Surge Arrest
A surge protector is an appliance designed to protect electrical devices from power surges and voltage spikes. Surge protectors attempt to regulate the voltage supplied to an electric device by either blocking or shorting to ground voltage above a safe threshold. |
Power Condition
A power conditioner (also known as a line conditioner) is an electronic device, commonly taking the form of a powerstrip, that smooths out the peaks and dips of common household AC power. They create smooth power for precision electronics, such as computers and sound equipment hi end tvs and projectors. Many power conditioners also function as surge protectors.
Power conditioners are different from the typical uninterruptible power supply in that they continuously charge the battery and continuously run the equipment off battery power. Most UPSs simply pass the source power straight through while the source power is on, and only connect the battery when necessary. This can cause some sensitive equipment to fault or perhaps even be damaged in extreme cases. A dual conversion online UPS is a kind of power conditioner.
When running an electric generator, using a power conditioner for electronics is a good idea. Audiophiles appreciate that electrical signal noise doesn't come through speakers when a power conditioner is used to condition the electricity powering the speakers.
Ideally, AC power comes in the form of a pure sine wave. Some generators produce power that is closer to a square wave than a sine wave. Conditioning this kind of power requires more than a powerstrip-sized power conditioner. A larger unit with a battery is generally required for this application.
Power conditioners are the best choice when setting up a server environment. |
Inverters
An inverter is an electronic circuit for converting direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC). Inverters are used in a wide range of applications, from small switched power supplies for a computer to large electric utility applications to transport bulk power. |
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