KN WLEDGE

BASE

ACTIVE SPEAKERS
POWER SUPPLY
ABSORPTION AND
GROUND CONNECTION

GUIDELINES
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SUMMARY
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 4
1.1. Power Distribution Equipment .......................................................................................................... 4
1.2. Wiring ................................................................................................................................................ 5
1.3. Ground Connection ........................................................................................................................... 6
3. Loudspeaker Power Supply Absorption .................................................................................................... 7
3.1. Circuit Breakers Typology ................................................................................................................ 10

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1. Introduction

The main target of this guide is to help to design a safe power distribution solution for all RCF active systems.
This document was born from the need to prevent overloads on the power lines, overheating of cables and
power sockets as well as working in safe conditions.

1.1. Power Distribution Equipment

First of all, in large professional applications, an adequate power distribution system is required. There are
different types of products with different characteristics; from the simple converter, to the one with various
measuring devices such as voltmeters, ammeters, as far as verification of the ground connection.
We often find this type of power distributor in venues!! This can be a big risk, first of all for people, then for
systems.
In this case, the power sockets, besides not
being waterproof, cannot guarantee an
adequate supply for professional (and also
none professional...) systems.
The risk is overheating and much worse, fire.
In these cases, the conductive elements
could come into contact with other metal
parts and, in the absence of a ground
connection, as often happens, the risk of
electrocution is to be considered very high.
So, before talking about absorption of active systems, you need to make sure you have adequate and safe
distribution equipment as well as an adequate energy supply.

In the case of RCF, the PR 63 Power Rack guarantees a safe

distribution of current with 4 sockets of 32 A Three-phase split
on 24 independently interlocked 16 A single-phase lines.

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1.2. Wiring

The wiring of the power supply must always be carefully performed with water-proof connectors and
adequate cables length.
In particular, the direction of the power cable and more generally of all connection cables in professional
audio systems must always come from below. In this way, in case of rain, the cable would not act as a vehicle
for the water to flow on the cable with a high probability of entering the live parts.

NO YES

Obviously, in addition to this simple trick, all the speakers, especially if active, must be equipped with
appropriate rain covers.
Before powering up, make sure that voltage of the mains corresponds to the voltage shown on the rating
plate on the units.

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1.3. Ground Connection

The ground system is the part of the power supply system that is responsible for preventing a person from
being electrocuted due to a fault in the system or any accidental short circuit.
The ground system consists of the ground rods (stakes), the protective conductors (the yellow-green cables
found in the power sockets) and the most important device of all: the differential (or circuit breaker).

RCF PR 63 individual 16 A lines differential circuit breaker.

The whole of these three elements, and their maintenance, constitutes the silent protection of people and
systems.
Without them a "stupid" failure can cause the death of a person who accidentally comes into contact with a
live conductive part of the system.
The dispersing system is the set of
devices that have the purpose of
conveying the fault currents of an
electrical system to the ground. They
can be the classic galvanized steel pegs
of various heights; they can be bare
copper ropes in contact with the
ground or the irons of the foundation
reinforcements.
But why should a dispersing plant be used? Because in the event of a fault, the current always flows towards
the ground, using any path available to it. It is therefore better to create a low resistance
path for it ad hoc so that it avoids finding it alone by passing through our body.
A person touching a metal mass creates a connection between the metal mass and the
ground. If the metallic mass is directly connected to the dispersing system, the current will
have two parallel paths to go through to reach its goal. Obviously, the electrical current will
choose the route with the least resistance. The human body has a resistance to ground of about 2000 ohms,
so it is clear that the current will prefer to pass through the ground, having values of a few ohms, rather than
through the person's body.
This does not mean that the person will not be crossed by a fault current, it will be small but it will always be
there. It is therefore important that in the event of a fault, the power supply is cut off instantly before a
person can come into contact with the live earth. The task of interrupting the current is of the differential
switch. The differential, or lifesaver, intervenes only when a part of the current is dispersed in the ground. If
the metallic mass is not connected to the ground through the dispersing system, there will be no current flow
and the differential will not intervene until a person touches the metallic mass. At that point the differential
will cut off the current, saving the person, but who will still receive an electric shock for a few fractions of a
second which is always preferable to avoid.

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3. Loudspeaker Power Supply Absorption

In the following table reports the maximum number of active speakers which can be connected in daisy chain
according with two common power supplies.
We remember that all the RCF powercon sockets have a maximum of 20A RMS of current capacity. In case
of design with 32A lines with many speakers in daisy chain, we recommend to split the power line to prevent
over 20 amps continuous flowing through a single socket.
Meaning of the columns:
• Start-up inrush absorption: This is the peak current absorbed over the first 100 ms during the boot
of the device. This data are not indicative for sizing the current supply, but they are important for
defining the type of circuit-breakers to be used.
• Average absorption: This is the average absorption of one device, obtained with musical material at
maximum volume with the peak limiter running continuously.
• D.C. 230V 16A: Max number of devices in daisy chain in 1 power line at 230 Volt 16 Ampere.
• D.C. 115V 20A: Max number of devices in daisy chain in 1 power line at 115 Volt 20 Ampere.

It is of the utmost importance to take into account the data shown in the following table to correctly size the
power supply as well as to choose the correct type of circuit-breakers.

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Start Up Inrush
MODEL Max. Avg. Absorption D.C. 230V 16A D.C. 115V 20A
Absorption

(Ampere 100 ms) (Ampere) Max. Speaker/ line Max. Speaker/ line

HDL 6-A 3 2,5 6 4

HDL 10-A 2 2,5 6 4
HDL 20-A 2 2,5 6 4
HDL 26-A 3 2,7 6 4
HDL 28-A 0,5 1,9 8 5
HDL 30-A 0,5 2,7 6 4
HDL 50 4K 1 8 2 1
TTL 515-A 3 2,7 6 4
TTL 33 A 3 4 4 2
TTL 55-A 6 5,7 3 2
TT08-AII 3 1,4 11 7
TT10-A 3 1,75 9 6
TT22-AII 0,4 1,25 13 8
TT25-AII 0,4 1,25 13 8
TTL 4-A 1 1,8 8 5
TTL 6-A 1 5,5 3 2
TT 051-A 2 0,7 24 16
TT 052-A 2 1 16 10
ART 3 SERIES 2 1,6 10 6
ART 7 SERIES 3 2 8 5
ART 9 SERIES 3 3,1 5 3
NXL SERIES 3 3,7 4 3
NX 7 SERIES 3 2 8 5
NX 9 SERIES 3 3,1 5 3
HD SERIES 3 2 8 5
HDM 45-A 0,4 1,4 11 7
NX SMA SERIES 3 2 8 5
ST SMA SERIES 3 1,5 10 6
TT 20 CXA 3 3 5 3
TT 25 CXA 0,4 1,6 10 6

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Start Up Inrush Max. Avg.

MODEL D.C. 230V 16A D.C. 115V 20A
Absorption Absorption

(Ampere 100 ms) (Ampere RMS) Max. Speaker/ line Max. Speaker/ line

TTS 18-AS 3 5,5 3 2

TTS 15-AS 0,5 1.8 8 5
TTS/L 36-AS 3 8 2 1
TTS 56-AS 3 12 1 1
SUB 702-AS 3 2,1 8 5
SUB 705-AS 3 2,1 8 5
SUB 708-AS 3 2,1 6 4
SUB 905-ASII 0,5 2,1 8 5
SUB 8003-ASII 0,5 3,8 4 3
SUB 8004-AS 4 5 3 2
SUB 8006-AS 7 8 2 1
ST SMA SERIES 3 1,5 10 6
SUB 9007-AS 5 8 2 1
SUB 9006-AS 5 8 2 1
SUB 9004-AS 2 6,2 3 2
TT 808-AS 3 2,7 6 4

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3.1. Circuit Breakers Typology

Looking at the start up inrush absorption, and at the number of devices connected to the line, a suitable
breaker must be chosen in order to avoid that a too high absorption causes the opening of the breaker and
the consequent interruption of the supply.
Below you can see the characteristics of the most common breakers, from type A to type Z.
Type A MCBs are highly sensitive devices which trip instantaneously when the current reaches 2 to 3 times
the rated current. Mainly used for the protection of highly sensitive devices.
A type B MCB trips when the current is 3 to 5 times the rated current with an operating time of 0.04 to 13
Seconds. It is used for purely resistive loads that are non-inductive loads or with a very small inductive load
which has no considerable amount of inductance. These types are mainly used for low power domestic
applications like lighting circuits, home wirings, etc.
Type C operates for a current value of 5 to 10 times than the rated current with an operating time of 0.04 to
5 Seconds. These are used with inductive loads like motors, fans, transformers, etc. where have a chance of
sudden current rush or surges. Mainly used in commercial and industrial applications.
Type D has a trip current of 10 to 20 times than the rated current with an operating time of 0.04 to 3 Seconds.
It is used for very high inductive loads. Mainly used in high power industrial applications for types of
equipment like heavy motors, transformers, x-rays, welding, etc.
Type K trip when the current reaches 8 to 12 times than the rated current with an operating time of less than
0.1 Second. These are used for inductive loads which have a chance of high inrush currents.
Type Z MCBs operates for a current value between 2 to 3 times the rated current with an operating time of
less than 0.1 Second.
Type A, K and Z MCBs have extremely small operating time compared to type B, C, and D MCBs. Class A, K,
and Z are highly sensitive breakers which operate very quickly in a short time used to protect sensitive
devices.

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HEADQUARTERS:

RCF S.p.A. Italy

tel. +39 0522 274 411
e-mail: info@rcf.it

RCF UK
Int. +44 (0) 1702 800846
e-mail: info@rcfaudio.co.uk

RCF France
tel. +33 6 24 15 81 76
e-mail: france@rcf.it

RCF Germany
tel. +49 2203 925370
e-mail: germany@rcf.it

RCF Spain
tel. +34 91 817 42 66
e-mail: info@rcfaudio.es

RCF Benelux
Rev.A

tel. +49 (0) 2203 9253724

e-mail: benelux@rcf.it

RCF USA Inc.

tel. +1 732-9026100
e-mail: info@rcf-usa.com
EN 09/2021