Model 15 at 115v??

System 55 • System 35 • Model 15
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thedangore
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Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:21 pm

Model 15 at 115v??

Post by thedangore » Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:32 pm

Hello all,

First post here, so please excuse my lack of familiarity with power concerns on modular systems.
I JUST received my very own Moog Model 15 and noticed it was not powering on because on the back the switch was set to 230v (which I assume is European standards?) rather than 115v. My unit was not powering on right out of the box and this little switch was the culprit. Gave me a good scare for 30 minutes!! Well, this brings me to my question, The Moog website indicates, "1x 130 Watt 120 VAC Power Supply(230 VAC available upon request)" yet the back of the actual unit says 115v?

What exactly is the difference between 115v and 120v? I suppose I'm slightly confused with their website seeming to say one thing and the unit saying another, though it may be small...will there be any problems running this at the higher 120v norm on American sockets over time? I know that electronics can be sensitive to different voltage, though this small amount may not matter. I will have this plugged into a Furman 1800 AR Power Conditioner which voltage regulates at 120v constantly. I just want to make sure I won't be getting into any trouble or tuning problems, etc. etc.

Thanks all, apologize for my little knowledge in this field! Excited to use this beast!

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noddyspuncture
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Re: Model 15 at 115v??

Post by noddyspuncture » Tue Feb 14, 2017 10:04 am

Your mains transformer will see 5v AC more... which in turn will mean a very slight increase in it secondary output voltage.

This small increase converted to DC will also mean a slightly higher DC voltage before the regulators - it should be taken care of by those regulators though and in theory your power supply voltages should be the same.

It just means that the regulators might be getting ever so slightly warmer.

I'd check your voltage rails for +12 & -6 volts just to put your mind at rest...!

Cheers,
Tom

EMwhite
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Re: Model 15 at 115v??

Post by EMwhite » Thu Feb 16, 2017 12:31 pm

110V = 115V = 120V

Here in the states, you'll see any number of these listed on faceplates, wall warts, electrical outlets. And actual voltage will vary based on your home distance from the grid, whether it's the dead of summer and supply and constrained, etc.

I've seen voltage in my house range from 107V to 118V (from a Furman power unit). It's all good.

The transformer will simply convert incoming voltage which is AC to a stepped down voltage which is also AC and the rest of the power supply will convert from alternating cycles to DC across bridge rectifiers, regulators, etc.

It is more common today than in the past, to see transformers which have multiple lugs to accept US or European line voltages and to see power receptacles to off a switch to allow you to select.

What you do NOT want is to send 220V into a power supply which is strapped at 110V (ba boom!) and if you put 110V into something expecting 220V, it probably won't work.

Ultimately, Tom's advice is sound, check the resulting DC voltage. Of course, your Model 15 must be on to do so therefore if something is truly off, you'll may risk doing damage unless you want to disconnect all of the connectors but Moog has a QA process at the end of the line and considering the asking price, I would expect excellence.
'76 Minimoog, Taurus 3, Oberheim FVS + Son of 2-voice; Sequential ProOne; Juno 106; Moog Model 15; Kurzweil 250; Hammond M3; and a handful of Fender Basses Flickr!

thedangore
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:21 pm

Re: Model 15 at 115v??

Post by thedangore » Sat Feb 18, 2017 7:13 pm

noddyspuncture wrote: I'd check your voltage rails for +12 & -6 volts just to put your mind at rest...!
Thank you so much for the info! So, if I'm understanding you correctly--no real changes except for operating at slightly higher volts, therefore ever so slightly higher temperature? How might one go about checking this?

thedangore
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:21 pm

Re: Model 15 at 115v??

Post by thedangore » Sat Feb 18, 2017 7:41 pm

EMwhite wrote:110V = 115V = 120V

Here in the states, you'll see any number of these listed on faceplates, wall warts, electrical outlets. And actual voltage will vary based on your home distance from the grid, whether it's the dead of summer and supply and constrained, etc.

I've seen voltage in my house range from 107V to 118V (from a Furman power unit). It's all good.

The transformer will simply convert incoming voltage which is AC to a stepped down voltage which is also AC and the rest of the power supply will convert from alternating cycles to DC across bridge rectifiers, regulators, etc.

It is more common today than in the past, to see transformers which have multiple lugs to accept US or European line voltages and to see power receptacles to off a switch to allow you to select.

What you do NOT want is to send 220V into a power supply which is strapped at 110V (ba boom!) and if you put 110V into something expecting 220V, it probably won't work.

Ultimately, Tom's advice is sound, check the resulting DC voltage. Of course, your Model 15 must be on to do so therefore if something is truly off, you'll may risk doing damage unless you want to disconnect all of the connectors but Moog has a QA process at the end of the line and considering the asking price, I would expect excellence.
Again, thank you for your knowledgeable replies! I am doing my best to understand it all. Yes I did indeed try that at first, with the Model 15 expecting 230v (per the switch on the back of the unit) while my Furman P-1800 AR regulating at a consistent 120v and nothing powered on. Scared the daylights out of me at first! Thank God it wasn't the other way around though! It seems I have a consistent 124-125v from the wall with the low dropping to around 115v on occasion. I am still uncertain how to check this resulting DC voltage, but I feel assured I am in the good hands of my furman power conditioner!

EMwhite
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Re: Model 15 at 115v??

Post by EMwhite » Mon Feb 20, 2017 2:44 pm

I might have missed it, but ... does it work with the correct voltage selection on the PSU?
'76 Minimoog, Taurus 3, Oberheim FVS + Son of 2-voice; Sequential ProOne; Juno 106; Moog Model 15; Kurzweil 250; Hammond M3; and a handful of Fender Basses Flickr!

thedangore
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:21 pm

Re: Model 15 at 115v??

Post by thedangore » Wed Mar 08, 2017 4:17 am

EMwhite wrote:I might have missed it, but ... does it work with the correct voltage selection on the PSU?
Sure does. 115v selected on the PSU on the back of the Model 15, plugged into the Furman Power conditioner and it turns right on no problems. There is a slight hum coming from the unit, but I assume this is a normal thing with real voltage running through these systems. One with more experience could answer that better than I could?

EMwhite
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Re: Model 15 at 115v??

Post by EMwhite » Wed Mar 15, 2017 3:16 pm

'hum' meaning that there is low frequency vibration coming from the power supply or an audio hum coming through the VCA output?

I ask because my Model 15 suffers from the former, and I'm not happy about it. In fact, I let Moog know when I first received it and recommended that they dampen the power supply mounting with rubber grommets as other manufacturers have done. Having said this, mine is silent from an audio generation perspective so hopefully you are talking about the same thing that I've experienced.
'76 Minimoog, Taurus 3, Oberheim FVS + Son of 2-voice; Sequential ProOne; Juno 106; Moog Model 15; Kurzweil 250; Hammond M3; and a handful of Fender Basses Flickr!

thedangore
Posts: 26
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2017 3:21 pm

Re: Model 15 at 115v??

Post by thedangore » Wed Mar 15, 2017 11:55 pm

EMwhite wrote:'hum' meaning that there is low frequency vibration coming from the power supply or an audio hum coming through the VCA output?

I ask because my Model 15 suffers from the former, and I'm not happy about it. In fact, I let Moog know when I first received it and recommended that they dampen the power supply mounting with rubber grommets as other manufacturers have done. Having said this, mine is silent from an audio generation perspective so hopefully you are talking about the same thing that I've experienced.

Yes I believe we are experiencing the same "issue". I too was not particularly pleased when I first heard turned mine on only because I've worked hard to get the rest of my studio silent... and when this is on, there's the hum I tried to avoid everywhere else in the studio. However, like you said, from an audio perspective, there is no hum in a recording of the model 15, just the actual unit power supply making a warm sounding low hum as soon as you switch it on. I suppose its just one of the quirks of the Model 15? Maybe other system 15, 35, or 55 users could chime in on this?

Skotchi
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Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Model 15 at 115v??

Post by Skotchi » Mon Aug 28, 2017 1:40 pm

Hi folks,

Are you still experiencing this hum issue apparently coming from the power supply? I've just powered on my Model 15 for the first time, and am experiencing the same issue. If you aren't experiencing it any more, how did you resolve it?

Thanks

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