can power conditioners cause lcd displays to malfunction price

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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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.

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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.

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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

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.

A good power conditioner can improve the overall tone and performance of your guitar amp. Here are a few specific ways in which a power conditioner can help: 1. By providing clean and consistent power, a power conditioner can help your amp sound its best. 2. By protecting your amp from power surges, a power conditioner can help extend its lifespan. 3. By keeping your amp’s power supply free from noise and interference, a power conditioner can help it operate more efficiently.

What is the best way to use a power conditioner on guitar? This is a forum for discussing music electronics. Many people mistakenly believe it to be snake oil. Anyone with an FFT-capable Oscilloscope would be able to assess the spectrum of the mains voltage (with or without a power conditioner). In addition, they can look for noises on the secondary components of the power transformer, rectifier output, or anything else. A power line conditioner can be manufactured in the United States. I can’t tell you how many of them do what they say they’ll do.

A properly functioning amplifier power supply consumes a little current from the AC line at the peak of the waveform, then turns off, not ‘eating’ another pulse until the next waveform peak. The only wiggles occur when the diode connects the power line to the nearly AC-short filter caps on the line, which are what the line can reach without issue. High-frequency hash and grack can be combined using a power transformer in some situations. Other options are available, but they are expensive and heavy, and sales people are less likely to recommend them. As a sine wave inverter, it takes the AC power line and slices and dicing it, resulting in DC current being converted. It only supplies power to your amps when the AC waves are high. It is a complex and high-power electronic system that can go wrong at any time.

You can look at the spectrum of mains voltage (without and with a power conditioner) using an Oscilloscope with an FFT capability. In addition, they may look for noise in the transformer’s secondaries and the rectifier’s output, as well as noises in the transformer itself. To see what has changed, simply turn around and listen. It broke inside as I attempted to tie it back down, so I twisted it back. I had to open the door while it was open. The control board had a blown fuse, so I took a close look. This incident was caused by a red lamp fault on the outside.

It arrived as expected, and he told me that I couldn’t tell the difference between the two. During the metal era, the Fury power conditioner was a standard accessory. There are some who claim this period in history saw the lowest level of guitar tone ever recorded. Power conditioners are linked to a deterioration in your tone, according to the evidence. It is possible that they are used in Spandex and large hair.

The Power Conditioners for Guitar Amps Having a good power conditioner for your guitar amplifier is not only important for reducing EMI/RFI line noise, but it is also critical for protecting your gear from power surges and spikes that can damage sensitive circuitry on a regular basis.

The unit is also known as a line conditioner and safeguards equipment against power surges, corrects voltage and waveform distortion, and removes external electrical noise caused by devices such as motors and radio frequency equipment.

If you have recording gear in your home studio, you will need a surge protector. Many power strip models cost between a few hundred dollars and thousands of dollars to purchase. In this section, we’ll look at why it makes more sense to use a power conditioner rather than a traditional power strip. It is almost certain that the price of your power conditioner will determine how effective your surge protection is. In most cases, less expensive models will prevent surges from entering your equipment. More expensive models are capable of handling nearly any type of surge and will continue to provide effective service. Voltage regulators, like power conditioners, work in the same way but at a higher price.

What is the Joule Rating of a Power Supply? You should choose a joule rating based on the significance, value, and sensitivity of the equipment that will be connected to the power conditioner. A power conditioner’s joule rating indicates how much energy it can withstand without causing damage. A 2000 joule power conditioner, for example, can withstand a 2000 joule power surge without failing. As a result, power conditioner capacity can be increased by 2000 times the average power surge seen in a normal environment. The joule rating of a power conditioner, as well as the devices that will connect it, should be considered when purchasing one. A power conditioner can fail if its joule rating is too low, whereas a power conditioner can fail if its joule rating is too high.

A power conditioner, for example, may be all that is needed to get rid of those annoying hums. If you create with no noise, you’ll be able to focus on creating, and nothing will even be recorded.

If voltage fluctuations, interference, or noise are frequently an issue, a power conditioner can be an excellent investment. You should replace any kit that begins to generate excessive noise if it begins to generate excessive noise. It could be because the capacitors or shielding are faulty, resulting in your issue.

Is panamax worth buying? I’m not sure what to think of the question because I don’t have any more information. Instead of focusing on power quality and surge protection, I focus on the latter. If your apartment is a 60-year-old building with 20 other tenants and an electric supply that varies from 100V to 130V on a daily basis, you should consider installing a Power conditioner. A surge protector of $10 won’t do much good, especially if you get hit by lightning. When installing power surge protection, an electrician should be able to check your fuse box to ensure that all of your equipment is protected. Best Buy sells a good quality one for between $100 and $200.

Only online UPS units are capable of isolating your equipment from the grid at all times. The new ones begin at around $1000 and go up from there. In the power supply, the power is routed to the battery and electronics. This is clearly superior to a powerstrip and, in general, higher quality. A good one can cost between $100 and $200 at Best Buy. There are a lot of options, but Panamax SP8-AV is by far the most straightforward. EMI/RFI filtering, 8 surge-tolerant AC outlets, a set of coax and phone inputs, and a $50k lifetime warranty are included in the price. Tripp Lite 1500VAW UPS Battery Back Up, AVR, LCD Display, Line-Interactive, USB, Tel, Coax Protection (SMART1500LCDT), and more are included.

Power conditioners can have an impact on the sound and picture quality of your devices. Power conditioners can help improve your devices’ audio and visual quality by cleaning up the frequency range that hums and buzz the most, as well as protecting your electronics from surges. Furthermore, power conditioning can save you money in the long run by reducing the amount of energy required to run your devices.

Regular power conditioner use can severely limit the performance of your amplifier. This is supposed to be the best (I plugged my amplifier and other equipment into this).

Sometimes, an Amp through LC can sound like a blanket over your speakers. When you use a line conditioner, there may be some limits on its current. The amount of current it can draw from your outlet should be determined by your amp and instantaneous current capability. When it comes to power surges, I sleep better knowing I’m safe with some amps like mine. As one of them has stated, it is determined by the conditioner’s design and quality. When I get my Jeff Rowland 301 mono amps’ power from an AC conditioner, they sound much better (though not as good as they should when they are not connected to a cable). I’ve never heard of a conditioner with unlimited dynamics and no compression in my life, let alone Tripoint Spartan.

They did such a fantastic job with the music, I cannot help but think that it was one of my major upgrades. I don’t want to be in the middle of a powerful thunderstorms and risk plugging an amplifier into the wall I live on. I turned everything off a few days ago after an excessive surge took out my Monster surge protector. The problem was resolved later, and all was well again for a few weeks. The unit was suddenly up and running a few weeks ago, but it died shortly after.

A power conditioner is a device that is designed to improve the quality of the power that is supplied to an electrical device. In the case of a guitar amp, a power conditioner can help to improve the tone of the amp by providing a cleaner and more consistent power supply.

Power conditioners not only improve the frequency range in which hum and buzz are most likely to occur, but they also protect electronic devices from energized mains power. This improves the sound quality and accuracy of the audio.

If your equipment is not working properly under clean power, Arthur recommends upgrading your power supply or using power cords and cables specifically designed for audio and video applications.

A power conditioner is a device that is designed to improve the quality of the power supplied to electrical equipment. It does this by filtering out unwanted noise and providing a stable voltage. A power conditioner is often used in audio and video applications to improve the performance of the equipment.

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.

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.

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Troubleshooting CRTs versus LCDs begins with similar steps, but diverges due to the differing natures of the two display types. The first troubleshooting steps are similar for either display type: power down the system and display and then power them back up; make sure the power cable is connected and that the outlet has power; verify that the signal cable is connected firmly to both video adapter and display and that there are no bent pins; verify that the video adapter is configured properly for the display; try the problem display on a known-good system, or try a known-good display on the problem system; and so on. Once you"ve tried the "obvious" troubleshooting steps, if the problem persists, the next step you take depends on the type of display. The following sections cover basic troubleshooting for CRTs and LCDs.

CRTs seldom fail outright without obvious signs, such as a loud snap or a strong odor of burning electrical components. Most CRT problems are really problems with the power, video adapter, cable, or hardware/software settings. To eliminate the CRT as a possible cause, connect the suspect CRT to a known-good system, or connect a known-good display to the suspect system. It is worth noting, that older CRTs eventually wear out, and starts dimming. Common signs of a weak CRT are a dim picture, dysfunctional brightness and/or color controls, image smearing at high brightness, and in color CRTs, a tint towards a single color (Red Green Blue)

Even if the CRT is in warranty, the shipping costs may exceed the value of the CRT. For example, shipping a CRT both ways can easily cost $75 or more. If that CRT is a year-old 17" model, you"re probably better off spending $100 to $200 for a new 17" or 19" CRT than paying $75 in shipping to have the old one repaired. CRTs have many components, all of which age together. Fixing one is no guarantee that another won"t fail shortly. In fact, that happens more often than not in our experience.

Never disassemble a CRT. At best, you may destroy the CRT. At worst, it may destroy you. Like televisions, CRTs use extremely high voltages internally, and have large capacitors that store that energy for days or even weeks after the CRT is unplugged. Robert once literally burned a screwdriver in half when working inside a color television that had been unplugged for several days. Also, the large, fragile tube may implode, scattering glass fragments like a hand grenade. People who repair CRTs and televisions for a living treat them with great respect, and so should you. If you must repair a CRT, take it to someone who knows what they are doing. You have been warned.

Check the obvious things first. Verify that the CRT is plugged in (and that the receptacle has power), the video cable is connected to the video card, the computer and CRT are turned on, and the brightness and contrast settings are set to the middle of their range. If none of these steps solves the problem, your CRT, video card, or video cable may be bad. Check the suspect CRT on a known-good system or a known-good CRT on the problem system.

CRTs contain multiple filaments, which can be broken, or gas may have leaked into the vacuum inside the CRT. CRTs damaged this way are unrepairable without specialist equipment. With the display open. check if all three filaments are glowing bright orange. Excessive redness or purple arcing signifies gas has leaked in. There may also be an internal short inside the CRT, which is also unfixable without specialist equipment.

If you have ACPI or APM power management enabled, it may be causing the problem. Some systems simply refuse to wake up once power management puts them to sleep. We have seen such systems survive a hardware reset without restoring power to the CRT. To verify this problem, turn off power to the system and CRT and then turn them back on. If the CRT then displays an image, check the power management settings in your BIOS and operating system and disable them if necessary.

Catastrophic CRT failure is imminent. The noises are caused by high-voltage arcing, and the smell is caused by burning insulation. Unplug the CRT from the wall before it catches fire, literally.

There are two likely causes. First, you may be driving the CRT beyond its design limits. Some CRTs display a usable image at resolutions and/or refresh rates higher than they are designed to use, but under such abuse the expected life of the CRT is shortened dramatically, perhaps to minutes. To correct this problem, change video settings to values that are within the CRT"s design specifications. Second, the power receptacle may be supplying voltage lower than the CRT requires. To correct this problem, connect the CRT to a different circuit or to a UPS or power conditioner that supplies standard voltage regardless of input voltage.

This is usually a minor hardware problem. The most likely cause is that the signal cable is not connected tightly to the CRT and/or video card, causing some pins to make contact intermittently or not at all. Verify that no pins are loose, bent, or missing on the cable or the connectors on the CRT and video card, and then tighten the cable at both ends, If that doesn"t fix the problem, open the computer, remove the video card, and reseat it fully.

In elderly systems, another possible cause is that some hardware DVD decoder cards "steal" one color (usually magenta) and use it to map the DVD video signal onto the standard video signal. Remove the DVD decoder card. If your video adapter includes hardware DVD support, or if you are upgrading to such an adapter, you don"t need a DVD decoder card.

The most likely cause is that the CRT is receiving inadequate power. Connect it to a different circuit or to a backup power supply that provides correct voltage regardless of fluctuations in mains voltage.

The most likely cause is that the refresh rate is set too low. Change the refresh rate to at least 75 Hz. Flicker also results from interaction with fluorescent lights, which operate on 60 Hz AC and can heterodyne visually with the CRT. This can occur at 60 Hz (which is far too low a refresh rate anyway), but can also occur at 120 Hz. If you"re running at 120 Hz refresh and experience flicker, either use incandescent lighting or reset the refresh rate to something other than 120 Hz.

The video card settings are likely outside the range supported by the CRT, particularly if you have just installed the CRT or have just changed video settings. To verify this, restart the system in Safe Mode (press F8 during boot to display the Windows boot menu and choose Safe Mode). If the system displays a VGA image properly, change your display settings to something supported by the CRT.

Most modern CRTs can display signals at many different scan frequencies, but this doesn"t mean that the CRT will necessarily automatically display different signals full-screen and properly aligned. Use the CRT controls to adjust the size and alignment of the image.

Depending on the CRT, video card, and video settings, this may be normal behavior, adjustable using the CRT controls. If the distortion is beyond the ability of the controls to correct, the problem may be with the video card, the CRT, or the driver. First try changing video settings. If the problem persists at several settings, move that CRT to a different system (or use a different video card) to determine whether the problem is caused by the CRT or video card. Repair or replace the faulty component.

This is usually caused by RF interference from another electrical or electronic device, particularly one that contains a motor. Make sure such devices are at least three feet from the CRT. Note that such interference can sometimes penetrate typical residential and office walls, so if the CRT is close to a wall, check the other side. Such image problems can also be caused by interference carried by the power line or by voltage variations in the AC power supply. To eliminate interference, plug the CRT into a surge protector. Better still, plug it into a UPS or power conditioner that supplies clean power at a constant voltage.

This problem may also be caused by using a video cable that is too long or of poor quality or by using a poor-quality KVM switch (keyboard/video/mouse switch). Manual KVM switches are particularly problematic.

The CRT may need to be degaussed. A CRT that sits in one position for months or years can be affected even by the earth"s very weak magnetic field, causing distortion and other display problems. Exposing a CRT to a strong magnetic field, such as unshielded speakers, can cause more extreme image problems. Many modern CRTs degauss themselves automatically each time you cycle the power, but some have a manual degauss button that you must remember to use. If your CRT has a manual degauss button, use it every month or two. The degaussing circuitry in some CRTs has limited power. We have seen CRTs that were accidentally exposed to strong magnetic fields, resulting in a badly distorted image. Built-in degaussing did little or nothing. In that case, you can sometimes fix the problem by using a separate degaussing coil, available at RadioShack and similar stores for a few dollars. We have, however, seen CRTs that were so badly "magnet burned" that even a standalone degaussing coil could not completely eliminate the problem. The moral is to keep magnets away from your CRT, including those in speakers that are not video-shielded.

An incorrect yoke may have been attached to the CRT. Unless you have a lot of spare time on your hands, this is usually not worth fixing. Replace the display.

You may have a weak picture tube. Without specialist equipment, this is usually unfixable. You could try a CRT rejuvenator as a last resort, but this may fix or kill your CRT permanently.

If your LCD displays no image at all and you are certain that it is receiving power and video signal, first adjust the brightness and contrast settings to higher values. If that doesn"t work, turn off the system and LCD, disconnect the LCD signal cable from the computer, and turn on the LCD by itself. It should display some sort of initialization screen, if only perhaps a "No video signal" message. If nothing lights up and no message is displayed, contact technical support for your LCD manufacturer. If your LCD supports multiple inputs, you may need to press a button to cycle through the inputs and set it to the correct one.

Unlike CRTs, where increasing the refresh rate always reduces flicker, LCDs have an optimal refresh rate that may be lower than the highest refresh rate supported. For example, a 17" LCD operating in analog mode may support 60 Hz and 75 Hz refresh. Although it sounds counterintuitive to anyone whose experience has been with CRTs, reducing the refresh rate from 75 Hz to 60 Hz may improve image stability. Check the manual to determine the optimum refresh rate for your LCD, and set your video adapter to use that rate.

First, try setting the optimal refresh rate as described above. If that doesn"t solve the problem and you are using an analog interface, there are several possible causes, most of which are due to poor synchronization between the video adapter clock and the display clock, or to phase problems. If your LCD has an auto-adjust, auto-setup, or auto-synchronize option, try using that first. If not, try adjusting the phase and/or clock settings manually until you have a usable image. If you are using an extension or longer than standard video cable, try connecting the standard video cable that was supplied with the display. Long analog video cables exacerbate sync problems. Also, if you are using a KVM switch, particularly a manual model, try instead connecting the LCD directly to the video adapter. Many LCDs are difficult or impossible to synchronize if you use a KVM switch. If you are unable to achieve proper synchronization, try connecting the LCD to a different computer. If you are unable to achieve synchronization on the second computer, the LCD may be defective. Finally, note that some models of video adapter simply don"t function well with some models of LCD.

If the screen is displaying a full, stable image, but that image is of poor quality, first verify that the display is not connected through a KVM switch or using an extension cable. If so, connect the display directly to the video adapter using the standard cable. If that is already the case, adjust the brightness, contrast, and focus controls. If you are unable to get a proper image using these controls, the problem is most likely a clock or phase mismatch, which you can cure by taking the steps described in the preceding item.

The best way to adjust clock and phase is to use auto-adjust first. Check the utility and driver CD that came with the monitor. It may have a wizard or at least the a