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do you still need a surge protector with a voltage regulator?
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merle van osdol Send message Joined: 23 Oct 02 Posts: 809 Credit: 1,980,117 RAC: 0 |
do you still need a surge protector with a voltage regulator? please somebody? |
Wiggo Send message Joined: 24 Jan 00 Posts: 34841 Credit: 261,360,520 RAC: 489 |
do you still need a surge protector with a voltage regulator? A good UPS will act as both and safely shut your PC down. ;-) Cheers. |
Darth Beaver Send message Joined: 20 Aug 99 Posts: 6728 Credit: 21,443,075 RAC: 3 |
If you wish to be paronoid then get one that has surge protection for the phone line so you don't blow everything in a storm as the surge can come down the phone line into the modem and if that is connected via a network cable BANG POP SIZZLEand the ups wont be able to stop it as that mite go BANG POP SIZZLE too EDIT : or just turn everything off in a storm which is what you should do , a lightning strike close by can cause a small local EM pulse and still blow everything |
Wiggo Send message Joined: 24 Jan 00 Posts: 34841 Credit: 261,360,520 RAC: 489 |
Any good quality UPS will have phone line surge protection Glenn, but having a network 1 as well built in is a must for me. ;-) Cheers. |
Darth Beaver Send message Joined: 20 Aug 99 Posts: 6728 Credit: 21,443,075 RAC: 3 |
Thanks Wiggo i didn't know ups came with surge protection for a phone line too not that i've ever had one but then i'm not that paranoid the fuse box has surge protection and the power board so bugger the ups i'm not going to flash Roms very often |
Zalster Send message Joined: 27 May 99 Posts: 5517 Credit: 528,817,460 RAC: 242 |
Merle, UPS first....If you can't afford that...then a good surge protector. Voltage regulator are nice but not necessary for most people. I threw that in there as the building where I have my computers is a professional building and we have a lot of high end equipment that suck up a lot of amps. So it makes sense for me to have a voltage regulator. Most people at their homes won't have that wide range of dips and overages unless their house is really,really old. Most good quality power sources also help regulate over and under voltages before sending power to the components of your computer. So soothe your mind. Zalster |
HAL9000 Send message Joined: 11 Sep 99 Posts: 6534 Credit: 196,805,888 RAC: 57 |
If you go with just surge suppressor or a UPS remember to protect your devices from all points of entry for a surge. While the coax line from cable internet is less prone to get surges, from lightning strikes and such, it is still a good idea to connect them to your surge suppression. Especially if your cable modem/router is directly connected to your PC. If you are using wireless to connect to your internet then your PC is pretty safe from that standpoint. Also don't forget about the monitor. The number of times I have seen people connect their PC and equipment to a UPS and then plug the monitor into the wall just makes me shake my head. SETI@home classic workunits: 93,865 CPU time: 863,447 hours Join the [url=http://tinyurl.com/8y46zvu]BP6/VP6 User Group[ |
Wiggo Send message Joined: 24 Jan 00 Posts: 34841 Credit: 261,360,520 RAC: 489 |
As I've mentioned in another thread here, I live in the country where brownouts are very regular (which have destroyed plenty of hardware around here) and blackouts happen often (especially during summer storms) and my network runs from the front of my house (steel roof), then underground to the back of my steel shed (about 45M/147.5') where I usually am. Both buildings are well grounded as well as the antenna mast plus the main fusebox on the house has a surge proctor installed. ;-) Cheers. |
Darth Beaver Send message Joined: 20 Aug 99 Posts: 6728 Credit: 21,443,075 RAC: 3 |
wiggo if you get that many Brown out and power blackouts i hope you put a claim in every time your equipment stuffed up mate . They do have to pay if it there fault . Do that a few times and they should fix the problem even if your a country bumkin |
Wiggo Send message Joined: 24 Jan 00 Posts: 34841 Credit: 261,360,520 RAC: 489 |
I only ever lost an old 2nd hand PII system Glenn when we 1st moved up here (it was only 1 of the kids' anyway :-D) many years ago, so UPS's went in, but plenty of others around here have (lightening strikes here go through steel roofs and structures as well as the power grid and phone line/s). Cheers. |
Richard Haselgrove Send message Joined: 4 Jul 99 Posts: 14653 Credit: 200,643,578 RAC: 874 |
UPS first....If you can't afford that...then a good surge protector. Voltage regulator are nice but not necessary for most people. I threw that in there as the building where I have my computers is a professional building and we have a lot of high end equipment that suck up a lot of amps. So it makes sense for me to have a voltage regulator. Most people at their homes won't have that wide range of dips and overages unless their house is really,really old. Most good quality power sources also help regulate over and under voltages before sending power to the components of your computer. So soothe your mind. It's not the age of the house, but the age of the local utility infrastructure, that matters - and how well it's been maintained to take account of local building developments and changing patterns of electricity demand in the neighbourhood. Most UPS hardware should be supplied with a software application which can monitor and log key values while it's in use. Calling up a graph of the 24-hour or 7-day cycles in input (utility) supply voltage can be very instructive. My first-ever home computer wouldn't boot on Saturday mornings - supply dipped below 200V, on a nominal 240V circuit in those days. It took some persuading to get the utility company to come out and re-tap the transformer, but they did it eventually. |
Zalster Send message Joined: 27 May 99 Posts: 5517 Credit: 528,817,460 RAC: 242 |
That is true as well, but reason I said age of house is that there are still very old houses in the USA that have bad wiring (old tube and knob wiring). When they get renovated, they are supposed to upgrade the electrical... Supposed. Doesn't always happen. Cheap contractors, laziness, etc. Heck, even my new house I found the contractor was lazy and didn't use the right gauge wiring. Had to hire a new one to come dig up the yard and lay down new wiring, put in a second electrical panel to meet code. Could you have imaged if I hadn't know anything about his stuff or/if someone else had bought the house and just ran it as was? Probably would have burned down after a couple of years. OK, I'm off topic. Sorry about that. Merle, UPS first (that one from the original thread the cyberpower 850 watts also regulates the voltage) if not then surge protector... Voltage regulator nice to have but not necessary. |
merle van osdol Send message Joined: 23 Oct 02 Posts: 809 Credit: 1,980,117 RAC: 0 |
But guys, I keep trying to ask do you plug in the voltage regulator into the surge protector or into the wall outlet. I know it's a simple question but I want to be sure I do it right. |
Darth Beaver Send message Joined: 20 Aug 99 Posts: 6728 Credit: 21,443,075 RAC: 3 |
ow god common cents Mearle why would you plug the regulator into the plug and then the surge protector into that ! wouldn't that defeat the purpose of having the surge protector to stop the regulator from blowing ......... surge protector in wall then regulator into it common cents ...... |
merle van osdol Send message Joined: 23 Oct 02 Posts: 809 Credit: 1,980,117 RAC: 0 |
Glenn, I don't think you read the question. merle - vote yes for freedom of speech |
HAL9000 Send message Joined: 11 Sep 99 Posts: 6534 Credit: 196,805,888 RAC: 57 |
But guys, I keep trying to ask do you plug in the voltage regulator into the surge protector or into the wall outlet. I know it's a simple question but I want to be sure I do it right. Does the voltage regulator have build in surge suppression? If it does not then I would have my surge suppression before the voltage regulator. SETI@home classic workunits: 93,865 CPU time: 863,447 hours Join the [url=http://tinyurl.com/8y46zvu]BP6/VP6 User Group[ |
Darth Beaver Send message Joined: 20 Aug 99 Posts: 6728 Credit: 21,443,075 RAC: 3 |
regulator into surge protector . Doesn't your fuse box have surge protection . We do over here building code now all fuse boxes must have surge protection on it so if you do then it wont matter if you plug into wall |
Zalster Send message Joined: 27 May 99 Posts: 5517 Credit: 528,817,460 RAC: 242 |
wall outlet <---Surge suppressor <--Voltage regulator <----computer |
merle van osdol Send message Joined: 23 Oct 02 Posts: 809 Credit: 1,980,117 RAC: 0 |
Thanks Hal, My question should have been worded more simply: With the VR, do I still need the surge protector, which of course you just completely answered. I didn't realize that some VR's may come with surge protectors and some may not. Glenn, I'm am not that stupid. Just close sometimes. :-) merle - vote yes for freedom of speech |
merle van osdol Send message Joined: 23 Oct 02 Posts: 809 Credit: 1,980,117 RAC: 0 |
So I apologize. I was a cpa in real life not involved in tech at all. Sorry merle - vote yes for freedom of speech |
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