Monday, March 05, 2007

The THOR PS10 "Smart " Power Station

"Every home with a good system needs a good power supply"

THE THOR PS10 "SMART" POWER STATION

I've had a THOR Technologies Surge Shield A1 in my system for over 5 years. The A12 and PS10 is THOR's latest offering and brings a total power filtration system well below the usual costs for such a device.

The following information was supplied by THOR Technologies...

"Hi Fi source components are very sensitive to electrical pollution because the audio signal they produce is at a very low voltage, and this signal must be amplified in order to drive the speakers. Amplification is achieved by using the incoming mains supply to electronically boost the signal, and a polluted mains supply will prevent the electronics within your Hi Fi equipment from operating as intended. This causes a cascade effect within the electronic circuitry, resulting in a polluted amplified signal.

The Smart Power Station (PS10) has been developed to cater for the more sensitive digital technology that is now becoming the standard in our homes. It is designed to ensure constant, pure 240v pristine and unpolluted power to Hi Fi and Home Theatre equipment This technology enhances our movie experience and some enthusiasts try to emulate a concert experience too. Quite often performance is robbed from this type of equipment because of the fluctuating power and the performance from the PS10 has been likened to ‘flicking’ glass to ‘flicking’ crystal glass. The fluctuation can be caused by demands on the supply grid at various times of the day or even by other electrical conveniences we have in our homes like fridges, air-conditioners, washing machines, fluorescent lights and so on. Quite often the motors and compressors switching on and off rapidly can cause “dirty” power and this can diminish performance."

THE FRONT PANEL

"On the front panel of the PS10 are LED’s showing both incoming power and outgoing power. So anyone will know just by looking what sort of power they are receiving at any time of day or night. There are also an additional 10 indicators which will show if the power becomes abnormal at any time. For instance an over voltage, under voltage, unusual, overall load plus other displays appear on the screen as and when necessary.

The final part of the unit is an 8 way customised power board which allows multiple components to enjoy the power filtering and protection on offer. The power board incorporates an active filter, Dynamic Active Tracking, which automatically self diagnosis any high voltage disturbances and rectifies them in less than a nanosecond so whatever is plugged into the smart board will never know there was a problem. The board has 3 completely separate circuit banks too. This stops components that may generate noise or cross talk from interfering with the enjoyment of the system. The combination of both the Power Station and the board produces a double power management solution not seen in the market before.

Additional Advantages:

  • Soft Start – 6 secs or 120 secs before putting power back into components (eg. Amplifiers hold charge and if power is brought back at the same time as other components the tsunami effect can be damaging).
  • Projectors – estimated 3000hrs for a good DLP at constant 240V. Globe life degrades if not getting constant 240V.
  • PS10 is a 10 amp unit (160V – 270V parameters) – to get the equivalent in a UPS = 3KVA min."
BECAUSE SIZE DOES MATTER
As you can see, the THOR PS10 is a full sized piece of hardware designed to go right into your EQ Rack. It is the same size and weight as my Poineer VSX 1011 AVR sitting on the shelf above it.

THOR A1

The differences between the THOR A1 [still current] and THOR A2 [now discontinued] were the input/output connections for either RJ11 and RJ45 [A1] or RF [A2]. The A12 replaced the A2 and provides all types of connections including an adaptor for F-Type [used in FOXTEL and cable internet installations]. Notice that the three pins of each socket were reversed on the A1, making the new THOR A12 a much more versatile product when used with large power transformers such as the step down units being employed by those with imported HD DVD players. On this board, I could only use 7 of the 8 outlets due to a large tranformers, but with the new A12, I can use all 8.

The true beauty of these products is that they are designed by Australian Electrical Engineers for Australian electrical conditions.

They also come with a full 6 YEARS and up to $500 000 [PS10] connected equipment WARRANTY

The retial prices are as follows:

$1499.00 [PS10]

$299.95 [A12]

$249.95 [A1]

An interesting point I would like to note is that projector's Lamp did not flicker when fed a consistent 240V and based on the reading on the front panel [highest figure was 253V], it is not surprising that flicker is seen when not plugged into this unit. A well engineered product.

EMAIL ME for special Internet pricing

Mark

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