Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!jato!jade!morris From: morris@jade.jpl.nasa.gov (Mike Morris) Newsgroups: sci.electronics Subject: Re: Lightning protection Message-ID: <1827@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> Date: 28 Sep 89 20:41:08 GMT References: <11561@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM> <7600025@hp-lsd.COS.HP.COM> Sender: news@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov Reply-To: morris@jade.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Mike Morris) Lines: 47 (David Geiser) writes: >In hp-lsd:sci.electronics, bam@PRC.Unisys.COM writes: >b> >b>The first time it got nailed, the pulse also took out the surge >b>protector. I discovered (too late) that surge protectors can only >b>deal with the first 200-300 volts of a spike. I didn't bother >b>buying another one. > > Cheap ones, yes. I've seen used better ones. Read Jerry Pournelle's column in the August Byte, somewhere around page 100. Some clown hit the power pole that feeds his house and dropped a 16kv feeder into one side of the 220... "Incandescent light bulbs exploded"... Anyway, due to his experience, I compared the guts of a Tripp-Lite Isobar, and the common "surge supressed" outlet strip. There are several heavy-duty toroidal chokes and capacitors in an Isobar, vs 3 metal-oxide-varistors in the cheapies. in fact, I recently found a bunch of 140v MOVs in surplus and added them to the standard strips I already had. The Isobar is also built with good components, and put together like the proverbial tank - no snap-together plastic here - it's all metal and screws. Due to the above, I've bought 3 of the 8-outlet Isobar units for my computer room (IMSAI, DG Nova 4, PClone, Kaypro, LAN Server, four printers, three terminals, two modems, speakerphone, 12v power supply for the ham radio and packet unit, etc. I have an additional two cheap strips (with the added MOVs) plugged into the Isobars - one switches the IMSAI and it's drives on and off, the other handles the DG Nova 4 and it's peripherals. The PClone, modem and two printers are plugged into a Computer Associates Power Director/surge supressor, and the modem line is too - I've got the model with the supressors for the phone line. The CA Director is the first one I purchased, more for the switching than for the supression. One switch is very stiff, so I use it for the external hard drive box, so it gets left on, but I now try 'em before I buy 'em. If I could find the paralell printer spooler for the CA Director at a good price... Another 8-outet Isobar is going on the TV/stereo system RSN. I don't need an exploding TV, or VCRs, or ... One gentleman I know has a CA Director on his stereo system - the switches make it very nice... Mike Morris UUCP: Morris@Jade.JPL.NASA.gov ICBM: 34.12 N, 118.02 W #Include quote.cute.standard PSTN: 818-447-7052 #Include disclaimer.standard cat flames.all > /dev/null