Its Spring what do you use to protect your PC from lighting, brownouts

[RyderOCZ]

APC 1200VX UPS Unit (late 80's model)

APC Smart-UPS 1000 V/S

APC Smart-UPS 1250 Rackmount

APC Back-UPS 800

 

Gotta love $50,000 connected equipment insurance

[red930]

Be Aware

 

Surge Suppressors are limited in their performance.

 

You must monitor the "protection" indicator.

 

The Metal Oxide Varistors that are used to attenuate the voltage spikes are sacrificial. They wear out over time.

 

link goodness...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varistor

 

No amount of line protection will help in the event of a direct or very close lightning strike.

 

If you can't afford to lose your hardware, unplug it when you leave the house or a storm approaches.

 

Homeowner and Renter insurance is the best bet if you lose hardware. Be prepared to show invoices for the hardware if you built the rig. Retail boxes are in their system. Hand built rigs seem to be an issue with adjusters.

 

Just remember... Lightning travels several miles through one of the worlds best insulators, Air! If it wants to get your rig, a UPS or surge suppressor isn't much of a deterrent.

[Scott P]

I have a couple UPS running here. I have an older Belkin 625 VS unit for the cable modem and VOnage adapters and my router. For my PC, I have a newer 750 VA from Belkin. The little one was an extrra from my old job that just needed a new battery. The newer one was from Belkin the last time they had a 40% discount code on their site.

[Guest Daveandrew]

I have the CyberPower 1500VA UPS with a Panamax 5300-EX Line Conditioner going to it.

 

Linkage:

 

http://www.y-intl.com/Item.cfm?ID=662

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16882637003

 

 

Newegg is running a sell on Panamax you can grab one for $399.00, Perhaps with all the other guides that are on this BB we could maybe compile a Surge protection guide. Seems you never hear anyone talking about line conditioning and/or surge protection and bottom line is it is very important.

[petercintn]

I've got a cheap surge protector, but just for the extra outlets. I won't trust anything to a voltage strike that we can't even measure. (Or can we, I'm behind the times) So I use the ultimate protection. When the thunder storms pop up, and if you been keeping up with the weather we're getting pounded here in middle TN, I *UNPLUG* the rig and the cable too. Might be comcast's modem, but they did rent to me in good faith. If lightening can jump thru the sky, it can jump thru any protection. But I do need some brown out protection and I guess UPS would be the way to go.

[EdLSmith]

I have 2 APC Back-UPS 1100 and 1 APC Back=UPS 700.

I have been up on these since 2001 and have had to replace only one battery.

I also have Ga Power Premium Surge Protection and The Hartford. The APC are software controlled and will save files and shutdown after 20 minute loss of power. The computers start back up after power is restored and batteries recharge. I used to run those thirty to 40 hour conversions capturing video tapes and converting them to DVD. Of course that's just a two to three hour job now. I also used to run folding and Climate Prediction.

 

Now I just play games and upgrade my systems and spend my excess funds, Doesn't everyone. If I kept all that money, what would happen to the economy.

[cjoe7]

I'm a firm UPS believer. Got one for everything.

 

Computer UPS:

------------------

Belkin 1500VA

Belkin 1200VA

APC 900VA

[KaollaSu]

Belkin 1500VA (Desktop)

Belkin 1000VA (Laptop, Cable Modem, Router)

[MoJo Risin&#39]

Be Aware

 

Surge Suppressors are limited in their performance.

 

You must monitor the "protection" indicator.

 

The Metal Oxide Varistors that are used to attenuate the voltage spikes are sacrificial. They wear out over time.

 

link goodness...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varistor

 

No amount of line protection will help in the event of a direct or very close lightning strike.

 

If you can't afford to lose your hardware, unplug it when you leave the house or a storm approaches.

 

Homeowner and Renter insurance is the best bet if you lose hardware. Be prepared to show invoices for the hardware if you built the rig. Retail boxes are in their system. Hand built rigs seem to be an issue with adjusters.

 

Just remember... Lightning travels several miles through one of the worlds best insulators, Air! If it wants to get your rig, a UPS or surge suppressor isn't much of a deterrent.

Roger that, Roadie. Companies say their protectors can handle say 200,000 amps and clamp out voltages within a nanosecond of exceeding 330 volts. So, this will protect you from lightning strikes. Their amp rating is based on the sum of the amp protection for their hot – neutral; hot – ground; neutral – ground blocks. Similarly, their joules rating is also a sum of the same blocks. Joules denote the units ability to dissipate energy. Basically, the higher the number, the longer the life of the suppressor’s ability to protect you. Don’t stake your life or equipment on these claims.

 

The immediate electron transfer of a typical lightning bolt creates a current of 5,000 – 20,000 amps (some have exceeded 200,000 amps) channeled with a potential difference of several hundred million volts.

 

We’ll do the math for just a measly 250,000 volts (not several hundred million) and a bottom end 5,000 amps:

 

Volts x Amps = Watts

250,000v x 5,000a = 1,250,000,000w

That’s an instantaneous shot of one and a quarter billion watts of power for an extremely weak lightning strike.

 

IMHO, I wouldn’t take that chance. During lightning storms, UNPLUG IT, warranty or no warranty. Ain’t nothin’ we can afford that’s gonna protect us from that kind of power. Heck, NASA had to scrap a space vehicle that took a hit on the launching pad. I doubt my $40.00 surge suppressor is going to save my equipment from a direct or near direct hit.

 

On the outside, my satellite dish, TV antenna and their RG-6 coax are grounded to a separate 10 foot, 1 inch dia. ground rod. All this will do is save them from the effects of a lightning storm with somewhat nearby strikes. Should they take a direct hit, they’ll be instantaneously vaporized and any connected equipment is toast.

 

With my luck lately, I’ll unplug everything; the house will get hit and burst into flames, and everything inside will be incinerated instead of blown to pieces.

 

Oh, by the way, odds are you’ll be hit by lightning 40+ times before you win the lottery. Which is why I don’t play the lottery very often. I don’t gamble with lightning and I don’t gamble on the lottery.

[red930]

I've got a story for you.

 

A local law firm had just invested in new computers and a server. Everything was setup running nicely. $160.00 surge suppressors on every computer on the network and a 1500VA backup on the server.

 

They forgot about one thing. One computer had a modem installed so the Paralegal could send faxes directly from her computer.

 

There was a lightning strike nearby. The lightning entered the system through the dial-up line on the one computer then propagated to the rest of the computers through the network cable.

 

Every computer was toasted nice and crispy when I got the call the next morning. The best part was that the network switch continued to work for two weeks before it gave up the ghost. Go figure!

[function8]

yes if anything is plugged into the pc, printer scanner, ect...it can be toasted. lightning will get it if the lines get hit no matter what. living in thunderstorm central south florida u learn that wen its lightning its time to unplug everything end of story. the real protection is needed against what nails most people, and that is actual spikes in the voltage caused by switching the power generating units and such at the power plant. tvs' stereos and any electronics can get it with those. the ONLY thing that works effectively are UPSs'...even a small one for 30-40$ is fine. heres the skinny from a friend of mine that worked in a place that made surge protector strips....they plain dont work...what u pay for is the warrranty that comes with them. i asked well dont they help? the answer was very little to none....ur just getting a warranty that they will replace equipment up to such and such amount. so if u value ur equipment get a ups.....

[Grunt_Style]

Lightning? HA !! My computer is so Bad@ss, that if lighting struck it....it would come to life!!