can power conditioners cause lcd displays to malfunction for sale

The HD Guru’s readers have asked for the real story on power line conditioners. Are they really needed with an HDTV? Do they provide a sharper picture as some salesmen claim? How well do they protect the TV in case of a lightening strike or other electrical spike? What about surge protectors and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS)? The HD Guru responds.

In the United States the alternating current (AC) sent from your electric company should be delivered to your home at a steady rate of 120 volts at 60 cycles per second. In some parts of the US, there are variations, resulting in voltages that are either too high or too low. Sometimes interruptions cut the power altogether. Delivery of too much power is called a voltage surge; too little, a voltage droop or sag. Electrical storms can deliver lightening strikes, which can produce catastrophic voltage surges capable of destroying the power supplies of all the electronics plugged into the system, whether they’re powered up or not. Air conditioner and refrigerator motors powering on and off can also cause momentary voltage fluctuations. Another potential power problem is electrical interference caused by industrial grade electrical equipment operating nearby as would be found in a factory. Your home’s wiring may also pick up electrical line interference or radio frequency interference (RFI) caused by, among other things, broadcast transmitters located in your vicinity.

Fluctuating voltages can cause lights to brighten and dim. TV, lights and other electrical devices may momentarily shut off due to total voltage dropouts. Radio frequency interference can create hum and/or video noise bars and static.

Power conditioners can’t give your digital HDTV a sharper picture or better color, regardless of display technology, whether plasma, LCD, DLP, SXRD, or DILA rear projection. Period. Resolution is, by definition fixed, and so cannot be increased. If a salesman tells you otherwise, ask why are there no power conditioners connected to the dozens of TVs on display. All HDTVs have internal power supplies designed to filter and transform the incoming AC to voltages necessary for the set’s operational needs. These built-in power supplies do a great job, and are designed to accept a fairly wide range of line voltages. Can a power conditioner clean up heavy interference in your power line? Yes, but most of the time they are simply not necessary and will be of no use because the vast majority of households are free of electrical interference.

While power conditioners cannot improve your picture, a surge protector can protect your set in the event of a power surge. What’s needed depends on the display and the amount of protection you can afford. For LCDs and plasmas the HD Guru suggests a surge protector at the very minimum. According to experts, the rating should be at least 360 joules. These are very inexpensive, with prices starting at under $20. For lamp driven devices such as microdisplay front and rear projectors, including LCOS (Sony SXRD and JVC DiLA), DLP and LCD, you should purchase an uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). The HD Guru also recommends using the UPS with digital video recorders (DVRs like TiVo). A UPS will prevent the lamp’s cooling fan motor (or hard drive in the DVR) from shutting off during a power failure. You need just enough battery power to cool off the projector to prevent premature lamp failure or a DVR’s power down. 10 minutes worth of battery back up is more than sufficient. Virtually all UPS units also have built-in surge protection.

UPSs’ are either on-line or off-line designs. The on-lines are best because they actively filter and convert AC wall power into DC (Direct Current) to charge the battery, while simultaneously converting the DC back to AC to run your HDTV or DVR. In addition to offering excellent line conditioning, on-line UPS systems provide surge protection. Because it’s “on-line” there is no voltage drop when the AC power fails. The switch to battery backup is seamless.

The Tripp-Lite SU750XL is a good on-line UPS. Rated at 750VA, it will run a 500-watt load for about 10 minutes, which is plenty of time to cool off the lamp in any projector or properly shut down a TiVo. While it retails for $449, a quick internet search found it for $288.93 + shipping.

Depending upon capacity off-line UPS prices start at around $40. Because the AC in/out circuitry is not coupled to the output there’s around a 1-millisecond switch between line current and battery power. Virtually all have built-in surge protection and many of the mid size and larger one also have line conditioners.

Bottom line? Instead of selecting a line conditioner with surge protection, which can cost up to $500 or more, get first-rate protection that includes surge and battery backup plus top quality line conditioning, for under $300 by purchasing an on-line UPS. For under $100 you can be protected from the most common surge and short-term power loss problems with a UPS with surge protection combo.

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Whether it’s your dryer tripping a breaker or lighting striking your home, power surges are far too common. Keeping things safe and operating smoothly is the utmost priority, but how much damage can power surges do anyway? Should they be on your list of worries if keeping your TV safe is a priority?

A power surge can damage a TV. The damage can be minimal, such as a single HDMI port no longer working, or it’s possible that it could be completely fried and no longer able to operate. A surge protector is a simple device that will add a layer of protection to any devices connected to it.

The last thing you want is to be in a situation where a little preparation could have saved the day. While protectors are of course important, what causes a power surge anyway? How can you know that a surge is the source of your problems? To find out more about power surges and TVs, read on!

Look, you don’t have to be an electrician to understand that electricity can be dangerous. That’s not just for you either, it can be a real electronics killer if you don’t watch out. So what exactly is happening when you experience a power surge? How does this phenomenon spell disaster for TV?

Also known as transient voltage, power surges are quite simply an increase in voltage. Sometimes this increase is strong enough to damage and destroy the items you have attached to the circuit; which, sadly, includes your TV.

If you’re looking for an exact source, most power surges as caused by items inside the home. Here are some heavy-duty appliances you can usually point your finger at when power surges are a threat:

However, you may also experience an outside power surge. If this is the case, then mother nature is to blame. Things like random lighting strikes are usually the cause of power surges that come from outside. But what actually happens when you experience a power surge?

Well, time to put on your science cap. When an electrical current passes through a device and it happens to exceed the recommended operating range, electrical arcs can destroy the wiring component. Even a small surge can do damage, especially if it happens frequently.

Power surges can be bad news, as you can imagine. While you may not get full device failure, there are some other consequences of power surges that do damage over time rather than all at once. So how can you tell if your TV has experienced a power surge? What should you look out for?

Generally, if a device that was working properly doesn’t anymore, a power surge could be the culprit. If this happens, following a circuit breaker tripping or another electrical event, you can further reduce the possibilities of this happening.

Other than device failure, what else should you look out for? Here are some other signs that you may have experienced a power surge problem in your home:

Device components not working — Check the device’s lights, the clock, or really any other aspect of the TV to see if you can find any abnormalities. This could be a sign of a power surge.

Those are just a quick few things to keep in mind when trying to diagnose a power surge issue yourself. If you are worried or need a second opinion, contact your local electrician. They’ve got the experience you need not only to identify the issue but also to fix it if need be.

Some things are just out of our hands; power surges are one of them. While you can try your best to manage the risks from inside your home, like heavy appliances, you can’t control mother nature. So what should you do to protect your TV from sudden jumps in voltage?

Put quite simply, to protect against power surges, get a surge protector. It’s the only way you can prevent damage from all kinds of power surges, both inside and outside. Without one, you leave yourself open to damage down the road.

A surge protector is a simple device. They help divert voltage spikes safely through the ground, meaning they don’t reach your device but rather go straight toward the earth. The best part? You can get a decent surge protector for very cheap, like this model from Belkin (on Amazon).

However, a cheaper surge protector is not always the best option. Sometimes if your equipment is more expensive or sensitive, then it makes sense to purchase a higher-quality surge protector like the Panamax M8-EX (on Amazon). I’ve been using this model for many years now and never had any issues with it or my devices.

In a perfect world, you’d have surge protectors on every appliance. But that’s just not the case for most people. So what should you do if your TV isn’t working and a power surge seems to be the likely culprit?

The first thing you’ll want to try is performing a power drain. This will make sure that no more residual power is left in your TV and can solve many problems.

This is a great first move and can often be a remedy for even the most troublesome of TV issues. If it still doesn’t work, or your TV is on but acting weird, a factory reset might be the next best option.

Keep in mind that not all TVs will have the same reset process. If you can, use your owner’s manual. You’ll find more specific steps there on how to perform a full factory reset. If neither of these steps fixes your problem, it could be an issue with the power manager for the device. If this is the case, you may need to get external help from a TV repair expert.

When things go south, the first thing you might think of is your insurance. Does homeowner’s insurance typically cover power surges? Since they are so common, many people are asking this question.

In some cases, power surges are protected under homeowner’s insurance if you have protection for personal items. Not all policies will offer this coverage. Get in contact with your local agent for more information on your situation.

Personal Property Coverage is what helps you replace your belongings when they get destroyed by a covered peril. In most cases, a power surge is considered a covered peril. But, there are limits you’ll need to be aware of before calling in a claim.

In almost every situation, the homeowner is responsible for the damage caused by a power surge. Of course, if you have insurance, personal belongings might be covered, but that’s not always the case.

This is why getting proper protection is key to keeping things safe. Look, surge protectors are cheap and can save you thousands on needing to replace your TV outright. Since they usually offer more than one outlet for use, even a single surge protector can help with a whole load of electronics, including your TV. So get some before it’s too late!

Power surges are both common and costly. According to IBM, every home or business gets hit every day by at least one surge measuring between 100 and 1,000 volts. The effects of a surge can be subtle or dramatic, depending on the surge’s duration, intensity, and whether the affected devices have adequate protection. Smaller surges destroy internal circuitry slowly, over the course of several months. Larger surges, on the other hand, inflict the same damage, but in less than a millisecond. If the surge is long enough and strong enough, it may even heat up the internal electronic circuits to the point that they catch fire. In addition to the obvious costs needed to replace damaged devices, surges also cause lost productivity (when employees are idle in business environments) and loss of use (when home theater equipment and appliances are idle in home environments).

Surge protectors protect against spikes and surges. They come in many configurations, and most include EMI/RFI filtering to decrease line noise and improve audio/video quality.

A surge protector should be sufficient for devices with lower inrush currents, like TVs and stereos. Their usefulness, however, depends on the protection you need. If your equipment is mission-critical or your facility experiences frequent outages, this might not be the solution for you.

And while surge protectors require less money up front, they often cost more in the long run, because they typically need to be replaced every few years.

Power conditioners not only protect against surges; they protect against brownouts as well. With built-in voltage regulators, they continuously monitor power, then condition it and keep it steady.

What a power conditioner will not provide is EMI/RFI shielding. If you want to improve video quality or decrease line noise, this might not be your best option.

While power conditioners cost more up front than surge protectors, they’re better suited for higher inrush devices like copiers and laser printers. Because they’re designed for devices that need ongoing power regulation, they’re often used in factories and hospitals.

A UPS can do everything a surge protector can do, but its main purpose is to reduce downtime that can cost your business money. And unlike a surge protector, a UPS features battery backup that allows equipment to stay up and running through power failures.

Like power conditioners, many UPS systems have voltage regulators. These models not only provide battery backup, but they also keep voltage at an acceptable level.

For a data center or server room, a UPS is your best option. They come in various configurations for both single- and 3-phase applications. Many also include special features, like LCD panels, hot-swappable batteries and energy-saving operation.

Dirty power -- you might have heard the term before but chances are you’re like most people out there and have little to no idea what it actually means, let alone what it has to do with music. Essentially, the term known as dirty power referrers to the uneven electric currents that result from older wiring or improperly wired AC circuits, such as you might find in older homes or venues. Take a look at the two waveforms below for context. Anyways, this can cause annoying issues that result in unwanted line noise due to the erratic behavior of the waveforms and their effect on electric components; these components want the top of the wave form but end up getting the bottom, so to speak. What makes dirty power and the line noise it creates even worse is that those unaware can cause themselves a ton of unnecessary stress trying to find the cause of the problem – typically looking towards their gear – when the actual cause is not their gear at all.

But speaking of line noise, old wiring and AC circuits aren’t the only culprits as this can also be caused by large appliances, some computer monitors, nearby large radio transmitters and even fluorescent lights, not to mention older AC circuits that haven’t been updated to current electrical standards. And if you happen to hook up your guitar rig to a dirty power source, you’re going to have a bad – and noisy – time. So, what can be don’t about it? Well, the bad news is that there are only a limited amount of options but the good news is there are a few things you can do to prepare for this type of noise.

The first thing that can be done to avoid dirty power sources and the line noise it creates is by knowing what a ground loop is, what it does and how to avoid one. In essence, what you want to do here is to make sure your guitar rig setup is ground loop free. Making sure there’s no ground loop in your setup won’t protect you from ground loops found at a venue or what have you but it will at least save you the headache of having to troubleshoot your rig to find the problem area.

The next thing that can be done is knowing exactly what else is connected to the specific circuit that you plan on using for your setup. The easiest way to do this in your own home is by checking the breaker box for the plug that your amp is using and see what else is hooked up. If you shut down the breaker that your amp is on and see that the fridge turns off too, it’s best to find a different outlet for your gear. Remember, refrigerators, fluorescent lights, large appliances, water heaters and even some HDTVs can cause line noise so it’s best to avoid the circuits they’re connected to. If possible, its best to find a circuit that only shares power between a single room, that way you always know what is on when you hook up your rig.

Unfortunately, unless you’re an electrician or own the venue yourself, chances are highly likely that you’ll have no control over which circuit you’ll be using during your gigs, so the next best thing to do is to be prepared. Clubs that tend to share stage power with the lighting tend to be affected by dirty power, especially if they use dimmer switches as they tend to create more and more line noise as the lights are dimmed. The first thing you should do to be prepared is to know the club you’ll be playing at. Most clubs that have live music on a nightly basis will almost undoubtedly have the stage power isolated from the lighting. Still, this will not completely guarantee that there will be a complete lack of noise in the lines but it will at least drastically reduce the chances of getting dirty power. If it’s your first time playing at a certain venue, don’t be afraid to ask them about the power. If the booker or owner can’t tell you, ask the sound ma. Have them show you where you’ll be plugging in and if they do happen to have any lights on a dimmer, simply let them know you’d prefer they not be used during your set. They will most likely accommodate you as long as your request is within reason.

Although you might have heard otherwise, the next thing that you should seriously consider purchasing, if you don’t own one already, is a power conditioner.There’s a lot of talk out there that these are useless but that’s only because they haven’t faced those situations where a power conditioner means the difference between your gear getting completely ruined or not. And I’m not talking about any old surge protector either as you’d need one that has line filtering as well (such as those made for specifically for music gear). The line filtering will reduce or remove line noise while the surge protection will protect your expensive gear in case of a brownout. The specs on the power conditioner will read in dB, rating a specific frequency. The higher the dB rating the more filtering will be available and the quieter the unit will be.

As touched on above, not all conditioners are created – or priced similarly for that matter – so it’s best to find one that fits your specific needs. I don’t have to tell you that if all you’re looking for is a conditioner to plug in your amp and pedalboard you won’t be needing one with 8 outlets, especially since those tend to run in the hundreds of dollars. Also, if you play at, a power conditioner might not be the best investment as you can easily find a less expensive solution like an Electro Harmonix Hum Debugger or similar units. These boxes are individual units that filter one plug at a time and are perfect for use at home or even a studio. You can technically use them for gigs but chances are you’ll be playing with a band and will more likely benefit from a multiple outlet power conditioner.

For live gigs with a band, that 8 outlet power conditioner mentioned above is probably your best bet. That single unit should be able to protect not only you but the other guitarist and bass player from noise and power damage as well. This will definitely be a much more convenient solutions than lugging around those Hum Debuggers for every player, not to mention those won’t protect against power surges. Also, this ensures that you will only need one outlet for all of your gear and the cost of the admittedly pricey power conditioner can always be quelled by every band member pitching in. Just make sure the unit you intend on buying is rated for the power you require and that the gear you’ll be plugging into it isn’t going to consume large amounts of current. Beyond that, you should be good to go. Power conditioners also prevent ground loops from your setup. Companies like Furman and Monster make high quality, filtered power conditioners that will eliminate noise and stabilize incoming line voltage.

And one last thing – under no circumstances should you use a ground lift. They work great in reducing or eliminating ground-related noise when connecting signal lines from two or more pieces of equipment but they weren’t made with music gear in mind, so in order for them to work as intended, you’re going to have to remove the safety earth from your amp which can easily send you to the hospital, if not the morgue.

In the United States, National Electric Code article 210-19 FPN No. 4. suggests a 5% maximum combined voltage drop on the feeder and branch circuits to the furthest outlet "will provide reasonable efficiency of operation." The Canadian electrical code also requires no more than a 5% drop between the meter and outlet. Applying the 5% tolerance gives a nominal 120V range of 114V to 126V.

Yes, a power conditioner will stabilize the voltage from a generator. However, it will not convert the modified sine wave produced by some generators to pure sine wave, making those generators unsuitable for sensitive electronics.

Yes, but not with the printer itself. Printers and copiers use a hot roller called a fuser unit to bind ink toner to the paper as it passes through the printer. Periodically, the printer needs to reheat the fuser unit to the required temperature, and this requires a lot of electricity. To prevent a power sag (under-voltage) from impacting computers and other sensitive equipment on the same circuit as the printer, use a power conditioner with Automatic Voltage Regulation (AVR).

Connecting a printer to a line conditioner may prevent the printer from getting the voltage it needs. A better approach would be to have a qualified electrician check the capacity of the existing line and add a separate circuit for the printer if necessary.

A power or voltage spike is a sudden increase in voltage, ranging from a few hundred volts to tens of thousands and lasting between 1 and 30 microseconds. A power surge is like a spike but lasts longer. Voltage fluctuations are normal and do not typically harm equipment connected to an outlet. Over- or under-voltages occur when the voltage reaching powered devices falls out of the normal service range.

As a power conditioner corrects high or low input voltage, it will make a gentle clicking sound. The frequency of the clicking will depend on the quality of the utility power in your area. The clicking is normal, and no action is required on your part.

A power conditioner can potentially improve sound quality by providing a cleaner and more stable power supply to audio equipment. Power fluctuations and electrical noise can interfere with the performance of audio equipment, leading to degradation in sound quality. By conditioning the power, a power conditioner can reduce the amount of electrical noise and provide a stable voltage, which can result in improved sound quality.

However, it is important to note that the effect of a power conditioner on sound quality can vary depending on the equipment and the specific electrical problems being addressed. In some cases, the improvement in sound quality may be minimal or not noticeable, while in other cases it can be significant.

A power conditioner is an electrical device that improves the quality of the power supplied to an electrical load by regulating voltage, reducing noise, and filtering out electrical disturbances. The goal of a power conditioner is to protect sensitive electronic equipment from damage caused by power fluctuations and electrical noise.

A surge protector, on the other hand, is specifically designed to protect electronic equipment from damage caused by power surges and spikes. It accomplishes this by diverting excess voltage away from connected equipment.

Some power conditioners include surge protection as part of their functionality, effectively combining the two functions into a single device. In these cases, the power conditioner can improve the quality of the power supply while also providing protection against power surges and spikes.

If improved sound quality is your primary goal, an isolation transformer is the best choice. Microphones, instruments and amplifiers can pick up unwanted hums or buzzes if they are plugged into the same circuit as items such as fluorescent lights, air conditioners and dimmer switches. If your band is playing in a bar, even the bartender"s blender is a potential source of interference!

An isolation transformer uses two coils of copper wire, wound so that the primary coil connected to incoming AC power induces a current in the secondary coil powering connected devices. Since there is no direct connection between the coils, musical instruments and recording equipment attached to the secondary coil are isolated from audio frequency noise on the power line.

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We tailor our advice to your needs, including your level of knowledge and experience. If you"re already an expert, we won"t waste your time. We"ll deliver the essential facts so you can move forward with your project. If you"re new to 3-phase, we"ll give you all the help you need.

We tailor our advice to your needs, including your level of knowledge and experience. If you"re already an expert, we won"t waste your time. We"ll deliver the essential facts so you can move forward with your project. If you"re new to healthcare infrastructure planning, we"ll give you all the help you need.

Our factory-trained technicians provide a range of on-site services, including commissioning, maintenance and repairs, to help ensure your 3-phase UPS systems maintain peak performance over their entire operational life.

Our factory-trained technicians provide a range of services, including commissioning, maintenance and repairs, to help ensure your Eaton Tripp Lite products maintain peak performance over their entire operational life.

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Maintains usable 120V nominal output to sensitive electronics during severe brownouts and overvoltages. Prevents surges and spikes from damaging circuitry. Filters out potentially disruptive line noise.

The LC1200 1200W 120V Line Conditioner - Automatic Voltage Regulator adjusts under- and overvoltages to provide safe, computer-grade AC power that meets ANSI C84.1 specifications. The automatic voltage regulation (AVR) offers three levels of voltage stabilization that corrects undervoltages as low as 89V and overvoltages as high as 147V back to regulated 120V nominal power. Providing optimum voltage conditions not only extends the life of your equipment, but also keeps your equipment working through brownouts and prolonged overvoltage conditions.

Just connect the space-saving NEMA 5-15P right-angle plug with 7-ft. (2.13 m) cord to an AC power source, and plug up to four devices into the NEMA 5-15R outlets. You can monitor AC power, incoming voltage level and AC line status using the seven diagnostic LEDs on the front panel. The compact LC1200 fits comfortably into your computer or home theater setup.

Extended Warranty and Technical Support for Select Tripp Lite Products – DC Power Supplies; Keyspan Products; KVM Switches; PDUs; Power Inverters; Power Management; UPS Systems

Extended Warranty and Technical Support for Select Tripp Lite Products – DC Power Supplies; Keyspan Products; KVM Switches; PDUs; Inverters; Power Management; UPS Systems

With your ever-growing collection of electronic devices, perhaps it seems your home never has enough power outlets. Power strips and their more elaborate siblings, surge protectors, offer an easy solution: one plug in the wall, many outlets for your devices. But wait! There"s more to these simple-seeming products than meets the eye.

Adding additional AC outlets and USB charging ports is incredibly useful, and often vital. Don"t waste money on the wrong one, however. Here"s everything you need to know about power strips and surge protectors.

Typically, power strips are cheap, multioutlet products that are merely an expansion of a wall outlet. They"re usually small and thin, sometimes fitting directly onto the outlet itself. They usually have a circuit breaker (on/off switch) of some sort, but most don"t offer any real "protection" from electrical issues. Some might have the barest level of protection, but they"re all pretty much just like plugging into the wall directly.

Surge protectors are relatively cheap too, but unlike power strips they offer some level of protection. As their name suggests, surge protectors protect your products from power surges at the expense of itself. But more on that in a moment. How much they do this, and how well varies considerably. They"re usually a bit more elaborate, and often bigger, than a simple power strip, though not always.

Surge protectors offer protection in units called joules. Generally, the more joules the better, as this means the device can handle one large surge, or multiple smaller surges, before your gear is in danger. Over time, the parts inside the protector wear down, reducing its effectiveness.

Unfortunately, there"s no way to know how much protection a device has left, or if the initial rating is even accurate. Buying from a reputable company, and one that includes a warranty, is a good idea.

Some surge protectors offer a warranty (up to a certain amount) on the gear connected to the protector. For example, in the US, certain Belkin models have up to $300,000 in connected equipment warranty, and states: "Belkin Components will repair or replace, at its option, any equipment which is damaged by a transient voltage surge/spike or lightning strike, (an "Occurrence"), while properly connected through a Belkin Surge Protector to a properly wired AC power line with protective ground."

You"ll probably never need it, but it certainly doesn"t hurt to have it. Keep in mind, however, that just because the warranty exists doesn"t mean you"ll ever see a dime from it. Note in that Belkin quote the term "at its option." That means they"ll come up with any reason not to cover your claim. So don"t use this as a replacement for home or renter"s insurance.

You"re always going to need more outlets. You"ll undoubtedly add more gear, without necessarily getting rid of your current gear. I"m not saying that if you think you need four outlets, you should get 12 -- but at least six is probably a good investment.

Most modern devices use "wall warts" -- plugs that convert AC power into DC power and look like little boxes with electrical prongs sticking out. Consider getting a surge protector with wider spacing between sockets, or sockets that can be rotated or moved, to accommodate chunky plugs.

Many surge protectors come with USB connections, so you can charge your mobile devices without having to use their wall warts. Handy, for sure, but check what the output amp rating is. Generally, this is either 1 or 2 amps (often labeled 1A or 2A). This is how much flow you can get through the pipe, so to speak. You"ll want at least 2 amps for quicker charging.

Most modern phones have the ability to fast-charge, but you"ll need to use their wall warts for that. If you don"t need to quickly charge them, though, these lower power ports will work just fine.

While not offering much protection, a portable power strip might prevent marital friction, and/or invoke bliss from travel companions. Most hotels and hostels have few accessible outlets, yet everyone has multiple devices that need recharging. Most portable power strips add two to three additional outlets, plus offer direct USB charging (see No. 8, above).

Remember the joule rating we discussed earlier? This is just the initial rating. This gets lower over time. In other words, surge protectors wear out. Some will give you a warning or shut off when their protection drops below a safe level. Many will just keep working, without protection, and you won"t know it until a power spike damages your gear. If you know you"ve had a serious electrical event (like lightning blew out a transformer down the street), it"s probably worth replacing your surge protector just in case.

Most companies that sell surge protectors say they need to be replaced every three to five years. Sure, they"re motivated to have you buy them more often, but with many models under $50, this isn"t an extreme cost.

There is no reason not to get a surge protector over a simple power strip. If you live in an area with lots of thunderstorms, your gear is probably more likely to experience power surges. Even if you live in the desert, your AC or refrigerator could kick power spikes back down the lines to your AV gear. Either way, some extra protection for your gear is absolutely worth the small difference in price between simple power strips and surge protectors.

As well as covering TV and other display tech, Geoff does photo tours of cool museums and locations around the world, including nuclear submarines, massive aircraft carriers, medieval castles, epic 10,000 mile road trips, and more. Check out Tech Treks for all his tours and adventures.

He wrote a bestselling sci-fi novel about city-size submarines, along with a sequel. You can follow his adventures on Instagram and his YouTube channel.

The Office Plus is a standby uninterruptible power supply with a Transformer-Based Filter, an electronic power conditioner with ground noise filtering capability

A Transformer-Based Power Filter, or TBF™ for short, is a revolutionary, patented technology that is embedded in every Smart Power System power protection device. Simply put, TBF™ is the most effective technology for regulating power so that issues like power spikes, surges and noise do not affect the ability of your equipment to operate properly. TBF™ technology eliminates power issues that cause disruption, degradation and destruction to electronic components.

1) Solution: Turn the UPS off and unplug at least one piece of connected equipment. Unplug the power cord of the UPS then press the circuit breaker button.

A UPS is programmed to test its circuit and battery(s). This function is performed when turning the UPS on, following an electrical outage and through periodic self-testing. Should it find a problematic condition the UPS will put out a series of beeps and tones alerting the user to the possible reasons below:

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The Integrity Pro UPS Series is designed from the ground up to incorporate itself flawlessly and reliably into any environment. It is engineered to provide constant, uninterrupted power for sophisticated computer loads in medical, retail, diagnostic, and office I.T. settings. Ensuring your electronic systems are fully protected with our industry-leading power quality technology.

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) offers a simple solution: it’s a battery in a box with enough capacity to run devices plugged in via its AC outlets for minutes to hours, depending on your needs and the mix of hardware. This might let you keep internet service active during an extended power outage, give you the five minutes necessary for your desktop computer with a hard drive to perform an automatic shutdown and avoid lost work (or in a worst case scenario, running disk repair software).

In terms of entertainment, it could give you enough time to save your game after a blackout or—perhaps more importantly—give notice to others in a team-based multiplayer game that you need to exit, so you’re not assessed an early-quit penalty.

A UPS also doubles as a surge protector and aids your equipment and uptime by buoying temporary sags in voltage and other vagaries of electrical power networks, some of which have the potential to damage computer power supplies. For from about $80 to $200 for most systems, a UPS can provide a remarkable amount of peace of mind coupled with additional uptime and less loss.

UPSes aren’t new. They date back decades. But the cost has never been lower and the profusion of options never larger. In this introduction, I help you understand what a UPS can offer, sort out your needs, and make preliminary recommendations for purchase. Later this year, TechHive will offer reviews of UPS models appropriate for home and small offices from which you can make informed choices.

The UPS emerged in an era when electronics were fragile and drives were easily thrown off kilter. They were designed to provide continuous—or “uninterruptible”—power to prevent a host of a problems. They were first found in server racks and used with network equipment until the price and format dropped to make them usable with home and small-office equipment.

Any device you owned that suddenly lost power and had a hard disk inside it might wind up with a corrupted directory or even physical damage from a drive head smashing into another part of the mechanism. Other equipment that loaded its firmware off chips and ran using volatile storage could also wind up losing valuable caches of information and require some time to re-assemble it.

Hard drives evolved to better manage power failures (and acceleration in laptops), and all portable devices and most new computers moved to movement-free solid state drives (SSDs) that don’t have internal spindles and read/write heads. Embedded devices—from modems and routers to smart devices and DVRs—became more resilient and faster at booting. Most devices sold today have an SSD or flash memory or cards.

It’s still possible if your battery-free desktop computer suddenly loses power that it may be left in a state that leaves a document corrupted, loses a spreadsheet’s latest state, or happens at such an inopportune moment you must recover your drive or reinstall the operating system. Avoiding those possibilities, especially if you regularly encounter minor power issues at home, can save you at least the time of re-creating lost work and potentially the cost of drive-rebuilding software, even if your hardware remains intact.

A more common problem can arise from networking equipment that has modest power requirements. Losing power means losing access to the internet, even when your cable, DSL, or fiber line remains powered or active from the ISP’s physical plant or a neighborhood interconnection point, rather than a transformer on your building or block. A UPS can keep your network up and running while the power company restores the juice, even if that takes hours.

When power cuts out, the UPS’s battery kicks in. It delivers expected amounts over all connected devices until the battery’s power is exhausted. A modern UPS can also signal to a computer a number of factors, including remaining time or trigger a shutdown through built-in software (as with Energy Saver in macOS) or installed software.

One of the key differentiators among UPSes intended for homes and individual devices in an office is battery capacity. You can buy units across a huge range of battery sizes, and the higher-capacity the battery, the longer runtime you will get or more equipment you can support with a single UPS. In some cases, it may make sense to purchase two or more UPSes to cover all the necessary equipment you have, each matched to the right capacity.

Batteries do need to be replaced, although it can be after a very long period. A UPS typically has a light or will use a sound to indicate a battery that needs to be replaced, and it might indicate this via software running on the computer to which it’s connected.

UPSes for consumer and small-business purposes come in standby and line interactive versions. Standby units keep their battery ready for on-demand, automatic use, but it’s otherwise on standby, as its name indicates. A line interactive version feeds power through an inverter from the wall to connected devices while also charging the battery. It can condition power, smoothing out highs and lows, and switch over to the battery within a few milliseconds. (Other flavors are much more expensive or intended for critical systems and higher power consumption.)

A few years ago, the price differential was high enough that you had to really balance the need for particular features against cost. Now, you may want to opt for a line interaction UPS because of its advantages, which include less wear and tear of the battery, extending its lifetime. Batteries are relatively expensive to replace, at a good fraction of the original item’s purchase price, so keeping them in fit condition longer reduces your overall cost of ownership.

Surges: Utilities sometimes have brief jumps in electrical power, which can affect electronics, sometimes burning out a power supply or frying the entire device. Surge protection effectively shaves off voltage above a certain safe range.

Sags: Your home or office can have a momentary voltage sag when something with a big motor kicks on, like a clothes dryer or a heat pump—sometimes even in an adjacent apartment, house, or building.

Undervoltage (“brownouts”): In some cases with high electrical usage across an area, a utility might reduce voltage for an extended period to avoid a total blackout. This can mess with motor-driven industrial and home equipment—many appliances have motors, often driving a compressor, as in a refrigerator or freezer. With electronics, extended undervoltage has the potential damage some power supplies.

A standby model typically relies on dealing with excess voltage by having inline metal-oxide varistors (MOVs), just as in standalone surge protectors. These MOVs shift power to ground, but eventually burn out after extensive use. At that point, all the UPS models I checked stop passing power through. (That’s as opposed to most surge protectors, which extinguish a “protected” LED on their front, but continue to pass power.)

For power sags and undervoltage, a standby model will tap the battery. If it happens frequently or in quick succession, your UPS might not be up to the task and provide enough delay that a desktop system or hard drive loses power long enough to halt its operating system or crash.

A line interactive UPS continuously feeds power through a conditioner that charges the battery and regulates power. This automatic voltage regulation, known as AVR, can convert voltage as needed to provide clean power to attached outlets without relying on the battery. With a line interactive model, the battery is used only as a last resort.

There’s one final power characteristic of a UPS that can be found in both standby and line interactive models: the smoothness of the alternating current generation produced by the model from the direct current output by its battery. Alternating current reverses its power flow smoothly 60 times each second, and a UPS must simulate that flow, which can be represented as an undulating sine wave.

A UPS might produce a pure sine wave, which adds to cost, or a stairstepped one, in which power shifts more abruptly up and down as it alternates. A rough simulated sine wave can be a showstopper for certain kinds of computer power supplies, which have components that interact poorly with the voltage changes. It could cause premature wear on components or cause them to outright shut down or cause additional damage.

If your device has active power factor correction (PFC) or incorporates fragile or sensitive electronics, especially for audio recording, you likely need a pure sine wave. It’s not always easy to figure out if your device has active PFC; when in doubt, opt for a pure sine wave—the additional cost has come way down.

Even for equipment that isn’t susceptible to power-supply problems, a stepped sine wave can cause a power supply to emit a high-pitched whine when it’s on battery power.

One final UPS feature that may also be helpful: less-expensive models have one or more LEDs to indicate certain status elements, like working from backup power or the internal battery needing to be replaced. Others have an LCD screen (sometimes backlit) that provides a variety of information, sometimes an excessive amount, which may be viewable through software installed on a connected computer.

Most of us have two main scenarios to plan for: keep the network up, and prevent our AC-powered computers from abruptly shutting down. These involve very different choices in hardware and configuration.

One common element between both, however: having enough outlets spaced correctly to plug all your items directly in. Most UPSes feature both battery-backed outlets and surge-protected outlets that aren’t wired into the battery. You need to study quantity and position, as it is strongly recommended you don’t plug a power strip or other extensions into either kind of UPS outlet, as it increases the risk of electrical fire.

Examine all the devices that make up your network. That may include a broadband modem, a VoIP adapter for phone calls, one or more Wi-Fi routers, one or more ethernet switches, and/or a smart home hub. Because you may have these spread out across your home or office, you might wind up requiring two or more UPSes to keep the network going.

If you have a modem, router, and switch (plus a VoIP adapter if you need it) all in close proximity, you might be able to live without other parts of your networking operating during an outage. It’s also probable that you already have this hardware plugged into a surge protector. (These devices tend to not benefit from a UPS’s sag/undervoltage assistance, as their DC adapters tend to provide power in a larger range of circumstances.)

You might already have a simple battery backup built into or included with one or more pieces of equipment. Many smart home hubs have built-in battery backups. And since government regulators typically require a multi-hour battery backup for VoIP service, your broadband modem or VoIP adapter might include an internal battery for that reason.

To find out the size of UPS you need, check the specs on all your equipment. This is usually molded in plastic in black-on-black 4-point type on the underside of the gear or on a DC converter that you plug directly into a power outlet or that comes in two parts with a block between the adapter to your device and a standard AC outlet cord. The numbers you are looking for are either DC voltage and amperage, like 12 volts and 1.5 amps, or total wattage, like 18 watts.

Add up these quantities, and that can let you use planning tools to find the right unit. For instance, APC offers an extended runtime chart that lists wattage and runtime for each of its units. You can also use a calculator on the site in which you add devices or watts and it provides a guide to which units to purchase and how much time each could operate at that load.

For most combinations of gear and affordable units, you should be able to keep network equipment running for at least an hour entirely on battery power. Spend more or purchase multiple units, and you could boost that to two to eight hours.

Your goal here is to make sure all your devices that need to continue running have enough power to do so across a short outage and to shut down—preferably automatically—during any outage that lasts more than a few minutes.

There are two separate power issues to consider: the electrical load that devices connected to the UPS’s battery-backed outlets add up to, and the capacity of the internal battery on the UPS, which determines how long power can flow at a given attached load. (The outlets only protected against power surges have a far higher power load limit that computer equipment won’t exceed.)

Start by calculating the total wattage for all the equipment you’re going to connect, just like with network gear. Most hardware will show a single number for watts or a maximum watts consumed; if it only shows amperes (or amps), multiple 120 (for volts) times the amps listed to get watts. In my office, I have an iMac, an external display, a USB hub, and two external hard drives. That adds up to about 250W.

With that number, you can examine the maximum load on a UPS, which is often perplexingly listed using either volt-amperes (VA) and watts or both. Although volts times amps and watts should be equal,

In practice, you can still add up all your devices in watts, and use that as a gauge to find a UPS that exceeds that amount by some margin: you can’t exceed the UPS load factor with your equipment, or it won’t function. (If a UPS is rated only in VA, multiply that number by a power factor of 0.6 or 60% to get the bottom level in watts.)

With that number in hand, you can then look over the runtime available on models that can support your total load, consulting the figures, charts, or calculators noted above that manufacturers provide to estimate how many minutes you get on battery-only power.

With my iMac set up above of 250W, I have several options in the $100 to $150 range that have a power load maximum far above that number and which can provide five or more minutes of runtime.

It’s also critical to pick a UPS model that includes a USB connection to your desktop computer, along with compatible software for your operating system. While macOS and Windows have built in power-management options that can automatically recognize compatible UPS hardware, you might want additional software to tweak UPS settings (like alarm sounds) or to provide detailed reports and charts on power quality and incidents.

The OS power-management tools and software from UPS makers give you options to create safe, automatic shutdown conditions. You can define a scenario like, “If the outage lasts more than three minutes or if the battery’s power is less than 50 percent, begin an immediate safe shutdown.”

It’s also important to be sure that all your running apps can exit without losing data and not halt the shutdown. For instance, an unsaved Word file might prevent Windows from completing a shutdown. In macOS, the Terminal app refuses to quit by default if there’s an active remote session, but it can be configured to ignore that.

We’re in the process of reviewing several uninterruptible power supplies and will update this stories with links to those reviews as we finish them. Stay tuned.

the unit, we see the 12 outlets which are all labeled in some way (all the labels on the back of the unit are suggestions only - your DVD player won"t blow up if you plug it in to the CD outlet). Under the Digital Filter label, there are 6

I think I"ve finally figured out by checking the modem configuration manager (192.168.100.1 ) that when my interrnet connection gets dumped the upstream voltage goes wonky and usually drops too low or high and is moving around too much. The downstream power voltage db"s and SN ratio usually stay more steady.