External 12v Trigger ?

[Mister ///M]

My Aragon 3005 amplifier doesn't have a 12v Trigger input built into it. I've noticed Niles makes a piece called the Niles CS12v but I just can't justify the expense. Are there any affordable solutions out there?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

///M

 

[sholling]

My Aragon 3005 amplifier doesn't have a 12v Trigger input built into it. I've noticed Niles makes a piece called the Niles CS12v but I just can't justify the expense. Are there any affordable solutions out there?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

///M

Can you use a remote switched power strip?

 

[KEW]

Yep, these run $20-$30. I use one with my pre-amp plugged into the blue (control) outlet; sub plugged into the red (always on) outlet since it works fine from the music signal; and amp, CD player, and tuner plugged into the uncolored (slave) outlets. When I hit the on button for the pre-amp R/C the whole system comes on. Does the job easily and quietly.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000L9A7ZS/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0006PUDQK&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0QXC9G4SM52ZZ33G7RWA

Belkin also makes one with a little bit more subdued color scheme if it will be out in the open:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003P2UMQ2/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0006PUDQK&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0QXC9G4SM52ZZ33G7RWA

PS you also might want to pay attention to surge capacity and warranty depending on how steady your power is.

 

[TLS Guy]

My Aragon 3005 amplifier doesn't have a 12v Trigger input built into it. I've noticed Niles makes a piece called the Niles CS12v but I just can't justify the expense. Are there any affordable solutions out there?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

///M

By the time you but a 12 volt wall wort and a twelve volt relay to carry enough current to power your amp and put it in a case, you will have bought the Niles unit. 12 volt trigger units are always partially on so you can use a MOS FET gate switch to start the amp. However if you put it in the power circuit, you need fairly expensive relay.

 

[highfigh]

My Aragon 3005 amplifier doesn't have a 12v Trigger input built into it. I've noticed Niles makes a piece called the Niles CS12v but I just can't justify the expense. Are there any affordable solutions out there?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

///M

I just installed one of these today for the muting circuits on some volume controls and if you need it to do certain things, like have a variable threshold for turning the trigger on, this is the way to go. The amp I'm using to trigger the 12VDC trigger has a fan that runs for a while after the amp turns off and I just don't want to have the muting volume controls energized at all times, for safety reasons. The Denon AVR-990 I originally installed had a problem with the network card and the AVR-991 is lacking the courtesy outlet I was using on the 990. It doesn't have a 12VDC trigger, either, and that put me in the position of needing something like this. I looked at the Zantech pieces but the price would have been about the same and it's not as variable. The Niles piece has a red LED to indicate that it's on and a button next to it that needs to be pushed in until it blinks twice. Once that happens, the idle current threshold has been set and it works, just the way I need it to.

If the receiver had a courtesy outlet, I wouldn't have needed to use this but since it doesn't, this fit the bill very well. I don't like the price, either, but building one that does exactly the same things would have taken more time and money than could be justified.

This isn't what you need, though, You need a relay that uses a 12VDC trigger- this sends a 12VDC trigger and the circuitry senses current that's above the idle threshold- the jack isn't for accepting a trigger voltage.

Does your preamp/processor have a courtesy outlet or a 12VDC trigger output? If it does, other options exist for turning the amp on.

 

[Warpdrv]

Build your own if you can.... It can be as expensive or cheap as you want it to be...

I posted what I built in this thread - mine are able to handle 30 amps each.... I built 3 of them for less then $100.00 all in...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=19756962#post19756962

Lots of different ideas in there...

Hopefully as HighFigh stated, your preamp has 12v trigger out, but if it doesn't there are ways around this also....

You can grab a smart strip, and use the switched outlet to power up a 12v wall wart to send the 12v signal to your build...

 

[highfigh]

Build your own if you can.... It can be as expensive or cheap as you want it to be...

I posted what I built in this thread - mine are able to handle 30 amps each.... I built 3 of them for less then $100.00 all in...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=19756962#post19756962

Lots of different ideas in there...

Hopefully as HighFigh stated, your preamp has 12v trigger out, but if it doesn't there are ways around this also....

You can grab a smart strip, and use the switched outlet to power up a 12v wall wart to send the 12v signal to your build...

Did you measure the current through the relay's coil when it's energized? Most 12VDC triggers are good for 150-200mA.

 

[Warpdrv]

I did not - I got these mechanical relays....
I just tested to make sure the wall wart was enough to supply enough voltage to engage the coil, they were rated to engage with 12v. They will handle a 30a load

 

[walter duque]

I use a power sequencer. One click everything is on.

 

[GlocksRock]

I tried that smart power switch from amazon linked above for the same purpose, but couldn't get it to work consistently, so I bought a nice panamax M8-HT Pro that has 4 of the 8 outlets controlled by the trigger. That works really well, but it's not cheap, but it offers protection for my gear as well, so that makes it worth the price. That particular unit has been discontinued, but they make a new version of it that's pretty much identical. I got mine from crutchfield.

 

[digicidal]

Although it's not terribly cheap, and to be totally honest, I haven't even used the 12v trigger relay on it - my Belkin PF60 allows for selectable delays, switched/unswitched, 12v in/out - and if you can find them on sale they're often less than $180. Granted, you're talking about more than just the single trigger boxes cost in most cases - but you also get a nice-looking powerstrip out of it as well.

Basically through dip-switch settings and front panel selections you can set any of the 12 rear outlets to be your triggering outlet (or use the IEC cord as a 12V trigger if your AVR doesn't have the standard 1/8" adapter). Then you can further set by bank what the response of the other outlets are.

For example, you could set the outlet that the preamp is on to be the triggering outlet, which then turns on the two amp outlets - followed by all the other outlets. Or pretty much any other configuration.

I don't really give any credence to the "line-filtering" capabilities of the unit - I've never seen anything short of a true, active line conditioner that did anything at all for noise filtering on the mains... but then again I've been pretty lucky with my power here being pretty clean.

I do appreciate the fact that I can use the LCD readout to monitor current loads and voltage drops that might be occurring on that outlet. Basically I just bought it because it was really cheap on sale (no way would I pay the $600 MSRP for it) and it's easier to organize the power cords than it is on a floor strip IMO.

Here's an old review that will give you some shots of the rear panel and covers some of the features.

 

[jp_over]

I appreciate this response. The trigger setting feature + the cleaner power cords is just about worth the price of admission. I've briefly looked over the product specifications but didn't see that you could set this unit up with a triggering outlet. Excellent!

... now if I can just figure out how to "multi quote" on this forum all my life's questions will be answered!

 

[baniels]

Bringing this thread back to life...

I have had the PF60 for several years. I haven't had much of a need to use the switching/delay feature until now.

I just received an XPA-2 yesterday. My understanding is that amps should be powered on last and powered down first.

The XPA-2 has a 12v trigger input that will take it out of standby. My Onkyo 805 does not have a 12 trigger except for zone 2. Even if it had one otherwise, the coming questions remain.

The 805 has a switched outlet. The Belkin PF60 has a 12v trigger out. I can attach the 805's switched outlet to the Belkin, and whenever I turn on the Onkyo (bring it out of standby), it will send power to the Belkin, signalling it to power on the switched devices in whatever sequence and with whatever delays I choose (including the 12v trigger out).

For the sake of this question, let's assume I'm plugging the XPA directly into the wall or a non-switched outlet on the PF60 - in other words it will always be plugged in and powered - either On or in Standby, but never fully Off. I will use the 12v mono line from the PF60 to signal the XPA to come in and out of standby.

Powering on with this configuration makes sense. I press an activity on my remote, and it turns on my Oppo and my Onkyo. When the Onkyo turns on, it signals the PF60 to switch on my amp after a short delay. Great, amp is the last to turn off.

But when it comes time to turn everything off, the only way to signal the PF60 to send the off signal to the XPA is by turning it off - and that will result in powering down the 805 (acting as my pre) before powering down the amp. This is breaking the correct order of operations, and potentially giving me the "thumps".

Am I overthinking this? Underthinking it?

Most amps seem to only have 12v trigger or physical button control. How are others managing this? Is there some other device in the chain that is sending the "off" signal to your amp before it powers itself down (to let the amp turn off first)?

Thanks!

 

[Hocky]

I do basically the same thing as what you're trying to do with my combo and it works fine. In every receiver/processor that I've had, it shuts off the 12v trigger before it actually powers itself down. There are no thumps.

 

[baniels]

Okay, well I tried it.

AC out of receiver, triggering the belkin to send trigger signal to amp. In turn, when I power off the receiver, it stops the signal to the belkin, which then triggers the amp to power down. But before that happens, the receiver shuts off and I get a little thump.

I guess I need a DC wall wart with a mono tip going straight from the receiver to the trigger on the amp. The Belkin is delaying it too much. It works great for powering it on though.

 

[Hocky]

Okay, well I tried it.

AC out of receiver, triggering the belkin to send trigger signal to amp. In turn, when I power off the receiver, it stops the signal to the belkin, which then triggers the amp to power down. But before that happens, the receiver shuts off and I get a little thump.

I guess I need a DC wall wart with a mono tip going straight from the receiver to the trigger on the amp. The Belkin is delaying it too much. It works great for powering it on though.

Did you try to take the remote wire from the receiver -> amp and then amp out -> belkin?

 

[baniels]

No. My receiver doesn't have a traditional trigger, only for zone 2. What it has is a switched AC outlet which I can send to the Belkin to activate its (the Belkin's) traditional trigger -> amp. I'll probably try splicing a mono tip to a DC wall wart out of the receiver's switched outlet directly to the amp trigger. That should remove the delay.

But this may all be moot. I notice a little thump when power toggling the amp when everything else is off. Not sure what is considered normal.

 

[eurovw89]

sorry to hijack. I just got the Belkin PF60 in the mail today. I have a Pioneer VSX-1019 receiver and would like to have the receiver send out a trigger to the Belkin to turn it on. is this possible?

thanks,
Jeff

 

[baniels]

Does the Pioneer have either a 12v trigger or a switched outlet? If so, yes.

 

[eurovw89]

Does the Pioneer have either a 12v trigger or a switched outlet? If so, yes.

I just purchased a 3.5m mono cable and tried from both the IR out and CONTROL out on the back of the receiver to the DC IN on the back of the power center...and nothing. I read or heard somewhere that the receiver has to have a standby feature. I looked all over and can not figure it out.

Thanks,
Jeff