Unprotected Equipment Can Fall Prey to Brownouts, Over-Voltage and Line Noise
There?s clearly nothing inconspicuous about a blackout: lights are killed, equipment grinds to a halt, and a variety of alarms sound. But other power problems ? such as brownouts, over-voltages and line noise ? may go unnoticed, giving the sometimes-silent power delinquents the potential to cause significant equipment damage or premature failure.
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A brownout, also referred to as an under-voltage condition, occurs when line voltage is reduced for a period ranging from a few minutes to a few days. The anomaly is characterized by a decrease in voltage below 90% of its nominal value, and can result from an intentional utility voltage reduction to conserve power during peak demand periods or other heavy loads that exceed supply capacity. It?s possible for a brownout to go unnoticed until new equipment is installed or the existing electrical system is otherwise changed, with the new combined load depressing the voltage to a point where symptoms become apparent. Besides the obvious malfunction of equipment, chronic brownouts can cause excess wear on devices such as motors, since low voltage causes them to run hot. ?
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Have your electronics ever run hotter than normal and failed prematurely? Or perhaps you?ve encountered unexplained system malfunctions? Maybe your devices simply shut down? All of these consequences are symptoms of a power disease known as an over-voltage. Characterized by increased line voltage for periods ranging from a few minutes to a few days, an over-voltage is usually triggered by a rapid reduction in power loads, heavy equipment being turned off, or by utility switching. Not surprisingly, these conditions often result in costly hardware damage.
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Line noise is another invisible predator ? yet one that can wreak havoc on sensitive electronic equipment. This often mysterious anomaly originates from power line disturbances, externally conducted noise, transmitted noise, or ground loops. Defined as a high frequency waveform caused by EMI interference, line noise is generated by interference generally emitted from transmitters, welding devices, SCR driven printers and lightning, among other sources.? Sparking or arcing across power-line related hardware causes virtually all power-line noise that originates from utility equipment. Noise-related difficulties can range in severity from minor positioning errors to damaged equipment.
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To avoid the potentially devastating consequences of brownouts, over-voltages and line noise, make sure your critical equipment is safeguarded by an online uninterruptible power system (UPS).? The double-conversion technology converts incoming AC power into filtered DC power, and then resynthesizes it back into AC power with a pure sine wave. Because the technology completely isolates sensitive equipment from all nine common power problems, the online UPS delivers the highest level of protection available.
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