• Registered: 2012-07-03
  • Posts: 3

Topic: Powering rackmounted UCX on/off?

Hello all, I'm considering getting a FF UCX, and I will be rackmounting it (should be possible with the extended rack ears, no?)

I am worried though that switching it on and off will be a hassle with the switch being on the back of the unit. Would it be okay (non-harmful to the device) to have the power switch always on, and just connect the power adapter to a switched socket, and use that switch instead? Another option is fw bus power, but I'll be daisy chaining the ucx after a g-tech fw 800 hdd, so I'm guessing that won't work. Thanks in advance for any help.

  • iü
  • ADAT user
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  • Registered: 2011-11-09
  • Posts: 9

Re: Powering rackmounted UCX on/off?

AlteredBeats wrote:

Would it be okay (non-harmful to the device) to have the power switch always on, and just connect the power adapter to a switched socket, and use that switch instead?

go for it!

  • Registered: 2012-07-03
  • Posts: 3

Re: Powering rackmounted UCX on/off?

iü wrote:
AlteredBeats wrote:

Would it be okay (non-harmful to the device) to have the power switch always on, and just connect the power adapter to a switched socket, and use that switch instead?

go for it!

As in "it's doable" or "I don't give a shit" ? :-)

  • From: Melbourne, Australia
  • Registered: 2007-05-16
  • Posts: 495

Re: Powering rackmounted UCX on/off?

Essentially there is no difference.  One minor benefit would be that the power adapter is not consuming standby energy if it is turned off at the switched socket.  No different to me having everything in the rack powered through a power conditioner, and then turning the whole rack off at the master switch on the power conditioner.

In very rare cases, a unit mounted switch may do other things apart from breaking the circuit, but these are quite rare, and (I believe) do not apply in the case of RME.  If there was any issue, I would expect the manual to say "Turn this unit off at the device first before turning off the mains".

In summary, a good question, but not an issue in this case, I believe.

De gustibus - et sonus - non est disputandum
  • Registered: 2012-07-03
  • Posts: 3

Re: Powering rackmounted UCX on/off?

panatrope wrote:

Essentially there is no difference.  One minor benefit would be that the power adapter is not consuming standby energy if it is turned off at the switched socket.  No different to me having everything in the rack powered through a power conditioner, and then turning the whole rack off at the master switch on the power conditioner.

In very rare cases, a unit mounted switch may do other things apart from breaking the circuit, but these are quite rare, and (I believe) do not apply in the case of RME.  If there was any issue, I would expect the manual to say "Turn this unit off at the device first before turning off the mains".

In summary, a good question, but not an issue in this case, I believe.

Thanks, that is precisely my question. Can anyone from RME confirm that the power switch on the UCX is just a circuit breaker, and that there's no saving of settings to firmware or similar going on, when you power down.

6 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 25,600

Re: Powering rackmounted UCX on/off?

The UCX always remembers its last state, no matter how it is switched off.

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

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