Got an Etherwave Plus for free, it's not turning on

Hi iltli

just to avoid confusion in ma heid, which is ever present, where are you? USA, UK or what?

ta :-)

"I now realise the theremin needs an input of 120V, not 14V as I thought earlier (silly me)" - iltli

Well, the wall wart that you supplied pix of needs 120VAC input, and then should give 14VAC output at the DIN.

What exactly should be going on? If all was well and good, would my multimeter be giving a reading of 120V when probing the DIN?

No, absolutely not, it should be 14VAC at the DIN.

"I assume by down converter you mean the entire Moog transformer?"

No, I meant the 240VAC => 120VAC (Euro => USA) adapter.

Hi Roy pleased to meet you! I'm based in London, UK

Dewster, thanks for the info and clarification - I was wrong again!

As asked here's pics of the adapter, which came in the box given to me by my friend (flash photography reveals this thing is grosser than I realised):

"As asked here's pics of the adapter..."  - iltli

That looks like a simple mains travel adapter, not a voltage converter.  If so, the EW is getting double the AC voltage it was designed for.  The transformer in the wall wart probably can't take that kind of overvoltage without overheating, and lord knows what else is happening downstream.

Blimey, OK, there's the rub then.

guess it's to be expected when you source a theremin for free  the box did seem a lil 'opened' if you will, and of course that adapter looks all kinds of untrustworthy... 

I'll look into EU -> UK converters - don't suppose you're already aware of any on the market that would work?

"I'll look into EU -> UK converters - don't suppose you're already aware of any on the market that would work?"  - iltli

No, sorry, I've never shopped for them.  If I were in your shoes I'd try to buy or make my own 230VAC => 14VAC (@ 200mA minimum) adapter.  It's basically just a transformer with a DIN plug on the low voltage side, though it also supplies ground to the EW.  But I'm an EE.  Maybe try to buy an official Moog AC adapter on the used market?

I think making anything will have to be a last resort for me - I lack the knowhow, but if it comes to it i'll do some research and give it a go.

Maybe try to find an official Moog AC adapter on the used market?

Not sure this exists... I'll have a further look around though. 

I did find this step down US -> UK converter on Amazon though. I'm thinking I can replace the travel adapter with it. Seems like it could work with the Moog wart I've got, as it steps down to 120V from 240V. 

The only thing I'd be concerned about is its 'maximum load' at 50VA - I'm not clear on what that means. Would it work?

"The only thing I'd be concerned about is its 'maximum load' at 50VA - I'm not clear on what that means. Would it work?"  - iltli

Watts = Volts x Amps, so VA = Watts if there are no phase or power factor considerations (if the load looks like a resistor).  14V x 0.2A = 2.8W so that should work even with a fairly inductive load.

The official Moog 240v - 14v AC/AC power adapter for the European market does not provide ground, it's supposed to get ground through the amplifier it's plugged in to. Having the theremin grounded both through the power adapter and via the amplifier makes it potentially more prone to ground loop hum.

Etherwave theremin powersupply EU/UK at Thomann