Power supply for dac with earthing terminal

[adityasrivastava26]

Hi, i purchased an allo nirvana, 1st time it stopped working on the first day itself, got a replacement, it worked for 20 days and same problem occurred again ( just randomly stops working), allo folks says they don't know what is happening at my place and asked me to either get a refund or again get a replacement. I am quite sure that if i get a replacement it will also die down to the same faith.
Is there any other such power supply with emi/rf filters that have a grounding terminal to ground dac and amplifier together? Probably in the same price range ( 3-4k)

Regards

 

[Bloom@83]

Hi, i purchased an allo nirvana, 1st time it stopped working on the first day itself, got a replacement, it worked for 20 days and same problem occurred again ( just randomly stops working), allo folks says they don't know what is happening at my place and asked me to either get a refund or again get a replacement. I am quite sure that if i get a replacement it will also die down to the same faith.
Is there any other such power supply with emi/rf filters that have a grounding terminal to ground dac and amplifier together? Probably in the same price range ( 3-4k)

Regards

You don’t need a power supply. You need a good thorough check of your main line, grounding etc by a good electrician.
I’ve been using same product without any issues , so have many FMs here.

 

[mbhangui]

Hi, i purchased an allo nirvana, 1st time it stopped working on the first day itself, got a replacement, it worked for 20 days and same problem occurred again ( just randomly stops working), allo folks says they don't know what is happening at my place and asked me to either get a refund or again get a replacement. I am quite sure that if i get a replacement it will also die down to the same faith.
Is there any other such power supply with emi/rf filters that have a grounding terminal to ground dac and amplifier together? Probably in the same price range ( 3-4k)

Regards

Get a voltmeter or a digital multimeter. They are quite cheap now days. Check the earth to phase and earth to neutral voltage.

 

[adityasrivastava26]

Get a voltmeter or a digital multimeter. They are quite cheap now days. Check the earth to phase and earth to neutral voltage.

Hi sir, what should i would be looking after? Given that allo nirvana doesn't have an earthing pin ( 2 pin plug), a screwed earthing could still mess it up ?

 

[mbhangui]

Hi sir, what should i would be looking after? Given that allo nirvana doesn't have an earthing pin ( 2 pin plug), a screwed earthing could still mess it up ?

The two pin doesn't matter. The allo nirvana has a earthing lug. Have you connected something to it?

Also what is the voltage on the mains? I suspect the line voltage to be a problem if you are connecting the allo directly to the mains. The distribution voltage in India has been recently changed to 240 +- 10% from 230v +- 5%. So the mains voltage can go upto 264 volts. The standards have been loosened/relaxed to reduce the cost of power generation equipment. Here at Pune it has become a regular routine for tv sets, smps power supply, laptop power supplies to blow up. I have installed stabilizers throughout with only the hot water geysers directly connected to mains. Please do get a multimeter / voltmeter and stabilizer protect your equipment.

I too have a allo nirvana SMPS. So far no issues, but my allo shanti power supply fuse blew during the lockdown period. It is during the lockdown period this voltages were increased on the sly. Our society took up the matter with the local MSEB, but they refused to look into it saying that voltages around 240 +- 10% is ok and if your equpment cannot handle it it is the equipment problem. Aftert few months my computer SMPS blew and then my RO water power supply and then my Yamaha AVR SMPS. By now I have stabilzers in all my rooms and since then nothing has blew off.

 

[adityasrivastava26]

The two pin doesn't matter. The allo nirvana has a earthing lug. Have you connected something to it?

Also what is the voltage on the mains? I suspect the line voltage to be a problem if you are connecting the allo directly to the mains. The distribution voltage in India has been recently changed to 240 +- 10% from 230v +- 5%. So the mains voltage can go upto 264 volts. The standards have been loosened/relaxed to reduce the cost of power generation equipment. Here at Pune it has become a regular routine for tv sets, smps power supply, laptop power supplies to blow up. I have installed stabilizers throughout with only the hot water geysers directly connected to mains. Please do get a multimeter / voltmeter and stabilizer protect your equipment.

I too have a allo nirvana SMPS. So far no issues, but my allo shanti power supply fuse blew during the lockdown period. It is during the lockdown period this voltages were increased on the sly. Our society took up the matter with the local MSEB, but they refused to look into it saying that voltages around 240 +- 10% is ok and if your equpment cannot handle it it is the equipment problem. Aftert few months my computer SMPS blew and then my RO water power supply and then my Yamaha AVR SMPS. By now I have stabilzers in all my rooms and since then nothing has blew off.

I have a wire from amplifier earthing terminal to nirvana, grounding the dac and amp together as i had a ground loop issue. I do have a servo stabilizer and nirvana along with all my other equipments are connected to that. I will get a multi meter and measure the voltages

 

[mbhangui]

I have a wire from amplifier earthing terminal to nirvana, grounding the dac and amp together as i had a ground loop issue. I do have a servo stabilizer and nirvana along with all my other equipments are connected to that. I will get a multi meter and measure the voltages

Servo stabilzers are electro-mechanical devices. They have an armature with a carbon brush that moves over a heavy torroidal coil. The movement is done by a motor. They are slower than even the relay based stabilizers. Both relay based and servo transformers don't isolate the mains from the equipment. For that you need an isolation transformer. You can go through what one of our forum member @Love4sound went through and he ultimately sold his servo transformer and replaced it with an isolation transformer to fix the ground issues his house was having. However an isolation transformer doesn't give you voltage protection. An online UPS could be another way to get a safe voltage. Howerver they do induce EMI and even the so called pure sine wave are not perfect because electronically it is very difficult to get a perfect sine wave.

First thing is do get a digital multimeter which sell for as low as Rs 200. What I have done is put a good quality voltmeter in my music room like this. I get 220 v after stabilization. You can see my allo nirvana and allo shanti in the image. Both are connected to the same stablizer.

EDIT: See this post

My earthing is screwed

I got a 5kv isolation transformer from vertex and the N-E V now is 0V from the output side of the isolation transformer. It is still fluctuating between 10-50V and EB proves to be useless so next course of action is to go the legal way. Huge thanks to all Fm’s who helped and a special mention to...

www.hifivision.com

 

[bobbyprajan]

Servo stabilzers are electro-mechanical devices. They have an armature with a carbon brush that moves over a heavy torroidal coil. The movement is done by a motor. They are slower than even the relay based stabilizers.

The specifications of servo stabilizers show correction rates between 25 - 35 volts per second. This would mean a 10% fluctuation is corrected in 1 sec. Isn't this good enough for most AV equipment ?

 

[Love4sound]

Servo stabilzers are electro-mechanical devices. They have an armature with a carbon brush that moves over a heavy torroidal coil. The movement is done by a motor. They are slower than even the relay based stabilizers. Both relay based and servo transformers don't isolate the mains from the equipment. For that you need an isolation transformer. You can go through what one of our forum member @Love4sound went through and he ultimately sold his servo transformer and replaced it with an isolation transformer to fix the ground issues his house was having. However an isolation transformer doesn't give you voltage protection.

Main purpose for me to go for Isolation transformer was faulty neutral line, DC leakage and lot of EMI/RFI interference in the main line.

 

[sidvee]

The specifications of servo stabilizers show correction rates between 25 - 35 volts per second. This would mean a 10% fluctuation is corrected in 1 sec. Isn't this good enough for most AV equipment ?

I have been using 3 vertex servos for the past 15 years, never had any issues with any equipment, even the real high end ones. There is a lot of discussion on servos vs others but if you want want voltage protection, I don't think servo is a bad option. It is used in industrial settings with multi -million dollar equipment which are much more susceptible to voltage problems than the most expensive audio equipment used in India. Also many 5 star hotel/high end gyms use servos on their expensive treadmills/other high value equipment. Not sure about grounding issues etc., maybe a different issue to what a servo can safeguard.
I live in Hyd, which probably has one of the worst Electricity service in the country.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[mbhangui]

The specifications of servo stabilizers show correction rates between 25 - 35 volts per second. This would mean a 10% fluctuation is corrected in 1 sec. Isn't this good enough for most AV equipment ?

Yes. They are good for most situation. But a second is too slow. But a sudden voltage increase, all it takes is just few milliseconds to fry a semiconductor. I have relay based stabilizer which are just slightly faster than servo. So I have installed an electronic cutout which just switches off the mains. In the last two years that cutout has switched off the power at least 3 times but the stabilizer was merrily dishing out voltage.

There is something new in the market - solid state stabilizer which are very fast. However, I don't have any experience with them and I don't find any reputed brand manufacturing them. Few FMs have posted about them in this forum.

 

[manek]

There is something new in the market - solid state stabilizer which are very fast. However, I don't have any experience with them and I don't find any reputed brand manufacturing them. Few FMs have posted about them in this forum.

Very interesting !

 

[mbhangui]

Very interesting !

Pros and Cons of AVR (Automatic Voltage Regulator aka Solid state stabilizer aka static stabilizers) vs Servo

Static stabilizers have a minimum correction time of 20-30 milliseconds and have a very high correction speed of 360-500V/s. The servo stabilizers have the correction time of 50 milliseconds to 5 seconds with a voltage correction speed of 100V/s. So, static stabilizers allow instantaneous voltage stabilization. It is plain simple physics. It takes lot of force to move a stationary object. So if the voltage suddenly increases, it takes time for the motor to move and for the motor to move the armature with the carbon brush. Servo is good for heavy industries where you require high power high current. For very high power, it is difficult to get solid state stablizers providing that high output

Here is a live demo of static voltge stabilizer vs servo. Pardon the Bengali Hindi

Here is a video showing how a servo stabilizer works. Just looking at it you will understand why servo cannot do blazing fast voltage correction

 

[mbhangui]

If you do a google search on these solid state stablizers most result show up from India. I think this is an Indian innovation but I'm not sure. Here is a good video on these solid state stabilizer

 

[sidvee]

Servo Stabs used in industry, even with all their drawbacks.

Servomax Limited – An Eminent Place for Industrial Servo Stabilizers

Servocare by Servomax Limited is one such eminent organization in India offering reliable standard industrial servo stabilizers.

www.servomax.in

What are the applications and usages of servo stabilizer?

Want to know the usage and applications of servo stabilizer? Contact Purevolt, We are manufacturers and suppliers of servo voltage stabilizers from India.

www.purevoltindia.com

Top 10 Benefits of Servo Voltage Stabilizer | Best Servo Stabilizer

Voltage fluctuation is not safe for both machine and man. It can provide a great harm to both. Therefore, it becomes critical to acquire required prevention for the same. If you haven’t applied any security measure to prevent voltage fluctuation till now, then stop getting happy that you are...

www.servostabilizer.in

Top Servo Voltage Stabilizer - Manufacturers / Brands in Delhi, India

Servo Voltage Stabilizer - Servokon is one of the leading Servo Voltage Stabilizer Manufacturers/Brands in Delhi, India. Visit us for more info.

www.servokon.com

These are practical implementations with expensive commercial equipment. I work in a pharma company, and our analysis labs have equipment that cost close to 4-5 cr. We have about 4-5 servos in there. The equipment manufacturers recommend exclusive use of servo stabilizers to protect their equipment, and are not covered by warranty if there is any damage by electrical fluctuations.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[sidvee]

Servo Stabs used in industry, even with all their drawbacks.

Servomax Limited – An Eminent Place for Industrial Servo Stabilizers

Servocare by Servomax Limited is one such eminent organization in India offering reliable standard industrial servo stabilizers.

www.servomax.in

What are the applications and usages of servo stabilizer?

Want to know the usage and applications of servo stabilizer? Contact Purevolt, We are manufacturers and suppliers of servo voltage stabilizers from India.

www.purevoltindia.com

Top 10 Benefits of Servo Voltage Stabilizer | Best Servo Stabilizer

Voltage fluctuation is not safe for both machine and man. It can provide a great harm to both. Therefore, it becomes critical to acquire required prevention for the same. If you haven’t applied any security measure to prevent voltage fluctuation till now, then stop getting happy that you are...

www.servostabilizer.in

Top Servo Voltage Stabilizer - Manufacturers / Brands in Delhi, India

Servo Voltage Stabilizer - Servokon is one of the leading Servo Voltage Stabilizer Manufacturers/Brands in Delhi, India. Visit us for more info.

www.servokon.com

These are practical implementations with expensive commercial equipment. I work in a pharma company, and our analysis labs have equipment that cost close to 4-5 cr. We have about 4-5 servos in there. The equipment manufacturers recommend exclusive use of servo stabilizers to protect their equipment, and are not covered by warranty if there is any damage by electrical fluctuations.
Cheers,
Sid

Also please note I am not defending servo stabs in any way, just letting FM's know my practical experience of owning these devices both in my listening room and in my work place. I am not technically proficient in such devices, so please do your research before you buy.
Cheers,
Sid

 

[Love4sound]

Yes. They are good for most situation. But a second is too slow. But a sudden voltage increase, all it takes is just few milliseconds to fry a semiconductor.

Yes and not the best solution for audio. Servo stabilizer is just a something is better then nothing product. It does not provide any protection or power conditioning for neutral and ground faults. Also does not block DC leakage in the lines. Even though it comes with emi filter it didn’t block some of the interference in the lines causing lot of humming. The isolation transformer did all that for me. Only thing the servo did was provide stable voltage. If people are looking for real protection and power conditioning I can 100% assure you servo stabilizer is not the product. Many who are using will testify they have had no issues so far just like many who use their gears directly connected to a socket. Just a matter of luck. I was also in that boat until I faced all the issues and technically understood with the help of members who have electrical knowledge. Even isolation transformer is not the complete solution but worked out for me

 

[adityasrivastava26]

Yes and not the best solution for audio. Servo stabilizer is just a something is better then nothing product. It does not provide any protection or power conditioning for neutral and ground faults. Also does not block DC leakage in the lines. Even though it comes with emi filter it didn’t block some of the interference in the lines causing lot of humming. The isolation transformer did all that for me. Only thing the servo did was provide stable voltage. If people are looking for real protection and power conditioning I can 100% assure you servo stabilizer is not the product. Many who are using will testify they have had no issues so far just like many who use their gears directly connected to a socket. Just a matter of luck. I was also in that boat until I faced all the issues and technically understood with the help of members who have electrical knowledge. Even isolation transformer is not the complete solution but worked out for me

I agree with the servo not having any effects on the interference. Emi/rf filters included have almost zero effect on the interference ( which in my case is significant) and I have been monitoring the voltage in my apartment and it rarely ever crosses 250. Fortunately the manufacturer i bought servo from agreed to replace it for an isolation transformer, Hoping atleast the interference and dc leakage will be tied back.

 

[Love4sound]

I agree with the servo not having any effects on the interference. Emi/rf filters included have almost zero effect on the interference ( which in my case is significant) and I have been monitoring the voltage in my apartment and it rarely ever crosses 250. Fortunately the manufacturer i bought servo from agreed to replace it for an isolation transformer, Hoping atleast the interference and dc leakage will be tied back.

Make sure it’s wel built. The transformer has to be mounted on a rubber gasket and the chassis has to be very rigid. Isolation transformer generates a lot of flux resulting in the cabinet resonating if not designed properly. Keeping it anywhere near the system or even the speaker wires or rca will make ur speakers hum due to the flux.

 

[adityasrivastava26]

I did the test with the voltmeter today, everything looks good, voltage diff between live and neutral 228, live and ground also 228 and neutral and ground 0. I have a cheap voltmeter so i am guessing diff in mV between neutral and ground could not have been picked up by the device.
Is this enough to assume that my power connections are good? Are there other features also that can have an effect on a connected device? I am really confused how my two allo nirvanas stopped working ( voltage spikes are not an issue, i have been monitoring voltage consistently and never seen any number beyond [225,255]). Morever all my equipments are connected to the same extension and I have not witnessed any other issue