Powerline Conditioners

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Powerline Conditioners

Hi folks,
I know I've asked this here before but it's been several years. I'm asking for your experiences/opinions with different power line conditioners. I'm looking for one without a battery backup, basically to protect my high-end computer and home entertainment electronics. Recently I have been going with the monster brand hundred dollar ones that they have at Best Buy. They aren't just surge protectors, they do claim to condition the power lines from the spikes and dips.

Thanks, Mutant_Pie

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Re: Powerline Conditioners

Hello mutant_pie,
the answer to this question is dependent to several factors....
like with every kind of "specialized electronics" and power- conditioners belong to this kind of group,
there is a kind of compromise within the units depending to what kind of disadvantage they have to deal with....
therefor it might be very usefull to list the problems you might face and the risks you want to avoid....
this will enable the folks here to give more precise answer.....
just for example in some areas the upmost trouble is cause by lightningstrikes and bad filtering of the powersource
output from the wall.... in other areas the problem to fight is instable powersource with many short dropouts causing
reboots of the system.... and again in other areas the problems are related to bad filtering and remaining high frequent transmissions
to the powerlines.... in each case the power-conditioner should be focused to the problem
right upfront your wall outlet.... a conditioner that handles all the different kinds listed here would be that expensive and large, that only a company could afford such a supply ( like it is done in hospitals ).....
therefor it may be a good idea to list the problems first .....
sincerely speedyG

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Re: Powerline Conditioners

Hi SpeedyG,
I really don't have any specific problems. I just want to get the longest life out of my home electronics as possible. These include computers and home entertainment systems. We don't get many lightning strikes in this part of the country. So I'm really most concerned about dirty electricity coming in and it's repetitive spikes. Does that help?

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Re: Powerline Conditioners

Hi SpeedyG,
I really don't have any specific problems. I just want to get the longest life out of my home electronics as possible. These include computers and home entertainment systems. We don't get many lightning strikes in this part of the country. So I'm really most concerned about dirty electricity coming in and it's repetitive spikes. Does that help?

Hello mutant_pie,

in that circumstance the best solution will be so called "protective" units consisting of a combination of several coils and ceramic capacitors working as filtering device followed up by electronic fuse device consisting of ultra fast shottky diodes probably in combination with a ultra fast switching Triac. Such devices are often offered as so called "lightning protection devices" ( sometimes integrated in multiple outlet adaptors ... sometimes also called "PC-protection"
but the cheap ones are only equipped with filters and shottky diodes and only the more expensive ones are equipped with
"short-cutting" protection to keeep spikes from lightning strikes realy away from electronics behind....

A large electronic supplier will have several different kinds of such protection offered within his PC-department of the store or shop. And you are correct with the opinion that the device should be with out "backup function" and the required dry cell batteries.... such devives are only used for "bridging" the time between dropout of power and switchup time of power generators for long lasting dropout of powersource ( more than several milliseconds at startup of the backup power and the starting of external power generators within 10 to 15 minutes lasting to several hours of operational mode of the powergenerators with gasoline ), like installed in hospitals.

A good power protection like the one fullfilling the demands listed here should be availiable at 60 to 120 bucks depending to the kind selected and the amount of power to be protected ( up to 16 ampere or 25 ampere )....

just as example from Jameco :
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_19001_-1
and the datasheet is here:
http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/Products/ProdDS/19001.pdf
and smaller and cheaper version is here:
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10001_10001_18981_-1

this are just examples af what you are looking for.....

sincerely speedyG

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