BT Mains Conditioning Units - MCU125 5A

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pwiles1968

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Mar 22, 2009
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Just won one of these on e-bay, pretty confident that 5A is enough to run all of My Audio Kit, Hooked up an energy monitor and even with Master & Commander cranked well above normal listening levels I was only pulling 2A.

Anyway any Tips on best use.

Should I plug My Tacima 6 way in to the BTU or not bother?
 
£30 Delivered, thought that was a good price.

Do I really need the Tachima on there or would I be better using that for TV/DVD/ Sub and run an extension block off of the MCU, with CD/AV Amp/Monoblocks/Turntable & Phono-Amp.

While We are here have you ever re-wired any units that are hard wired? What would you use if you did? Have seen this stuff and looks really interesting Belden 83803
 
All I can say to that is experiment. Different houses and setups seem to have different results. Id guess it would be best without the tacima though.

Hardwired ~ simply cut off the lead and fit a 'male IEC' connector to be able to fit a mains lead to it. By all means have a go yourself if you wish but I cant guarantee the results obviously. Personally I ALWAYS go for braided cables now as they 'measureably' make a difference and theyve certainly made my equipment look and sound a lot better
 
aliEnRIK: Hardwired ~ simply cut off the lead and fit a 'male IEC' connector to be able to fit a mains lead to it. By all means have a go yourself if you wish but I cant guarantee the results obviously.

I thought the units would look messy with the in line IEC, I'm capable of opening up units and re-wiring, assuming the connection point is relatively accessible, probably would not bother if it meant stripping the guts down too far, Was not sure weather I could find suitable cable off the reel thought? I would want to go for twisted/braided as I know it can make a difference.
 
When I opened up my denon amp it was a simple 'plug in' connector (No clue what its called but it was tiny, far smaller than I expected)

I kept weighing up the options and came to the conclusion that fitting the IEC was easiest for me and guaranteed a decent mains cable could be fitted

Open it up and have a look
 
pwiles1968:
Just won one of these on e-bay, pretty confident that 5A is enough to run all of My Audio Kit, Hooked up an energy monitor and even with Master & Commander cranked well above normal listening levels I was only pulling 2A.

Anyway any Tips on best use.

Should I plug My Tacima 6 way in to the BTU or not bother?

Would try it both ways Re the Tacima.

Personally I have my Tacima hard wired (and screwed to the wall) into my dedicated 40A spur. Off which 2 BT MTU' are plugged into it (125va +500va), a RA Classic Powerkord is used off the Tacima block to feed the TV.

The MTU's have overload protection and are fused. I found no benifit from using Powerkords v Kettle leads from the units to the equipment. But seeing I had them already I use them!

In terms of draw I allow a factor of x3 to ensure ample headroom for the supply current. The rythem and timing of music improves.

Hope this helps
 
Hi Trevor. You have spoken of your wiring setup before, but is there a chance of a photo or two to see it in action? I have a mate with a mess of wires and a good deal of electrical knowledge so I suspect that your wiring solution would be ideal for him. Thanks.
 
Can someone tell me how to post pictures up, as I have no idea how to do it!
 
trevor79:Can someone tell me how to post pictures up, as I have no idea how to do it!

Ive never actually tried on here but you need to upload to a HOST site (Photobucket for example)

Then post the relevant code
 
This is how I managed it. Register with an online photo sharing site. I used Flickr. Take your photos and then download them onto the computer. In Flickr you will see instructions on how to download onto the site. When you follow those instructions you can get the photos off your PC and onto the site. I am no PC expert, but I found it straightforward and intuative.

Once you have the photo on Flickr, right click on it and then copy the URL. Make sure you get the whole thing as sometimes they can be quite long.

Then on the forum reply as you normally would. There should be symbols in the Message toolbar. Click on the one that is a tree. Paste the URL in the image URL box. In dimensions set the size to no more than 400 by 400. Click insert and it should appear.
 
Have taken some pictures, lets see if I can get them posted!

Pictures31-07-09044.jpg


Tacima - Hardwired on 40A Spur, screwed to back wall. From the 1st socket running down - 500va MTU running Onkyo 875 and Sony S350 Blue ray player.
Russ Andrews Classic Powerkord to 46" Samsung TV
125va MTU/Powerkord running Monitor Audio RSW12 Sub
Multiplug with PS3/Powerkord, XBox and Sony 970 Tuner/DVD recorder

Pictures31-07-09043.jpg


Looking down on the MTU's which are fixed to the wall. Notice the Copper CT125 Ariel cable running from the tuner to the TV. (better signal strength and sheilding)

Pictures31-07-09042.jpg


Pictures31-07-09041.jpg
 
trevor79: I found no benifit from using Powerkords v Kettle leads from the units to the equipment. But seeing I had them already I use them! In terms of draw I allow a factor of x3 to ensure ample headroom for the supply current. The rythem and timing of music improves. Hope this helps

Thanks for the response.

For music I will have a x5 headroom as I draw less than 1A at normal listening Volumes so should be safe, will try with and without tachima to see if it makes no difference I will use it on my TV/DVD.
 
pwiles1968:

trevor79: I found no benifit from using Powerkords v Kettle leads from the units to the equipment. But seeing I had them already I use them! In terms of draw I allow a factor of x3 to ensure ample headroom for the supply current. The rythem and timing of music improves. Hope this helps

Thanks for the response.

For music I will have a x5 headroom as I draw less than 1A at normal listening Volumes so should be safe, will try with and without tachima to see if it makes no difference I will use it on my TV/DVD.

Got it today bit of a bummer, thought tthat 5A was a Current Rating appears not, the label on the side reads output current 0.5A continous, will be enough to power a few bits CD/DVD etc but not amplifiers, so may have to back to the drawing board on this one, may have to go back on e-bay.
 
5A is the fuse rating in the plug, swaping it for a 13A one will help with the recharge rate for the mains capacitors. (mine don't comply with current GB regulations as they are hard wired with a 40A draw).
The internal MTU circuit breakers will trip anyway on overload or short in the 3ft of wiring.

The 125va transformer is the limiting factor in the draw of the unit, but this unit is excellent for CD/Blue ray/tuners etc.

It might well pull the Amp on its own, worth a try. Experiment and see which is the best combination to plug into it.
 
I had an experiment with it last night, felt that the mono-blocks sounded better on bass transients with out it, so have plugged it in to the CD/DVD, I may also put the SUB/TV on there just to see, but the TV is about 300W when on so not sure about that one.

Do your units Hum? Mine has a faint transformer hum probably 50hz, can only hear it with everything switched off but it is annoying.
 
Mine make hardly any noise at all, need to put ones ear close to it to hear anything - a very faint hum.

I find the 125 MTU will cope with the TV OR the Sub, but not both.

The TV picture is just as good using a Classic Powerkord off the Tacima as going through the MTU on my system...so that's what I do.
My RSW12 sub has more open bass tones on the 125MTU so that is all I have plugged into it.
 
I can hear my MTU from across the room, wonder if the fact that my Mains is 260V has anything to do with that.
 
I can hear mine with stuff switched off too. But when a movie is playing it is ok. I use mine with my 'ms309 sub' and it gives more pronouced and smoother bass in my opinion.
 
260v is too high, 230v is optimal, you have a slight voltage overload.

Why is that?
 
It is 240 now, suppose this is peak load time, I live in a village and the Sub station is at the end of my road, I am guessing there is less than 100 yards of cable between my house and it.
 
The life expectancy of mains run equipment in your home will be reduced if the voltage is running higher than it should.

If you are getting 260v on periods of low demand in the area it needs to be investigated by the electricity board.
Surges on top of that and equipment damage is on the cards!
 
trevor79:5A is the fuse rating in the plug, swaping it for a 13A one will help with the recharge rate for the mains capacitors.

As usual, we must advise against changing the recommended fuse for one of a higher value.
 
Understand your point Andrew, but the 5A fuse put in the plug by BT was for connecting to its own telephone equipment.
The unit is now being put to a different use on different equipment.
With a higher current draw, especially if several items are connected up a 13A fuse will be more appropiate.

The fuse is only protecting the lead from the plug to the unit, and seeing it is a 20A rated wire a 13A fuse will not overload it or present any safety issues.

The unit has its own internal circuit overload protection plus replaceable fuses. It's a well over engineered item.
 
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