Furman PL8 Power Conditioner

Power line disturbances are real, and they are inevitable. According to Consumer Reports (November, 1994), "One significant surge a day is the norm. High-exposure areas may experience perhaps a hundred smallish spikes a day." Proper protection is essential for costly equipment, even more so if it is frequently moved from location to location.

The PL-8 Power Conditioner/Light Module is the perfect accessory to any equipment rack, providing the basic power protection essential to every audio or video system. Install a PL-8 in the top slot of your rack, and the 8 switched AC outlets on the rear panel will power up all your equipment while its 2 slide-out light fixtures provide discreet, illumination of their controls on stages, in studios, or in any dark place. A dimmer control lets you adjust the lamp brightness to just the right level.

Features
2 slide-out, swiveling light fixtures for rack illumination

Dimmer control for lamp brightness

8 accessory outlets in rear controlled by front switch

Triple-mode varistor spike and surge protection

RFI filtering

15-amp rating, with circuit breaker

Separate switch for lamps

The PL-8 protects your delicate electronic equipment by combining a high voltage surge and transient suppressor with an RFI/EMI interference filter. The fast-acting suppression circuit responds in nanoseconds, clamping spikes and surges to safe levels. The filter works to prevent noise from fluorescent lights, electric motors, radio transmitters, and similar sources of "electronic pollution" from leaking from the AC line into sensitive analog or digital circuits.

The PL-8's lamps come supplied with 7-watt night-light bulbs. Replacements are readily available in 4-watt or 7-watt sizes at most supermarkets and hardware stores. Colored Christmas tree bulbs may also be used. Bulbs are easily replaced without removing the unit from the rack by unscrewing the cap on the end of each light tube.

The PL-8 has a master switch for the rear outlets that glows red when the power is on. There is also a separate switch for the lamps, allowing you to check your equipment settings before applying power to it. The front-panel circuit breaker can be easily and quickly reset should the PL-8 be overloaded.

Technical Info

Current rating: 15 amps ("E" versions 10 amps)

Input Voltage: 85 to 135 VAC ("E" versions 0 to 255 VAC)

Meter Accuracy: PL-PLUS Voltmeter: + or -3 VAC; PM-8 Voltmeter: + or -5 VAC; PM-8 Ammeter: + or -2 amps, calibrated with internal trimpot adjustments

Spike Protection Modes: Line to neutral, neutral to ground, line to ground

Spike Clamping Voltage: Initial turn-on at 200 volts; TVSS rating of 400 volts peak at 500 amps, L-N, N-G, L-G (tested to UL-1449) (Initial turn-on for "E" versions, 390 volts peak L-N; 680 volts peak N-G, L-G)

Response time: 1 nanosecond

Maximum surge current: 6,500 amps

Maximum spike energy: 80 joules per mode, 240 joules total protection ("E" versions 130 joules L-N, 160 joules N-G, L-G, 450 joules total)

Noise attenuation: PL-PLUS, PM-8: Transverse and common modes: 20 dB at 200 kHz, rising to >40 dB, 1 to 100 MHz

Mechanical: Dimensions (H x W x D): 1.75 x 19 x 8 in.

Weight: 6 lbs. (2.7 kg)

Construction: Steel chassis, zinc chromate plating; .125 in. brushed and black anodized aluminum front panel; glass epoxy printed circuit boards.

Power Consumption: 20 watts

Safety Agency Listings: UL, CUL, CE