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| Thread ID: 81475 | 2007-07-28 21:50:00 | Isolating transformer / power spikes and surges | ronr (1234) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 573642 | 2007-07-28 21:50:00 | I live in an area which has many short power outages. I have an unused isolating transformer. Would the isolating transformer help my computer equipment in the case of power spikes and surges if they are plugged into this? |
ronr (1234) | ||
| 573643 | 2007-07-28 21:55:00 | Not really..that would be the job of a current stabilizer circuit to purify your supply I think. Try a UPS as it's a lot cheaper. |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 573644 | 2007-07-29 02:09:00 | Couldn't be cheaper than an isolating transformer which the poster already has, Joe. ;) It will give quite a lot of protection from common-mode surges. It will give some protection from spike noises (because of the inductance of the transformer). It won't protect from outages. :D But it will protect you a bit from the nasty stuff which happens either side of an outage. |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 573645 | 2007-07-29 02:39:00 | no offence graham but isololating transformer won't do jack to power spikes or brown outs. remember most older appainces have transofmers built in and they still die from spikes etc. actually in some cases it can be worse with a transformer due to the back EMF ie collapsing EMF causes a big spike. get an interactive UPS. this will maintain a quailty output reguarldless of input. however they are dearer than the basic UPS. |
tweak'e (69) | ||
| 573646 | 2007-07-29 02:52:00 | I said nothing about brownouts . Of course it won't help when the volts drop or disappear . . I said some protection against spikes . An isolating transfomer will give quite a lot of protection against common mode surges, which are likely to be the main problem since the poster gets lots of short outages . Agreed, a UPS would be better . But an UPS isn't "free" . A no-break motor-flywheel-alternator-diesel plant would be even better . |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 573647 | 2007-07-29 03:01:00 | I agree with Graham, the isolation Xmer will give some protection, I have used them for just this reason in the past, especially against fast transients. ie people using a welder on another phase in the building. | zqwerty (97) | ||
| 573648 | 2007-07-29 03:41:00 | After 2 short power fluctuations this week, I'm definitely buying a UPS by the end of this month. Last thing I need is a corrupted OS/files and/or a blown mobo. | beeswax34 (63) | ||
| 573649 | 2007-07-29 03:46:00 | Where's your sense of adventure, beeswax? :cool: Collapsing EMF, tweak'e? We're talking AC here. The EMF collapses (reverses) 100 times a second. That's normal. |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 573650 | 2007-07-29 05:10:00 | I said nothing about brownouts . Of course it won't help when the volts drop or disappear . . I said some protection against spikes . An isolating transfomer will give quite a lot of protection against common mode surges, which are likely to be the main problem since the poster gets lots of short outages . imho not worth the extra power it uses . nothing a half decent surge suppessor board will do and also any decent computer PSU will handle those minor surges anyway . |
tweak'e (69) | ||
| 573651 | 2007-07-29 05:20:00 | Where's your sense of adventure, beeswax? :cool: Collapsing EMF, tweak'e? We're talking AC here . The EMF collapses (reverses) 100 times a second . That's normal . C'mon, Graham . . we know that AC is sinusoidal and not usually spikes or sawtooth . And besides, I don't know about 100hz, but I am talking 60hz, and that would exacerbate the problem if you catch my drift . Currently (not an intended joke) we used a PEP of about 70 . 7% of total voltage available to remove or drain off REMF and resulting heat from collapsing fields in even common motors and fluorescent fixtures . The final 30% or so is just wasted energy, heat and dirty and not good for electro-motive values anyway . It's also a good idea to think that an isolation transformer is primarily for protection of OTHER circuits on the same leg . I had to install a few hundred of them when I worked as a Bio-Med tech at that large LA hospital . The California Department of Hospital Accreditations Iinspectors insisted that we put them in every other pair of rooms in the hospital to keep spikes and drops in voltages from harming the OTHER service on the same circuit . . but NOT the circuit behind the transformer . In a 600-bed building, I was very busy . No . . I go back to the UPS for this problem . . the transformer is just not what he needs for this problem . . especially the brown-outs . |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
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