 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
71.222.161.107
In Reply to: RE: Can i use the Oyaide R-1? posted by ArdRi on August 05, 2007 at 21:34:57
"Rather than pardoning my ignorance dispel it.Thanks"
U R dispelled.
Go forth and use the R1 with all confidence !!!
Cheers
Follow Ups:
He may be referring to 2 things: usual 15 amp household circuitry (R-1 is 20 amp, right?), and notes on the best or not so good mix with plugs. Sure it will "work", but will it work well and safely, might be his question.
It might be worth some further inquiry before being too blanketly reassuring.
With the R1 having a 20 amp current rating, I could not foresee any
issue(s) where the R1 would be the weak link providing the R1 is installed correctly. If one is not sure, hire a certified electrician to do the job.
As to the plating, that in NO way has anything to do with the current capacity rating of the R1. That is where system tuning comes in and only the OP can determine which plating/combo's are right in his system.
Yes my initial reply may have sounded flippant but I really didn't see any issues, at first glance, that could fall into the "safety" category.
Cheers,
~kenster
in bed and realized i had assumed something not in evidence.That there was somehow a step up of current in the outlet thru some magical property or other which would fry my cables and amp and CDP wiring then kill me as i look on in horror while floating above my smoking corpse from somewhere up by the cieling....
No need to worry.As long as the R1 is installed properly and one does not tax the 15 amp capabilities of that particular electrical branch, U should enjoy many listening sessions :-)
Cheers
off the PS Audio Duet which is the only cable plugged into that outlet. How can i determine if those four uinits running simultaneously is a "Tax"?
Look at the circuit breaker panel. If it says "Federal Pacific Stab Lok," call an electrician. The breakers may fail to trip upon gradual overload.
To determine the load on your circuit, add up all the current or power ratings on the equipment nameplates. If the sum is over 10 amperes or 1200 watts, be concerned. The breaker is rated for 15 amperes, but you do not want to push your wiring too close to the trip point.
Finally, it is a good idea to grasp the plug and IEC jack of the power cord for any high-current equipment after it has been operating for a while. If the connectors feel at all warm, replace the power cord. I had one (with a UL listing tag) start to melt on an amp that drew 500 watts continuously.
I wondered what can the outlet do with the current its fed? It can't change its characteristics,right? Its just metal conducting what its fed albeit of a construction to handle up to 20 amps,correct? so if the Equipment plugged draws 15 amps and the plugs and cords are designed to carry 15 amps and the Building is feeding 15 amps it shouldn't be a problem from a safety standpoint is what i think i understand. It was nearly 2 am when i did this so i just read that post and kind of panicked.
"I wondered what can the outlet do with the current its fed? It can't change its characteristics,right? Its just metal conducting what its fed albeit of a construction to handle up to 20 amps,correct?
Yes. The R1 is a 20 amp design and it would be the current draw that designates the 20 amp status. U should be fine with any just about any audio component/system.
Cheers,
~kenster
Kenster, you're correct that the 20 amp outlet can certainly handle the 15 amp draw. But that's assuming that he is only drawing 15 amps.
What I've read here repeatedly is that there is a danger of hooking up a 20 amp draw component to a 15amp circuit, and that danger is increased in probability if the uninitiated don't realize it and see the 20 amp outlet and plug in something that's 20 amp draw. It can happen.
Short of that occuring, what I've also read here repeatedly is that, if anything went wrong and you had a house fire with some damage in that area, your insurance policy might be voided by the presence of the wrong current capacity outlet or components. In other words, they'd see the R-1 and might give you one hell of a hard time about it.
Of course, all that said, those are 2 "ifs" and not certainties. I was being cautious here, that's all. But his question indicated that he might not have the knowledge of the above or of electrical circuitry.
Something to keep in mind when we deliver advice here, as I've been told enough times, and I find that I agree with that cautionary admonition!
Just because he is going from a 15 amp outlet to 20 amp outlet the components he has hooked to the R1 aren't changing , So his current draw will not change a bit . He's just put a better outlet on the cicuit .
If He changes stereo components at a Later date i.e. some very large Krell amps , then he may want to update wire and breaker at that time .
Joe
Since his original message sounded as though he were a neophyte with regard to AC, I wouldn't assume that he'd recognize the difference if someone gave him a 20 amp unit to try out. (Not criticizing him, just being protective.)
You also don't know what someone else in the house might do, for instance a contractor on premises, with a 20 amp outlet sitting there ready to accept a 20 amp plug.
You also cannot assume that an unrelated insurance event might not trigger an insurance audit with untoward consequences for him.
Maybe I'm just overly cautious by nature. Yet I see posts here frequently from the EEs and electricians more remonstrative than mine about such issues.
Please remember that we dole out advice rather freely here without worrying about what the person on the other end actually knows and will do with it!
Were it my response to him I'd have said, "Provided that your house circuitry is 20 amp, which is what the code requires to use a 20 amp outlet like the R-1......." Obviously, with all the 15 amp outlets we've been discussing it's an unnecessary statement. The R-1 happens not to be your ordinary household outlet in that regard, not just in its sonic character. So why not be safer rather than sorrier ....?
Per my specific situation I have at the moment a BAT VK-200 , a 200 wpc power amplifier (when driving my 4 ohm speakers) and i live here by myself. I'll be sure not to upgrade the equipment without upgrading the breaker and wires therefrom and I'll keep the old 15 amp outlet handy to swap it back in after i burn the place down.. what i think i do understand about the ratings of AC outlets is the rating denotes its current handling capacities beyond which the metal will begin to become unstable. What i am as to not informed are the potential characteristics of the AC coming in to my Unit at the breaker box and how it is regulated. If the current amperage is solely dependent upon the demands of the appliance drawings is there some limit on the potential amperage without the circuit breaker. In other words if it were possible for the breaker to fail to break the circuit and the power am for example did some thing unusual and began drawing exponentially higher quantities of current is there some limiting factor further downstream and if so what is that limit. For what its worth i do have the PS Audio Duet between the wall and the system which is supposed to protect the equipment.
The amperage drawn through a circuit is 100% dependent on the electrical consumers. They might actually only draw an amp or two, but the circuit is capable of supplying the rated 15 or 20 amps.
Look at the circuit breaker or fuse for that circuit. You'll see the rating. The purpose of the circuit breaker is to protect the wiring from overheating. If the installation is modern, it'll likely have #12 wire and a 20 amp breaker. If older, it might have #14 wire and a 15 amp breaker or fuse. You could use #2/0 wire with a 15 amp breaker and it still won't allow more that 15 amps to pass. By the way, the code requires that the wire and breaker have 125% of the expected amperage draw...an actual 20 amp expected load would require a 30 amp circuit with #10 wire.
The 20 amp receptacle might have heavier internal contacts. What it has for sure is one T-shaped slot. A device that draws more than 12 amps (80% of 15) needs a 20 amp plug which has one blade in the usual vertical orientation and the other blade horizontal. This is designed to idiot-proof the circuit so that it only fits into the 20 amp receptacle which should only be on a 20 amp circuit. I know, this is usually overlooked, but that's the reasoning.
So, use a 20 amp receptacle if you choose, and sleep easy. If the one you pick has heavier internal contacts, good. (Look at plugs in a hardware store...good quality 15 amp plugs and 20 amp plugs have equally heavy blades, just different orientation of one blade.)
By the way, it might be smart to go through the circuit and clean and tighten the connections. Be sure you're safe. The connection of the breaker to the bus bar needs to be clean and snap on tightly. A very light sanding with fine garnet sandpaper (non-conduction) and/or a dab of chemical contact cleaner like Ox-Gard might help. Ditto for the connection where the wire is held in the breaker and for the neutral wire on the neutral bus bar. ALWAYS switch off the main circuit breaker feeding the panel--working on a hot panel is not recommended for long life. The cable connections to the audio receptacle should be mechanically and chemically cleaned. If it is not a dedicated line to the audio system, it is daisy-chained through every receptacle and maybe light switches and fixtures between it and the panel. You've got work to do. Most contact cleaners are merely solvents that remove oil or grease, they don't chemically remove oxidation. Check the label.
weather i got all the info i should get is something i might be unable to say if my knowledge has only incresed by what i've read here.
"Ask Any Vegetable" - Zappa....
Kidding aside, your other questions were buried at the end of the last message you sent to my message. They seemed to be serious questions related to the capacities and functions of household electrical systems. If you were really curious about that, you could post it as a new topic in General Asylum or here in Tweaks with a title asking for electricians to respond.
Sound like silly overkill? Not if you want the knowledgeable answer to your inquiry.
Otherwise, you only get people who are bothering to read the interchange between you and I on this sub-thread.
| FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
