Just curious what do you guys think about voltage regulaters

[70strathead]

Im a firm believer in them. I use the monster product. It does make a difference for sure.

 

[blackba]

The cheaper furman voltage regulator has taps on the transformer that is switches to if the Voltage sags. So the voltage has to be out of spec significantly for the voltage regulator to really help.

In Most cases just a power conditioner will be fine and provide you with some filtering and surge protection.

 

[kent]

i have a power factor pro, the problem is that it does not regulate the power

I thought that was one of the things that it was supposed to do?

i did to but it just shuts down if the voltage is to high, i still use it and its better than a surge protector but if i had the $ i would buy a regulator. i didn't pay attention or research it enough before i bought it

 

[fearhk213]

i have a power factor pro, the problem is that it does not regulate the power

I thought that was one of the things that it was supposed to do?

The power factor acts like a capacitor so it's not a voltage regulator; it keeps the current steady to your rig, not the voltage.

 

[Kiteboarder]

Oh crap! This is a lot more complicated than I thought. I'm going to really have to do the research. Then, what's the point of the Power Factor Pro to keep your current steady if you can't keep the voltage steady? Do you need both then?

 

[kingdomamps]

Oh crap! This is a lot more complicated than I thought. I'm going to really have to do the research. Then, what's the point of the Power Factor Pro to keep your current steady if you can't keep the voltage steady? Do you need both then?

The Power Factor Pro acts as an energy reserve that lowers the effective impedance of your AC power supply. This means you can draw big bursts of energy (in terms of amps) without downing the line voltage too much. It also filters noise off the AC line and provides overvoltage protection.

The PF-Pro does not offer any out and out line regulation, to my knowldedge. (It does offer some load regulation, as you can draw big current out of it without a commensurate drop in line voltage). For line regulation you need a regulator not a conditioner. The AR series has a transformer that has different taps on it. Imagine a variac but instead of being continuously variable, it has +/- 5VAC steps. So if the incoming line voltage drifts up to 125 VAC, then the regulator steps it down 5 Volts, likewise for undervoltages. So with the AR series you'll be within 115-125VAC over a wide range of input voltages.

I like the previously stated idea of feeding a variac off of a regulator. There is a local bass player I know of who carries a big plank of wood with a quad box and a variac on it and at every session or show he readjusts it to 110V for his LA-2A. If he racked up a regulator and his variac he could potentially set the variac once and go anywhere (within reason). If he never reset the variac he would be between 105.5-114.5VAC if he used a +/- 5 Volt regulator.

All the best,
-barry.