AC power sequencers are commonplace in pro recording studios and post-production houses for turning on/off many racks of super-expensive audio, video and computer workstations in a certain order with time delays between certain pieces of gear to prevent possible damage to loudspeakers and other gear. The Rockn Stompn RS-4 brings that technology in an easy to setup and use power strip for the itinerant musician or project studio.

The transportable RS-4 is rated at 15-amps total power handling and has four, sturdy Nema 5-15R duplex AC outlets with onboard power conditioning--surge protection, over voltage/current protection and EMI/RFI noise filtering. The Model RS-4 is ETL-listed in the United States and Canada and conforms to UL Standard UL1449-3 for a Surge Protective Device and also UL1363 for a Relocatable Power Tap (strip). The four AC power sockets are spaced far enough apart to accommodate wall wart power supplies plus there is a red LED to verify when each socket is online and active.

On the side panel, there are two 16-position miniature rotary switches for setting the on/off time delay between the four sockets. You can set different intersocket delay times for both the on and off sequences anywhere from 0 to 15 seconds time for up to 45-seconds total. AC power is switched on/off using microprocessor-controlled relays and not solid-state Triacs.

For guitar players, when turning your rig on, your pedals' wall warts or rack effects would power up first in the sequence with your power amp(s) or guitar amp(s) coming on last. The RS-4 has a clearly marked pair of sockets for this last position in the power up sequence and it's also the first socket off in the power down sequence. When shutting down, the sequence is reversed--the guitar amp off first and then the effect pedals.

For super convenience, a conventional stomp button at one end of the RS-4 strip is used for triggering on and off sequences. At first I was skeptical--having a stomp button on a power strip? Seems problematic for a device that would be mounted in a road case or lie on the floor behind the backline. So I used the stainless steel switch guard that comes with the unit to avoid an accidentally power down during the gig! But after using it for a while, I got it! A musician would just foot tap the switch without having to stoop down to find a push button and obviously, the RS-4 should be located away from foot traffic on stage!

If for some idiotic reason someone does step on the stomp switch during your shining moment on stage, you can 'abort' the power down sequence anytime by just pushing the switch again and the sequence reverses direction immediately! If you lose and then regain AC power to the stage, there is a fail-safe feature--the RS-4 auto-resets and you must initiate the power up sequence again.

There is a lighted master on/off rocker switch with built-in circuit breaker mounted on the end of the unit out of the way of accidents and a LED indicates the electronic control module's switching power supply and surge suppression network is functioning properly.

This is a great idea! I used the Rockn Stompn for two applications. First I connected my Fender guitar amp to the fourth outlet and two pedal wall wart power supplies in sockets 1 and 2. A plugged a Tube Screamer first (because the tubes need to warm up) and then a MXR Phase 90 next. I went with about a 10-second delay time but remember that would be a total of 30-seconds total by the time the tube amp at the end would get power. (The first socket with the tube pedal goes on instantly). Powering down I went with about 3-seconds--since there is nothing plugged into the third socket--it acts as a 'wait state' adding 3 seconds of extra time before the MXR pedal's wall wart loses power.

At my home studio I used the RS-4 for powering up my Pro Tools rig. My computer is on most all day but I don't power up my outboard rack, monitor controller, HD192 I/O, clock, headphone amps and monitors etc. until I start mixing. This is a perfect application for the RS-4.

I plugged its main cable into my Furman M1500 power regulator/UPS and set a four second time delay for both on and off sequences. The BenchMark Media DAC1 and ADC1 converters should be turned on before the HD192 and I like that now my powered monitors always come on last and power down first. Awesome!