Power Up Scare Yesterday With The KPA

    I had a good scare yesterday while using my KPA at a outdoor gig.


    About 3 songs into the set, we lost power to the stage. Complete shutdown. This was a concern of ours from the start, when we realized that the promoters had only ran one power line from the facility to the outdoor stage, for the whole band. Sure enough, the fuse blew about 15 minutes into the set. I promptly turned the power knob on the KPA to Off. It took them about 15 minutes to get another line to the stage, and reset the fuse.


    Once power to the stage was up again, I tried firing up the KPA, but I got nothing. I did the usual. Removed the power cable for a couple minutes, tried again, still nothing. 15 minutes later with no KPA love and a very patient audience, I decided to use my GR-55, which I just happened to be trying out for the first time at a gig. Thank God, I had it with me. After a few minutes of scrolling through GR-55 presets, I found a usable modeling patch, and I managed to finish the 1st set, using the GR-55.


    After the first set was over, I tried the KPA again, and luckily, it fired up (Guess it just need time to calm it's nerves after the traumatic power outage. About 30 minutes to be exact.).


    I was able to complete the show with the KPA, but it did not make for a good experience. I don't know if this power issue is something that can be addressed with firmware, but I sure hope so. I really need to know that the KPA is going to power up when I turn the knob. Not knowing is not a good feeling, and frankly is my biggest concern. I know that power outages are rare, I think this is the 2nd time for our band, in 5 years, more likely, someone trips over a power cable and off goes the power. WIll my KPA boot?


    To clarify, turning the power knob to any of the positions, did nothing. No lights, nothing on the screen, no noise....nothing.

    Edited 2 times, last by davec69 ().

    There is an hardware protection inside in order to avoid to blow the unit, but it needs to unload after those kind of traumatic events. When I play outdoor I always have a dedicated UPS for my rig, please note that I always did it also when playing amps or rack systems... If the spike was that strong to activate the protection it would have prolly blew the fuse of some other gear.

    "Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" Serghei Rachmaninoff


    Get a UPS, even a cheap one will do. If nothing else it'll allow you to shut down your KPA gracefully should this sort of thing happen, as well as protecting it from spikes.


    You can pick these things up from 30 bucks : http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Cy…=6201585&st=ups&cp=1&lp=4 although personally I prefer APC which costs a bit more but has IMO better power conditioning and will last you three years or so http://www.bestbuy.com/site/AP…9612674&st=ups&cp=1&lp=10


    There's just no excuse not to protect your expensive kit on stage with this stuff because so many venues have atrocious wiring, and they no longer cost thousands.

    One thing that I really wanted to avoid, was dragging another piece of gear the gig. I do feel that his is one of those must have items, though.


    A quick Google search did find a Chinese company who claims to have the smallest UPS available. I could probably fit this one inside my rack. Only 5 minutes of backup time, but that should be long enough for me to safely turn off the KPA in the event of a power failure. They have a few models. This one is their mobile model.


    http://www.leeer.com/4M/4M.htm



    Can someone smarter than me look at the specs on the above website, and verify that this unit will work with the KPA? How about powering my ADA Microtube amp as well?


    I just emailed the company for pricing. If I hear back from them, I'll post it. Maybe we can do a group buy, if reasonable.


    'm interested. Please update....this one will fit in the back of Kemper too!

    Quote from guitarnet70

    When I play outdoor I always have a dedicated UPS for my rig

    Could you please tell the non english natives here what exactly a "UPS" is, what does the acronym stand for and what do I have to search for in the google of my own language?
    ¡gracias amigo!

    www.audiosemantics.de
    I have been away for quite a while. A few years ago I sold my KPA and since then played my own small tube amp with a Bad Cat Unleash. Now I am back because the DI-profile that I made from my amp sounds very much convincing to me.

    Español: Sistema de alimentación ininterrumpida, SAI
    Deutsch: Unterbrechungsfreie Stromversorgung, USV
    Francais: Alimentation sans interruption, ASI
    Portugués: Fonte de alimentação ininterrupta, UPS
    Italiano: gruppo statico di continuità (detto anche UPS, dall'Inglese Uninterruptible Power Supply)

    www.audiosemantics.de
    I have been away for quite a while. A few years ago I sold my KPA and since then played my own small tube amp with a Bad Cat Unleash. Now I am back because the DI-profile that I made from my amp sounds very much convincing to me.

    Edited 2 times, last by fretboardminer ().

    Quote from luntho

    ups = uninterruptible power supply

    Simply, a UPS provides backup power to your devices (KPA) in the event of a power failure.


    Usually, smaller UPS have some kind of rechargeable battery inside which can provide a few minutes of power, which gives you time to safely shutdown your KPA, if the power goes off.


    UPS can easily get larger than the KPA itself, which is why they are not very fun to carry around.

    I'm corresponding with the company in China that makes that little UPS that I mentioned earlier. Looks like the price would be in the 125.00 range. 100.00 for the unit itself and just a guess on the shipping at 25.00 for their 300w model. They also have a 200w and 250w version. Can anyone tell me if the 200w version would work? It may be cheaper.


    http://www.leeer.com/mini-ups.htm

    Shouldn't a power conditioner be able to protect the KPA as well in that situation?
    Sure, it'll shut down when the power goes, but if a powerspike occurs and never reaches the KPA, you should be able to switch it on again immediately, no?

    Quote from benvdd

    Shouldn't a power conditioner be able to protect the KPA as well in that situation?
    Sure, it'll shut down when the power goes, but if a powerspike occurs and never reaches the KPA, you should be able to switch it on again immediately, no?

    That's a definite.....Maybe ;)


    WIth a UPS, if the mains power goes out, the UPS will keep the KPA powered until you can safely power it down using the switch.


    With a regular surge protector or non UPS type strip, it's like pulling the plug out of the wall while playing. To be honest, I don't know if this would trigger the KPA's internal protection circuit. If it does, you'll need to wait the allotted cool down period before the KPA can be powered up again. From what I learned, it should only be a few minutes, but I can tell you from experience, those few minutes seem like an eternity when everyone's waiting for you.


    One thing I can tell is the folks at Kemper will take care of you, if you have a issue with the KPA. I've already been contacted in response to this thread. Great customer service guys...........