Power to protect
| Power cuts. Lightning strikes. Brown outs. Spikes. Power surges. These are all phrases that run a cold shiver through your average computer user. And with the Highlands and Islands prone to high winds, interruptions to power supplies are not unknown. The consequences for the innards of your computer can be fatal, and disastrous for your data. A recent trip to a computer shop provided first hand knowledge of the results of an overnight lightning storm. In the space of 15 minutes, five customers came in to buy new modems.
Returning two days later, it was discovered the shop had sold a month’s worth of modems in 48 hours. In the workshop upstairs, lay a collection of PCs containing circuit boards with what can only be described as scorched chips. Where once brightly coloured chips had resided, now there was blackened, and shrivelled blobs of plastic. The interior of one computer’s casing even displayed scorch marks. While some of these machines would be resurrected by fitting new internal modems, it was clear, even to the untrained eye, that some were destined for the skip. Avoidable This scenario need not necessarily have been played out but for a few simple precautions and some low cost investment. Wherever power cuts or lightning are concerned, erring on the side of caution is a wise move. Firstly, power cuts. High winds, especially if accompanied by snow or ice, are precursors to the heightened probability of an interruption to power supplies. This is often the case in the more remote parts of the region. Get to know the tell-tale weather conditions, and look out too for lights flickering. If in doubt, save your work and shut-down as normal. Flickering lights, or brown outs, where the lights dim and then glow brighter, are strong cues to shutdown straight away. Often, these brown outs are more dangerous than a full-scale outage as the power suddenly kicks back in and can write off not only your data but your hardware as well. Normally, it is not necessary to unplug from the mains unless there is lightning. When lightning does occur, as soon as possible shut down your computer and disconnect your modem or router from the phone socket. Of course, all this diving about under desks can be done at a more leisurely pace if you have invested in an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) and power surge protectors. Safeguard A UPS is simply a back up battery that kicks in should the mains power go out, leaving enough time to save your work and shut-down properly. Some incorporate power surge protectors to smooth out changes in mains supplies and safeguard your hardware from harm. If buying a UPS is stretching the budget a bit, it is possible to purchase separate power surge protectors for around £10. For slightly more, others include hardware insurance and phone and Ethernet sockets to plug in modems or network cables. When you consider the expense, inconvenience and insurance claim forms to fill in, it makes sense to invest in hardware you hope will not be tested out. Sudden power loss can cause all sorts of problems as most computers and operating systems are writing to the hard disk almost constantly. An interrupted hard disk write can kill your operating system, or damage files and applications. To prevent this, the UPS has its battery in a constant state of charge. As soon as a main supply problem is suspected, internal circuitry in the UPS switches on and takes over. When selecting a UPS there are two important performance considerations to examine – maximum power and run time. The UPS power rating, usually expressed as VA (Volts times Amps), must exceed the total power consumption of all the devices attached to it. For example, if you are connecting a computer and its monitor to a UPS, you might find the monitor rated at 110 Volts and 1.5 amps. 110 Volts x 1.5 = 165 VA for the monitor. The computer may demand 110 Volts at 2 amps to give a power rating of 220VA. Next, adding 165 to 220, we arrive at a value of 385 VA which any UPS purchased would have to exceed. If in doubt, speak to your dealer for guidance. Having worked out the maximum power rating for your UPS, weigh up the run times of the various models in the category. The run time is how long the UPS will provide safe power. Normally two figures are given, one for the run time at half maximum power, and other for when the UPS is being drained at its full power rating. Shutdown signal At the top end of the range, some UPS models provide a serial or USB cable to allow the UPS to signal a system shutdown directly to the computer in the event of power loss. This is particularly useful if you are away from your workstation for extensive periods and leave your computer running. Like any battery whether it be for a mobile phone, camera or car, your UPS battery has a finite lifespan. You can safely assume four or five years of service, so long as you treat it with a degree of TLC. The following tips should ensure you get maximum lifetime out of your UPS:
|