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Dedicated Lines - Sub panel or no?

Hi folks,

In a few months time I will be moving to a new home, where a spare bedroom and an understanding wife will enable me to enjoy the luxury of a dedicated listening room.

The first thing that comes to mind is installing 4 dedicated 20A lines. The breaker panel is on the ground floor, the room is on the 3rd.

I'm wondering which is better:

-to run all four lines from the breaker box all the way to the wall outlets,

-or install a sub-panel (is that the right term?) in the room, and use a single, very heavy guage line from the breaker box to the subpanel, then run 4 short lengths of 10 or 12 gauge from the subpanel to the outlets.

Thanks in advance for your advice

Kind Regards
Mick
128x128mickey_sg
ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
Just an idea, but how about a motor start capacitor (over 70 mfd) or two and a relay on the secondary side to shut it/them off (for lack of a centrifical switch).

I've also heard of somebody using motor caps in series to block DC offset, which can cause saturation, but I have no idea of the sizing.

Haven't used a Line Reactor but I'm considering options for one site that's been mysteriously chewing up gas valves and ignition modules.

Frankly, I'm having trouble understanding how you've had so much trouble and the numbers you've got. I do remember when I first started experimenting with power transformers and building a TVC (transformer volume control) line stage at the same time. It's a wonder I didn't pull out all my hair. It was like living in a houseful of women, with sychronized cramps.
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ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
Dug up some old links.

http://diyparadise.com/dablok.html
http://sound.westhost.com/articles/xfmr-dc.htm
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ngjockey
1,042 posts
 
Hevac1,

Sorry for obsessing.

Here's the question: You have 208V, which is used in condos and multi-tenant buildings and typically just two legs of 3 phase, which is 60 degrees out of phase as opposed to 90 degrees for 240. Could that be the source of the problem?

I'm assuming you're using something like:
http://www.signaltransformer.com/Data/Datasheets/DU-SU.pdf
and
http://www.geocities.com/jonrisch/catch2.htm

The only other options I know being something like APC/Tripplite

As I've said, you can try 120V but ...
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