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computer woes

ak diesel driver

ak diesel driver

6.5 driver
Messages
19,244
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Location
alaska
So here is my comp story. bout 2 years ago I bought a pretty nice hp comp that was pretty well loaded with lots of ram and a big hard drive. after 1 1/2 years it died (motherboard). Unwilling to drop another chunk of cash to buy another I got a surplus Dell from a friend of mine who works at a university. After about 6 months it died(hard drive) so he put in another. 2 weeks later the power supply quit. That was fixed literally hours later I get a blue screen message saying my video card is toast, we try a different card nada motherboard is gone. So he got me yet another surplus comp which is a lil newer. I'm typing on it now. He thinks I have a power issue but I have checked the voltage with my DVM and it is fine. even varied the load to see if I had a faulty neutral (causes one leg to go high while the other leg goes low). Anyone got any other ideas? I'm not having issues with any other electronics even the ones plugged into the same outlet.
 
3rd time's the charm Les. You're good to go. Were you able to get everything out of your hard drive you had stored?
 
My transfer switch is about 30' away from my shop (where I'm living) and it has 2 ground rods. Been meaning to put another at the shop but haven't got around to it
 
You might look into a UPS for your computer and more sensitive or expensive electronics. They are a battery backup, some actually filter dips and spikes very well. I havn't a clue on what or which though.
 
Dirty or noisy power can effect electronic in different ways. A good UPS will prevent this but you must configure the UPS to run when it detects crappy power. If you hook it out of the box it will run on default mode.....which may not help your problem
 
Brown outs will do weird things to PC's. So will blown caps. See http://www.badcaps.net
Power failures can still bounce hard drive heads.

PC's are designed for 5 years. They are value engineered to make 5 years and not much more. The smaller the case and hotter things run the shorter the life of the PC. We order bigger cases just for cooling and longer life.

The Dell 270's and 280's are scrap due to bad caps as well as several other brands and models unless you have them recapped with good parts and the 270's are still scrap unless every single cap is replaced.

A power failure including power supply failure during a system area hard drive write will trash the operating system. Reinstall the video driver then windows if that didn't fix the bluescreen. Thinking Windows files got corrupted during the PS failure.
 
power around here is notoriously unstable and according to the power company they don't have brown outs,yeah right. the last dell that went bad was a 680 ( I think) and this one I have now is a 745
 
Totally a left field thought, but could you flip the computer power supply to 240v (some you can) and wire accordingly? Would this ease the difference in voltage drop-out of a 120v 'leg'..?

:dunno:
 
Not for the U.S. market. (I think?)

50hz is euro.. IIRC.

The switch is just for voltage I think, but Ak should check his power supply label to make sure..

Just a thought..
 
Use a point-of-use line conditioner (APC, Tripp Lite): plug line conditioner into wall outlet, plug electronic devices into line conditioner. Line conditioners work well for brownouts and surges/spikes. I picked up a couple of used ones from flea-bay for use on the two circuits from our diesel generator.
 
Just ordered (free shipping to 50 states) a couple of APC LE1200, $48.24 each delivered. APC web site lists at 59.99+shipping. Specs state max 10 amps line current.

I have the older/discontinued model (cheap from flea-bay) line-r 1250 which is rated for 8 amps only, but I run my front load washing machine off the little sucker. Used to get repeated error codes running straight off the GFCI outlet. Installed the line-r 1250 between the outlet and washer, no more problems. Have another line-r 1250 upstairs for the three PCs and networking gear. APCs have pretty hefty joule ratings. Many battery back up UPS systems do not perform the automatic voltage regulation (AVR) that line conditioners are designed to perform. The really expensive ones do.

If your needs are to have an "orderly shutdown" of the PC's running applications and operating system, get a battery backup UPS system (sizing requirements depending on time required for the shutdowns, and AVR feature will run you expensive to very expensive).

If not, get a line conditioner. APC, Tripplite, CyberPower. I highly recommend it for anything that is sensitive to power fluctuations/spikes, such as electronics (PCs, TVs, etc.) and appliances with motors (washers, dryers, fridges, freezers, airconditioners...brownouts do cumulative damage to motors). The 95-96% efficiency of the line conditioners should not negate the savings in repair/replacement/time off work/angst/spoiled food/etc.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00009RA60/?tag=jhuntlink-20

http://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=LE1200
 
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
ak diesel driver said:
I'm watching an 1800w one now
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Must be a Tripplite with that rating. Wish I could afford them! Remember, the larger the units, the more capable they are to address and absorb power dips and spikes, AND withstand cumulative damage. Those iron cores and large caps are earning their keep for sure. Check for proper grounding of the units and/or the outlets that they are plugged into (or of the genset... copper rod in ground kinda stuff).

Also look for closeouts of data center equipment. The rackmount units work just as well and are stackable, if you have a rack (which might be available, too).
 
ak diesel driver said:
got the 1800w tripplite for $54 including shipping thanks for the info Franko
Click to expand...
You are welcome! Great deal, man! With this and other manufacturers, they have a "recommended" list of equipment it supports or should be used for. As long as you do not exceed the device' output capacity and not use it for, say, stick welding, etc., you should be good to go. Heck, GM recommends you keep the PMD in its original location...
 
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