We typically spec in a Panamax 5100/5300-type unit to provide some manner of surge suppression and "line conditioning" for home theater and media panel electronics.

I'm about to order some demo gear, though, and was planning to get the Panamax 5410, mostly to fiddle with its RS232 capabilities.

Then I started reading about the rest of the Panamax line, and see that the 5500 claims "AC Regeneration" among its merits. So what's the deal? How worthwhile is power regeneration, or balanced power, for that matter?

Guess I'm wondering if it's worthwhile to forego the control and shell out the extra $200 or so to eval the MAX 5500; but would like to find out if anyone sees (or has seen, firsthand) any tangible benefits in its claim of "ac regen?" Also considering whether I should evaluate Furman instead ... the Elite 15 PF seems comparable to Panamax's 5400.

Any advice/suggestions would be much appreciated!!

LINKS
Panamax 5410
[Link: panamax.com]

Panamax 5500
[Link: panamax.com]

Furman Elite 15PF
[Link: furmansound.com]

bump, no opinions on this?

I have used the 5410 extensively, but am leaning towards the APC for the battery backup features for the projectors.

Why would you use the battery back up in a projector installation?

We sell a lot of 5100's but never a battery backup. Trust me, I have consdiered the problem with satellite installs, and how the back up would help.

Mike

Mike

Lots of guys are backing up the projector, as it allows the fan to run in the event of a power failure. First heard about it from a guy in Montana (credit to Jerry), and it makes sense. Prolongs bulb life....

Power outage while watching a movie. Every time the projector is not powered down properly, it kills bulb life. Had a customer that we did an install for last august, he has had 3 power outages that he knows of, and the bulb already needs to be replaced. Had less than 1000 hours on it. He was pissed, because the replacement bulb is over $500 + labor to replace it. I tried to sell him a battery backup at time of install, but he thought it was a waste of money.

Battery Backup is a very good idea for a projector. My setup of choice is New Frontiers for power conditioning with a small UPS for the sat boxes and projector. I like the look of some of the Tripp Lite units and may start using them for UPS but a SURGEX will always be in front of them.

In my opinion balanced power is useless if the power supply in the electronics has been designed even remotely well.

I had read a post on another site from an engineer at Infocus who felt that allowing the bulb to cool down naturally was fine, as long as it was allowed to fully cool down before powering back up.

I was told this as well, via infocus. the real damage occurs when the unit powers back up a few seconds after losing power...BANG as the element heats back up. In my opinion a small UPS is great insurance against this, if the area warrants it. Some of the areas I work will lose power in a storm several times a year.

We include the Pure AV 30800-10 power conditioner and UPS for all our projector installations. It conditions power, protects against surges, and gives up to 40 minutes of backup if there is a power outage. It also has a $500,000 insurance policy for equipment that is damaged by bad power.


[Link: catalog.belkin.com]


Dave T

So is anyone spec'ing out an AC Regeneration or Balanced Power unit for any installs, and if so in what circumstances do you find this makes the most sense? Looking for examples of the tangible benefits these provide..

The three 2U tripplite units do regeneration and balanced output with pure sinewave to boot. There is not a better conditioner/surge protector on the market - the big honkin' battery is a bonus. Just make sure you put them in a rack somewhere as the fan noise is really loud. I met with the head of the AV group and head A/V tech guy who said in a few months the updated 2U units will be available with a much quieter fan.

I have sold APC, Panamax, Furman, and now Monster. Knowing now that these UPS units do everything that the Monster 7000 and 5100 do PLUS offer a good battery backup makes them a no brainer.

When installing a projector, just run a romex wire back to the rack with your video cables (keeping them separate of course) and get some ends at Homer Depot. Much cheaper and easier than the $300 Panamax in wall system. Any digital TV or projector should have a UPS to protect the lamp. Oh, and same goes for any piece of equipment with a hard drive - cable DVR, music/video server etc...

In Ref to the UPS subject.....

[Link: remotecentral.com]

(Doh!!!) It's actually a 40800!!!

Dave,
I bought a Pure AV 30800 just last week for an upcoming install. I took it home to "try out" on my stuff at home. I was actually amazed in that (I swear) the picture from my projector looks a lot better (less noise), also when running off of my comcast box. I've decided to keep it! I always thought the line conditioning matter was a little overblown, but hey, you learn something new every day. I recall years ago, when I worked for a Mark Levinson dealer, the factory guy came out and kept stressing how their equipment sounded better because their stuff really focused on filtering and conditioning the A.C. and I thought it was just basically a sales pitch. But, unless I am nuts, I swear my music system sounds better as well!
I checked out Pure AV's website, and they have some really cool stuff... and these awesome little units that you can set in behind Plasmas for line conditioning. They also make a "go anywhere" type of wireless Video & Audio streaming device for about 500$ Could be handy in those cases where you might not have run cat5e or video cables to... (or for retros), when the client wants a plasma over the fireplace, or decides to go with a Projector etc.
They also make some nifty HDMI adaptors & couplers.