Surge protection

So, the recent frying of my neighbours laptop has me questioning my power outlets.

Right now, i have a 6 way extention (the kind without a cord, it just plugs into the wall giving you more outlets). These likely arent surge protectors.

Do they make a 6 way surge protection 6 way, thats not a typical power bar? I dont need the cord, i just like the idea of surge protection.

How real is the possibility? That laptop was kinda bottom of the line. Do i need to worry about it?

The power has gone out several times with my computer on, and no issues. But *touching wood* im still afraid.

 

Surge protection is very important, especially for sensitive electronics. One never knows when the need will arise. The cost of surge protectors is a lot less than a new computer.

Check this link for a wall tap surge protector - no long cord. I think it is what you are looking for.

Mitch

 

I have to agree surge protection is a must where I live. I have them on all computers and our playstation with battery backup incase we loose power, this way we don't loose anything and gives us time to safely shut down. Especially when storms are coming.

 

Ups! that's it, thanks Steve. That's what's mine are called. I couldn't think of what they were called when I left a reply. Mine have both surge protection sockets and surge protection and battery back up sockets. One side has three surge protection sockets and the otherside has three surge protection and battery back up in each 3 socket. There not cheap but well work the money.

 

IMO, a surge protector is little is little more than a fancy and expensive extension cord, or in this case, 6-way splitter. Even the best surge and spike protector can do NOTHING for dips (opposite of spikes) and sags (opposite of surges), or brownouts (long duration sags). And for abnormal high-voltage events, all it does is chop off the tops (clamps) of the sine-waves, making a pretty ugly power signal for your computer's power supply and regulator circuits to sort out (causing more "work" thus more heat). Only a "good" UPS with AVR can "smooth" out both high and low abnormal voltage events. Power during a complete power outage is only the icing on the cake. It is the voltage regulation provided by the AVR (automatic voltage regulation) that is the bread and butter of a "good" UPS. The downside is UPS batteries (unless you buy a very expensive UPS) typically use SLA (sealed lead-acid) batteries that need to be replaced about every 3 years. This is something most careful consumers can do themselves, however.

I emphasis "good" UPS with AVR because there are some cheap, budget models out there that (1) have slow reaction times and (2) have little or poor regulation. So, like choosing a power supply, pick quality, not cheap.

 

So, what about in my case where i have one computer on one end of my room and another on the other end. (not feasable to rearrange either... desktop on desk, and mac acting as a TV show server attached to my TV... both are computers).

Realistically we dont live in an area with crazy tornados and storms, its *fairly* calm here (*touching wood*)... but i have had computers turn off during a power flicker and htey still work fine, just had to turn them back on (and "restart windows normally ")... was that technically a surge?

even the battery backup, if your not home, its still gonna just turn off abruptly later anyway, so thats not really ideal either.

 

I have computers scattered all over the house. Each has an UPS with AVR, as does my big screen TV and audio equipment.

Note that anomalies don't have to come from outside sources. Toasters, refrigerators, hair dryers, microwaves, coffee pots, and things with big motors - all high wattage appliances can and do dump anomalies on the line as they cycle on and off. Sometimes, perhaps a $15 1500W hair dryer made in China under questionable conditions with parts from a similar factory upriver, might dump a significant spike down the line. It does not have to come from a storm somewhere. If you have any of those type appliances in your home or office, or if you live in an apartment building, your computers and other expensive electronics should be on a good UPS with AVR.

And it will even save your data first.

I've used a number of brands, but APC consistently seems the best for me too - though when I buy new batteries, I don't buy from them. Too expensive and APCs already are not cheap.

I have an APC 1500 now that supports my i7, 8Gb, GTX260 graphics computer, cable modem, wireless router, phone, network hub, PDA cradle and two 22" widescreens and keep them running for about 25 minutes, longer if I turn off my 2nd monitor - but then I might as well cut off my thumb.

 

The point Bill makes about voltage regulation is on often overlooked but where I live, a critical point...a small town with an aging distribution system.

My research taught me that very few electric distributions system in the US deliver "clean" power. That is, power without those almost-constant little spikes and drops, so small the lights don't flicker noticeably up to drastic enough for the lights to dim briefly down to almost nothing.

It's those fluctuations that can really do a number on electronics over time.

A good UPS is the cheapest computer insurance out there.

 

X2 and a UPS is the only way to go.

 

When I really get on my soap box about a good UPS with AVR, I typically say that backup power during a power outage is just the icing on the cake. It is the voltage regulation a good UPS with AVR provides that is the real bread and butter here.

But, like power supplies, there are cheap UPSs too that offer questionable regulation, but more critically, abysmal and therefore inadequate switchover times. The ATX Form Factor PSU Design Guide, paragraph 3.2.9 establishes a standard "Voltage Hold-up Time" where,

Takes 300 - 400ms to blink.

This means the monitoring circuits in the USP controller MUST be able to recognize a significant anomaly or "event" has occurred, and then switchover to batteries within 16ms. The better UPS do. The lessor, entry level models may not. Some UPS use advanced (read: more expensive) technologies to minimize or eliminate switchover times.

Sadly, many manufacturers, even the better ones, don't publish switchover (or cutover) specifications.

Mel mentioned "flickers ". Note a flicker is just a short power outage - short for humans, but millions of clock cycles to our high-speed digital electronics. Most power outages only last a few hundred milliseconds, more than enough to stop a CPU in its tracks. So even if you don't have a lot of storms, or power outages in your area, just one sudden outage can corrupt a hard drive and destroy important data. A good UPS with AVR is more insurance it will stay safe, at least from power line problems.

Now nothing will stop a direct lightning strike from destroying your computer. That's why we all keep current, off-site backups of all are critical data, right? Right?