AC Line VoLtAge ReguLAtoR And poweR ConditioneR AR-20 ii Voltage RegulatoRs aR-20 II Voltage RegulatoR / poweR condItIoneR Congratulations on your purchase of a Furman AR-20 II AC Line Voltage Regulator / Power Conditioner. The AR-Series regulators are designed specifically for any audio, video, or computer rackmount system requiring clean, filtered, and regulated AC power for optimum operation. please be sure to read this manual carefully. WARNING: To reduce the risk of electrical shock, do not expose this equipment to rain or moisture. Dangerous high voltages are present inside the enclosure. Do not remove the covers. There are no user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualified personnel only. The lightning flash with arrowhead symbol, within an equilateral triangle, is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated dangerous voltage within the product's enclosure that may be of sufficient magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock. aR-20 II FeatuRes · Providesnineregulated,conditionedAC outlets--eightontherearpanelandoneon thefront · SeriesMulti-StageProtectionPlus (SMP+)withextremevoltageshutdown (EVS) · LiFT(LinearFilteringTechnology)with zerogroundcontamination · Eightrearpaneloutletsandonefront paneloutlet · ExtremeVoltageShutdownindicatorLED · OutputInRegulationindicator · Digitalmeterdisplaysincomingvoltageor current · Fast-actinguser-accessiblecircuitbreaker protectsagainstoverloadorshorts · Very low stray magnetic field leakage · Inputcapacityis20A;outputcapacityis12 to20A ImpoRtant saFety InstRuctIons pLeAse ReAd pRioR to instALLAtion 1. please read and observe all of the safety and operating instructions before the AR-20 ii is operated. Retain these instructions for future reference. 2. The AR-20 II should not be used near water -- for example, near a bathtub, kitchen sink, in a wet basement, near a swimming pool, etc. 3. do not place the AR-20 ii near heat sources such as radiators, heat registers, stoves, or other appliances that produce heat. 4. Route the power cord and other cables so that they are not likely to be walked on, tripped over, or stressed. Pay particular attention to condition of cords and cables at plugs, and the point where they exit from the AR-20 II. To prevent risk of fire or injury, damaged cords and cables should be replaced immediately. saFety InFoRmatIon to obtain best results from your Furman AR-20 ii 1 aR-20 II Voltage RegulatoR / poweR condItIoneR 5. Clean the AR-20 II with a damp cloth only. Do not use solvents or abrasive cleaners. never pour any liquid on or into the unit. 6. When left unused for a long period of time, the power cord of the AR-20 II should be unplugged from the outlet. 7. The AR-20 II should be serviced by qualified service personnel when: a. The power supply cord or the plug has been frayed, kinked, or cut. b. Objects have fallen or liquid has spilled into the unit. c. the AR-20 ii has been exposed to rain or other moisture. d. the AR-20 ii does not appear to operate normally or exhibits a marked change in performance. e. The AR-20 II has been dropped, or the enclosure damaged. 8. The AR-20 II requires that a safety ground be present for proper operation. Any attempt to operate the AR-20 II without a safety ground is considered improper operation and could invalidate the warranty. 9. there are no user serviceable parts in the AR-20 II. Refer servicing to qualified service personnel only. voltage, plus or minus five volts. Voltages approximately ±10% beyond that range may be converted to usable levels, depending on the requirements of the equipment. This stable voltage protects equipment and allows optimal performance. see graphs on the back page. The AR-20 II has twelve outlets on the rear panel, and two convenience outlets on the front panel. All are functionally interchangeable. the outlets are regulated, surge-suppressed, and linearly filtered, making the unit a full-function power conditioner. The AR-20 II has no controls except an on-off switch / breaker and the button to switch the meter between voltage and current readings. Note: The AR-20 II is for use with AC voltage only. DC voltages should never be applied to them. Also, it does not change or regulate line frequency. The output frequency will always be the same as the incoming frequency. smp+ (series multi-stage protection plus) traditional surge suppression rely on circuits that "sacrifice" themselves when exposed to multiple transient voltage spikes, requiring the dismantling of your system, and repair of your surge suppressor. Not so with SMP+. With Furman's SMP+, damaging transient voltages are safely absorbed, clamped, and dissipated. No sacrificed parts, no service calls, no down time. Unique to Furman's SMP+ is its unparalleled clamping voltage. while other designs offer clamping voltages that are well above 330 Vpk, Furman's SMP+ clamps at 188 Vpk, (133 VAC RMs). this unprecedented level of protection is only available with Furman's SMP+ technol2 Voltage Regulation Furman Voltage Regulators are intended to protect sensitive electronic equipment from problems caused by AC line voltage irregularities--brownouts or overvoltages that can cause audio tonal changes, digital equipment malfunction (such as loss of Midi programs or other data), or, in extreme cases, permanent damage. they accept input voltages over a wide AC voltage range and convert them to a steady, stable output at the desired standard aR-20 II Voltage RegulatoR / poweR condItIoneR ogy. Additionally, Furman's trusted over-voltage circuitry protects against all too frequent accidental connections to 208 or 240 VAC, by shutting off the incoming power until the over voltage condition is corrected. 150V, it will shut off power to the outlet and the Extreme Voltage LED will light. NOTE: If the mains power is above the high cutoff voltage and has caused the unit to remove power from its outlets, it cannot restore power without the operator manually turning the unit off, then on again. Avoid turning the unit back on, without first checking the source of the problem, and perhaps changing the AC source. liFt (linear Filtering technology) Unfortunately, traditional AC filter - conditioners have been designed for unrealistic laboratory conditions. prior technologies could actually harm audio and video performance more than they help, due to the resonant peaking of their antiquated, non-linear designs. Under certain conditions, these designs can actually add more than 10 dB of noise to the incoming AC line! Furman's SMP+ with LiFT takes another approach, ensuring optimal performance through linear filtering and no leakage to ground. With this exclusive filtration technology, all connected equipment will be free of noise and contamination and will operate at optimum performance levels. protection oK Indicator Although the Furman SMP+ circuit assures virtually protection from transient voltage spikes and surges, nature has a way of occasionally creating electrical forces that are beyond the capabilities of any tVss device to absorb without some degree of damage. In the rare instance that this occurs, the green "Protection OK" LED indicator located on your front panel will dim. If this happens some level of protection from voltage surges will remain, but the Furman's clamping voltage rating will be compromised. the unit must be returned to Furman Sound, or an authorized Furman service center for repair. extreme Voltage shutdown Indicator this Led is normally off. it monitors a hazard common in the entertainment industry: wiring faults ­ for example, accidental connection to 220VAC where 120VAC is expected, or an open neutral from a 208 or 240VAC feed. the Series II SMP+ circuit senses voltages that are so high that operation would be impossible and shuts the power down before damage can occur. Upon initially applying power to these units, the Extreme Voltage indicator LED will light if the input voltage is above the extreme voltage cutoff, and power will not be applied to the unit's outlets. If the unit has been operating with an acceptable input voltage and subsequently that voltage exceeds 1453 Fuses and cIRcuIt BReaKeRs there is one fuse and one circuit breaker in the AR-series. in the event that the unit appears to be completely dead (neither the Power switch nor any LED's light up), unplug the power cord and the load and check the breaker. if the circuit breaker is tripped, a white button will pop up. push it back in to reset it. the purposes of these circuit protection devices are: 1. A fast-blow 20 amp circuit breaker is accessible at the rear panel without removing the unit from the rack. This breaker will trip if the aR-20 II Voltage RegulatoR / poweR condItIoneR unit's 20 amp capacity is exceeded at any time. 2. A fast-blow 1/4 amp fuse is located inside the unit. This fuse will blow if the unit has been connected to a voltage that is above the range of the extreme Voltage shutdown circuitry. To replace it, the unit must be completely disconnected from all power and removed from its rack. the six hex head screws and two Phillips head screws holding the top cover must be removed. the internal fuse is located in a holder on the printed circuit board. Replace the fuse only with the exact same type (1/4 fast blow). InstallatIon Because of their toroidal transformer design, Furman Voltage Regulators may be positioned near most other equipment without fear that the other equipment will be disrupted by leakage of a strong 50/60 Hz magnetic field. Nevertheless, suggested rack locations would be either at the top or bottom. As with any rackmount equipment, be sure to use 10-32 machine screws for mounting in the rack's tapped holes (this is not a metric size). In particular, beware of 10-24 screws, which may fit if forced but which will strip the threads. To avoid marring the front panel finish, use plastic washers under the screw heads. Input Voltage & cuRRent monItoRIng the digital meter at the left of the front panel make up a meter that indicates input VoLtAGE or CURRENT levels. A switch to the left of the meter allows the user to switch between these two readings. It is important to remember that this is the voltage or current coming from the wall before it has been regulated. This is not the level of voltage going into the equipment you have connected to the AR-20 ii. desIgn the AR-series uses a design based on an eight-tap toroidal autoformer. the toroidal design assures minimal leakage of stray magnetic fields, and, because of its high efficiency, a very compact size for its rating. the Voltage Regulator's circuitry monitors the incoming line voltage with each cycle, comparing it to an extremely precise voltage reference, accurate to ±0.15%. If a voltage fluctuation requires that a different tap be selected, the new tap is electronically switched exactly at the zero-crossing, to avoid distorting the AC waveform. If necessary, it can switch taps as often as once each cycle. Most commercial voltage regulators using multipletapped transformers switch taps at uncontrolled times, thereby creating voltage spikes and clicks that can leak into the audio! Hysteresis in the switching circuits avoids "chatter" or unnecessary switching back and forth between adjacent taps. unlike those voltage regulators that employ ferro-resonant transformers, Furman output Voltage monItoRIng A green Led labelled output in ReguLAtion indicates proper function (i.e., that the output voltage is within ±5V of the selected output voltage). Your equipment will always work normally when this light is on, and often will work satisfactorily even when it is off. the AR-20 ii offers a digital voltage meter to monitor the incoming line (the Voltage Regulator output). 4 aR-20 II Voltage RegulatoR / poweR condItIoneR Voltage Regulators are not sensitive to small errors in line frequency, making them ideal for use with generators. as close as possible to the nominal level. SPIKE: A pulse of energy on the power line. spikes can have voltages as high as 6000 volts. though they are usually of very short duration, the energy they contain can be considerable, enough to damage sensitive solid-state components in audio and computer equipment. Spikes can also foul switch contacts and degrade wiring insulation. They are an unavoidable component of electric power. They are caused unpredictably by electric motors switching on or off (on the premises or outside), utility company maintenance operations, nearby lightning strikes, and other factors. Spikes (also called surges or transients) are absorbed by special components called MOV's in the ARseries to provide safe voltage levels to protect your equipment. RFI/EMI INTERFERENCE: Noise from RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) or EMI (Electro Magnetic Interference) involves lower voltages and less energy than is found in spikes, but it is continuous rather than transient in nature. it is not likely to cause p ...