Direhit
September 17th, 2004, 01:47 PM
Q: Whenever there's a storm, I get power blackouts or brownouts. During these times, my computer shuts off. Is there anything I can do to help the situation?
A: You need to get an uninterruptible power supply, or UPS. Typically, these combine the features of a premium surge suppressor, giving you multiple outlets, and also containing a battery that is kept fully charged constantly, until you experience a loss of power.
A good UPS will maintain the flow of power, so brownouts are no longer a factor.
A UPS is rated in total wattage, and may also be rated in Volt-Amp units.
Typically, I strongly recommend getting a unit that is at least 300 watts, and preferrably 350+ watts.
A UPS will come with a chart, which gives you an approximation of how long you can continue to operate on the battery, assuming that you get a power blackout. You should read this chart, and match your equipment to the appropriate guess, since a G4 Macintosh will obviously be able to run 3-4 times longer than, say, a power hungry PC and a 19" CRT.
Some UPS units will have, for example, 6 outlets, and three of those are backed up by the battery, while the other three are merely fancy surge suppression units. If you are limited to three, I suggest placing the following three power cords into them:
Your computer itself
Your monitor
Your DSL / Cable modem
If you have extra ports,
USB hubs
Speakers
Often times, your DSL / Cable signals themselves (not the power connector) will be on separate power lines, so if you happen to lose main power, your UPS can still keep the broadband modem powered up, and you can continue to use your system.
A: You need to get an uninterruptible power supply, or UPS. Typically, these combine the features of a premium surge suppressor, giving you multiple outlets, and also containing a battery that is kept fully charged constantly, until you experience a loss of power.
A good UPS will maintain the flow of power, so brownouts are no longer a factor.
A UPS is rated in total wattage, and may also be rated in Volt-Amp units.
Typically, I strongly recommend getting a unit that is at least 300 watts, and preferrably 350+ watts.
A UPS will come with a chart, which gives you an approximation of how long you can continue to operate on the battery, assuming that you get a power blackout. You should read this chart, and match your equipment to the appropriate guess, since a G4 Macintosh will obviously be able to run 3-4 times longer than, say, a power hungry PC and a 19" CRT.
Some UPS units will have, for example, 6 outlets, and three of those are backed up by the battery, while the other three are merely fancy surge suppression units. If you are limited to three, I suggest placing the following three power cords into them:
Your computer itself
Your monitor
Your DSL / Cable modem
If you have extra ports,
USB hubs
Speakers
Often times, your DSL / Cable signals themselves (not the power connector) will be on separate power lines, so if you happen to lose main power, your UPS can still keep the broadband modem powered up, and you can continue to use your system.