Power supply on left side of case ?

[Script]

Maybe a silly question.

Most gear I have seen has the power supply on the right side of the case, when seen from the front. Good when stacking, cos less (magnetic) interference with other gear in rack.

Some gear, however, especially old DBX16X family has it on the left (while later DBX gear has it on the right).
Digidesign stuff (switching PSU) too tends to have it on the left.
ART PRO VLA II also has it on the left, I think.

Why?
Is that some American thing?
What is the reasoning behind placing it on the left?

 

[rock soderstrom]

Why?
Is that some American thing?
What is the reasoning behind placing it on the left?

People don't need a reason to do stupid things. This is universal and international.

 

[Script]

LOL. And I had thought that maybe in the EU and in Japan they just thought the right side is closer to the wall outlet

 

[Murdock]

Maybe it is because we also read from left to right. So inputs tend to be left and the PSU should be as far as possible away from it so it is logical to do it on the far right then.
But I don’t think there is any scientific or technical reason to do so.

 

[rock soderstrom]

Maybe it is because we also read from left to right. So inputs tend to be left and the PSU should be as far as possible away from it so it is logical to do it on the far right then.
But I don’t think there is any scientific or technical reason to do so.

I think similarly about why the power supply is mostly on the right side.

Signal direction = reading direction In USA,EU,Japan and many other countries)

but, then, how do you explain the signal direction on guitar pedals?
An unsolved mystery...(X Files title theme in the background)

 

[Script]

Japanese newspapers and most books read from top to bottom and right column to left. Only scientific/academic texts have adopted left-to-right, top-to-bottom convention.

While guitar out jack is on the right (majority still right-handed). And need unobstructed leg/foot space to stomp the socks... without cable in the way.

 

[rock soderstrom]

Japanese newspapers and most books read from top to bottom and right column to left. Only scientific/academic texts have adopted left-to-right, top-to-bottom convention.

Thanks, I didn't know that. Learned something again!

While guitar out jack is on the right (majority still right-handed). And need unobstructed leg/foot space to stomp the socks... without cable in the way.

It would be the same left to right if you routed the cable behind your body (which they usually do anyway). I don't think that's the real reason. I'm not convinced.

 

[Tubetec]

In a rackmount its seems logical to have one side dedicated to power , audio the other ,so the wires dont have to crossover and can be routed seperately . Power switch usually appears on the same side of the enclosure at the front , which is also convienient .

 

[Script]

Yes. But why PSU mostly on right, and on some gear it's on the left?

Maybe it isn't and I just have the wrong gear.

TC Electronics have power switch on left. So does Alesis apparently.

Confusing...

All my hifi gear has power switch on the left

 

[rock soderstrom]

All my hifi gear has power switch on the left

+1 same here

 

[swpaskett]

I think it has something to do with the political orientation of electrons. Has no one heard of the Right Hand Rule?

 

[Script]

Like left and right-spinning sugar?

Actually I thought there would have been some regulation of sort (EU or US), but coming to think of it, the following makes sense for rack audio gear.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

While guitar out jack is on the right (majority still right-handed).

Probably because many guitar players refer to the jack socket on the guitar as "input".

 

[Script]

Do they?

[According to that logic, other end of guitar cable then would go into the amp head out ]

 

[abbey road d enfer]

Do they?

They often do...

[According to that logic, other end of guitar cable then would go into the amp head out ]

If there was any logic among guitar players, we would know

 

[murrayatuptown]

Because there are more right-handed guitarists than left-handed?

 

[FIX]

In the days of large transformers it was kind of a standard to put it on the right so you didn’t induce him in someone else’s yard. Some people either didn’t know, shielded the PSU well, or didn’t care…

 

[Script]

I read someone saying somewhere that an older DBX16x might not want to sit in the same rack as right-positioned PSU gear cos the DBX's power transformer ntroduced 0.5 percent higher THD to the units sitting above and under it. I haven't checked but take it at face value for now. And also we sometime 'fix' noise by rotating a toroidal (direction of cable breakout).

So I guess, left and right PSU does not follow any reasoning but is one of those things to better be aware of.

 

[Whoops]

but, then, how do you explain the signal direction on guitar pedals?

I always found that really easy to understand.

Most guitar player are Right handed, so the cable leaves the guitar on the right side.
Cable then goes to the right side of the pedal so you don't have guitar cable crossing your feet, the floor is free in front of you

 

[Whoops]

It would be the same left to right if you routed the cable behind your body (which they usually do anyway).

Not true, cable is not routed behind your body,
with cable leaving your guitar on the right, and cable getting into the pedal on the right side , the cable goes to your right side and not behing your body. That's what usually is done actually and makes sense.
Even in Left hand player the cable doesn't go behind the body also, is leaves on the left, goes to the side, goes in front of all the pedals until it reaches the first pedal right side.

You want to leave the floor in front of you and behind you free for you to move and not be trapped in any cable