ALC909 Whitelight Pictures :0)

[DMills]

Uk domestic is single phase in almost all cases (240V live plus neutral, often with neutral and earth bonded by the supplier at their termination unit to reduce earth fault impedance).
Normally fused at either either 60 or 100A.

Light industrial is mostly three phase 4 wire (230 to neutral, 400 between any two phases), again often with the earth and neutral bonded at the incomer. This is what we need all our non trivial ion lasers to use, hence the need for farting about with transformers.
Heavy industrial is normally 6.6/11KV delta converted on site to whatever is required.

Lost neutrals can be **FUN** when you have large single phase loads, or large harmonic loads, but fortunately at least in the UK are vanishingly rare within the suppliers network (They are however a popular game at gigs supplied by generators).

Dimmer racks are almost all three phase above about 12 channels or so, and some large amp racks are also three phase input, but it is amazing how much noise you can make off a 32A single phase feed with modern amps).

The European 230-0-230 domestic supplies are more like the US 120-0-120 = 208V supplies in that the phase angle is only 120 degrees instead of 180. In the EU case 230-0-230 = 400V phase to phase.

Yaaay for topic drift!

Regards, Dan.

[Stoney3K]

...and some large amp racks are also three phase input, but it is amazing how much noise you can make off a 32A single phase feed with modern amps)

*Remembers a rack of class D 10kW amplifiers driven off a single phase 32A CEE*.... OUCH!

Mind you, lifting that rack was a breeze. The planning for my new PA system is to have standardized 4-channel 7,2kW racks for each gig, running at a single phase, which is serious madness. Luckily the power draw on those things is hardly continuous, and those amps (1U each, 2x1800W @ 4ohms) have some beefy capacitors to catch any transients. Expected weight for each rack: Under 25kg!

[DMills]

Got a couple of utility racks with two Camco V6 in each (12KW @ 2 ohms), the supply?
32A Single phase!

Get away with it for sound, you never would for lights.

Regards, Dan.

[Diachi]

Hey Jon! Some great info there, and some great offers too!

At home I have no access to 3 phase, my water MIGHT manage that flow level, but I've never checked. The pressure isn't nearly as good as it was a few months back.

I have access to a workshop which MIGHT have 3 phase, I'd need to check on that. That's why I was looking at the 909, I can get single phase at up to 40A in my bedroom + another 13A single phase for pumps and fans etc . I can probably get more with a simple breaker change. I can build a rotary 3 phase convertor after a little bit of reading I'm sure.

I've got a couple of argons here and I love them to bits, but they just don't cut it power wise! Ions are my favourite so far, so I know I want to get into them more and I've been looking for the right laser for a while now.

It'll be a few months before I have enough money, there should be around £500 waiting for me in a locked up bank account . So after I get that and sell some stuff I should have plenty of money. But supplying that beauty with plenty of power is a concern.

Looking forward to hearing what you think!

Cheers!

Adam

[mixedgas]

I'm gonna inject something here.The purelight PSU is 4 passbank transistors and 6 SCRs, its a very simple phase fired supply , not a big linear. The SCRs are fired in such a way that a constant 8 volts is kept across the passbank. This means less stress and long life. I have the service manual for the PSU.

Purelight PSUs came in single and 3 phase versions. They were designed for both I60 and I70 tubes.

This means less wasted power in the power supply and a long tube life.

Steve

[dsli_jon]

Hey Adam -

Hey Jon! Some great info there, and some great offers too! So after I get that and sell some stuff I should have plenty of money. But supplying that beauty with plenty of power is a concern.

Thanks for the comments, but alas, the Purelights have sold.. Now, if ya really want some laser, you could sell a kidney and pick up THIS one - (though it sounds like you'd prolly still have to muck with a transformer...400 > 480

Anyhoo, will keep you posted if/when we unload some more in the future...

ciao
J

[Xytrell]

I can get single phase at up to 40A in my bedroom

That's a strange place for 40A service dontcha think? Did the builders say, "hey, I betcha the customer would just LOVE to run a clothes dryer or a kitchen stove in the bedroom. Maybe even a laser or something"

Or did you wire it yourself?

Third option: do you sleep in the laundry room??

[Diachi]

Hey Adam -



Thanks for the comments, but alas, the Purelights have sold.. Now, if ya really want some laser, you could sell a kidney and pick up THIS one - (though it sounds like you'd prolly still have to muck with a transformer...400 > 480

Anyhoo, will keep you posted if/when we unload some more in the future...

ciao
J

That was fast! Thanks , I'd be better waiting anyway so that I can save more money .

That's a strange place for 40A service dontcha think? Did the builders say, "hey, I betcha the customer would just LOVE to run a clothes dryer or a kitchen stove in the bedroom. Maybe even a laser or something"

Or did you wire it yourself?

Third option: do you sleep in the laundry room??

Well I don't have a 40A socket, but all it would require is a bit of wire and a plug. The hole is already there. We got a shower installed a while back, the power for it runs along the attic ( above my room ). So all I'd need to do is splice the cable and add a socket of my own. Could do it in under an hour easily.

[allthatwhichis]

We got a shower installed a while back, the power for it runs along the attic ( above my room ).

You need power to run a shower?

[Psi]

It will be the kind of shower that heats cold water to hot in real time, they require a huge amount of current.
I forget what they're called.