Computer Corner

Florida is known as the lightning capital of the world. And the Tampa Bay area is the lightning capital of Florida! Computer users here need to take extra precaution to protect their equipment, just as we take precautions (or should) to protect other equipment such as televisions, washers & dryers and HVAC units.

One essential piece of equipment that your computer will love you for is a U.P.S., which is an Uninterruptible Power Supply. Unlike a common surge protector, a UPS will give you the following protection:

Battery back up when the power fails
Super surge protection
Brown-out protection

Ok, so it’s a nice quiet Sunday morning and you’ve just completed the first 50 pages of the next New York Times best seller when wham! the power goes out. And your 50 pages of text have now gone into word processing heaven. Yikes! But not really, because your UPS battery kicked in and you now have time to save your work! Your system will run off the UPS battery for anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes, depending upon the UPS make & model. Whew! That’s worth the price of this gadget all by itself.

But wait, there’s more! A UPS is like a surge protector on steroids. That battery also acts like a huge “sink” that filters out all the garbage and voltage spikes coming down your power line like no ordinary surge protector can do.

But wait, there’s more! Far worse than a surge or an outright power failure for your computer equipment is what is known as a brown-out. This happens when the power level starts to drop during a heavy demand. Your components inside your computer will begin to starve for power. And some of them may quit completely. But your UPS will come to the rescue by keeping the power at a constant level, again via its battery.

You can buy one of these life savers at any office supply store, such as Staples or Office Depot. Prices start at about $40, which will do the average home user just fine. Better models even have surge protection for your cable service, should you have high speed service from Bright House. And your UPS should give you anywhere from three to five years of service, until the battery finally wears out.

So, give yourself and your computer some peace of mind and install a UPS for your computer. Because, the next time the power goes out, you’ll be very glad you did.

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