Hi Lugia,
Thanks for your detailed reply. Unfortunately, it's not what I wanted to hear, so I demand a retraction. How dare you lecture me about some made up "rules" after I put my heart and soul into that theoretical rack?
No, seriously, thank you. Is there a downside to powering the Nebulae with 5V other than needing to keep a separate tally of the power usage? According the the ER-301's website, its peak current is 250 12V+ rather than the 300 listed on MG, which would bring the 12V+ total down to 772. I understand that the consumption listings in MG shouldn't be taken as gospel, but it seems I'm painfully close to being able to safely power this little rack with the supplied power. And I admit, just aesthetically, I'd rather not have two separate "on" switches, even if - especially if - one isn't being used.
But I'm prepared to hear what I don't want to hear.
Thank you,
Tyson
-- tyson
Hi Tyson,
I'm going to include some info that's loosely related to your posts and some that's more on target.
Some modules offer alternative powering solutions and set-ups. For example, modules with vacuum tubes in them may require additional power supplies because of the huge draw from tubes at start-up. Erica has a vacuum tube series that requires a separate "tube warmer" power supply for start-up. I believe they may have solved the issue for later models in the series. But if you see a tube in your gear... you really want to focus on start-up voltage draws. What Lugia said is important.
Digital modules are noisy. It's just a fact of life; especially with modules with display screens. Digital modules are also built to different specifications depending on the builder. You might find people putting digital modules in a separate case or in a corner of their case away from modules that might be more sensitive. Some modules, like those from Noise Engineering, have a toggle switch on the back that allows them to be powered from the 5v bus in order to improve interference.
If you hear the term "passive" it means the module requires no power. A passive mult or a simple attenuator would be examples. Some will work passively, but have "active" portions. The Noise Engineering "Mutis Jovis" is passive four channel mute module, for example. It works passively. But if you plug it in, the LEDs indicating signal level will work.
Hope the information is helpful in some part.