Re: belkin power conditioner for my Samsung LCD - is it worth it???

On Aug 9, 12:26 pm, "Captain Midnight" <Not...@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Posting to the thread, not you personally. This seems to be a better
read on the subject than this thread.
http://www.powerchx.com/Fundamentals.htm

That article discusses power problems - and only some. Problems are
harmonics, noise, blackouts, brownouts, and surges. Article forgets
to mention that most all power problems are made irrelevant by the
power supply - numerous functions inside a power supply.

For example, harmonics and noise are made irrelevant by filters and
other circuits in a supply's front end. This was even standard in
1950s televisions. Manufacturer specs define those functions and
other standards that a supply must meet. If noise or harmonics are
too massive for a power supply, then your utility is both a problem
and the solution. Electronics are so robust as to make those problems
irrelevant even in factories. Residential power must be even
'cleaner'.

Brownouts and blackouts are also made irrelevant by a power supply.
Electronics must work just fine even when incandescent bulbs dim to
40% intensity. Computers (as defined by Intel specs even 10+ years
ago) must both startup and work when line voltage drops even lower.
If line voltage drops even lower, then no hardware damage must occur.
Again a standard from even more than 30 years ago. Another functions
found inside a power supply.

What constitutes power conditioning includes "isolation
transformers, ferroresonant transformers, and combination of TVSS or
filter components and isolation transformers." These also exist in a
supply. For a power conditioner to improve on that function, its
costs is typically hundreds of dollars more money. How often does
unconditioned power destroy electronics in dimmer switches,
dishwasher, bathroom GFCIs, and smoke detectors? Why are these hourly
or daily problems not destructive? Therein lies a problem with power
conditioners. What is sufficient for residential service is already
inside electronic appliances - another function of the power supply.

Appliance internal protection may be overwhelmed by something that
occurs typically once every seven years. A number that varies
significantly with region, geology, and sometimes even within a
town. That destructive surge, that may overwhelm appliance internal
protection, seeks earth ground. Therefore responsible facilities do
as is demonstrated in an application note from an industry
professional:
http://www.erico.com/public/library/fep/technotes/tncr002.pdf

Every wire in every cable first connects to single point earth
ground before entering the building. Look closer. Not just any earth
ground. All utilities connect to the *same* earth ground. Even
underground wires must make that connection. This is not difficult.
After all, it is based on what we were taught about Ben Franklin's
1752 invention in primary school science.

That connection to earth is short to make protection better. For
residential protection, each earthing wire should be 'less than 10
feet'. Other recommendations are detailed in comp.sys.mac.comm on 4
Jul 2007 entitled "DSL speed" at
http://tinyurl.com/2gbgef
Earthing connection is made either directly (using hardwire) or via
a protector (since a protector's job is to shunt / connect / clamp /
bond to earth).

Each structure has its own single point earth ground. Any wire that
connects between two structures (in this case building and tower) must
connect to earth ground for both structures before entering each
structure. So that protection is even better, those separate earthing
electrodes are connected via a buried ground wire. What defines
protection? Something so often forgotten because it is out of sight -
buried. Its all there in that above figure from www.erico.com.

Noise, harmonics, blackouts, and brownouts are solved elsewhere -
mostly inside appliances. Surges are the electrical event that may
overwhelm protection already inside all appliances. Each layer of
protection is defined by its single point earthing electrode. As that
app note figure demonstrates, building earth ground is located at the
service entrance - secondary protection.

Utilities provide your primary protection. Inspect that protection
layer as in pictures at:
http://www.tvtower.com/fpl.htm

Nothing here disagrees with the www.powerchx.com article. However
this post puts that discussion into perspective by adding the missing
information. Blackouts, brownouts, noise, and harmonics typically do
not harm household appliances. Appliances are quite robust (when
properly designed. Appliances contain surge protection and power
conditioning. So that the rare and so destructive surge does not
overwhelm existing proetction, we install one protector AND the short
earthing connection to that protector. The most critical protector
device that every building must have is that earthing electrode). The
electrode is required for human protection. The we connect utilities
to it via hardwire or protectors also for transistor protection.

How effective is a properly earthed protector? So effective and so
inexpensive that every incoming phone line has one installed by the
telco - for free. Did you know that telco protector exists? A
protector that may be compromised if YOU did not provide proper
earthing.

What did Franklin do so that lightning did not find earth ground,
destructively, via church steeples? He did the exact same thing.
Earthing. Is a lightning rod protection? Of course not. Lightning
rod does same thing as a protector - a connecting device to earth
ground. How effective is that lightning rod? Only as effective as
its earth ground.

No protector defines a protection system. Each protection layer is
what an effective protector shunts (connects, diverts, clamps) surges
to: earth ground. No earth ground? Then nothing to shunt (clamp) to
- no effective protection. Those numeric specs say same thing by
omission. Why is the TV on Page 42 Figure 8 destroyed when the
protector earths a surge through that TV? Where is the 'less than 10
foot' dedicated connection to earthing? No earth ground means no
effective protection. Other four other power problems made irrelevant
by circuits inside power supplies.

Notice the difference between this and www.powerchx.com. This
discusses all five power problems AND details where and how a solution
is installed.

Protection is only as good as its earth ground. In at least one
case, that missing earth ground resulting in a house explosion - no
human protection. For transistor protection, we exceed post 1990
National Electrical Code earthing requirements. A protector will only
be as effective as its earth ground. Put that www.powerchx.com
article in perspective. What typically harms appliances when
protection already exists in all appliances? Even that www.powerchx.com
article did not provide simple solutions you can implement for so
little money - such as inspect your primary protection system and
upgrade the secondary protection system to meet and exceed post 1990
NEC requirements. Did you even know your phone line already has a
protector - installed for free? Did you know why that protector needs
the earthing connection? A protector is only as effective as its
earth ground. Standard procedure where effective protection means
many surges, less money, and no damage.

Appreciate how many know this must not be true because of propaganda
and half truths in retail stores by 'expert' salesman. Did they learn
this generations ago by learning the science AND by building this
stuff? Of course not. I did. Others who post in denial don't even
have engineering design experience and prove their knowledge using
insults. Who do you believe? The posters who insults with one
paragraph or who promotes for plug-in protectors manufacturers? Or
the engineer who has done so much testing as to even have who
protectors completely vaporized (only left was two wires) AND who has
earthed direct lightning strikes that created no appliance damage but
damaged the electric meter? Notice so many more words are needed to
describe one who actually learned what creates protection. No earth
ground means no effective protection - which is the rule in telephone
switching stations, commerical broadcasting stations, military bases,
FCC airport facilities, and even Franklin lightning rods. Anyplace
that actually installs protection - earthing is the only component
that is always required.

Defined were all five power problems and solutions for each.

Why did Piggy's cable company not recommend the protector? They had
already earthed the cable - that grossly overpriced $90 protector did
nothing useful and may even degrade cable signal. A $3.50 power strip
with some ten cent parts selling for $90? No wonder the store expert
- a salesman without even a science degree - so strongly recommended
it. Others also 'feel' it must doing something useful because is was
so expensive OR because it is called a "protector". After all,
anything called a "protector" must be "protection". Right? Wrong.
The protector is simply a connecting device to protection. Protection
is earth ground. Piggy's cable guy told her the truth - cable was
already properly earthed without any protector.

.

Relevant Pages

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