Welcome Letter Rev 6
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Power Supply
Just about any capable industry-standard power supply will do, but some are better than
others. Many Opus-Two systems are running on generators without problems, many run on
ripple-laden power supplies from the 1970s, and many are running on modern Astrons and
switching power supplies. We officially recommend Astron Power Supplies with their ground
jumper cut (an internal bond between negative and earth). If you are unfamiliar with the cut
procedure, we can provide additional documentation to assist. Switching power supplies will
work, but are not as good and will likely not last as long as an Astron. Additionally, switch mode
power supplies don’t “come up” or “go down” very nicely at power up and power off, and it is
possible that odd behavior can occur (stops moving for no reason, etc). This is not specific to
Opus-Two, and many other manufacturers have subtle problems with switch-mode power
supplies. If you do use a switch mode power supply, Opus-Two has built in software to check
for a “rough power down” sequence.
For consoles, we suggest calculating size by using a rule of thumb value between ½ and 1 amp
of capacity per tab. To turn the power supplies on and off, we suggest Furman CN power units,
which are available on our web site and from many A/V distributors. Finally, we do recommend
separate power supplies in the console and chamber. It is not necessary to bond the power
supplies together so long as each location has it’s own isolated controller card and I/O chain.
