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PN
05-01-2003, 06:57 PM
Surges, sags, and line noise -- oh my! Find out how to keep your electronics healthy.

By Robert Heron

Have you ever thought about the quality of the electricity flowing into your PC? Perhaps you should. Most electronic devices are designed to withstand small fluctuations in AC voltage. Over time, these power surges or sags can stress sensitive components, causing them to fail prematurely. In the case of PCs, irregular power can be the cause of all sorts of issues, including system lockups, application crashes, and physical damage to the PC.


Surge protectors and uninterruptible power supplies tame less-than-clean power currents.

Surge protectors

Isotel8Ultra
Surge protectors and suppressors are the gatekeepers of electrical current. They won't protect you from a complete outage or a sag in power, but they will stop spikes in electricity from reaching your electronic equipment.

Tripp Lite's premium Isotel8Ultra surge suppressor incorporates eight outlets as well as modem/fax protection. At $65 the Ultra differs from less expensive models by using several high-quality methods of noise and surge suppression. Each pair of outlets (four pairs total) is isolated to prevent your devices from interfering with each other. Equipped with all-metal housing, multiple warning lights, and a lifetime warranty, the Isotel8Ultra is a cheap but effective insurance policy against Mother Nature's bad days.

-scott-
05-01-2003, 07:20 PM
nah, my powerbook has a 4-hr battery built in http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif

Lewis
05-02-2003, 07:24 PM
I use the APC Back-UPS LS 700:
http://www.apc.com/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=BP700UC&language=en&LOCAL.APCCountryCode=ww

It's a necessity!

-Lewis

Steven Edwards
05-03-2003, 05:42 AM
I have had a surge protector for years and I recently got a UPS with power backup. I have dual protection. http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

-Steven

alan
05-03-2003, 05:29 PM
APC Back-UPS 650.

Brad_D
05-04-2003, 06:48 AM
I can't even count the number of times my power goes out every year down here in Florida. My UPS's has saved my computers many times.

PN
05-15-2003, 06:27 PM
I went to Best Buy to get some information and prices on UPSs. Belkin had UPS for $89.99 with 35 minutes backup time and it is 360 watts.

APC sells one for $99.99 with 60 minutes of backup time and it is 450 watts. I am strongly considering the APC but I am wondering what others think.

PN

-scott-
05-15-2003, 07:41 PM
Originally posted by PN:

I am strongly considering the APC but I am wondering what others think.
for only $10 more, go for the APC. They're basically at the top of the industry standard line for surge protectors / power protection. I've been using APC stuff for several years...

just my $0.02

Cris
05-16-2003, 03:51 PM
I use a Belkin for my PC and my old APC for clean juice to my stereo.

PN
05-22-2003, 06:07 PM
I have two PCs, so I am trying to keep the cost down because I need to purchase two UPSs. On Tuesday I noticed in the newspaper that CompUSA in Redondo Beach, CA, had a sale on an APC with 300 Watts for $39.99 with a $10 factory mail-in rebate. I don't have a lot of leg space, which is one reason why I went with a smaller unit. I will look for another UPS shortly, except this time I will try to find one that has 400 Watts, on sale. Any comments are welcome.

PN

PN
05-31-2003, 05:25 PM
This is an excerpt from the Screen Savers on TechTV May 30th, 2003

POWER SURGES
Faye in Shelby Township, Michigan, sometimes experiences lightning storms in her area. If her laptop is connected to a surge protector, is her computer protected from a surge due to the storm?

No. The surges from storms are sometimes so powerful that no surge protector or uninterruptible power supply (UPS) can protect your hardware. The best thing to do is to unplug everything, even phone and network connections.

A UPS can do many things to the power for your computer. It can provide power backup, stop surges, and do many other things. If you don't have one now, buy one. (But remember, it can't protect you from every surge.) The more features you want, the more you'll spend. You can get a good, full-featured UPS for $150. Be sure to get one with an insurance policy, so you can collect
if you experience storm-related damage.

(I live in Southern California and we do experience power surges but we don't really have too many lightning storms, mostly earthquakes.)

PN