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Interrupting power supply in stand-by - does it do any harm

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Manbearpig
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Manbearpig Posted: Thu, Jan 23 2014 9:30 PM

Dear members,

I'd like to use a multi way connector to cut interrupt my Beovisions, Beosystem 7000 and Beolabs from Power when in stand-by and not in use. This in turn implies that before using the components again, I will have to connect them to power again. Therefore there will be quite some connections to and disconnections from power. Does this do any harm as compared to permanent stand-by?

Thanks very much!

Greetings,

Kai

Guy
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Guy replied on Thu, Jan 23 2014 11:55 PM

Great question!  You would expect it to be no worse than a power cut but presumably the on/off cycle will be much more frequent.  Hopefully someone can come up with an educated answer. 

MediaBobNY
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I doubt it does any harm.  Several of their products even have power off switches - e.g. Beosound 9000, Beolab 4000.

riverstyx
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riverstyx replied on Fri, Jan 24 2014 8:16 AM

I can't see it causing any issues - best to ensure all devices are in standby before power is removed though and be aware that it can take a little while for masterlinked items to reestablish full communication after power is restored.

Martin

vikinger
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vikinger replied on Fri, Jan 24 2014 9:49 AM

If any equipment is PIN protected you will get fed-up re- inputting the PINs!

I had previous advice that it did no harm to my Beomaster to leave, for example, the tape/ ancillary input switch down and to turn off at the mains instead.

Graham

joeyboygolf
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Guy:

Great question!  You would expect it to be no worse than a power cut but presumably the on/off cycle will be much more frequent.  Hopefully someone can come up with an educated answer. 

This subject has been discussed on the Beoworld forum on numerous occasions over the years and, to my knowledge, there has not been a definite answer.

Most B&O equipment was designed to be left on standby, as described in user manuals. This is exactly how I use my equipment and have had no breakdowns.

The on/off switches on some items were fitted to comply with EU regulations designed to placate the green lobby. Clearly, nobody should be expected to walk round the room to switch items on/off when starting/stopping use otherwise you may as well discard the remote control! 

If the Beoworld forum is anything to go by, the majority of breakdowns and subsequent cries for help, have become apparent after a period of disconnection from mains power.

It is now up to you to make your own mind up!

Regards Graham

Millemissen
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I never power my B&O (or other) gear down.

I expect it to react immediately, if wanted - that is what 'standby' is for.

MM

There is a tv - and there is a BV

MediaBobNY
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My source at B&O said that the power switches on some products were put there to comply with UL (Underwriters Laboratories) specifications and that it does no harm to 'power off' equipment.  B&O's position was that the switches shouldn't be there for aesthetic reasons.

joeyboygolf
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MediaBobNY:

My source at B&O said that the power switches on some products were put there to comply with UL (Underwriters Laboratories) specifications and that it does no harm to 'power off' equipment.  B&O's position was that the switches shouldn't be there for aesthetic reasons.

However, your friend at B&O has not seen most of the item types that we are talking about for years.

Items within the warranty or even the service period probably don't suffer from being disconnected.

In general we are discussing items that are 20 plus years old and I maintain that it is better to leave them on standby, a philosophy that has served me well for getting on for 40  years.

Regards Graham

nico vercammen
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Electronic equipment (power supply) have the biggest chance to go defect when it is new, old and when you power cycle it... I do not see any advantage powering everyting completely off.. If you want to do it because you will consume less energy, then make a calculation how much energy you would save. I do not think it is worth doing it. And you loose the ability just to push the remote button to listen to music or to look television...

Nico
tournedos
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tournedos replied on Sun, Jan 26 2014 9:40 AM

MediaBobNY:

My source at B&O said that the power switches on some products were put there to comply with UL (Underwriters Laboratories) specifications and that it does no harm to 'power off' equipment.  B&O's position was that the switches shouldn't be there for aesthetic reasons.

UL is mostly a North American thing, but the EU has a similar requirement. Standby power consumption of current equipment must be below 1W per unit. A physical on/off switch is apparently enough to circumvent that, so it was added as a stop-gap measure for legacy designs. Modern devices with switch mode power supplies get there much more easily than anything with a big iron-core transformer.

Many times an old electronic device works fine until you unplug it and it cools down, then it won't start again (dried power supply caps, a microcomputer reset circuit ot of spec, a solder point finally opening due to thermal stress, something like that). But if that happens, it was on its last legs before a repair anyway.

I unplug stuff that gets noticeably warm on standby if I don't use it daily. The rest is unplugged if I know I won't be home for several days (and always at the summer house) - I'm much more worried about lightning damage if a storm arrives when I'm not there. THAT is often final.

--mika

vikinger
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vikinger replied on Sun, Jan 26 2014 9:59 AM

Some of our politicians obsess about turning things off at the mains as if it is going to save the world from Global Warming.

What the politicians and legislators failed to appreciate when they were lobbied about this standby problem is that the small amount of waste heat generated by transformers etc when on standby contributes to the heating of the house, so it is only really waste heat for a short period during summer.

No one mentions the enormous waste heat used by the internet, cloud sheds etc. 

As far as B&O equipment is concerned i think the consensus view is to leave it on standby if standby is a feature of the TV or Beomaster you are using.

Graham

bidstonhall
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Hi all, been watching this thread with interest, I have decided to post now because in the last minute my electric supply has been interrupted four times resulting in my Joni Mitchell Cd stopping play and my oven which has a clock is reset to 00.00 and is making a funny noise because it wants to be reset correctly

 

quite lucky today, sometimes it goes off for a couple of hours, such is life in a developing nation

 

in general, because i have so many items, i leave everything turned off until i am using it, i didn't realize this could be a problem, i hope not

 

but what to do about constant power cuts i just don't know, this is a very interesting thread, i wonder if Soren in Mexico has the same problem

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