Re: Protection from poor electricity

Re: Protection from poor electricity

**GROUNDED** PLEASE NOTE AS CES has pointed out below that even the most sophisticated protection and line conditioning equipment is useless and will not protect against surges and spikes UNLESS THE CIRCUITS THEY ARE ATTACHED TO ARE GROUNDED AND CORRECTLY POLORIZED. You will lose your equipment and say you had faulty protectors when it was all because of NO GROUND. In many countries you do not need to think of this as it is normally grounded but in the DR it is normally NOT grounded.

Re: Protection from poor electricity

The equipment I mentioned automatically indicates a properly or improperly grounded system when it is plugged in.

It is incorrect to say that the equipment is useless without a ground. It just isn't as good. Some breakers and fuses do not require a ground to pop, some do, and voltage can still be regulated depending on the type of equipment even without a ground. Proper installation and operation though, does require a ground. Keep in mind that most computers run at 12V DC or less, so the AC you feed into it is going to a transformer. Beyond the transformer, there are likely more fuses to protect the sensitive DC electronics.

Jim Hinsch JimHinsch@CSI.COM

Protection from Lightning

A quote from the "ACP" literature:

If the outlet that the APC UPS unit is plugged into is not properly grounded or properly wired, the surge protection capability of our unit may be diminished. Therefore, in order to maintain your warranty and protection under APC's Equipment Protection Policy, be sure that the APC unit is only plugged into a properly grounded outlet where the Site Wiring Fault Indicator (SWFI) light is not illuminated.

. . . . . ~ {:} ~

I want stress that (to get this thing 'RIGHT') you need to have a reliable ground to fully protect the connected equipment. I know for a fact that "lightning strikes" have happened in Santo Domingo. We have a pretty good idea as to what's gonn'a happen to your floppy when a few thousand volts get a hold of it unexpectedly. The lightning surge needs to be reliably dissipated to ground and a "floating" system (ungrounded) won't do the job. Lightning "strikes" will follow any conductive path available (to & through your PC)... the building wiring system, telephone lines, CATV coax, and any thing else it wants to use. Telephone lines are notorious for carrying lightning induced surges (spikes). . .

. . . CES

PS: . . "sensitive DC electronics." ? ? ? ?

Re: Protection from Lightning

Correct. Without a ground, protection is diminished, not eliminated. Nothing short of providing an alternate path (a good ground) will protect against a strong lightning strike.

My main concern would not be lightning protection though. The best protection from that would be to just unplug the computer from the phone and power when not in use. It would be over and under voltages from other causes, which one will experience in the DR on a daily basis, that bring the need for a voltage regulator. Surge protection is a good idea no matter where you operate and isn't specific to the DR.

Jim Hinsch JimHinsch@CSI.COM