Thanks Larry for the thoughts on the subject.
I was hoping for an off the shelf solution, but as you say it looks
like it will have to be DIY.
As cautioned by others, I am concerned about the hazard of hooking up
AC to the front panel, not knowing anything about AC myself. That's
why I was hoping there would be a non-AC remote switched solution,
either low power AC/DC or non-powered circuit to control the power
supply from the front panel.
I really like the idea of an online power planning resource. I don't
mind getting a list together.
Maybe another way to do it would be to make a generic remote switched
rear AC panel/circuit with non-powered remote switch front panel.
Then you could have a front panel switch that controlled several
switched outlets on the rear panel. Just IEC AC in and AC outs on the
rear panel, and you would then use a short AC link cable on the
outside rear of the cabinet to hook one of the switched outlets back
into the 900 power supply of the same cabinet, and to other cabinet
power supplies in a multi cabinet setup. You could use this remote AC
switch with any power supply, and the rear AC panel could have an
internal AC terminal block to hook up to DIY internal power supply
systems.
I am also wondering about whether the power supply should be mounted
in a separate section of the cabinet? To keep the heat and electrical
interference further away from the modules.
And, I am thinking about the cabinet itself, and
temperature/ventilation/etc. I plan to have four 19" wide rows of
modules in each cabinet, with the four rows mounted vertically in the
cabinet. I am wondering if the internal cabinet space should be a
single section, or should I divide up the cabinet into separate
sections for each 19" row of modules? If it's a single space, will
the top row of modules heat up more than the bottom row? If either a
single section, or separate sections, should the spaces be
ventilated? If ventilated, would dust buildup inside the cabinet be a
problem? Does heat in the cabinet matter?
Thanks
Simon,
Canberra
AUSTRALIA
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Simon <simon@...>
>I am a new MOTM user, putting together MOTM/Blacet/Oakley modules into a
>large cabinet or two. I will want to use some 500 series modules in the same
>cabinet as the older modules.
>
>I don't want to use multiple power supplies in my cabinet. I don't want to
>have a smaller number of modules in the cabinet because the modules draw too
>much power for the existing power supply.
>
>Please give us a nice clean/single power supply solution to power cabinets
>containing both old and new modules. And, an upgrade solution for owners of
>the older power supply to add 5V to their supply.
>
>--LH--
>Simon, from a large system cabinet design as you and I are both building, I
>understand where you are coming from. But, even before the 500 series
>discussion, this has been an issue. Paul has never officially been in the
>"cabinet" power supply business. Heck, Paul is not in the cabinet business
>yet. The 900 PS is primarily for rackmount or multiple small cabinet
>systems.
>
>--Simon--
>You should take this opportunity to make a new more powerful power supply to
>support similar cabinet sizes to the old power supply did, using a mix of
>old and new modules or just all new modules.
>
>--LH--
>Basically, what has been done in the past is that Paul points those that
>want to DIY a little (you are DIYing if you make a cabinet) to several
>commercially available power supplies of larger capacity. The same is true
>for power supplies with or without +5 volts. Many of us cabinet builders
>have purchased our own supplies this way. No one size is right for anyone,
>since no two cabinet designs are exactly the same. Some might choose one
>supply per cabinet and some might choose one big honking supply like I did
>(5000mA). Asking Paul to stock a supply for every cabinet situation seems
>unreasonable to me whe we can simply order one up from any electronic
>catalog. And, buying direct is cheaper.
>
>--Simon--
>Smaller power supply for only 500 series modules is a bad idea!
>
>--LH--
>Bad for me and you perhaps, but not for everyone. This may be just perfect
>for the rack mount guys. The key here is that every system is different.
>But, my 500 module compliment may be small enough that the 500 series
>dedicates supply is OK. Especially if I can turn them on from the same
>switch.
>
>--Simon--
>And, front panel power switching is important to me, it really makes the
>system seem more 'professional', better quality, etc. This is speaking from
>experience with a Roland System 700 which has front panel switching,
>
>--LH--
>I agree. Here is what I would like to see (in the perfect world):
>
>1 - Paul makes a 1U AC power remote switch like you want that will hook to
>any power supply. If Paul does not want to be in this business, AND there
>is sufficient interest, Stooge Panels, Inc will make one. We already have a
>1U panel in our DIY collection that has power switch, LEDs for power
>indication and a headphone amp with inputs and outputs. If there is
>interest, I will post this graphic and people can order that panel at our
>next printing. I suppose we could even offer a panel with switch and wiring
>harness. But, I'm not keen on taking on new projects right now.
>
>2. A spreadsheet or other web based tool at Paul's site with all the modules
>and their power supply data in one place so that a person could simply enter
>the module quantities of their system, and get a total for power required.
>Then, a list of currently available "cabinet" style power supplies with
>source and part numbers that a person could order the supply just right for
>them, hook it to the universal AC switch 1U front panel. Multiple supplies
>could be switched from the same AC panel by placing switched AC outlets on
>the back on the main cabinet in case later cabinets have separate supplies.
>This is what I am doing.
>
>Of course, it would not be reasonable to expect Paul to have such a tool
>that included Oakley or Blacet modules. I would be happy to host such a
>tool at wise guy synth. But, I have no time to develop one. Any volunteers
>??
>
>So, while I understand that Paul's off-the-shelf power supply solutions are
>not right for you (like they were not for me), they are right for many
>users. So, that does not make them bad. There simply is no one size fits
>all solution.
>
>Yes, I would like to see Paul in the cabinet power supply business. But, I
>would also like to see Paul in the sequencer business and some other things
>we are all looking forward to. But, there are only so many things one can
>do at once. Us cabinet guys are left to a little DIY for power supplies.
>But, we have lots of good ones to pick from. If you had a remote AC power
>switch panel that would switch on all supplies, it sounds to me like you
>would be happy.