[Techtalk] OT but I'm desperate.... Windows....!

[Carla Schroder]

On Wednesday 16 October 2002 16:24, Michelle Howson wrote:
> > Grrrrr.  Reading this, and what everyone else is saying, I think we've
> >hit
> > the nail on the head.  I live in an old building, and in my room I have
> > just one power outlet.  Everything...everything...runs off that.
> >
> >This is a situation where an uninterruptable power supply could help,
> >such as those made by APC.  They can boost a lagging wall supply from
> >the backup battery, and suppress any spikes.
>
> Can someone in Australia point me in the direction of where I can find
> these and what kind of cost I'm looking at?  On a student budget I have a
> feeling it'll be just a dream..... :|

It's a good idea- shop carefully, because most UPS devices are actually SPS- 
standby power supply, not true uninterruptible power supplies. They kick in 
only during a power failure, give a certain number of minutes of backup 
power, then if you have the software installed, do a graceful shutdown. A 
backup power supply does not smooth out spikes & sags. The deliberate 
confusion between UPS/SPS is dirty trick, doggone it.

A true UPS supplies power directly from its battery & does other magic things, 
so it provides a steady, regulated voltage all the time, eliminating sags and 
spikes. These are sometimes advertised as 'line conditioning'. Of course they 
cost more, here is one:
http://www.falconups.com/sg-600.htm

APC has one for about $179, the Line-R 1250VA, and a lower-capacity model for 
about $129.
-- 
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Carla Schroder
Bratgrrl Computing
www.bratgrrl.com
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