even 120 volts even if a storm momentarily knocks out your power or you trip a circuit breaker and give you several minutes to shut down properly if the power doesn't return immediately. They only cost 40 to 50 dollars.

In My Humble Opinion it's foolish to take those kinds of risks with a thousand dollar piece of equipment, especialy if it's your bread and butter - just to save a few dollars.

Again IMHO
Sam


PS It's a good idea to check the indicator light on your surge suppressor regularly(mine is green), when enough spikes have eaten away at the protection you are left with a power strip that works but offers no protection.

[DJYale]

I went looking around just to see what I could find and found one, it's $70, 600watt, 1000 Volts, and a Connected Equipment Warranty of $125,000.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...3&Sku=ULT31502

You figure for a $600 gig it may be worth it to get one or even two (one for lights and a second for equipment).

After all, it may be needed for more than just this one gig.

Heck, some of the places I've played I think I'd trust the generator more than in-house wiring ...

[gduns - with the Lord]

This is a good one, I wouldnt bother getting one for lights, They are not as sensitive to power spikes as electronic equipment. It would be good if you could have one on the amps and such, My comment was to have one on the Computer as a minimum.

[tymzend]

I'll check that out.

Thanks!

[bigdaddylddd]

I would even run a UPS during my local bar gigs as well. Doesn't hurt to have the added protection and line conditioning.

[gduns - with the Lord]

Yes, I do run a Ups at a All gigs, I have popped circuit breakers quite often, and that is a good way to crash a computer.