Re: protection [was: Fuse in Yo-Yo?]

[Ben Dyer]

On 16 Feb 2005, at 08:14, peter wrote:
This touches on a question that's been wandering around in my head.
	Do protections built into modern power adapters eliminate the need 
for surge protectors?

	The manual for my Aluminum PB seems to make no official statement on 
the subject, but it shows an illustration that indicates one is not 
needed.  This could be an oversight, however.  I plan on traveling to 
places where power fluctuations occur more often than in the US, so 
I'm interested in the wisdom of folks on this list.

	TIA.
SMPSs are inherently better than older transformer-based devices at 
filtering over-voltage (surge) and under-voltage conditions out, but 
spikes (e.g. due to lightning strikes) are still a problem. Of course, 
most consumer "surge protectors" aren't particularly effective against 
severe spikes either.

I'd say you'd generally be fine as far as the power supply is 
concerned, but if you plan on hooking into any hotel modem or ethernet 
jacks, you'll definitely want surge protectors for them.

Cheers,
Ben
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Re: protection [was: Fuse in Yo-Yo?]

[Clark Martin]

At 4:14 PM -0500 2/15/05, peter wrote:
This touches on a question that's been wandering around in my head.
	Do protections built into modern power adapters eliminate the 
need for surge protectors?

	The manual for my Aluminum PB seems to make no official 
statement on the subject, but it shows an illustration that 
indicates one is not needed.  This could be an oversight, however. 
I plan on traveling to places where power fluctuations occur more 
often than in the US, so I'm interested in the wisdom of folks on 
this list.
There is a certain amount of cumulative protection.  That is having a 
power strip with surge protection means that the protection built 
into your computer won't have to work much.  And surge suppressors 
are usually rated for a total amount of energy absorbed, above that 
and they stop protecting.  So putting a protected power strip ahead 
of your equipment does protect your equipment better.

A laptop has a double layer of protection too, the external power 
supply has protection on the AC line and the power controller in the 
laptop protects against noise and surges coming in from the external 
power supply.  Thus a strong enough surge might blow the power supply 
but not hurt the laptop.  An external surge protector will add 
another layer of protection but it's more to protect the power supply 
than the laptop.

Personally I don't use an added surge protector with my laptop.  It's 
a convenience thing and basically I'm willing to risk the power 
supply as it's a  small risk.
--
Clark Martin
Redwood City, CA, USA
Macintosh / Internet Consulting

"I'm a designated driver on the Information Super Highway"
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Re: protection [was: Fuse in Yo-Yo?]

[[EMAIL PROTECTED]]

On 2/15/05 4:14 PM, "peter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> Do protections built into modern power adapters eliminate the need for
> surge protectors?

A couple years ago I was sitting at home online minding my own business when
the transformer down the way was struck by truck sending a surge through the
neighborhood. My TV, microwave, and thermostat were fried. So was my iBook's
power adaptor. Computer was fine. However, don't forget that surges can come
through the Ethernet line and phoneline if you are struck by lightning. We
took a direct hit at work two summers back. Took out the chimney! The surge
somehow didn't get the phones or electric but somehow jumped to Ethernet
cable and took out every NIC in every computer in the building. Insurance
company was a real PITA about settling - they'd never heard anything like it
before. So they said.

david




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protection [was: Fuse in Yo-Yo?]

[peter]

On Feb 15, 2005, at 12:28 AM, Ben Dyer wrote:
No, there's nothing but wires inside the cord. The device itself is a 
switchmode power supply (SMPS), and as such has built-in over-current 
and over-temperature protection. No fuses required.

This touches on a question that's been wandering around in my head.
	Do protections built into modern power adapters eliminate the need for 
surge protectors?

	The manual for my Aluminum PB seems to make no official statement on 
the subject, but it shows an illustration that indicates one is not 
needed.  This could be an oversight, however.  I plan on traveling to 
places where power fluctuations occur more often than in the US, so I'm 
interested in the wisdom of folks on this list.

TIA.

Peter

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