Surge protectors and mains filters

I recently posted to say that my Tagan PSU blew up (OK it went pop and stopped!), and I had to go back to an old Enermax 365w PSU with only 14a on the 12v. This has not caused any problems, and I have been playing HL2 with an overclocked system (I only overclock when I need too). This makes it curious that so many have problems even with the "mandatory" high ampage 12v PSU.
Well one thing I forgot was that I run my system through a Belkin Surgeprotector (mains filter and distribution block). I just wondered if the "need" to have 20+amp on the 12v could be a mains "quality" issue, rather than purely an ampage issue?
Are some people suffering from "noisy" mains?

Quote
Originally posted by JER101
I recently posted to say that my Tagan PSU blew up (OK it went pop and stopped!), and I had to go back to an old Enermax 365w PSU with only 14a on the 12v. This has not caused any problems, and I have been playing HL2 with an overclocked system (I only overclock when I need too). This makes it curious that so many have problems even with the "mandatory" high ampage 12v PSU.
Well one thing I forgot was that I run my system through a Belkin Surgeprotector (mains filter and distribution block). I just wondered if the "need" to have 20+amp on the 12v could be a mains "quality" issue, rather than purely an ampage issue?
Are some people suffering from "noisy" mains?
Does it boot if you connect directly to the mains =
seems the quickest way to test your theory...

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HT2173 I turned off my desktop to plug it into a surger protector and now I'm not sure how to turn it back on

I turned off my computer so I could plug it into a surge protector. Not sure how to turn computer back on.

Making sure the surge protector is turned on, plug in the computer and press the power button on the right rear of the machine.

Battery backup/ surge protector and sleep power cycle on my iMac

I have a simple question regarding whether my iMac is going through a power cycle when asleep. The situation: my iMac and various peripherals are powered through an APC battery backup/ surge protector. The iMac is plugged into the master outlet on the battery backup of course.
I have a set of very good computer speakers which are plugged into the outlets controlled by the master outlet; these power down when the master outlet device (the iMac) goes to sleep. The strange thing is that while iMac is asleep I hear the speakes ocassionally power on (the bass cube makes a noise that indicates this). So it seems there is a powering down and on cycle going. Is this normal? Should I change anything in my setup. APC recommends plugging peripherals (like speakers, which they name specifically) into these controlled outlets to save energy.
It may be that I simply need to contact APC to change the threshold sensitiviy, however, it is currently set to medium (the recommended default).
Thanks for your help.

I may have mistated. The APC manual states the following:
"To conserve electricity, configure the Back-UPS to recognize a Master device, such as a desktop computer..., and Controlled peripheral devices, such as a printer, speakers, or a scanner. When the Master device goes into Sleep or Standby mode, or is switched OFF, the Controlled device(s) will be switched off as well, saving electricity."
The thing is that I seem to hear the speaker going on.. (thus they must be also going off) from time to time while the iMac is asleep. Again this may be a question for APC.
Thanks for your help.

Do I need a Surge Protector

Do I need to use a surge protector when at home or is it built into the apple 65w magsafe.

dndrich wrote:
Hmm. I would like to see the evidence of this need. The voltage coming from the magsafe adapter is very low. With a surge or brown out, I should think the only thing that would get fried would be the adapter, and not the computer. I use a nice UPS for my desktop, because it is much more vulnerable, but I would be surprised if it would make any difference here. Do you have any evidence that this is a problem?
There are spikes caused by electric surges that can have unpredictable outcomes on electronics. The most severe is a positive lightning charge which carries up to 300 gigajoules. I'm afraid a MagSafe and perhaps even a lead-shielded overcoat can't protect you from that. You see, the lightning doesn't always travel where it's supposed to and can jump into equipment even if it's unplugged. One time it fused a telephone cable inside my building that caught fire and melted into a basketball sized wire and plastic heap. I've lost servers, terminals, and pc's during bad storms not to mention several peripherals all of which had expensive surge protection and line filters.
True, a blackout or brownout will only cause the battery to kick in but when you live in storm laden areas like the Midwest or Florida where thunderstorms and lightning strikes are commonplace; and, if you've had lots of equipment get fried over the years, you learn to take precautions when necessary. Most definitely the best thing to do is unplug your MacBook during a storm.

Do you know of a place in Delhi, India that sells adapter / surge protector

Last night in the hotel, first night in delhi and BOOM! All lights went out, surge protector smoked. Does anyone know what travel adapter and converter and surge procoter is needed and where in Delhi it would be available, a reliable source, brand new macbook and no power. please help lost in india.

Hey LostNindia and welcome to the discussions!
I was just traveling in Delhi and several other parts of India with my MacBook. I'm no expert in this area, but I'll let you know what I had that worked. I took with me a power converter and a two prong and three prong adaptor. I ended up never using the power converter, because the MacBook's power brick can handle up to 240 volts, which is the voltage in India. So, I don't believe you need a power convertor as I had no trouble with my American MacBook. I didn't bring a surge protector, and that may or may not have been wise. We had one power outage, but the MacBook was not plugged in at the time. So, I am unfortunately little help as to a suggestion for that, but I managed to make it without one. If you are looking for an adaptor, I'd suggest a three-prong adaptor. Two prong (the same as the UK) works, but not in all outlets. The prong outlets appeared to be located everywhere.
As for a place to purchase these items- I noticed adaptors in the airport, but that probably is not accessible to you. I saw numerous electronics boutiques throughout India, and bought a firewire cable in one location- little shops like these probably have adaptors (and for cheap, too). I don't know where you are staying, but your hotel desk can probably recommend a place for the adaptors. The surge protector may be harder to find, but was also something I did not use.
As a completely unrelated suggestion, I'd suggest turning off your wireless capabilities as there are few networks to access, and it nearly halves your battery life. I turned off mine and got over 5 hours of battery life while I was traveling the country.
Hope this helps (and thanks to Niel for showing me this topic),
JC

Do I need a surge protector for charging my Macbook?

Do I need to get a surge protector to protect against possible surges for when I'm charging or using my macbook while plugged in? I don't care if the adapter gets fried, but I'm worried that it could short the computer out. Please give recommendations.

You don't NEED a serge protector, but it would be
nice to have one. My MacBook, external speakers,
external HD, cell phone, and Nintendo DS all have
their power adapters plugged into one. Another
contains my TV and PS2. What I'm trying to get at
is, if your MacBook alone isn't reason enough for you
to buy a surge protector, then maybe all of your
electronic devices are. They can all benefit from
the surge protector and $10 now can save you
thousands of dollars in the future.
so very true!
Macintosh PowerBook G4, Macintosh Macbook 2.0ghz Mac OS X (10.4.7) Waiting for leopard

Do I need a surge protector for my macbook pro

I just got a new macbook pro retina. Do I need a surge protector for it? Will a cheap one from walmart do? I have it pluged up with the power brick into the 3 pronged cord that came with it. I unplug it from the wall whenever there is a lightening storm like last night. Do they really even work?

It's better to be safe than sorry as my fater would say ;) I always use a surge protector and prefer Belkin but I'm sure anything is better than nothing!

LR 4.4.1 crashing on iMac osx 10.8.5 when using exposure and shadows sliders. Will not restart with out resetting surge protector. Worked perfectly for 1.5 years with upgrades to 4.4

Hello,
Thanks for any help you may have. LR 4.4 worked perfectly on iMac 27' OSX 10.8.5 for 1.5 years until October this year when shut downs began when making adjustments on primarily exposure and shadow sliders. Unit would not restart unless rebooting surge protector(s) after 10-15 minute wait. Apple replaced main board and cleared disc. Back-up and LR 4 reloaded and updated to 4.4.1. New surge protection or direct into receptacle makes no difference and shutdown happens immediately upon slider movement. Any suggestions or self checks an old guy can possibly do? It is Educator/student version.

Hello and thanks for the reply.
The entire computer shuts down and will not restart without a reset of the new (and previous) surge protector or if plugged directly to the wall receptacle anywhere from 30 minute to overnight reset before on button restart will work. Other than slider adjustments on LR, it has only shut down one other time when loading photos via USB 3.0 cable to LR. All images from camera are in RAW. Apple tried to replicate this earlier this week with LR but could not read anything other than an increased usage on one of the diagnostic meters when the sliders were moved quickly from side to side.
Other computer functions are normal and rarely used except for e-mail, web search, and 90% LR. Plenty of memory in reserve.
Considering two upgrades (1) LR 5 to get new camera profiles (Pentax K-3)
(2)Yosemite OSX if it would help the LR4.4 or LR5 actually behave
Hope this helps illustrate the dilemma and thanks for your support.

Wireless routers and surge protector with phone line ports

I cannot connect to the internet when I use my surge protector phone line ports. I have the line from the wall in the in port and the other one in the out port but status light on modem doesn't light up and no connection to internet. Is it my surege protector? Do I need to do something else?

I assume the system works fine if you bypass the surge protector. I will also assume that you are not plugging in your DSL phone line on the "in port" and then plugging in an ethernet wire on the "out port" of the surge protector. Your surge protector cannot convert a DSL phone line signal into an ethernet signal. This is the job of the DSL modem.
Assuming you are going through the surge protector phone line to phone line, or ethernet wire to ethernet wire, then it means that either the surge protector is broken or you have a bad wire. Try a different wire. If that doesn't work, return the surge protector.
Message Edited by toomanydonuts on 03-30-200705:12 PM

Why does iPhoto 09 cause a surge protector beep and shut down?

When iPhoto 09 is launched the Cyber Power surge protector beeps for 10 to 15 seconds and then shuts down. If iPhoto is closed within that time range the beeps stops and the surge protector does not shut the computer down. This only happens when iPhoto is open.

I received this today from the surge product tech support.
The power consumption of your computer varies as it performs different actions. Photoshop is specifically programmed to take full advantage of all the cores in a multi core system. Few programs are set up this way yet, though it is becoming more common. The end result is that with all 4 cores working heavily, the power consumption of your computer rises 50 or more watts higher than when only one or 2 cores are being pushed.
The 425SL is designed to support a maximum load of 230 watts. This is far too small to support a MacPro tower. The 425SL is failing because it is overloading. For good performance you will need a much more powerful UPS. I recommend using something with 600 watts output power at a minimum. MacPro towers often Use power factor correcting (PFC) power supplies. These power supplies are incompatible with standard UPS units. If your MacPro has a FPC power supply you will need to use a Pure Sine Wave UPS. We make a wide range of Pure Sine UPS models. You can view those models here: http://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups-systems/browse-by-category/smart-a pp-ups/pp-series.html
A Pure Sine Wave 1000 series or 1500 series unit would be a good choice for your system.
Thank You,
Pietro Boggio
Senior Technical Support Specialist
CyberPower Systems
877-297-6937 x7914

Brown out & power surge protector question

Hey everyone, I'm using a Mac Pro and was wondering an affordable brown out & surge protector that will protect my computer well without breaking the wallet. I'm not worried about the bells and whistles I just need something that will keep my computer safe from electrical issues. Thanks.

That price range will buy you an outlet strip with MOV surge protection, which is very minimal. It will filter spikes of a certain amplitude and duration, and nothing more. A Tripp Lite Isobar Ultra 8 will give you far better protection and noise isolation. It has both high and low frequency filtering as well as excellent spike suppression, and isolates the devices from each other. It's a great addition to a UPS, which will add brownout protection.
Even at $ 250 total it's well worth it to protect your Mac Pro investment.

Lacie mini HUB HD surge protector!??????

Hello,
I have a LaCie mini HUB external hard drive and it comes with it's own power supply but I was wondering if that serves as a protector from power surges. For instance if there was a power surge that blew out the power supply, would that also travel into the hard drive and destroy it?

Probably my ignorance rather than yours in that I might not have correctly described it!
A UPS is an 'Uninterruptible Power Supply' - it is like a power strip but with a battery inside, so when you plug devices into it, it can continue to power them for a few minutes even when the mains power is cut. That allows you to elegantly and safely power systems down rather than have sudden system failures which can cause serious problems to hardware - not least hard drives. The battery also allows for continued safe operation during brownouts where voltages can drop low enough to otherwise cause failures.
Some UPS devices (though not all) also contain surge protection, by which some or all of the power outlets on it are 'smoothed' removing voltage spikes from the supply.
Most users tend to buy surge protectors only, when in fact a UPS/surge protector combined is really a far better (safer) bet. APC (http://www.apc.com/) are one of the better and more common suppliers.

Does the power cord have a surge protector built in?

Does the "brick" at the end of the power cord have a surge protector built in? I'm wondering whether it's ok to keep my Macbook plugged in and charging during a thunderstorm or not.

markrox7 wrote:
So I shouldn't leave my Macbook to charge during a thunderstorm if I don't have a surge strip/adapter?
That is correct.
Get a surge protector for everyday use.
Unplug the charger during thunderstorms. Surge protectors do not protect against the damage that a lightning strike causes - they just protect against electrical surges.
Mrs H

Aperture black and white filters making images blotchy

Hello All!
I'm having some odd issues with Aperture and using the black and white filters: mainly red and orange filters. I have tested this with different cameras (all raw) including Nikon D700, Olympus E-M5, Canon 5D mk3, Nikon D800; all exibit the same issue. I have also had a friend test this on Lightroom and the problem did not appear.
Picture a landscape with a blue sky. Upon adding a red filter, and sometimes orange, the dramatic dark sky one would expect with such filters becomes blotchy. It looks somewhat like bad JPEG compression or noise from high ISO images but these pictures are all generally ISO 100 or 200. Sadly, this prevents me from printing these images so I've had to find other ways of processing them. Even when exported as a 16-bit TIFF, the problem persists.
Anyone have any thoughts? Experienced this themselves? Thanks for any thoughts!

Thanks Kirby... I have checked the channels but perhaps there is something I'm missing. Here is a screenshot of a random image I have but it shows the issue well. These are at 100%, ISO 200, red, orange, no filter (respectively). The histogram is from the original. No other post processing done. The red is the worst offender... the orange isn't as bad but it can be worse on certain images.

I need opinion on APC surge protector/ backup for Imac

HI,
I need an opinion...I have an Imac 24" and printer, scanner,
and I need to get a surge protector. backup because when is
raining where I am, is not uncommon for the power to go out...
APC BR1500LCD 1500VA 865 Watts 8 Outlets BACK-UPS
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I have no idea wich one would be best...or if there is a less expensive alternative...
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APC is your best selection, but be sure to get the model that has the high-speed switching. Call APC to find out which model they recommend for use with the iMacs.

Surge protectors and mains filters

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