Place to buy 300w step down?

o1s1n

I need another step down (really should have just bought one from Ronnie) but can't seem to come across anything useful. They're all too small.

Anyone know where to pick one up? (I remember Steve_SI, you got a really fancy one somewhere?)

horgan_p

If you've just robbed a bank , Maplin do them

o1s1n

horgan_p wrote: »

If you've just robbed a bank , Maplin do them

Yeah I've this sinking feeling that'll be the only place to get one!

Steve X2

o1s1n wrote: »

Yeah I've this sinking feeling that'll be the only place to get one!

Yep, I got a really nice on in Maplin. But it was a stupid price, but I really needed it at the time.

TechnoFreek

I got the one from maplin a few weeks back. It was on sale with over 5 pound sterling off which made it very reasonably priced. Shipping was pricey though 8 pounds (or euro?) to my door. Free within the UK though so you could do a parcel motel on it. However....

When I went to buy mine whatever way I fluted around with the basket and checked out and paid with paypal, the shipping charge wasn't applied!
So I got the box delivered to my door for nowt!

Take that ya greasy robbin' bastids!

Steve X2

My one was something like this but not the same as this is a UK to USA.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/500w-usa-to-uk-voltage-convertor-265222

Works off a toroidal system rather than the usual laminate ones.

TechnoFreek

That 500w one is pricey but a clever buy. Should comfortably power two cabs at the same time.
My atomiswave is rated at 140w I think.

Jack burton

I ended up paying 75 for mine from a place downtown, Ronnie had none and I just had to bite the bullet

Steve X2

TechnoFreek wrote: »

That 500w one is pricey but a clever buy. Should comfortably power two cabs at the same time.
My atomiswave is rated at 140w I think.

I found a pic of my one next to the type you normally see.

TechnoFreek

That's pretty small Steve and the standard black maplin one ain't big either

Steve X2

TechnoFreek wrote: »

That's pretty small Steve and the standard black maplin one ain't big either

It fits really well inside the cab. And as its toroidal it doesn't have the buzz the cheaper type have.

Andrew76

I'll keep my gob shut about the one I paid an arm and a leg for (even if it it awesome balls).

TechnoFreek

Andrew76 wrote: »

I'll keep my gob shut about the one I paid an arm and a leg for (even if it it awesome balls).

Go on. Embarass us with its awesomeness and embarass yourself with the cost.

Andrew76

TechnoFreek wrote: »

Go on. Embarass us with its awesomeness and embarass yourself with the cost.

Was mentioned on AO donkeys ago as being very good, silent and outputting the correct 100v. It is excellent but a silly price when you factor in the shipping etc.

Airlink JA0300: 300VA 230v to 100v

Lol just found this post, christ almighty it cost me £104 all in!!

o1s1n

If you pay the guts of a grand for a machine I think it's probably a good idea to get the best step down you can. Even if it comes to €100 or so, it's still a fraction of the cab's price.

Sharing a 500w one between two didn't occur to me. That's a really great idea.

Jack burton

The black one with the handle, whats the verdict on them?

o1s1n

Jack burton wrote: »

The black one with the handle, whats the verdict on them?

That's the one I have. Steve_SI said his one made noise but I've never heard a peep out of mine.

There was one going on adverts cheap but it must have been sold off in PM land

http://www.adverts.ie/other-electronics/transformer-voltage-converter-minwa-mw2p300/2841508

Jack burton

Its what I have aswell, Never heard a peep out of mine. But my living room is usually pretty loud haha

Steve X2

They do make a slight buzzing sound as its impossible for them to not make that noise because of how the tech works.
I'm a fussy bastard so once I notice these things I'll always notice them:)

I've had two of those black step downs and my opinion on them is that they do the job but upgrade to a better one when you can. I paid well over 100 Euro for my stepdown and felt very ripped off by Maplins but I really did need it at the time and am really glad now.

o1s1n

So I just did a listening test on the step down as a matter of interest.

The only way I can hear a buzzing out of mine is if I lie down on the ground and literally put my ear on the step down. It's very very slight.

As soon as your ear is more than an inch or two away from it there's zero buzzing

Maybe the quality between the models varies somewhat.

I think I'll put a few eurons aside when I have it and get a fancy one just to be on the safe side.

Steve X2

o1s1n wrote: »

So I just did a listening test on the step down as a matter of interest.

The only way I can hear a buzzing out of mine is if I lie down on the ground and literally put my ear on the step down. It's very very slight.

As soon as your ear is more than an inch or two away from it there's zero buzzing

Maybe the quality between the models varies somewhat.

I think I'll put a few eurons aside when I have it and get a fancy one just to be on the safe side.

Always good to put a few euro away. You never know when you might need to make some necessary purchases

http://www.hiddenhearing.ie/

unky chop chop

I've one of those black lads with a handle that I got of ronnie.
Same model they sell in maplins.Doesn't make a sound...and if it did,who gives a sh1t.
You'll have a candy pumping all manners of audio at you at the same time:)
I never put it in my cab though..just leave it behind ..do others put it inside?

Andrew76

unky chop chop wrote: »

I've one of those black lads with a handle that I got of ronnie.
Same model they sell in maplins.Doesn't make a sound...and if it did,who gives a sh1t.
You'll have a candy pumping all manners of audio at you at the same time:)
I never put it in my cab though..just leave it behind ..do others put it inside?

No, I leave mine outside too.

CathalDublin

http://www.adverts.ie/for-sale/q_Transformer+110v/

TechnoFreek

I leave my transformer inside the cab, mostly just to keep it out of reach of the baby.

No noticeable noise or interference worth talking about it

o1s1n

o1s1n wrote: »

That's the one I have. Steve_SI said his one made noise but I've never heard a peep out of mine.

There was one going on adverts cheap but it must have been sold off in PM land

http://www.adverts.ie/other-electronics/transformer-voltage-converter-minwa-mw2p300/2841508

Woohoo! Got back to me there. €25! Cheap cheap cheap

o1s1n

Hmm, this step down looks identically to my one, apart from one thing.

Rather than 240v -> 110v, it's 240v -> 120v.

Now I've read this grand to use but still...what ye think?

Arcade otaku Wiki seems to think its fine -

Japanese mains voltage is 100V so unless your power supply has been replaced or your machine has had an internal transformer fitted, you will need an external “step down” transformer to run the machine on 230V European mains voltage.
Most cabinets are rated at 100-150W but will consume more power with more demanding hardware. A 300W (VA) rated step down is recommended to avoid over-heating.
If you’re in the US, you can run the machine directly off the mains. Even though the US standard is 120V, mains voltage fluctuates more than you might think and power supplies are built with tolerances to withstand this. If you want to be extra cautious you can always use a transformer.

Also someone was selling 110-120v step downs here

http://forum.arcadeotaku.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=23012&sid=d75c545542fb7370cd52c815216c7f20

The step down I have for consoles is rated at 120v.

Are the step downs you guys are using (mainly the fancy ones) rated for 120v? They probably are, but just thought I'd see before plugging anything in.

TechnoFreek

Hmmm. The Maplin one I have is rated at 110v.
I think AC voltage by its nature fluctuates by up to 10% but I'm no sparky on this.

o1s1n

Feck it, I sent an email to Airlink Transformers asking about 100v step downs. They're expensive, but probably best to have the exact right voltage. Don't want to be stressing the monitors and PSUs, especially on older machines.

o1s1n

After biting the bullet and ordering one from Airlink Transformers. Thank feck for Parcel Motel :pac:

Got this one. 500w 100v exactly. Should be able to run both my cabs from it.

http://airlinktransformers.com/japanese_100V_voltage_converters/14-JA0500.html

On an interesting note, some of the guys on AO were saying they experienced a few issues with 110v/120v - even some monitor oddness. Maybe having a true 100v will sort those issues I had with my SNK Candy cab's monitor?

Andrew76

o1s1n wrote: »

After biting the bullet and ordering one from Airlink Transformers. Thank feck for Parcel Motel :pac:

Got this one. 500w 100v exactly. Should be able to run both my cabs from it.

http://airlinktransformers.com/japanese_100V_voltage_converters/14-JA0500.html

On an interesting note, some of the guys on AO were saying they experienced a few issues with 110v/120v - even some monitor oddness. Maybe having a true 100v will sort those issues I had with my SNK Candy cab's monitor?

Quality units they are, wish Parcel Motel had of been around when I got mine.
Did you order that "4 gang mains extension lead" underneath it also?

o1s1n

Andrew76 wrote: »

Quality units they are, wish Parcel Motel had of been around when I got mine.
Did you order that "4 gang mains extension lead" underneath it also?

Oh thats the one you have? Brilliant

I was going to order that extension lead, but it worked out a bit pricey for the lot. Will pick one up after I've tested out the step down.

Andrew76

o1s1n wrote: »

Oh thats the one you have? Brilliant

I was going to order that extension lead, but it worked out a bit pricey for the lot. Will pick one up after I've tested out the step down.

I have the 300VA version.

You'll only only be able to hook up one cab at a time to your one though yeah? As in it only has one output terminal whereas this one has two (but much pricier): http://airlinktransformers.com/japanese_100V_voltage_converters/14-JA1000.html

Was just wondering would the ext. lead mean you didn't have to go the two output route? It says load must not exceed 15amps but is that in total or per socket.

Or will you just have one plugged in at any one time?

Steve X2

All this talk of connecting 2 cabs to one stepdown. If disaster should strike and the stepdown thingy goes mental it could take out both cabs, no?

o1s1n

The goal is to have two machines running at once alright. Guys over on AO said two can run from 500w fine, so that's grand - just not to turn them both on at once

I didn't actually see that one with two terminals. Would have gone with that one had I known. Ah well, nothing can do be done now.

15A should be well within the bounds of two cabs? I was going to test out the step down and then if all was good, get one of those extension and run both cabs into it.

Must check just to make sure, but I think it'll be alright.

o1s1n

Steve SI wrote: »

All this talk of connecting 2 cabs to one stepdown. If disaster should strike and the stepdown thingy goes mental it could take out both cabs, no?

Jaysus, don't be saying that! :eek:

A step down transformer works by adding more turns to the coil, I don't think it's physically possible for it to spike back to the original voltage...?

Must look that up just in case!

I've never seen a transformer go mental and destroy something in my life,
especially not a well made one like the ones your linking too.
Im deffo going to invest in one sometime

Myrddin

o1s1n wrote: »

Jaysus, don't be saying that! :eek:

A step down transformer works by adding more turns to the coil, I don't think it's physically possible for it to spike back to the original voltage...?

Must look that up just in case!

It is technically possible, if there's a short between coils. They're usually very well protected against it though, not something I'd worry about