Another dead power supply

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: Christopher Charles <cccharlee-/E1597aS9LQAvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org>

| > On 12/3/05, phiscock-g851W1bGYuGnS0EtXVNi6w at public.gmane.org
| > <phiscock-g851W1bGYuGnS0EtXVNi6w at public.gmane.org> wrote:

[I moved this.  Please don't "top-post" -- it wastes everyone elses
time.]

| Ota was right.  Your PC should be plugged into a power
| bar with surge suppression circuits.  Plugging a PC
| directly to the AC outlet is asking for trouble.

Peter is a professor of electrical engineering -- he might know what
he's talking about.  (And I am not.  So take the rest with a grain of
salt.)

Most cheap power bars with surge suppressors (at least as of a few
years ago) were essentially useless.  Why?  The surge suppression
circuit uses a metal oxide varistor (MOV).  The MOV commits suicide
when preventing the first surge getting through.  After that, there
and no protection and no indication of this.

Hmm.  http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,1155237,00.asp says:

	Better surge suppressors provide an indicator that warns when
	the MOV has failed.

I don't know if any of the common garden varieties of powerbars
have this.
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