UPS for Live use.

  • So you using your new KPA to perform an industry showcase gig at private small club, and midway thru your first song the AC Mains power has a brief power brown out when the Ice machine at the bar malfunctions as the stage lights go full power - leaving you with no AC power on the stage for only 2 seconds.


    Avoid the 45 second KPA reboot wait by using a small UPS (Uninteruptable Power Supply)


    This one fits in your gear bag. around $75
    http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000OTEZ5I/


    [Blocked Image: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410Pk1HZinL.jpg]

  • Sleuth out a pure sinewave model if you can - "modified sinewave" UPS's are no friend of audio gear!


    -djh


    What is a "pure" sinewave unit? I'm trying to find more info about this and I'm not sure if this term is an accepted industry standard. Is it called something else as well? Do all manufacturers abide by the meaning of this term? ?(


    As far as something that isn't a UPS but regulates the power, I've been using a Tripp Lite LTC1800 for years. In live situations, it has saves my butt numerous times and kept the entire band (PA, lights, tube amps, bass) working perfectly in the most terrible AC environments. :thumbup:

  • It's a standard term. Punch it into amazon.com and you'll find many, here's the first random one that came up: http://amzn.to/HeT4lW


    Turning DC into AC is a tricky thing to do cleanly. UPS manufacturers tend to cut costs by chopping up the signal into alternating square waves and then tack on a bit of filtering to reduce the worst of the harmonics. Taken to the extreme, you have a light dimmer type of thing which works just fine for... lights. Rather than come out and say "Square Wave UPS", the industry has adopted the euphemism "Modified Sine Wave", which is like calling pink slime "Lean Finely Textured Beef".


    For analog audio gear, you don't have much choice really - it's pure sinewave or bust. For your computer, well - if you're not using it for audio purposes, anything will do. For the same amount of money, a Modified Sine Wave unit will often give you move output than a pure sinewave model, which is the tradeoff. The Kemper's probably got a switching power supply, so it might run fine on a bargain basement UPS but why run on dirty power if you don't have to?


    A less common type of gear are "power conditioners" - some of these are just UPS'es with very weak batteries, but some (like Furman's) are quality units with large multi-tapped transformers to cleanly adjust voltage on the fly. Might get you through a brownout, but not a blackout.


    -djh


  • Great stuff. Thanks for taking the time to explain that!

  • Hello all - not sure if it's better to resurrect this thread or start a new one... I'm curious about electrical protection options as well for KPA live use.


    I do at least a couple tours a year in countries and venues where electricity can be quite dodgy. Of course, the KPA in my mind is a killer solution for flying out to do gigs like this where a quality backline is not available, but if there are power fluctuations or brief outages, I'd like to have something that allows me to keep running (in the event of a power spike/brownout) or safely power down (in the event of a power outage).


    I live in the United States (110), but the tours I'd need it most for would be in countries that operate at 220. This may be a tall order, but does anyone know of a portable (compact and not too heavy) power conditioner / uninterruptible power supply that would be a good solution? (Bonus points if it fits in the opening in the back of the KPA for transport.)


    Thanks!

  • The KPA has a universal power supply, so I imagine you could run it off a 220V UPS when in Europe or a 120V UPS when in the States. Or, you could use a voltage transformer to convert 220V to 120V when in Europe and keep running off the US 120V UPS.


    -djh

  • i used an UPS (the brand is APS) to power my KPA the connection was : KPA - phonic power conditioner - APS
    it enhance the voltage from 216 to 230v (read from the power conditioner led indicator) but then the voltage get jumpy -- going up and down suddenly and it scares me, so i dont use it anymore now
    i wonder why it happens ?(

  • Thanks, dhodgson. Yep, I love the fact that the KPA has a universal power supply - a huge bonus for me. I'm just more concerned about making sure the KPA is well-protected from odd spikes and brief power outages that I've encountered on tours in Central Asia and the Near East. Sometimes I'm fortunate enough that the sound system and backline have a power regulator (which takes care of spikes and such), but that doesn't help when it comes to power outages.


    Just trying to avoid a situation where the local power goes out for a brief moment, everyone else is able to start playing almost immediately after the power comes back on, but I'd still need to wait for the KPA's circuitry to properly discharge for a few minutes - if I'm understanding that safety feature in the KPA correctly (which I'd happily be corrected on, if I've misunderstood).