Uninterruptible Power Supplies

The loss of electricity supply is technically called as power outage. It is specifically referred to as "brownout" when some power is lost but retained some voltage level, albeit not enough for the minimum level required by a certain system. On the other hand, it is called "blackout" when the power is completely lost.

When power failures occur, your appliances or any other electronic devices are the things that suffer most from the damaging. Your computer unit is featured with a power supply, a device that is used in generating electricity to keep it operational. The switcher technology of this device will convert the alternating current line into direct current input. This enables the computer to start functioning. However, once a power outage occurs it will stop producing power. As a result, the computer will end its operation. As mentioned, this occurrence is detrimental to your computer. If this incident continues to occur, it will suffer serious damage and require extensive repairs that could run into a lot of money.

Fortunately though, there is a device that counters the situation in the form of Uninterruptible Power Supply or UPS. A UPS is a device used to protect computers and electronic equipment from the damaging effects of power outage incidents. It is a battery-driven power supply that is active even whenever sudden loss of power has occurred. There are certain types of uninterruptible power supplies with variety of capacities. There is a small unit type that can service a single computer in a home or office. There is also the kind that can provide protection to a business environment that runs with a big computer network.

Uninterruptible power supplies are necessary tools both in large business establishments with a wide network of computers and in a home/office with individual computers.

Power Supplies provides detailed information on Power Supplies, What Power Supply Do I Need?, Uninterruptible Power Supplies, DC Power Supplies and more. Power Supplies is affiliated with Welding Inverters.

Power Supplies

All of the high-tech peripherals and latest editions of computer software products that you've installed are useless if your computer's power supply is not sufficiently providing electricity.

Before your computer can operate properly, it needs an adequate amount of electricity. Through the power supply system's switcher technology, power deliveries the electricity once the alternating current (AC) input from an electrical outlet is converted into direct current (DC) input for your computer. The power supply is typically known as the "switching power supply." This is a metal box found in a corner of the computer case. In most cases, power supplies are visible at the back of the computer that contains a power-cord receptacle, cooling fan and off/on switch.

As various components of the computer have different requirements, there are three voltages typically provided by a power supply: 3.3 volts, 5 volts, and 12 volts. The digital circuits of most computers use the first two voltage rails while the 12-volt rail is used in disk drives and fans. The main specification of power supplies is using wattage to rate the current they use up. In the early 90's, the typical power supply used around 150 watts. But as the advancement of computer technologies grew, the need for higher wattage arose. Thus, you are now able to purchase 450 watts or greater.

The emergence of higher-wattage power supplies led to many believing that these systems are better for their computers. Apparently, they misinterpreted that installing a large-containing-wattage power supply would safeguard their computers against under-powering the system, and at the same time, draw only the amount of current required. However, this notion is not advantageous at all, as large power supplies can produce more heat. As power supplies are rated through wattage, generating more heat would mean more wattage used. Thus, more wattage used would also mean higher cost for the power.

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Laptop and Notebook Computer AC Power Adapters

An AC Power Adapter is an electronic device which produces a specific direct current from the mains with an Alternating Current (AC). Although actually a power supply it is popularly known as an AC Power Adapter or AC Adapter. Laptops along with most other portable devices use Direct Current (DC), this also applies to rechargeable batteries which power laptops. Direct Current has a constant flow of electric charge in one direction and flows from low to high potential. Connecting a laptop to AC is unsuitable and dangerous due to the varying magnitude and direction of the current, which can cause an internal component to fail and even result in fire.

The AC Adapter carries out the following steps to produce the correct current and voltage to power your laptop or charge your laptop battery:

• Converts the mains voltage to a lower voltage level

• Converts the AC voltage to a DC voltage by a process called rectification

• Smooths out any voltage ripple

• Converts the voltage to the required voltage to power the laptop

The other well-known name for an AC Power Adapter is battery charger or laptop battery charger. This is an important device providing you with laptop mobility and frees you of restriction from using the power cord. Check the link at the end of this article to find the correct AC Power Adapter for your laptop.

Car and Airplane Power Adapters This is a particular design of a power adapter which accepts DC input and output DC voltage required to power a laptop. Instead of a standard plug for a wall socket, these have a specific cable that plugs in the cigarette lighter. The 12V DC supplied through the cigarette lighter socket is converted to provide a different DC voltage. This power adapter can also be used in other vehicles with similar sockets i.e. Vans, trucks and even boats. Air or airplane adapters work in the same way.

Universal Laptop Power Adapters Complying with most mains power supplies worldwide, a universal power adapter or power supply is able to accept an input voltage ranging from 100 - 240 V with a frequency range of 50 - 60Hz. A truly universal product. However, the term universal also applies to the array of laptops it can supply power to. Laptops are built to various specifications and the power consumption varies accordingly. Physical attributes also differ between laptops and are not limited to the power socket. Manufacturers of universal laptop power adapters supply various connecting tips allowing the adapter to be connected to various laptops. These connecting tips help the power adapter detect the correct voltage to supply the laptop.

Universal power adapters are also available for cars and airplanes. Supplied with different types of plugs to fit a car cigarette lighter socket or the in-seat adapter on most airplanes, such power adapters truly allow the user to be mobile over great distances. The 2-Power Universal Car Air Power Adapter can power 98% of laptop computers.

Stella Blue Laptop Batteries and AC Power Adapters. universal laptop power adapters Universal Car Air Power Adapter

Computer Power Supply: How Much is Enough?

You may be wanting to build a new PC, or upgrade the unit you have now. Since computers require more wattage than ever before, concerns about your power supply are sure to surface. The question "How much is enough?" has to be answered.

Fortunately, simple math, and the numbers I'll supply with this article, will answer your question.

The first item to consider is your CPU. Some of today's high end chips require 100 watts all by themselves. If, for instance, you planned on salvaging an older case with a 250 watt power supply, and wanted to base your unit on a Pentium 4, you better think again. You might be able to save that case, but the power supply will have to be replaced.

The reason is all the other items drinking electricity from that same little well. Your motherboard will only require 15 to 30 watts, making it one of the more economical components. But a graphics card, of 128MB or more, will require another 100 watts. Add a hard drive, at 30 watts, and you've used up your capacity. There will be nothing left for RAM, a CD/DVD, or any PCI cards you may require.

How much more will those items need? RAM has to have 7 watts per 128MB. So, a 1GB module means you'll need 56 watts. A CD/DVD ReWritable drive takes an additional 30 watts. Those PCI cards are 5 watts each. Add 20 watts for a floppy drive, and extra case fans.

The total for all this comes out to around 380 watts! A 400 watt power supply barely covers it. In fact, you would be well advised to get a 450 watt or larger just to be safe. Not having enough power can mean a fried computer. They have a distinctive smell, like burned money!

On the other hand, you can design a power miser, like I did in my book "Building a PC for Beginners". It requires a total of only 214 watts, allowing me to use the 300 watt power supply that came with the bargain case I bought. It was built using a Sempron chip, and a 64MB graphics card.

Michael Quarles is the publisher of Monkey See Monkey Do Books.

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