| previous by date | index | next by date |
| topic list | next in topic |
I wonder if some bright, literate person on this list might accept the challenge to really, clearly (and with pictures!) explain the options for properly and safely powering a large MOTM system, now that the power requirements have changed. Moe has a pretty nice essay on his 'Hot Rod' site about power, but now the playing field has changed a bit.
It was really only a matter of time before the need for a 5v reared its ugly head; let's face it-we live in a 5v world. Now that day is here. I have an MOTM-900, and I also have several large linear +/- 15v supplies and now three +5v supplies on order. But I'm not 100% sure what to do with them in order to power several cabinets of modules.
I ∗thought∗ I could figure it out on my own, frankly... I had intended on rigging a single 1u panel on the front with a power switch; this would activate the multiple supplies internally... connectors to run power to wing cabinets...
However, a few months ago someone on this list posed a very similar question about wiring a front-panel switch, and several people whose opinions I trust a lot jumped up and yelled, ∗"What!?! Are you nuts!?! That's AC power - you will certainly be killed!!!"∗
So, ∗wow∗, I got scared. Now I'm sitting here with boxes of power supplies and 14 gauge wire and fuses... and I'm terrified to start tinkering.
Moe & Larry have photos of their cabinets' power runs on their sites, but it's not clear to me exactly how the terminal strips are wired, etc. And of course, the new 5v issue is not addressed, and perhaps cannot be until we get our hands on a few of these modules and the new power distribution boards. But I'm really hoping that maybe someone can undertake a kind of "mini-manual," with all the requisite warnings and "I take no responsibility if you fry yourself" notices of course. But some kind of guide to how to collect all of this mess into a coherent power system that, a) will not kill someone, and, b) not cause ground loops and other such nonsense.
Are there any takers? I'm the kind of DIY person who has added electrical sub-panels to their home circuit box, with the help of a Time-Life book, so I'm careful, I can follow instructions, and I haven't blown up or burned down my house yet. But I'm still not 100% clear on how you can take multiple power supplies, tie their grounds together (or not?), add a fuse (or two or three?) and get the whole thing working properly.
Anyway, long rant, but let's face it: power is a CRITICAL part of the synthesizer, and we have to address it. In fact, the first two modules I bought were a VCO and a power supply, because Paul rightly convinced me that without handling power properly, you have nothing. But it's also the part of the synthesizer design that is left most hazy, because we all have different cabinetry/mounting systems, many of us don't want to take up 3u, 6u, 9u, 12u of front panel space for power supplies, and now we have the new issue of adding a 5v rail to existing systems.
Thanks in advance for advice on this!
Ken (Mr. T)