Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ncar!boulder!sunybcs!oswego!ostroff
From: ostroff@oswego.Oswego.EDU (Boyd Ostroff)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: How do Macs respond to drops in voltage ?
Message-ID: <1154@oswego.Oswego.EDU>
Date: 16 Mar 89 18:57:36 GMT
References: <4240@wiley.UUCP> <3960@ece-csc.UUCP>
Reply-To: ostroff@oswego.oswego.edu.Oswego.EDU (Boyd Ostroff)
Organization: SUNY College @ Oswego, Oswego, NY
Lines: 32

In article <3960@ece-csc.UUCP> jnh@ece-csc.UUCP (Joseph Nathan Hall) writes:
>In article <4240@wiley.UUCP> doug@.UUCP () writes:
>>I have a problem in my apartment with my lights dimming (meaning a
>>voltage drop) when ever I use a high-wattage appliance. How will a Mac
>>respond to this? 
>>
>The SE responds to dips in power pretty doggone well.  Last week I had
>a sudden (momentary) brown-out during an ice storm that cycled my stereo,
>television, alarm clock, VCR and about everything else around.  But I guess
>my Mac can run on its capacitors for a few tenths of a second ...
>

I have had similar experiences.  I live in a *very* rural area, and weekly
(or even daily) power outages, brown outs, etc. are the rule.  I often find
the same things happening - the VCR, clock and my AT&T 3B1 all get zapped,
but my Mac 512E cruises right through it, as does my (old) Apple HD-20.  Even
when I do have a blackout, for the last three years the hard disk has always 
come back up ok after a bit of "thinking".

I used to have similar problems with lights (and the Mac) "dimming" when
the air conditioner, furnace or water pump cut in.  I ran a separate circuit
to the breaker panel *just* for the computer.  This cured the in-house
voltage drop problem, and now I have a circuit which I'm sure is properly
grounded too, which can be a problem in an old house like mine.  If this
is possible, I'd strongly urge you to do the same for protection from spikes
and voltage drops.

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:: Boyd Ostroff, Technical Director :::::: System Operator, "The CallBoard" :::
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