Life expectancy

Paul wrote:
snip

I feel like I'm responding from the twilight zone...

Believe it or not, my neighborhood lost power at the exact moment I
clicked send - and I don't have a UPS. I was stunned to see my post had
actually reached the news server!

I'll be honest with you. I didn't read any of w_toms posts in this
thread. It is his presentation style that irks me. I've read some
of the threads he's participated in before. If he is trying to
be helpful, he picks a funny way to do it at times. Antagonizing
the people in your thread doesn't help.

I agree his style isn't exactly endearing, however I believe his
intentions are to assist.

I installed the entire electrical system at my cottage, in accordance
with a manual provided by the utility - the only things they did were
inspect, run my wire up the pole, and plug their meter into the base
provided.

Not too long afterward, expensive damage to electronics occurred during
a thunderstorm - despite my having shut off the main breaker as the
storm approached.

As a result, I responded to one of w_tom's lectures with details of the
installation and the damage that had occurred. He really was quite
helpful in his own way, mostly by pointing out that any wire which
enters the building but does not connect (within 10') to the grounding
system effectively bypasses any protection it may afford. I had to prod
him a bit to obtain practical advice, but in the end he conceded the
do-able retrofits I proposed were likely to be somewhat effective.

Based on the wide range of news groups that end up with "surge
protector" threads like this, w_tom seems to use Google, to find
any group that is discussing surge protectors. There is nothing
wrong with that, as long as your sole purpose is not to pick fights
with people or hijack the thread they have started.

http://groups.google.ca/groups?q=w_t...e+protector%22

If anything, w_toms threads draw the best from other participants
in the thread. For example, I just noticed a reference to this product:

http://brickwall.com/howwork.htm

Certainly a different approach to the problem. Seems to be a subject
filled with loads of claims and counter-claims.

Indeed. There have been several severe thunderstorms at the cottage
since I relocated and grounded some services, and no further damage -
but no way of knowing if that's down to luck or the improvements to my
grounding system.

BTW, Brickwall's design appears remarkably similar to the boxes my Dad
was promoting years ago - there's nothing new under the sun ;-)

P2B

YOu really are a pretentious little prick.
Lets see your CV and practical experience. How many computing facilites have
you installed or designed? How many transmitter towers have you designed
and supervised the installation? How many grounding systems have you
designed for x-mitters?

"w_tom" wrote in message
...
Review some false claims confronted in this thread followed
by an answer to the OP's original question.

Surge protectors don't operate fast enough. Claim was made
based upon insufficient technical knowledge. Claim confronted
with numbers. Author no longer makes that claim.

"in this country buildings are well enough grounded to be
safe in most circumstances". But that grounding is for human
safety. Earthing for transistor safety is significantly
different. We still don't build as if the transistor exists.
Authors eventually abandoned that claim.

Ground Fault indicators and joules were noted in UPS as if
these provided hardware protection. Demonstrated was that
Ground Fault Indicator does not and could not detect a failed
earth ground. That joules alone don't prove protection is
being provided (which explains many 'protectors' with
insufficient joules). Author never challenged that facts;
having noted that grounding requirement in an earlier post.

"the cost to take extraordinary precautions to protect
against rare events is probably not worth it". And so he
would recommend spending $15 or $50 per protected appliance on
ineffective plug-in protectors rather than $1 per protected
appliance for an effective 'whole house' protector? He would
spend $thoundands on ineffective protectors? No wonder he
thought protection costs so much. The effective protector
costs tens of times less money. Author conceded that fact.

"uncontrolled power loss does impact the life expectancy of
the hardware systems" was stated only based upon a personal
opinion. Supporting facts were never provided. No components
could be identified as damaged by uncontrolled power loss.
Electronics sees same power down whether it is from an
unexpected power loss or normal shutdown. If unexpected power
loss impacts hardware life expectancy, then so does normal
power off. Author never could say why power loss was so
destructive nor could he identify parts that are damaged.
Author repeatedly made claims but could not explain why normal
power down also did not do same damage.

Once it was apparent that he could not challenge facts, an
author then resorted to claiming I did not have practical
experience. Even when examples of extensive design and
operation experience were provided, he continued his claims.
Why? He had no facts. He was left only to claim I could not
know the facts; only he could be correct because he had
experience (without the essential underlying theory).

The discussion ended here. Not able to dispute the facts -
starting with a myth that surge protectors operate too slow -
author is now left claiming only he has worldly experience.
Implied is an admission that the author also has no 'book
learning'. Author is even invited to define essential
functions that must be inside a power supply. He cannot.
Common among those who recommend a plug-in UPS to protect
hardware but don't know why.

One claim never made: a warranty proves that plug-in UPSes
or power strip protectors are effective hardware protection.
That would be another common myth that others use when
technical knowledge is insufficient.

Fact remains that a protector is only as effective as its
earth ground. Earthing is how serious, high reliability
facilities have done it for generations. Earthing is why the
telephone company's $multi-million dollar computer, connected
to overhead wires everywhere in town, need not shutdown during
thunderstorms. Single point earth ground is how effective
protection can be installed for tens of times less money
compared to plug-in protectors.

Returning to the OP's question. Asus motherboard life
expectancy can be preserved by addressing technical issues
such as the power supply. Too many power supplies (especially
those sold only on price) are missing essential functions -
such as circuits that protect motherboard. For typically
destructive transients, earthing every incoming utility to a
single point earth ground is essential. Connection made
either by hardware or via a 'whole house' protector. A good
power supply and a good single point earth ground is essential
to Asus motherboard life expectancy. And, or course, static
electric precautions since a static electric shock today can
cause a motherboard failure tomorrow or next month.

UPS is for data protection. Plug-in UPS does not provide
effective hardware protection. Anything inside a UPS that
would preserve life of a Asus motherboard are functions inside
a minimally acceptable power supply.

Travis King wrote:
What's probably the life expectancy of my A7V333 motherboard if I
take good care of it? It has 2 years on it right now. I run the
computer for the most part constantly except when I leave town or
do something with the inside of the computer. Current MB
temperature is at 30 C.

Tom is a pretentious little prick. My guess he's long on theory and short
on experience.
I'm surprised on your comments about problems with your cottage. I lived in
London, Ont for 20 years in a 70 year old house that was wired with knob and
tube and two wires, hot and neutral. The only place the grounding came in
was at the panel where the neutral and ground are connected/ THe p[anel was
grounded to the water line which was lead. The neigbourhood wiring was 40 or
50 years old on poles. London is subject to frequent spectacular lightening
storms from April thru October. I never had any problems in 20 years. I
live in another part of the province now where the neigbourhood wiring is
new and in a new house with grounding out the ass (the ground is to a 25 ft
steel well shaft after running through 100 feet of sand six feet down. I
watch lightening out the window as I key. Never had a problem. The only
thing in the house that has surge protectors is the satellite receivers and
they seem to have much more problems with the uplink than the receiver.
(star choice sucks). I think the surge protectors have tripped twice in
about 8 receiver years.

"P2B" wrote in message
...


Paul wrote:
snip

I feel like I'm responding from the twilight zone...

Believe it or not, my neighborhood lost power at the exact moment I
clicked send - and I don't have a UPS. I was stunned to see my post had
actually reached the news server!

I'll be honest with you. I didn't read any of w_toms posts in this
thread. It is his presentation style that irks me. I've read some
of the threads he's participated in before. If he is trying to
be helpful, he picks a funny way to do it at times. Antagonizing
the people in your thread doesn't help.

I agree his style isn't exactly endearing, however I believe his
intentions are to assist.

I installed the entire electrical system at my cottage, in accordance
with a manual provided by the utility - the only things they did were
inspect, run my wire up the pole, and plug their meter into the base
provided.

Not too long afterward, expensive damage to electronics occurred during
a thunderstorm - despite my having shut off the main breaker as the
storm approached.

As a result, I responded to one of w_tom's lectures with details of the
installation and the damage that had occurred. He really was quite
helpful in his own way, mostly by pointing out that any wire which
enters the building but does not connect (within 10') to the grounding
system effectively bypasses any protection it may afford. I had to prod
him a bit to obtain practical advice, but in the end he conceded the
do-able retrofits I proposed were likely to be somewhat effective.

Based on the wide range of news groups that end up with "surge
protector" threads like this, w_tom seems to use Google, to find
any group that is discussing surge protectors. There is nothing
wrong with that, as long as your sole purpose is not to pick fights
with people or hijack the thread they have started.

http://groups.google.ca/groups?q=w_t...e+protector%22

If anything, w_toms threads draw the best from other participants
in the thread. For example, I just noticed a reference to this product:

http://brickwall.com/howwork.htm

Certainly a different approach to the problem. Seems to be a subject
filled with loads of claims and counter-claims.

Indeed. There have been several severe thunderstorms at the cottage
since I relocated and grounded some services, and no further damage -
but no way of knowing if that's down to luck or the improvements to my
grounding system.

BTW, Brickwall's design appears remarkably similar to the boxes my Dad
was promoting years ago - there's nothing new under the sun ;-)

P2B

Another example that notritenoteri has no technical
knowledge and provides no accurate technical facts.
notritenoteri posts, in utter frustration, what he 'feels' to
be true - reality be damned:

notritenoteri wrote:
YOu really are a pretentious little prick. ...

Meantime, things that preserve life expectancy of an Asus
motherboard include minimally acceptable power supply
(provided with written specificatons), properly earthed 'whole
house' protector, and no static electric discharges into
electronics. Had notritenoteri first learned basic facts,
then notritenoteri would not be posting insults.

lets have your CV tommy boy and your practical experience. just a couple of
designs and installs you can refer us too. OH yes perhaps you can name the
faciliteis you've set up and installed.
You really can't handle your "facts" being challenged can you. ANy asshole
(that's you) can recite theory its where the rubber meets the road that
counts.
"w_tom" wrote in message
...
Another example that notritenoteri has no technical
knowledge and provides no accurate technical facts.
notritenoteri posts, in utter frustration, what he 'feels' to
be true - reality be damned:

notritenoteri wrote:
YOu really are a pretentious little prick. ...

Meantime, things that preserve life expectancy of an Asus
motherboard include minimally acceptable power supply
(provided with written specificatons), properly earthed 'whole
house' protector, and no static electric discharges into
electronics. Had notritenoteri first learned basic facts,
then notritenoteri would not be posting insults.

That UPS took a hit equally with computer. Learn how the
circuit is built. The surge hit both computer and UPS at same
time. The UPS apparently was damaged. Therefore it provided
no effective protection. But that same transient was too
small to overwhelm protection in the computer. IOW eliminate
the UPS and computer still would not be damaged.

The UPS provides no effective protection. Therefore its
components (necessary so they can claim some microscopic
protection) were destroyed by a transient too small to harm
the adjacent computer. Tell me where the protection was?

Power strips downline of the UPS are suppose to do any
better? The UPS contains the exact same protector circuit as
in those power strips. You tell me. If the UPS does not
provide effective protection, then why are power strips with
the same circuit suppose to do anything better? The reason he
recommends those power strips? He read on retail shelves that
is it a surge protector. Therefore he assumed it is surge
protection. He used called junk science reasoning.

Effective protector shunt transients 'less than 10 feet' to
earth AND must not be damaged. Both that UPS and power strips
forget to mention earthing and the necessary 10 feet. Then
Ken Marsh will promote a myth. Had he first learned the
numbers and principles, then he could have seen through their
half truths. He did not. He even promoted the myth about
filtering inside a power strip. They got Ken Marsh to ignore
THE most critical protection component - earth ground. Ken
Marsh recommends protectors that have no effective earth
ground connection.

The UPS provided protection from blackouts and brownouts.
Neither damage electronics. The UPS does not claim effective
protection from harmonics, noise, or destructive transients.
Protection is provided inside the computer power supply in
conjunction with the properly earthed 'whole house' protector.

Why did other equipment die? IOW everything else in the
building including smoke detectors, GFCI outlet, dimmer
switches, furnace controls, dishwasher, etc all were
destroyed? What protected them? Oh. Some other household
devices survived without any protector? Ken Marsh - your
conclusions are not valid until you can explain other
electrical devices survived.

Ken Marsh recommends we spend hundreds or thousands of
dollars on protectors that don't even claim protection from
the one type of destructive transient. They are not even
effectively earthed - therefore could never accomplish what he
claims. However Ken Marsh could have protected those
electronics - and many other household electronics - for $1
per protected appliance. Even the money is damning numbers
that say Ken has promoted a scam.

Ken Marsh wrote:
Paul wrote:
#Cheap UPSes offer no protection at all, as they are
#actually SPS (standby power supplies) - they are a "straight wire"
#to power spikes, and the unit only cuts over to batteries if
#the AC power dies for enough milliseconds.

I agree with part of the statement, about spikes... which is why each of
my cheap UPS's are downstream of a good ($50-$75) power strip, which are
equipped with EMI/RFI filtering, few-nanosecond clamping, etc.

But really, "no protection at all"? That's a very strong statemnent. I
beg to differ. At work we had a UPS "take the hit" and save a PC while
other equipment died.

In addition, I live in an area of frequent, spontaneous electrical
events, and our home computers used to reboot or shutdown a lot. I got a
couple of cheap UPS's (SPS, whatever), now the UPS clicks when the
lights flicker but the computers keep on running. I haven't had one
spontaneous reboot/shutdown since I plugged them in. During a couple of
power outages they have allowed sane, unhurried shutdowns.

I'm sure there are any number of electrical conditions that would fry
the cheap UPS/SPS, and sometimes the computer with it, or cause a
spontaneous shutdowns/reboots. But given the money invested versus the
protection I've received, I think a cheap consumer UPS is a good deal
all around, certainly a lot of protection for the money, especially when
team with a good filtering, clamping power strip.

Ken.

w_tom wrote:

That UPS took a hit equally with computer. Learn how the
circuit is built. The surge hit both computer and UPS at same
time. The UPS apparently was damaged. Therefore it provided
no effective protection. But that same transient was too
small to overwhelm protection in the computer. IOW eliminate
the UPS and computer still would not be damaged.


If you even had a clue as to how most UPS systems work you wouldn't be
making the statements you are. The UPS is before the computer in the
circuit. The transient has to go Through the UPS to affect the
"protected" components. The protected components do NOT have to see the
same transient that the UPS does. The UPS can be destroyed and not allow
any power through. This may not always be the case but in most cases
this is true. While other means of protecting equipment should be
considered no One method is enough.


The UPS provides no effective protection. Therefore its
components (necessary so they can claim some microscopic
protection) were destroyed by a transient too small to harm
the adjacent computer. Tell me where the protection was?

Power strips downline of the UPS are suppose to do any
better? The UPS contains the exact same protector circuit as
in those power strips. You tell me. If the UPS does not
provide effective protection, then why are power strips with
the same circuit suppose to do anything better? The reason he
recommends those power strips? He read on retail shelves that
is it a surge protector. Therefore he assumed it is surge
protection. He used called junk science reasoning.

Effective protector shunt transients 'less than 10 feet' to
earth AND must not be damaged. Both that UPS and power strips
forget to mention earthing and the necessary 10 feet. Then
Ken Marsh will promote a myth. Had he first learned the
numbers and principles, then he could have seen through their
half truths. He did not. He even promoted the myth about
filtering inside a power strip. They got Ken Marsh to ignore
THE most critical protection component - earth ground. Ken
Marsh recommends protectors that have no effective earth
ground connection.

The UPS provided protection from blackouts and brownouts.
Neither damage electronics. The UPS does not claim effective
protection from harmonics, noise, or destructive transients.
Protection is provided inside the computer power supply in
conjunction with the properly earthed 'whole house' protector.

Why did other equipment die? IOW everything else in the
building including smoke detectors, GFCI outlet, dimmer
switches, furnace controls, dishwasher, etc all were
destroyed? What protected them? Oh. Some other household
devices survived without any protector? Ken Marsh - your
conclusions are not valid until you can explain other
electrical devices survived.

Ken Marsh recommends we spend hundreds or thousands of
dollars on protectors that don't even claim protection from
the one type of destructive transient. They are not even
effectively earthed - therefore could never accomplish what he
claims. However Ken Marsh could have protected those
electronics - and many other household electronics - for $1
per protected appliance. Even the money is damning numbers
that say Ken has promoted a scam.

Ken Marsh wrote:

Paul wrote:
#Cheap UPSes offer no protection at all, as they are
#actually SPS (standby power supplies) - they are a "straight wire"
#to power spikes, and the unit only cuts over to batteries if
#the AC power dies for enough milliseconds.

I agree with part of the statement, about spikes... which is why each of
my cheap UPS's are downstream of a good ($50-$75) power strip, which are
equipped with EMI/RFI filtering, few-nanosecond clamping, etc.

But really, "no protection at all"? That's a very strong statemnent. I
beg to differ. At work we had a UPS "take the hit" and save a PC while
other equipment died.

In addition, I live in an area of frequent, spontaneous electrical
events, and our home computers used to reboot or shutdown a lot. I got a
couple of cheap UPS's (SPS, whatever), now the UPS clicks when the
lights flicker but the computers keep on running. I haven't had one
spontaneous reboot/shutdown since I plugged them in. During a couple of
power outages they have allowed sane, unhurried shutdowns.

I'm sure there are any number of electrical conditions that would fry
the cheap UPS/SPS, and sometimes the computer with it, or cause a
spontaneous shutdowns/reboots. But given the money invested versus the
protection I've received, I think a cheap consumer UPS is a good deal
all around, certainly a lot of protection for the money, especially when
team with a good filtering, clamping power strip.

Ken.

In article , wrote:

Hi,

Interesting thread.

Paul wrote:
#Cheap UPSes offer no protection at all, as they are
#actually SPS (standby power supplies) - they are a "straight wire"
#to power spikes, and the unit only cuts over to batteries if
#the AC power dies for enough milliseconds.

I agree with part of the statement, about spikes... which is why each of
my cheap UPS's are downstream of a good ($50-$75) power strip, which are
equipped with EMI/RFI filtering, few-nanosecond clamping, etc.

But really, "no protection at all"? That's a very strong statemnent. I
beg to differ. At work we had a UPS "take the hit" and save a PC while
other equipment died.

In addition, I live in an area of frequent, spontaneous electrical
events, and our home computers used to reboot or shutdown a lot. I got a
couple of cheap UPS's (SPS, whatever), now the UPS clicks when the
lights flicker but the computers keep on running. I haven't had one
spontaneous reboot/shutdown since I plugged them in. During a couple of
power outages they have allowed sane, unhurried shutdowns.

I'm sure there are any number of electrical conditions that would fry
the cheap UPS/SPS, and sometimes the computer with it, or cause a
spontaneous shutdowns/reboots. But given the money invested versus the
protection I've received, I think a cheap consumer UPS is a good deal
all around, certainly a lot of protection for the money, especially when
team with a good filtering, clamping power strip.

Ken.

My purpose in explaining this, is to point out the difference
in circuit topology, between two classes of products. When I
got my "UPS", I couldn't figure out why it ran so cool to the
touch, until I happened to stumble on an article explaining
the difference.

Even though the SPS is a "straight wire" under normal
circumstances, there is nothing stopping the designer of
a SPS from throwing in some MOV's, common mode chokes,
and all the other sundry items present in a power
strip.

What a SPS does buy you, is the ability to use the computer
without a crash, as long as the switchover time of the SPS
is shorter than the guaranteed holdup time specification for
your ATX PSU. (That is the reason I bought one, because of all
the power problems in my neighbourhood. Lots of one second
outages.) Any other properties of the unit could vary from
design to design - for example, I've heard of one design
that has brownout compensation that works without switching
to batteries.

I have one observation for you. I had a Sony Trinitron monitor
for about six years. We had plenty of lightning storms in those
years. For about the last two years of use, the Trinitron was
plugged into the SPS, along with any computers in the room.
I was away from the house one day, while there was a lightning
storm in the area. When I got home, the Trinitron was arcing
over on the HV cable inside the monitor, perhaps every half
hour. Coincidence ? (Note: In the time I've been in this house,
this is the only damaged device I've ever had, and it was plugged
into the UPS. The arcing in the monitor can be stopped by reducing
the resolution setting of the computer, and that is how I used it
until I picked up another monitor.) As with any observation
like this, a single data point is worthless. But it does make
me wonder whether there can be situations where a SPS switching
over in the middle of some kind of transient condition, could
cause more damage than it stops. Could a SPS "chatter" ?
Since I wasn't in the room at the time, I'll never know
exactly what happened. The fact that an expensive UPS
never "reconfigures" itself, eliminates some of these
possibilities. And that is why I explained the
differences.

Paul

x-no-archive: yes:
gee guy with no CV HAve you new laws of physics where you are? MAYbe
you should stop wiring UPSs and PC in parallel? T hen they wouldn't see
the surge at exactly the same time. LAst I heard but maybe on your
planet it is different but the first device in a series "sees" the surge
before the next one up stream. Do you know something different?

Please share!
That UPS took a hit equally with computer. Learn how the
circuit is built. The surge hit both computer and UPS at same
time. The UPS apparently was damaged. Therefore it provided
no effective protection. But that same transient was too
small to overwhelm protection in the computer. IOW eliminate
the UPS and computer still would not be damaged.

The UPS provides no effective protection. Therefore its
components (necessary so they can claim some microscopic
protection) were destroyed by a transient too small to harm
the adjacent computer. Tell me where the protection was?

Power strips downline of the UPS are suppose to do any
better? The UPS contains the exact same protector circuit as
in those power strips. You tell me. If the UPS does not
provide effective protection, then why are power strips with
the same circuit suppose to do anything better? The reason he
recommends those power strips? He read on retail shelves that
is it a surge protector. Therefore he assumed it is surge
protection. He used called junk science reasoning.

Effective protector shunt transients 'less than 10 feet' to
earth AND must not be damaged. Both that UPS and power strips
forget to mention earthing and the necessary 10 feet. Then
Ken Marsh will promote a myth. Had he first learned the
numbers and principles, then he could have seen through their
half truths. He did not. He even promoted the myth about
filtering inside a power strip. They got Ken Marsh to ignore
THE most critical protection component - earth ground. Ken
Marsh recommends protectors that have no effective earth
ground connection.

The UPS provided protection from blackouts and brownouts.
Neither damage electronics. The UPS does not claim effective
protection from harmonics, noise, or destructive transients.
Protection is provided inside the computer power supply in
conjunction with the properly earthed 'whole house' protector.

Why did other equipment die? IOW everything else in the
building including smoke detectors, GFCI outlet, dimmer
switches, furnace controls, dishwasher, etc all were
destroyed? What protected them? Oh. Some other household
devices survived without any protector? Ken Marsh - your
conclusions are not valid until you can explain other
electrical devices survived.

Ken Marsh recommends we spend hundreds or thousands of
dollars on protectors that don't even claim protection from
the one type of destructive transient. They are not even
effectively earthed - therefore could never accomplish what he
claims. However Ken Marsh could have protected those
electronics - and many other household electronics - for $1
per protected appliance. Even the money is damning numbers
that say Ken has promoted a scam.

Ken Marsh wrote:

Paul wrote:
#Cheap UPSes offer no protection at all, as they are
#actually SPS (standby power supplies) - they are a "straight wire"
#to power spikes, and the unit only cuts over to batteries if
#the AC power dies for enough milliseconds.

I agree with part of the statement, about spikes... which is why each of
my cheap UPS's are downstream of a good ($50-$75) power strip, which are
equipped with EMI/RFI filtering, few-nanosecond clamping, etc.

But really, "no protection at all"? That's a very strong statemnent. I
beg to differ. At work we had a UPS "take the hit" and save a PC while
other equipment died.

In addition, I live in an area of frequent, spontaneous electrical
events, and our home computers used to reboot or shutdown a lot. I got a
couple of cheap UPS's (SPS, whatever), now the UPS clicks when the
lights flicker but the computers keep on running. I haven't had one
spontaneous reboot/shutdown since I plugged them in. During a couple of
power outages they have allowed sane, unhurried shutdowns.

I'm sure there are any number of electrical conditions that would fry
the cheap UPS/SPS, and sometimes the computer with it, or cause a
spontaneous shutdowns/reboots. But given the money invested versus the
protection I've received, I think a cheap consumer UPS is a good deal
all around, certainly a lot of protection for the money, especially when
team with a good filtering, clamping power strip.

Ken.

By SPS, I assume you mean an continuously on-line or
interactive UPS. First what does the destructive transient
seek? Earth ground. What will stop the transient from
finding earth ground? Nothing because even miles of sky could
not stop that transient. Electrically, the transient is from
a current source. That means voltage will increase, as
necessary, to overwhelm any blocking protector circuit or
common mode choke. The UPS - whether a switchover to battery
type or continuously on-line type - will not stop, block,
absorb, or filter that transient. Protection means earthing a
transient BEFORE it can enter a building. Earth a transient
closer to its source and not at the protected appliance. Any
attempt to stop, block, or filter that transient adjacent to
the computer .... well that protection is already inside both
computer and monitor. Such protectors accomplish nothing.

Why was your monitor arcing? As forensic scientists say,
the best evidence is in the dead body. Apparently an autopsy
to that monitor was not performed. Therefore we cannot say
exactly how damage occurred. But we have learned this science
even before WWII. Nothing will effectively block, stop,
filter, or absorb destructive transients no matter how many
myths say otherwise. No plug-in UPS even claims to perform
that function - once we look at detailed numerical specs (no
wonder they make those specs so hard to obtain).

Reality demonstrated by previous posters:
"network card and modem not working" on 3 Sept 2003 in
newsgroup microsoft.public.windowsme.hardware
http://tinyurl.com/5h82o and
"Whole house surge suppressors" in alt.home.repair on 12 Jul
2004 at
http://tinyurl.com/6gl67
A classic case of this is proven at the School District where
I work. Every electrical storm would blow the phone system
cards in the switch after a major remodel to the tune of
$2000 - $5000. All kinds of surge protection blah blah.
The "brains" came in scratched their heads. I have been
reading your posts for a long time on this. I said lets
find and install a GOOD ground.

Problem solved. Has NOT happened since.

Paul wrote:
My purpose in explaining this, is to point out the difference
in circuit topology, between two classes of products. When I
got my "UPS", I couldn't figure out why it ran so cool to the
touch, until I happened to stumble on an article explaining
the difference.

Even though the SPS is a "straight wire" under normal
circumstances, there is nothing stopping the designer of
a SPS from throwing in some MOV's, common mode chokes,
and all the other sundry items present in a power
strip.

What a SPS does buy you, is the ability to use the computer
without a crash, as long as the switchover time of the SPS
is shorter than the guaranteed holdup time specification for
your ATX PSU. (That is the reason I bought one, because of all
the power problems in my neighbourhood. Lots of one second
outages.) Any other properties of the unit could vary from
design to design - for example, I've heard of one design
that has brownout compensation that works without switching
to batteries.

I have one observation for you. I had a Sony Trinitron monitor
for about six years. We had plenty of lightning storms in those
years. For about the last two years of use, the Trinitron was
plugged into the SPS, along with any computers in the room.
I was away from the house one day, while there was a lightning
storm in the area. When I got home, the Trinitron was arcing
over on the HV cable inside the monitor, perhaps every half
hour. Coincidence ? (Note: In the time I've been in this house,
this is the only damaged device I've ever had, and it was plugged
into the UPS. The arcing in the monitor can be stopped by reducing
the resolution setting of the computer, and that is how I used it
until I picked up another monitor.) As with any observation
like this, a single data point is worthless. But it does make
me wonder whether there can be situations where a SPS switching
over in the middle of some kind of transient condition, could
cause more damage than it stops. Could a SPS "chatter" ?
Since I wasn't in the room at the time, I'll never know
exactly what happened. The fact that an expensive UPS
never "reconfigures" itself, eliminates some of these
possibilities. And that is why I explained the
differences.

Paul