Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions Surge suppressors.

And this is why getting "facts" from forums is taken with a grain of salt.
I've replaced power supplies and hard drives first hand that were destroyed because of a quick power outage including one of my own. CRTs that are quick power cycled can blow caps easy (sometimes replaceable, sometimes not). I also know two people who have had their houses hit by lightning. Again rare, but if you can improve the chance of surviving that event for what? a hundred bucks? then why not?

Sure, these events are rare and most electronics do have the capacity to withstand surges, but it doesn't always work as effectively as one expects.

Geez, of all the people who should know by now it's audio folk; things are made much more cheaply these days, cutting every corner on every part. The days of robust 30 year old appliances are gone. I can barely keep some of our 3 year old appliances out of the damn repair shops.

What do many recommend for brownout protection? A UPS. What do all laptops contain? A UPS.

Junk science is to observe something. Then make a conclusion from that observation. Many see a brownout. See electronics damage. Then *know* brownouts cause electronics damage. Junk science. Observation without underlying facts and fundamental theory is a classic junk science conclusion.

Brownouts are destructive to motorized appliances - air conditioner, refrigerator, furnace fan motor, etc. But brownouts never cause electronics damage - even those without an internal UPS.

However brownouts can be a symptom of other problems. Those other problems would explain a laptop power supply failure. Electrical anomalies include blackouts, brownouts, harmonics, noise, and surges. Each is unique. Solutions required in different locations. But solutions cannot be implemented without first defining the problem.

Low voltage and blackouts are never destructive to electronics. Otherwise power off also would be destructive. Otherwise the brownout (intentionally created inside some electronics when first powered on) would be destructive. And so the question is, "What caused that damage?" Well, best evidence is always the dead body. An autopsy is informative.

Laptop power supplies (on 120VAC) must operate uninterrupted on any voltage from 90 VAC to 260 VAC. Well beyond what is harmful to other appliances. Voltage variations (ie brownouts) do not explain that damage. In fact, every computer must work just fine even when incandescent bulbs are glowing at less than 40% intensity.

What exactly was damaged when it was located where (ie what was the table top material; what was the floor; where in relation to the breaker box; what other cables; etc)?