Here are a few of the frequently asked Power questions we receive:-

Q:- What is a Blackout?

A:- Complete loss of power. Some literature considers a voltage drop below about 80V to be a blackout as well since most equipment will not operate below these levels.

Q:- What is a Sag (Brownout)?

A:- Decrease in voltage levels which can last for periods ranging from fractions of a second to hours. Can be caused by heavy equipment coming on line such as shop tools, elevators, compressors etc. Also occurs when utility companies deliberately do this to cope with peak load times.

Q:- what is a Spike?

A:- An instantaneous and tremendous increase in voltage often caused by a direct lightning strike on a power line or when power returns after a blackout.

Q:-what is a Surge?

A:- An substantial increase in voltage lasting a small fraction of a second, often caused when high powered appliances such as air conditioners are switched off.

Q:- what is EMI/RFI Noise?

A:- Electromagnetic Interference and Radio Frequency Interference. Caused by, inter alia, lightning, generators, radio transmitters, industrial equipment.

Q:-what is a MOV?

A:- Metal Oxide Varistor : used to control spikes. These are common in Power Strips. If you see more than two, you likely have a fairly decent Power Strip. They look like largish disk
capacitors.

Q:- what is an Inverter?

A:- Circuitry that converts DC battery power to AC power required by most computer equipment.

Q:-what is in a Surge Protector?

A:- Circuitry consisting of MOV's, capacitors, rod-core inductors etc. for suppressing surges and spikes usually embedded in a power strip connected to valuable or sensitive equipment.

Q:- what is a Line Conditioner used for?

A:- Line Conditioners are a transformer that attempts to smooth out fluctuations in input voltage to provide near uniform output voltage or voltage waveform, used to provide a constant smooth input to sensitive devices.