I just wanted to say hi to everyone. Finally I'm keeping this unit in my hands. I have wanted to buy on for a long time and now I seem to be lucky to have gotten one of the few remaining ones at such an amazing price.

Now, I only have to sort out two problems:

The first one can't be too hard, I'll just have to find an AC Adaptor that runs on 220V.

The second one is a little more complicated (and a little more expensive). I gotta get a car... :-)

Marc

For those in the UK, Argos has a suitable power supply. It's switched 3..12V, and supplies 1200mA. Works fine with the Empeg (I use it at home).

The first one can't be too hard, I'll just have to find an AC Adaptor that runs on 220V.

What, they don't come with auto-ranging power supplies any more? They certainly used to. Mine says 100-240V on it.

Peter

US players ship with plugtop adapters. They MIGHT autorange (and they might not!) but you would need a mains plug convertor. May as well get a new adapter.

Rob

US players ship with plugtop adapters

Oh, fair enough.

Peter

What, they don't come with auto-ranging power supplies any more?

The US-sourced Mk2a models started coming with a small, single-voltage 110V transformer. I have one. Compact, light, but potentially useless depending on where the Empeg winds up.

I have the same problem.
I bought yesterday a 220v adapter, it says output 12v 1000mA on the box but then in inner instructions it seems to output only 700mA: in fact the empeg often black out the screen for about a second and then come back with the battery icon on it!
Since I can't wait until monday, I have found in my old stuff an IBM adapter that output 15V (tested 15.5V) at 2.7A - since on back of empeg it says 8-16VDC I thinks it could well do the job, but I won't burn it

Rob, do you think I could try it?

there's been many posts on using the IBM PSUs, none that reported ill effects, IIRC.

Just do a search on All Forums, All dates for 'IBM power supply'

/Michael

Thanks, I've heard of IBM PSU discussions, but I don't think it's the same PSU... I don't know what it powers originally

If you have a voltmeter/multimeter, try hooking up a a small 12V lightbulb, 10 to 15 Watt to the supply.
Then measure both the DC and AC voltage, DC should obviously be in the empegs spec. range and AC as small as possible.

/Michael

Wow, my status changed to 'journeyman' and I have just received the empeg...

Finally got out of customs, heh? Well congrats, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Yes, at last!!
But these two 10gb units are a sort of 'safety' units: when at first I launched an help scream for someone to buy two 30gb units from SonicBlue for me, the great Bruno helped me; I then oredered these from carplayer because, if something got wrong with the others, I will have at least these 'small' units

I am now in waiting for the 30gb to mount it in my car.

However, I have played now about three hours with it, and it's a great toy!

Welcome to the BBS, Marc

To answer your questions directly:

You can buy (autoranging) AC adapters with a standard IEC socket (i.e. PC power cord compatible) on them from the Empeg International store

The cost is quite reasonable. And as you are in Europe you may also find a European plug version available in the store as well.

If you find a local alternative to the 'standard' power supply , then make sure of two things.

1. Make sure that the polarity of the output matches the Empeg/Rio Car - this is clearly marked on the player itself and is Centre pinpositive.

2. Make sure that the plug that comes with the unit is the right size - do not use a bigger plug as although it will fit in the socket it will damage the 'in home'/'in car' detection mechanism. You should also read the FAQ's for the player - follow this link - there will be more information about the right sized plug etc.
This Link has some more information about using alternative AC power supplies - please read it.

As mentioned before [recent - i.e. less than about 2-3 years old] IBM Thinkpad laptop PSUs work fine and are autoranging, although their power cord socket on the PSU itself is not a IEC socket and therefore it can be a little more difficult to obtain the right cord with the right plug that matches your present country if you travel. But a normal 'plug' convertor will work in that case.

Thanks for all your helpful replies. I have found an adaptor that fits the specs in a local store (I didnt want to wait any longer to try it out...).
The plug has the same size as the original and it seems to work flawlessly.

Right now I'm encoding all my cds, so as soon as I find a car that suits my empeg I can then transfer them all to the unit.

I'm really glad to be a member of this board and to have bought the player.

Marc