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Forums Rave Free Parties & Teknivals Generator question

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  • Sorry if this is in the wrong place.

    Any experienced heads out there know what sort of generator i’d need to power a 2k [or thereabouts] rig? [no lighting as yet]. Im thinking of this,

    Model Briggs Handy Gen 2600 Petrol Generator
    Kva 2.6
    Rated power Watts 2100
    Voltage 230

    its nice and cheap, i have no idea if it would work though. Help a new soundsystem get off the ground lovely people.

    it should be fine to power the system, but you’ll need additional power for decks etc, and when you get some lighting you’ll need more again

    better to invest in something a little larger to begin with, then you have room to expand later

    Your rig will draw a maximum of 8.3ampere’s and the genny will allow for 8.75 so you will be fine. Your soundsystem will also never be drawing on the full power of the amps not unless you plan on playing full range test tone signals through your rig (whatever takes your fancy :o) )

    Decks and mixers etc will draw very little so this will be fine for the genny. But like Global said, if you want to add any lights that’s when you will run in to problems. You could probably have two scans running off this genny (as well as soundsystem). Any more and you might be in trouble because unlike your soundsystem the lights WILL draw the specified amount of power constantly and you don’t have a lot to spare.

    Another thing to consider is that petrol generators aren’t quite as stable as diesel ones and the power may fluctuate a little more causing any digital equipment to falter and it could cause damage to your system too. Although I must say that I know of a few people who know their stuff and have systems and have run their systems fine off petrol gennys for years with no problems.

    Oh and one more thing. Petrol is a bit more expensive than diesel and a little more dangerous to handle and leave around at parties with smokers and and fires etc.

    BioTech wrote:
    Another thing to consider is that petrol generators aren’t quite as stable as diesel ones and the power may fluctuate a little more causing any digital equipment to falter and it could cause damage to your system too. Although I must say that I know of a few people who know their stuff and have systems and have run their systems fine off petrol gennys for years with no problems.

    Oh and one more thing. Petrol is a bit more expensive than diesel and a little more dangerous to handle and leave around at parties with smokers and and fires etc.

    Petrol gensets are usually lower rated which adds to the spike/surge problems as they are often run to the limit.

    I’d fully agree with BioTech about the costs and safety aspects, regarding petrol – and add to this there is the danger of it being used as a weapon if things “kick off” with troublemakers, “rival crews” landowners or authorities. (its happened at at least one party in our area!)

    Wouldn’t have even considered this risk a few years ago but it seems so many people want to play the “hard man” even at parties now..

    Also people often aren’t prepared to let the music stop and gensets are refilled whilst running (a practice I personally loathe as IMO its a needless risk) – at least with diesel its safer..

    you can also use biodiesel in gensets, including blends that may not be accepted by Revenue and Customs for motor vehicles. This may become more of an issue as oil becomes more expensive (and do you want to be feeding the war any more than you have to just to enjoy your music?)

    Thanks for the advice guys. Ive settled on a 2.8kva petrol, gotta balance having room for expansion with getting started now rather than forever talking about doing it. Would biodisel work in a petrol generator? Coz that would be pretty righteous [and im guessing cheaper too]

    Quote:
    Would biodisel work in a petrol generator? Coz that would be pretty righteous [and im guessing cheaper too]

    unfortunately not – the design of engines is very different (petrol is ignited by a spark whilst diesel is ignited by compression.

    most crews start off with a 2.6 or 2.8 kVA petrol genset. If you are sensible and don’t keep adding on kit until you hear the engine stalling then you should not have too many problems..

    Keep fuel within view and in a safe place but away from potential sources of ignition, and get appropriate fire extinguishers etc. Incidentally if a fire occurs at an unlicensed rave occurs many fire Brigades are under instruction to await Police backup before moving in…

    it is now worth all new crews obtaining or having access to generator sets sufficient to power their rig even if they are based in predominantly urban areas/do indoor events.

    there is no guarantee that mains power will be readily available in venues
    such as abandoned buildings. ironically the larger the building the more
    likely that the electricity company has shut off the power as a safety
    measure as these buildings often have their own individual substations.

    Cops can also shut down a party and arrest people for “abstracting
    electricity”, and there are hazards involved in obtaining power from older
    buildings – some of them have power installations that Dr Frankenstein would have been proud of.

    A genset used in an urban area should always be placed just outside the
    building to avoid hazards from carbon monoxide fumes.

    Incidentally do not skimp on the cabling and power distribution to the rig!

    You may end up running 20 metres or more of mains cable from the genset(s) to the rig. Don’t buy the cheap extension leads from DIY stores – they are rubbish.

    If you do not use decent thick cable (“Artic Cable” is good stuff) and proper connectors there will be a voltage drop that will reduce audio quality (your rig will not be able to produce maximum volume on peak levels of music)

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Forums Rave Free Parties & Teknivals Generator question