MacTechnics, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Frugal Computer Protection
by Gil “oddball” Palen
You've spent a small fortune on all your precious computer hardware. Don't expect
a device, costing less than 2% of your system investment, to be safe and reliable
protection against any serious electrical problems. If you have it all plugged into
the average ($10-$20) surge suppresser strip, or even the "deluxe" model
with 6 grounded outlets and a lighted circuit breaker switch, your system is still
at risk!
These little strip devices, are only designed to stop very small overvoltage spikes,
which are rare. Most likely and more common occurrences are voltage drops. You've
probably experienced some form of brownouts and/or blackouts. Brownouts cause lights,
TV's, appliances, etc. to dim or slow to less than normal. Many devices will not
operate under these conditions. Blackouts kill all power immediately. For computer
equipment, these events can cause devastating results costing thousands of dollars
in losses of data and/or software and hardware damage. Corporate IT departments are
well aware of the numbers and costs. Are you?
Power problems are the largest cause of data loss:
- Power Failure/Surge: 45.3%
- Storm Damage: 9.4%
- Fire or Explosion: 8.2%
- Hardware/Software Error: 8.2%
- Flood & Water Damage: 6.7%
- Earthquake: 5.5%
- Network Outage: 4.5%
- Human Error/Sabotage: 3.2%
- HVAC Failure: 2.3%
- Other 6.7%
Source: Contingency Planning
The local power utilities do their best to provide a constant regulated power supply
to you, but failures for various reasons are inevitable. Acts of nature, and device
failures are just two examples. High-tech equipment, including computers, rely on
smooth regulated power. They do not take well to less than their required needs!
At best, you can lose any unsaved data you may have been working with. Worse problems
can result though. An example might be an unrecoverable hard drive directory crash
because data was not correctly written back onto it. We all know how much PC's dislike
improper shutdowns! As for power surges, do you really trust that cheap plug strip
to handle a major power surge capable of frying your multi-thousand dollar machines?
Think about it...
A quality uninterruptable power supply (UPS) is really the only safe way to protect
your equipment and data. A typical UPS uses gel-cell batteries to keep your system
running if the main electrical power is cut off or reduced below an acceptable and
safe level. A medium size home model will usually provide 5 to 7 minutes of power...providing
plenty of time for you to save your work, and shutdown safely. The better models
have regulating circuitry so reliable that the manufacturers typically provide a
financial guarantee of protection of your connected equipment. That piece of mind,
is the reason I decided to write this article.
In the last 2+ years, my UPS has saved my equipment at least 5 times. How many times
it's kept the current steady during other power fluctuations I can't guess. However,
it is the best insurance I've ever bought...(and I hate insurance). It's a real cop
too! It sounds an alarm, lights a warning, and gets you very serious about doing
a controlled shutdown. Once your machines are off, you want to hug that little box.
Trust this: the first time that UPS goes into action, it's paid for itself in time,
money, and grief! After the power is restored, you feel great knowing your system
survived, and it's still being protected.
The typical home computer setup includes the PC, monitor, printer, modem, powered
speakers, external drives, etc. Plan to spend about $150 to $200 for good protection.
Many new UPS models include jacks to protect your phone/modem line also. These units
will operate for 5 to 8 years before the batteries need to be replaced. Any computer
supply store or catalog can offer model choices, and more detailed information.
Internet technical information can be found at these vendor sites:
<http://www.tripplite.com/power/index.html>
<http://www.apcc.com/english/power/index.cfm>
You should also search the Web for more brands and information. Learn a little, gain
a lot...you couldn't make a smarter investment in time or money!
by Gil “oddball” Palen
oddball@flash.net
MacTechnics Member
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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