Surge Protection/Conditionng/Battery Back-up?

I dunno, seems fine to me. Personally I don't run any "conditioning" on my computer or gear, I just shut down everything during thunderstorms. I think in 15+ years of recording, I've only had maybe 2-3 hard shutdowns due to power issues, none of which resulted in anything bad. I also save every single time I do something.

I would only put your computer and monitors on the battery backup, and intend on using it only to save your work and gracefully shut down. Lightning and odd power problems (automobile hits a power pole, etc) can still destroy your equipment, even with "protection" devices between your gear and the wall power, so the best option is to shut it down and unplug it if you keep having lightning strikes or power surges.

I guess the moral of the story is that no matter what anyone says, there is no perfect protection for electronics.  The best protection is NO connection!

WE have some hellacious thunderstorms and lightning around here. So when I built the new CRM, Jeff Hedback recommended a SurgeX sub panel. Pricey, but I'm glad I did it. Due to ground up and superior electrical design I didn't have to star ground this buildout, and the result has been awesome. I also put an overall surge protector on the main panel of the house. Again, not cheap, but with two surge protectors in front of my gear there's a little more peace of mind. I've got no battery backup though. All our electrical close by is underground, so we have a little less problem with losing power I think :

espsurgex.com/product/branch-circuit/

I once was in a studio where lightning hit just outside the building.. Power went crazy, things started frying, etc.

Turns out that the lightning strike hit right near the ground rod of the building, sending the charge up through the grounding.. No protection circuit in the world would have saved anything on that strike.

this is what I do each night as I leave.

cheers

Wiz

Which do you want?  Hardware protection or battery backup.  Those are two completely unrelated functions.

Battery backup does nothing to protect hardware.  Battery backup is to protect unsaved data.  It does not protect saved data or hardware.

Surge protection is to protect hardware from a transient that can overwhelm existing robust protection inside every appliance.  If anything needs that protection, then everything needs it.  How many $100+ Surgex devices will be installed on a furance, all clocks, dishwasher, every TV, refrigerator, all LED and CFL bulbs, central air, each recharging electronics, and the most critical item if a surge exists - smoke detectors?

Potentially destructive surges can be hundreds of thousands of joules.  Valid recommendation also say why with numbers.  How many joules does that Surgex absorb?  Maybe about 600 joules.  Electronics will routinely convert a 600 joules surge into rock stable, low DC voltages to safely power its semiconductors.  Best protection is already inside electronics.

Why did others forget to mention numbers?  Most who make recommendations only recite what was heard - subjectively.  Informed recommendations are based in perspective - ie spec numbers.

Protection means hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate harmlessly outside.  Then a surge is not inside hunting for earth destructively via appliances.  Facilities that cannot have damage implemented this proven solution - even 100 years ago. It costs about $1 per protected appliance.  Is provided by companies known for their integrity.  And is little known to a majority only educated by hearsay, speculation, and advertising.

So, do you want to protect unsaved data?  Or do you want to protect hardware? Two completely different anomalies require two completely different solutions.

As someone who routinely does ESD/transient/power surge testing on commercial products.. Numbers might sell products, but in the wild..

Numbers don't mean a damn thing.

Each strike is a completely different animal.  Lightning can, and will, do ridiculous things, including either completely avoiding the protection, or fusing it, or in the rare case, the protection actually working. 

And, most "protection" devices are simply an array of transorbs, spark-gap-arrestors, and MOVs.  Most UPS products have those built in.  Hell, even most computer power supplies have these devices.

FWIW, I have my gear plugged into these.

www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812107196

Your telco's $multi-million switching centers suffer about 100 surges with each storm. Which anomaly caused your town to be without power for four days while they replace that computer? None. Because effective protection is about no damage from surges - including direct lightning strikes. Same applies to cell phone towers, munitions dumps, broadcast stations, 911 response centers, etc. If a surge causes damage to any, then a major news story exists. Protection is that routine. Electronics atop the Empire State Building suffer 23 direct strikes annually - without damage.

Do not be confused. Effective protection exists inside all electronics - without protectors. Concern is for something that might exist once every seven years. A number that can vary even in the same town due to factors such as geology.

If that surge current enters on any utility wire, then existing protection can be compromised. That current hunts for earth destructively via appliances. Protection means that current connects harmlessly to earth by not entering any building.

Best protection on TV cable is already installed for free. A hardwire must connect low impedance (ie less than 10 feet) to single point earth ground.

Telephone cannot connect direct to earth. So a telco earths a 'whole house' protector for free. That protector is only doing what a hardwire does better. Appreciate the significance. Protectors do not do protection. Protectors connect to what does protection. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. That says what must have most of your attention - single point earth ground.

Unfortunately many are enthralled by protectors; never learn about the only item that makes protectors effective - single point earth ground.

Protectors are simple science. Lightning is typically 20,000 amps. So a minimal 'whole house' protector is 50,000 amps. That defines protector life expectancy over many surges and many decades. Effective protector costs about $1 per protected appliance.

Companies known for their integrity provide this well understood commodity including Intermatic, Square D, Ditek, Siemens, Polyphaser (an industry benchmark), Syscom, Leviton, ABB, Delta, Keison, Erico, and General Electric. A Cutler-Hammer sells in Lowes and Home Depot.

That is a protector. Simple science. Neither found nor discussed by any magic plug-in solution. Routinely found in facilities that cannot have damage. Any wire that enters must connect low impedance (ie no sharp wire bends) to single point earth ground before entering. As well understood over 100 years ago. Since a protector is only as effective as its earth ground (which is another discussion).

Above is only a 'secondary' protection layer. Also inspect your 'primary' protection layer. Pictures (not text) in  www.fpl-fraud.com/  after the expression "open vertical grounds" demonstrate what must be inspected in your 'primary' protection layer. What do ineffective and obscenely profitable 'magic boxes' not discuss? Earth ground.

BTW, view protection numbers for a UPS.  Often, its joules cannot be any smaller.  That number is one step above zero so subjective reasoning, hearsay, and advertising can call it 100% protection.  Even that UPS must be protected by a 'whole house' solution.  What does the UPS not have?  Earth ground.  It does not claim and cannot protect from typically destructive surges.  It is clearly not a protection layer.  

We designed surge protection that works in the real world.  We traced surges to locate a human mistake that created damage.  In one case, a network of powered off computers were connected to power strip protectors.  Those protectors earthed a direct lightning strike destructively through that network.  We literally replaced each surge damaged semiconductor to restore the entire system.  And to trace the surge paths.  Some consumer type knew it must be protection because it is called a surge protector.  No damage once we removed those protectors (that did what the manufacturer said it would do), upgraded earthing, and installed a 'whole house' protector.

I have done this for quite some time.  Direct strikes exist without damage.  What I know will contradict what a majority were told by advertising and wild speculation. Even a protector does not do protection.  Protector and protection are two completely different items in protection system.  A protector is only as effective as its earth ground.

westom, can yoo recommend a particular product/system that will do what M57 is asking, keep his gear safe?

See my post higher up in the thread. I mainly use these units to get the outlet count that I need for all my devices and having a single power switch to fire up the system.

I think a large part of what he's saying is this: without a single-point earth ground, protectors aren't doing a lot of protecting. Perhaps the first concern should be "does my studio/home/location have adequate earth grounding?" If yes, great. If not, solve that problem first. After that spend the money on commercial products equalling about $1 per appliance. Like, I'd get a $30 surge protector in my studio.

That's how I'm interpreting what he's saying. I welcome the possibility (probability, even!) that I'm wrong.

schmalzy wrote:  "I think a large part of what he's saying is this: without a single-point earth ground, protectors aren't doing a lot of protecting. Perhaps the first concern should be "does my studio/home/location have adequate earth grounding?"



First sentence is correct. Protector without a dedicated wire to earth defines expensive, obscenely profitable, and ineffective protectors.  That sentence does not yet define protection.

One poster says why vintage gear, outboard, computers, VALUABLE hard drives with irreplaceable music, mics, etc. plugged into the AC outlets are more easily damaged.  Denial based only emotion or speculation is a usual reason why damage happens.

Second, any recommendation not tempered by spec numbers must be ignored - so as to avert confusion.

Third, where is a number that defines "adequate earth grounding"?  Since facts and numbers were not provided, then nobody yet knows what is subjectively described as "adequate earth grounding".  For example a cold water pipe often and no longer provides it.

Question is accurate. "Does my studio/home/location have adequate earth grounding?"  An answer means facts with numbers.  Including this - a low impedance (ie less than 10 foot) connection to earth ground.  That low impedance connection makes obvious which protectors might do effective protection.  And which (ie plug-in) protectors (with massive profit margins) do not even claim such protection.  Plug-in protectors have no earth ground.

Four, listed were manufacturers of integrity that provide an effective protector ... with that dedicated wire to connect to earth.  Listed was a spec number that must exist. Sufficient information to select a best protector.

Nobody needs their hand held in Lowes or an electrical supply house.  Everybody can ask, "Show me your 'whole house' protector." It is that hard.   Nobody needs a parent to read a critical spec number - 50,000 amps.  Any child can select a best 'whole house' protector using those facts and numbers.  Effective protector is that easily selected.

Ask for facts and numbers that define "adequate earth ground".  Questions best begin by describing what already exists.  Since a homeowner is responsible for installing and maintaining that ground, then a homeowner should already know what exists.