Guitar Amps Etc
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Posted on Dec 03, 2004 12:39 pm
cocofromscotland
Hello!
Member Since: Jan 12, 2004
Hiya Folks
OK, so I have found myself a nice little calculator for finding how much electric I will use for any given item.
All I need is certain bits of info and the number of hours use the item will have and I am good to get a price.
Now, the tricky bit, does anyone know what type of "amps" content an average amp would have?? I know my Marshall is 240V but I dunno the "amps" which is a specific question. I know the average kettle is 12.5amps so if anyone knows this type of stuff I;d love to know.
Cheers
Coco.
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Dec 03, 2004 12:46 pm In fact, I just found out the wattage is:
amps x volts
So, going by this, would it be safe to say that:
100W (i.e. my amp) would be the same as
0.435 x 230V or am I mixing up the wattage of the amp for something else???
Cheers
Coco.
Dec 03, 2004 01:56 pm isnt this just the type of algebra problem:
100(watts)=240(volts) times X(amps)
100=240X
no? you get .416?
Dec 03, 2004 02:16 pm Hey Forty...check this link if ya have a minute:
www.ukpower.co.uk/running-costs-elec.asp
Am I right in thinking, if I just fire the power of my amp i.e. 100W, this will be right for WATTS (number 4 on the list)
I am basically trying to work out how much amps cost to run! I note that a typical pc costs about 140W of power!! That seems mad that a PC would use more electric (with the monitor that is) than my big hefty amp!!!
Cheers buddy.
Coco.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Dec 03, 2004 02:27 pm I don't think it works that way. You would have to figure out the power consumption of the power section. Sometimes this is listed on the back of the amp, say 60w or something like that. This would be the AC electrical draw. I.E. your power consumption divided by the voltage.
The output section (your referring to 100w, so I'm thinking 100w marshall or something like that) would be using high voltage times low current to get 100 w output. These areas are very grey, by the way, as it's difficult to always know exactly what a tube amp is doing. Some 100w marshalls may put out 120w at full pwer before clipping, some may only put out 78w.
YMMV
On a side note, the 100w marshall would probably have a 4 amp fuse in it. That's for the power section (AC side). It would probably have a .25 or a .5 amp fuse on the High Voltage, DC side.
HTH
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Dec 03, 2004 02:32 pm oop, posted at the same time.
Think, that if the guitar amp pulls 4 amps at 240v, that would be 960w of power. I fail to beleive you'd ever do that under normal operation, probably around 1 amp or so normally, so figure it'd consume 240 or so watts to run the power section.
Of course, this scenario is an average, the quiet bits would be probably 10 to 20 watts, where the loud bits may be pulling 200 to 300 watts.
I think I'm in the ballpark, any EEs out there?
Dec 03, 2004 02:48 pm Hey Coco...I don't know anything about this thread but wanted to say that it is an interesting topic that I'm learning from.
Cheers and thanks...falalalalaaa lalaalaa laaaa...
BM :-)
Dec 03, 2004 02:51 pm Quote:
falalalalaaa lalaalaa laaaa
bah friggin humbug.
Dec 03, 2004 03:15 pm Hahaha...dB MasterScrooge...bet your girls'll be putting ya straight...Mr bah friggin humbug...
Cheers and 'here comes Santa Claus...right down Santa Claus lane'
BM :-)
Dec 03, 2004 03:16 pm Santa gets hit with a bat in the knee if he comes down my lane...fat bastard... :-D
I don't trust nobody with a sleigh that can fly giving toys to little kids...yeah, perv...
Yeah, I play the game for the girls, not like they care what I think anyway...
Dec 03, 2004 03:24 pm coco, i don't know anything here. pjk sounds like he knows what hes talking about.
maybe you should turn everything in the house off but the amp, then go outside and stare at the meter for an hour or two. see what you can deduce.
Dec 03, 2004 03:25 pm Well then ya might not have known then...that Santa is making a list and checking it twice 'cos he's gonna find out who's naughty and nice...and hahaha!...what list will you be on dB?
Cheers and deck the halls with boughs of holly...hahahahaha ha ha ha haaaa
BM :-)
Dec 03, 2004 03:29 pm I have a list of my own, and he's on it, guess which list that is?
Every Who
Down in Who-ville
Liked Christmas a lot...
But the Grinch,
Who lived just North of Who-ville,
Did NOT!
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Dec 03, 2004 03:33 pm I'm only a hack, been building tube amps for a little while so i'm kinda versed in some of the stuff.
I like the turn off all the electrical stuff in the house idea, coco could be standing outside with his muffler, holding a guitar and hitting power chords, watching the meter wheel SPPPPIIIIINNNNNNNNnnnnn n n n then slow down.
bet the neighbors would wonder.
Dec 03, 2004 03:38 pm Hey pjk, I love your practice room. Looks groovy. Looks like a nice place to practice.
How could you shoot that little 4 point buck though who's antlers are on the wall? Let him grow up and shoot him when he's 8 point or so :-)
Dec 03, 2004 03:44 pm Scawy...Hahaha...bet Ron Howard is on Santa's NICE list..Sunday, Monday...Happy Days...:-)
Cheers and goodbye grey skies hello blue,
BM :-)
Dec 03, 2004 03:46 pm Yeah, but I have hair...Ron does not.
TallChapAnswer:On a good day, lipstick.Member
Since: Jun 24, 2004
Dec 03, 2004 03:54 pm Amps x Volts = Watts
Therefore, Watts/Volts = Amperage Draw
Hey, pjk! I'm soooo drawn to building my own low wattage amp - something with tubes, but really small. Any tips? I want something under 1 watt. I love the nanohead, but I can't get fundage clearance from 'er indoors. Any good websites you know?
Dec 03, 2004 04:09 pm hehehe...nice one guys.
First off, theres NAE chance of me goin ootside, in any means at this time of year up here - its bloody freezing (literaly!!).
Secondly, I want to work out how much it may cost me to run say 4 amps at once, regularly for something I may be lining up. All amps around 100w (probs Marshall/Fender)....
So - I wanna work oot if its gonna kill the bill so to speak!!
Go ootside indeed :-D !!
hehehe
Coco.
P.S. Bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh humbug!!
Dec 03, 2004 04:13 pm for recording purposes you are many times better off with a smaller amp with less wattage, cuz it's easier to overdrive it and get those tubes good and hot while not risking breaking your windows and disturbing the neighbors.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Dec 03, 2004 05:36 pm thanks db, it turned into a studio since then. I've gotten pics but they're sitting on my site, waiting for me to put them into pages.
Funny you said it's groovy, our band name is Grooveyard.
Actually, the whole site needs to be brought up to speed, but I'm just now getting into having some time to work on it.
That little rack was in the garage when I moved in, funny though, it's fallen onto my drummers head a few weeks back. Left a little dent on his noggin.
TallChap:
go check out ax84.com. That's a good bunch of guys that have gone through the rigors of building their own amps. There's one in particular, Doug Hammond's FireFly that myself and others on the site have built. It uses what's normally a low-gain preamp tube (12au7) and uses the two triodes for output. Roughly 1.5 watt. It can be built very cheaply (there's a bunch of threads over there on it) since there's not much to it. I have pictures of that too, but don't have them on my web site yet. Now you guys got me geeked up to update the web page again.
Dec 03, 2004 05:52 pm Well...Messrs Hah Humbug and Hah Friggin Humbug have yourselves a merry little xmas. :-)
And Coco...are you gonna have a white xmas there? Not that Im dreaming of one...although xmas is generally warm here...usually an extra lovely day.
Cheers...
BM
