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TeachingLibrarian9.3 34 Ontario School Library Association The effect is very similar to applying too much water pressure to a hose. If there is too much water pressure, a hose will burst. Approximately the same thing happens when too much electrical pressure runs through a wire -- the wire 'bursts.' Actually, it heats up like the filament in a light bulb and burns, but it's the same idea. Even if increased voltage doesn't immediately break your machine, it may put extra strain on the com- ponents, wearing them down over time." 1 How well does a surge protector do at providing protection to your computer? It depends on the quality of the bar you purchased as not all surge protectors are created equal. The basic power bars offer very little protection, just extra outlets. Better power bars will indicate their ratings. You'll know you've bought a good one when you can see the list of ratings stamped on it - ratings which list a "clamping voltage" of less than 400 V, an 'energy absorption/dissipation' of 600 joules or more, and a 'response time' of less than one nanosecond. One problem with surge protector power bars is that they can burn out with one good surge. This is why you need to get a protector with an indicator light that tells you whether or not it's functioning properly. If the light does not come on, throw it away! At the risk of pointing out the obvious, if you are depending on a surge protector bar, ensure that you are plugged into a grounded outlet. The bar will first try to shunt the overage in power back to the ground line to dissipate it - only large surges will blow the bar. But any surge protector is only handling one power problem area for your computer... just the surges. To truly protect your computer and your data, it's time to move up to an uninter- ruptible power supply - a UPS. It's such a simple little thing; it's not even high tech - just a basic box full of heavy duty batteries and an inverter switch. You'll never even notice it (except when trying to pick it up - did I say it was HEAVY?!) until the day that Mother Nature, or the electrician, or both decide to play with the hydro without informing you. WHAT DOES A UPS DO? It sits between the electrical outlet and your computer and ensures that variations in the electrical power coming out of the wall never directly reach your delicate computer chips and circuits. A UPS protects a computer against several different power problems: Voltage surges and spikes: when the voltage on the line is greater than it should be (all a surge protector bar really handles) Voltage sags: when the voltage on the line is less than it should be Total power failure: when the power goes completely down A UPS can come in many different sizes and shapes. The size of the UPS is primarily dic- tated by the size of the battery; the larger the battery bank, the more time your equipment can run on battery power before shutting down. Larger units not only can power equipment for more time, they can also handle a larger total demand for power. There are two common systems - the standby UPS and the continuous UPS. Standby UPS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGYTL