Bose Portable PA Knowledge - User contributions [en]

Power Considerations

2008-08-12T13:25:43Z

Wbecker: /* Surge Protectors */

This information pertains to AC power sources for your L1®.

== Electrical Power ==
As a general note, we want to remind you that all electrical equipment must deal with poor power conditions and power outages. Hardware and software designs can be sophisticated in this regard and we put enormous effort in this area.

At a certain point, if the voltage drops too low from the wall circuit, or there is a power outage, contemporary digital electronics including ours will start a reset sequence. Assuming the AC power recovers, the reset sequence with digital electronics usually takes a few seconds. If that few seconds is longer than the power outage, it can be a frustrating wait.

There are practical things that musicians can do that will minimize the chance of an interruption in their performances – practices that are valuable to know and use in general for all stage equipment.

* Use AC extension cords that are as short as possible. Do not use a 100’ cord when a 25’ cord will do.
* Do not use thin-gauge or flimsy extension cords. Good cords are worth the extra expense.
* Avoid the practice of stringing AC extension cords together: if you have 20’ to the wall socket, use one 25’ cord rather than 3 x 8’ cords. The reason is that the electrical connectors at the junction between cords can introduce extra resistance, especially if they are bent or corroded.
* Split power-hungry equipment (amplifiers and lights) over as many different power circuits as you can. Lots of power-hungry equipment loaded onto one circuit will lower the voltage and can cause equipment resets and failures, especially in very loud musical performances.
* Check for non-performance-related equipment on stage circuits that may contain compressors or large motors: refrigerators, air conditioners, snow cone machines, etc. can cause a large drop in the voltage. If possible, move these appliances to other circuits or have them turned off during the performance.

Source: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=7521050644&m=3951024284&r=6221026694#6221026694 Bill-at-Bose]

== Surge Protectors ==
From Hilmar-at-Bose

Surge protectors are not a bad thing, although the PS1 (as well as the L1 Model I, Model II, and all our other products) have built in surge protection.

"Surge" means a lot of voltage coming through the power over a short period of time. That's pretty rare and the main cause is lightning, some accidents involving power lines (mostly on poles) being cut and touching something they shouldn't (e.g. the wrong side of a power transformer) and some really big compressors (e.g. industrial-sides freezers or fridges) turning on or off.

With the exception of lightning and some very bad power accidents, the PS1 can handle that all fine by itself. With lightning, anything is possible. No piece of equipment that I know will survive a direct hit into a directly connected power line. But then again lightning might strike a few blocks (and transformers) away in which case a surge protector might be able to take the first hit and die quickly enough to protect the attached equipment.

In this regard even cheap surge protectors will work fairly well and there is only a really small number of cases where a cheap and very expensive surge protector might make a difference.

On a side note, its a good idea to have all equipment that connects to the PS1 on the same power strip. That helps with ground loops. On the other hand it's not a good idea to turn things on and off with the switch on the power strip. That may cause your fuse to blow (due to the so-called "in-rush current") and might result in pops and clicks.

The proper way to turn things on is to follow the signal, i.e.

# instruments
# outboard effects processors
# PS1
# external power amps

Turning off be done in reverse.

Source: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3976055944/m/3741002612?r=7361012712#7361012712 Hilmar-at-Bose]

=== Power Strips ===
There is no technical reason why a power strip, a power cord or any sort of power conditioner should make a difference. Our system (and many others too) are designed to deal with all sorts of AC power fluctuation and have high quality internal regulators. These regulate with much higher precision that any external device could do anyway, so "conditioning" or "cleaning" up the AC power doesn't make any audible difference whatsoever.

Source: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3976055944/m/3741002612?r=7361012712#7361012712 Hilmar-at-Bose]

== Power Conditioning ==
We do not recommend external voltage regulators because we found that in many cases they cause more harm then help. The amps and power supplies in the L1 use highly efficient switching technology, Many voltage regulators are not a good fit for this technology since they are simply not fast enough.

The L1 is designed to be quite resistant against any AC voltage swings and will operate fine even down at 97 Volts.

Source: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3976055944/m/9251094154?r=1431066154#1431066154 Hilmar-at-Bose]
----

We Bose designers do not believe that a power conditioner provides more headroom, dynamics, better sound, or more fidelity for our equipment.

There are a number of technical reasons for this that I won't go into online, but a good way to think of it is that we have already put in all the power conditioning required to make the products sound as good as possible.

Source: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3976055944/m/8291078355?r=7061098355#7061098355 Bill-at-Bose] [[User:ST|ST]] 09:09, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

Power Considerations

2008-08-12T13:18:24Z

Wbecker: /* Power Conditioning */

This information pertains to AC power sources for your L1®.

== Electrical Power ==
As a general note, we want to remind you that all electrical equipment must deal with poor power conditions and power outages. Hardware and software designs can be sophisticated in this regard and we put enormous effort in this area.

At a certain point, if the voltage drops too low from the wall circuit, or there is a power outage, contemporary digital electronics including ours will start a reset sequence. Assuming the AC power recovers, the reset sequence with digital electronics usually takes a few seconds. If that few seconds is longer than the power outage, it can be a frustrating wait.

There are practical things that musicians can do that will minimize the chance of an interruption in their performances – practices that are valuable to know and use in general for all stage equipment.

* Use AC extension cords that are as short as possible. Do not use a 100’ cord when a 25’ cord will do.
* Do not use thin-gauge or flimsy extension cords. Good cords are worth the extra expense.
* Avoid the practice of stringing AC extension cords together: if you have 20’ to the wall socket, use one 25’ cord rather than 3 x 8’ cords. The reason is that the electrical connectors at the junction between cords can introduce extra resistance, especially if they are bent or corroded.
* Split power-hungry equipment (amplifiers and lights) over as many different power circuits as you can. Lots of power-hungry equipment loaded onto one circuit will lower the voltage and can cause equipment resets and failures, especially in very loud musical performances.
* Check for non-performance-related equipment on stage circuits that may contain compressors or large motors: refrigerators, air conditioners, snow cone machines, etc. can cause a large drop in the voltage. If possible, move these appliances to other circuits or have them turned off during the performance.

Source: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums?a=tpc&f=7521050644&m=3951024284&r=6221026694#6221026694 Bill-at-Bose]

== Surge Protectors ==
From Hilmar-at-Bose

Surge protectors are not a bad thing, although the PS1 has built in surge protection.

"Surge" means a lot of voltage coming through the power over a short period of time. That's pretty rare and the main cause is lightning, some accidents involving power lines (mostly on poles) being cut and touching something they shouldn't (e.g. the wrong side of a power transformer) and some really big compressors (e.g. industrial-sides freezers or fridges) turning on or off.

With the exception of lightning and some very bad power accidents, the PS1 can handle that all fine by itself. With lightning, anything is possible. No piece of equipment that I know will survive a direct hit into a directly connected power line. But then again lightning might strike a few blocks (and transformers) away in which case a surge protector might be able to take the first hit and die quickly enough to protect the attached equipment.

In this regard even cheap surge protectors will work fairly well and there is only a really small number of cases where a cheap and very expensive surge protector might make a difference.

On a side note, its a good idea to have all equipment that connects to the PS1 on the same power strip. That helps with ground loops. On the other hand it's not a good idea to turn things on and off with the switch on the power strip. That may cause your fuse to blow (due to the so-called "in-rush current") and might result in pops and clicks.

The proper way to turn things on is to follow the signal, i.e.

# instruments
# outboard effects processors
# PS1
# external power amps

Turning off be done in reverse.

Source: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3976055944/m/3741002612?r=7361012712#7361012712 Hilmar-at-Bose]

=== Power Strips ===
There is not technical reason why a power strip, a power cord or any sort of power conditioner should make a difference. Our system (and many others too) are designed to deal with all sorts of AC power fluctuation and have high quality internal regulators. These regulate with much higher precision that any external device could do anyway, so "conditioning" or "cleaning" up the AC power doesn't make any audible difference whatsoever.

Source: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3976055944/m/3741002612?r=7361012712#7361012712 Hilmar-at-Bose]

== Power Conditioning ==
We do not recommend external voltage regulators because we found that in many cases they cause more harm then help. The amps and power supplies in the L1 use highly efficient switching technology, Many voltage regulators are not a good fit for this technology since they are simply not fast enough.

The L1 is designed to be quite resistant against any AC voltage swings and will operate fine even down at 97 Volts.

Source: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3976055944/m/9251094154?r=1431066154#1431066154 Hilmar-at-Bose]
----

We Bose designers do not believe that a power conditioner provides more headroom, dynamics, better sound, or more fidelity for our equipment.

There are a number of technical reasons for this that I won't go into online, but a good way to think of it is that we have already put in all the power conditioning required to make the products sound as good as possible.

Source: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3976055944/m/8291078355?r=7061098355#7061098355 Bill-at-Bose] [[User:ST|ST]] 09:09, 12 August 2008 (EDT)

R1 Remote

2006-08-24T19:46:24Z

Wbecker: /* What do the LEDs mean? */

<big>'''R1 Remote'''</big>
[[Image:R1Remote150.gif|right]]
These are tips for living with the R1 Remote Control Unit

== Packing It ==

Ken-at-Bose <ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/397605594...6074194/r/9526074194 Ken-at-Bose about packing the remote in the Bose® Musicians Community Message Boards]</ref> says

Don't put the Remote Control in the outside pocket of the Power Stand gig bag. It'll get hit during transportion.

The gig bag for the upper half of the Cylindrical Radiator(tm) speaker is designed to leave room for the Remote alongside the bayonet; this is a good protected area.

== Stiff Controls ==
If the knobs get stiff, you can pull them out a bit. Chances are they've just gotten jammed down during packing.

== Do You Have to Use the R1? ==
If you power up the System without the Remote Connected, the PowerStand operates as though the Remote is connected with all controls straight-up (12 o'clock) position.

The PS1 power stand continuously senses activity at all preset selectors and what is connected at the input/output jacks. In general, it is not recommended to operate without the remote connected. The PS1 power stand can however function without the R1 remote control. If you power the PS1 power stand on without the R1 remote control connected, it will operate as if the R1 remote control was connected and at a fixed setting of 12 o'clock (center position) on all the control knobs. Alternatively, if the unit is powered on with the R1 remote control first connected and the user then disconnects the R1 remote control, it will retain the last settings of the R1 remote control before you disconnected it. This is helpful in the case where sharing may be necessary.

Even without the R1 Remote control the system can get to full output if the input trims are carefully set.

Source: [http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_STATIC_PAGE_EVENT&url=/musicians/support/product_faqs.jsp&pageName=/musicians/support/troubleshooting.jsp#question62 Official Bose FAQ]

== Stiff Controls ==
If the knobs get stiff, you can pull them out a bit. Chances are they've just gotten jammed down during packing.

== What do the LEDs mean? ==

There are two LEDs on the R1 remote control, one for Channel 1 and one for Channel 2.

The LEDs indicate that a certain level of signal has been reached at a point '''after the preamp''' and '''after the insert loop''' and '''before the conversion of the signal from analog to digital'''.

The LEDs are '''independent of the Master Volume Control''' at the bottom of the R1.

The LEDs turn from '''off >>> green''' when there's more than a little bit of signal in the channel.

The LEDs turn from '''green >>> red''' when the signal reaches a threshold that is about 10 dB below the level that would clip the A/D converter and cause objectionable distortion.

If the LED is '''only flickering red''' the signal is in a '''safe range''' and there will be '''no distortion'''.

If the LED is '''red most of the time''' the signal is '''too high''' and '''this is what you do'''.

:1) Check the LED on the PS1 power stand for that channel. If it is red most of the time, turn down the Trim Control for that channel on the PS1 until the LED on the PS1 power stand is only flickering red.

:2) Check the LED on the remote. If it is still red most of the time, turn the Channel Volume Control for that channel down on the R1 remote until LED is only flickering red.

After completing this procedure you may be able to get more overall volume by turning up the Master Volume Control on the R1.

'''Hint:''' Many players find it helpful to note their gain settings -- trim on the PS1, channel volume and master volume on the R1 -- and make sure these levels are set properly during setup.

== Connections ==

=== Two R1 Remotes for One PS1 Powerstand ===
Can I have more than one R1 Remote connected to a single PS1 Powerstand?

No - Please don't try to connect more than one Remote to a Power Stand (or more than One Power Stand to a Remote)
[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3976055944/m/7891042462/r/3151052462#3151052462 Daisy Chain Remotes?]

=== One R1 Remote for Two PS1 Powerstands ===
There are two connections on the R1 Remote. Can I connect two PS1 Powerstands and control them simultaneously?

No. The two connections are just for convenience to allow for more flexible routing of the remote cable.

=== Vocals on the Left ===

I always wire up the PowerStand so that the vocals are in Channel 1. This just means that it's always the same, easy to describe, and one less thing to wonder about. (exception below)

=== Two Players ===

If you've got two players sharing a System, and hence the Remote, take a moment to wire things up so that the Channel strip that affects someone's sound is closest to them.

== Leave 'em Hanging - (not) ==
[[Image:R1Bracket.jpg]]
Here's an idea for a bracket you can mount on the mic stand. Sure, the velcro is fine but ...

[http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/452072/ Musicians Friend link to bracket]

See: [http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/3976055944/m/7191095141/r/7191095141 Bracket for the Remote]

== Zipper Sounds, Latency ==

Hilmar-at-Bose <ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/301107819/m/3091053032/r/9891052952#9891052952 Hilmar-at-Bose writes about Zipper Sounds and Latency in the Bose® Musicians Community Message Boards]</ref>

...there are two design related issues that come into play here. The reason why nearly nobody knows about is, is that rarely ever anyone notices it.

1) The remote has a certain amount of latency. It takes a moment from the time you turn a knob until the setting actually takes effect. The exact time depends on the circumstances, but it's always less than one tenth of a second which is indeed barely (if at all) noticable.

2) The Channel 1 and 2 Volume controls produce a very slight "zipper" noise when they change between different volume setting. That noise does not affect the tone controls or the master volume. The technical reasons for that are complicated, but I'm happy to explain it, if someone is interested.
Anyway, the "zipper" noise only occurs when you actually operate the control, so it doesn't occur while playing unless you play and adjust at the same time. If you need to do that (e.g. for a fade-out) and the zipper is audible and objectionable, you could maybe use the volume control on your instrument or the master volume on the remote.

Again, most people never notice these issues in the first place and if they do, it's rarely a problem of any sort.

== Muting ==

Channel 1 and 2 Controls on the Remote don't mute the channels.

Quoting Hilmar-at-Bose<ref>[http://bose.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/3976055944/m/3701036903/r/9481008903#9481008903 Hilmar-at-Bose posts about Volume Control on the Remote]</ref>

The channel volume controls have about 40 dB gain from all-the-way-down to all-the-way-up but don't completely mute the sound.

----
<references/>

[[category:L1™ System]]
[[category:PS1 Powerstand]]
[[category:PS1 Powerstand Connections]]