Lightening & laptop

[Guest]

Thursday morning lightening, accompanied by a terrific bang tripped my home
electrical power box. Reset brought power back on but the electric range
controls in my stove (always on) were damaged, telephone, cable modem & cable
TV bundle were gone until supplier replaced box outside the house and my
daughter's HP laptop (not powered on but connected to wall outlet via power
bar that was not turned on) will no longer power on using wall connection or
battery. Green light in laptop's DC converter lights up . Am wondering if
something tripped inside the PC or if wiring & battery was fried. My HP MCE
desktop was on at the time through a power bar and it has no problem.

 

[Guest]

basically, when power is
abruptly terminated, windows
can usually recover.

however, there are times
that if the o.s. does not boot up
then it is likely that the file system
crashed or the registry hive; both
of which can be repaired via the
windows cd recovery console
feature.

if the laptop cannot boot up
at all, then consult your laptop
book or the laptops website
to see how to access the cmos
and ensure that the laptops configuration
settings were not wiped out.

If the cmos settings were
deleted, then you need to re-enter
them. However, sometimes
there is a button or key that
will configure the cmos
automatically. Again consult
your laptops' website for FAQ's
or how-to's.

if the above works, then this is a good
indication that the cmos battery is weak
and needs to be replaced.

if however, the machine won't
allow you to access the cmos
then the cmos battery is 100% dead
or there is a serious malfunction
with the machine..

again there is likely a f.a.q. at
the laptops website with a
dedicated answer for a common
issue like yours.

in closing, what you might want to consider
is to use a UPS rather than a
power brick / worthless surge protector.

--

<)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>

..

 

[Patrick Keenan]

Thursday morning lightening, accompanied by a terrific bang tripped my
home
electrical power box. Reset brought power back on but the electric range
controls in my stove (always on) were damaged, telephone, cable modem &
cable
TV bundle were gone until supplier replaced box outside the house and my
daughter's HP laptop (not powered on but connected to wall outlet via
power
bar that was not turned on) will no longer power on using wall connection
or
battery. Green light in laptop's DC converter lights up . Am wondering if
something tripped inside the PC or if wiring & battery was fried. My HP
MCE
desktop was on at the time through a power bar and it has no problem.

Try this. It's cleap, quick, easy, and often helps laptops that don't
respond to the power switch.

Unplug the AC adapter, and remove the battery. Be sure there is no power
source for the laptop. Now, press and hold the power switch for up to one
minute, not less than 30 seconds.

Plug the AC adapter back in, and see if the laptop responds to the power
switch. If it doesn't, try the above again.

If it doesn't help after a few attempts, your laptop likely requires service
to replace damaged power circuitry - this usually means the motherboard.

HTH
-pk

 

[w_tom]

Damage to telephone, cable modem, and stove each demonstrate that
the surge was permitted inside your building; found earth ground
destructively via each device. In each case, there was an electrical
incoming and outgoing path.

So what were possible incoming and outgoing paths through that
laptop? One path may be the power strip. Was it a protector type?
Does not matter if strip was switched off. Does not matter if it was
a power strip or UPS. Even that little gap inside a switch can still
be a direct connection. Remember, three miles of sky could not stop
it. Will that silly little gap inside a switch stop it?

Little is user serviceable inside a laptop. If you cannot even
execute comprehensive hardware diagnostics, then we can only
speculate. Learning the path that surge took to earth might provide
useful information. But this problem is directly traceable to a house
that did not earth before a surge could enter.

Why were circuit breakers tripped? Surge constructed electrically
conductive paths on each circuit. How many other places in the house
did that surge travel? Surge did not trip those breakers. The AC
electricity (that contains far more energy) was shorted by surge
constructed electrical paths. AC electricity following surge paths
caused corresponding circuit breaker to trip. Just more examples of
how many paths that direct lighting strike created inside your
building.

Why were more appliances not destroyed? All appliances contain
internal protection. Protection that assumes surges will be earthed
before entering a building. Since it was not earthed, then the surge
found many paths - some destructive. A few appliances failed to
withstand that surge. Which ones? Which appliances made a better
path to earth? Those tend to fail easier.

Little is user serviceable in the laptop. But learn from the
event. Every utility wire in every cable did not connect to single
point earth ground, short, either via a dedicated wire or via a 'whole
house' protector. Therefore protection inside some appliances was
destructively overwhelmed.

 

[Curt Christianson]

will,

As you've probably guessed by now, little can be done in the event of a
"direct power strike".
Surge protectors are good--but only for "run-of-the-mill" power surges on
the line *e.g. motors and other devices of similarity starting and
stopping). Anything more than a nearby lightening storm everything in your
computer setup must be physically unplugged from the wall outlet. Also
telephone modem cords. Which actually brings to mind anything else within
your house, but most importantly that of a solid-state nature. Unplug them
just to be sure. Don't wait until the storm is directly overhead
either.Static electricity charges well into the many thousands of volts can
build up along antennas, and other lines while the storm is still quite far
away.

--
HTH,
Curt

Windows Support Center
www.aumha.org
Practically Nerded,...
http://dundats.mvps.org/Index.htm

| Thursday morning lightening, accompanied by a terrific bang tripped my
home
| electrical power box. Reset brought power back on but the electric range
| controls in my stove (always on) were damaged, telephone, cable modem &
cable
| TV bundle were gone until supplier replaced box outside the house and my
| daughter's HP laptop (not powered on but connected to wall outlet via
power
| bar that was not turned on) will no longer power on using wall connection
or
| battery. Green light in laptop's DC converter lights up . Am wondering if
| something tripped inside the PC or if wiring & battery was fried. My HP
MCE
| desktop was on at the time through a power bar and it has no problem.

 

[w_tom]

As Curt Christianson notes, your phone company is down - no phone
servive - for four days after every thunderstorm because their $multi-
million computer (connected to overhead wires all over town) has been
destroyed by maybe one hundred surges. Or maybe Curt Christianson is
posting a popular myth by those who know without first learning
facts. Protection from direct strikes without damage is routine?

It is routine for factilities to suffer direct strikes and no
damage. TV and FM electronics atop the Empire State Building sufffer
about 25 direct strikes every year without damage. As one industry
professional notes:
http://www.harvardrepeater.org/news/lightning.html

Well I assert, from personal and broadcast experience spanning
30 years, that you can design a system that will handle *direct
lightning strikes* on a routine basis. It takes some planning and
careful layout, but it's not hard, nor is it overly expensive. At
WXIA-TV, my other job, we take direct lightning strikes nearly
every time there's a thunderstorm. Our downtime from such strikes
is almost non-existant. The last time we went down from a strike, it
was due to a strike on the power company's lines knocking *them*
out, ...
Since my disasterous strike, I've been campaigning vigorously to
educate amateurs that you *can* avoid damage from direct strikes.
The belief that there's no protection from direct strike damage is
*myth*. ...
The keys to effective lightning protection are surprisingly simple,
and surprisingly less than obvious. Of course you *must* have a
single point ground system that eliminates all ground loops. And
you must present a low *impedance* path for the energy to go.
That's most generally a low *inductance* path rather than just a
low ohm DC path.

In early 20th Century, ham radio operators would disconnect their
antennas, put that lead inside mason jars, and still suffer damage.
How did they eliminate the damage? When the antenna lead was earthed,
then damage stoopped. No damage is that easy, that well understood,
was not installed in Will's location, and is contradicted by Curt's
post. Protection is defined by earthing. No earth ground means no
effective protection.

 

[bud--]

The best information on surges and surge protection I have seen is at:
http://omegaps.com/Lightning Guide_FINALpublishedversion_May051.pdf
- the title is "How to protect your house and its contents from
lightning: IEEE guide for surge protection of equipment connected to
AC power and communication circuits" published by the IEEE in 2005
(the IEEE is the dominant organization of electrical and electronic
engineers in the US).
And also:
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/practiceguides/surgesfnl.pdf
- this is the "NIST recommended practice guide: Surges Happen!: how to
protect the appliances in your home" published by the US National
Institute of Standards and Technology in 2001

The IEEE guide is aimed at those with some technical background. The
NIST guide is aimed at the unwashed masses.

So what were possible incoming and outgoing paths through that
laptop? One path may be the power strip. Was it a protector type?
Does not matter if strip was switched off. Does not matter if it was
a power strip or UPS. Even that little gap inside a switch can still
be a direct connection. Remember, three miles of sky could not stop
it. Will that silly little gap inside a switch stop it?

Both the IEEE and NIST guides say plug-in suppressors are effective.
Ratings range from junk to very high. With high ratings, a plug-in
suppressor should protect from anything but a very near strike.

Note that all interconnected equipment needs to be connected to the
same plug-in suppressor, or interconnecting wires need to go through
the suppressor. External connections, like phone, also need to go
through the suppressor. These multiport suppressors are described in
both guides. Plug-in suppressors work by clamping the voltage on all
wires (power and signal) to the common ground at the suppressors.

Incidentally, at about 6,000V (US) there will be arc-over at panels
and receptacles.

Little is user serviceable in the laptop. But learn from the
event. Every utility wire in every cable did not connect to single
point earth ground, short, either via a dedicated wire or via a 'whole
house' protector. Therefore protection inside some appliances was
destructively overwhelmed.

Effective protection also requires a short connection from phone,
CATV, ... entry protectors to the earth connection wire at the power
service. Connections have to be short to prevent a surge earth current
on the connecting wire from producing a large voltage difference
between the signal and power wires. Short connection between systems
is more important than short connection to the earth electrode.

Insurance information indicates that much of the surge damage is from
large voltage differences between power and phone, CATV. My guess is
that is what happened to the laptop (connected to a phone line?)

A service panel surge suppressor ("whole house") would have likely
protected the stove. With a short connection single point ground it
would likely protect the laptop.

 

[Leythos]

Both the IEEE and NIST guides say plug-in suppressors are effective.
Ratings range from junk to very high. With high ratings, a plug-in
suppressor should protect from anything but a very near strike.

w_tom is a surge/power troll, scouring Usenet looking for posts about
surges - then he claims that the only protection that works is a whole-
house surge protector, but he will always dismiss a quality UPS solution
even when presented with real case examples where a UPS did protect
devices while non-protected devices were damaged.

--

Leythos
- Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.
- Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented worker" is like calling a
drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist"
(e-mail address removed) (remove 999 for proper email address)

 

[w_tom]

Good to see that Bud who promotes for plug-in protector manufacturers
will demonstrate how propaganda promotes grossly overpriced and so
profitable plug-in protectors. Protectors that can even contribute to
damage of the adjacent laptop. Bud always forgets to include some
important facts - such as both IEEE and NIST define earth ground as
essential to protection. Bud's IEEE citation demonstrates the problem
on Page 42 Figure 8. Bud hopes you have not sufficient concentration
to read that far. Go to page.42 Figure 8. That is what the IEEE says
about plug-in protectors. Being too close to TVs and too far from
earth ground; a plug-in protector earths a surge 8000 volts
destructively through a TV.

Bud claims that was protection because it may have been 10,000 volts
if the protector was not there. Nonsense. One real world protector
would have made that near zero volts - and for everything in the house
- at tens of times less money per protected appliance. Bud does not
promote for effective 'whole house' protectors - with the necessary
and dedicated earthing wire.

A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. When too far
away, what does it do? Stop what three miles of sky could not? That
is what Bud claims.

As IEEE notes, an effective protector earths a surge without
damage; when that 'whole house' protector is properly earthed. Notice
earlier figures that show how effective protectors work. As all
professional sources note, earthing is the protection. A protector is
simply a connecting device to earth. If that protector is too close
to electronics and too far from earth ground .... Page 42 Figure 8
- 8000 volts destructively through a TV.

Bud also hopes you don't carefully read his NIST citation. Bud
claims a protector will somehow stop or absorb what three miles of sky
could not. But the NIST instead defines the effective protector as
something that 'diverts it to ground'. How does a pluig-in protector
divert to ground when ground is too far away. Again that Page 42
Figure 8. It diverted a surge to ground 8000 volts destructively
through the TV.

Bud even recently claimed that protectors "clamp to nothing". He
calls this suppressing or arresting a surge. Even Bud's NIST booklet
defines what a protector must clamp (shunt, divert, connect, bond)
to. From page 6 (Adobe page 8 of 24)
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/practiceguides/surgesfnl.pdf

You cannot really suppress a surge altogether, nor
"arrest" it. What these protective devices do is
neither suppress nor arrest a surge, but simply
divert it to ground, where it can do no harm. So
a name that makes sense would be "surge diverter"
but it was not picked. So, for the rest of this
booklet, we will stick to the most popular "surge
protector".

They take a $3 power strip. Add some $0.10 parts. Sell it as a
power strip protector for $25 or $150. See that profit margin? Bud
will say anything so that you don't put your money where an effective
protector could have protected that laptop, stove, telephone, and
everything else in the house. Damage was created only because a surge
was permitted inside the house. A surge earthed by one 'whole house'
protector need not find earth ground destructively via stove,
telphone, laptop, smoke detector, bathroom GFCI, ... oh. What
protects devices essetial to human safety? Did Bud forget to mention
that effective protection even protects furnance controls?

They are called 'whole house' protectors. Manufactured by
responsible companies that Bud does not promote for. Industry
benchmarks - such as Siemens, Square D, Intematic, Cutler-Hammer,
Leviton, and GE. A 'whole house' protector for everything in the
house is available even for as little at $50 in Lowes and Home Depot.
That's one protector with a dedicated earth ground wire that does far
more than 100 plug-in protectors. Just another reason why Bud must
avoid the need for earthing - as required in multiple IEEE Standards.
IEEE make recommendation in Standards. Those Standards only define
earthing as required for protection.

Effective 'shunt mode' protectors shunt (diverts, clamps, bonds,
connects) a surge to earth ground. What determines a protector's
effectiveness? Quality of that earth ground. Earthing must both meet
and exceed post 1990 NEC code requirements. That means a wire to the
earth ground electrode must be shorter ('less than 10 feet'), no sharp
bends (not go over the foundation; must be through the foundation), no
splices, not inside conduit, and well separated from other non-
earthing wires. Furthermore, all other utilities (ie a telephone
company installed 'whole house' protector) also must be earthed to the
same single point earth gound. Why does your telco install a 'whole
house type protector ... for free? The effective (earthed) protector
also costs signficantly less money.

Bud also forgets to discuss this. Bud promotes protectors that
somehow work without earth ground. Profits would be at risk if Bud
mentioned the importance of earthing - the most critical component in
every protection 'system'. Even the telco provided protector requires
a short wire connection to earth. Bud says it is not necessary.

Plug-in protectors don't even claim to provide effective protection.
Don't take my word for it. Look at their numerical specs. Where is
each type of surge listed with numbers for that protection? It
claims protection from some ambiguous thing called surges. Which
one? Well Bud even forgot to mention it does not protect from the
type of surge that typically causes laptop and stove damage. It
claims protection from ambiguous surges. Forgets to mention it is
only protection from a type of surge that typically does not cause
damage.

But again, even the IEEE and NIST are blunt about it. Also FCC, US
Air Force, British Standard 6651, Telecordia (standards orgnization
for the telco industry), AC electric companies (both local
distribution and high voltage transmission), professional broadcast
engineers, ... even Ben Franklin demonstrated same in 1752.
Earthing provides the protection.

Less responsible companies such as APC, Tripplite, Panamx, and
Belkin sell protectors without that dedicated earthing wire - at
massive profit. Bud's job: promote a silly little protector that
will stop or absorb what three miles of sky could not stop. Real
world protectors don't even try. Real world protectors have that
'less than 10 foot' earthing connection so that surges are earthed
(diverted, clamped, shunted) before entering the building.

Well Bud will now post incessently here to confuse you. If
confused, then you are more likely to still spend tens of times more
money on plug-in protectors that have no dedicated earthing AND don't
even claim to protect from the typcially destructive surge. Why?
Because it is easier. To many, easier means it works better;
especially if Bud confused the issue with myths. Count how many
times he posts those myths. It is what he does - promote for the plug-
in protectors manufactures. Profits are just too high to let you
learn about 'whole house' protectors and earthing. Earthing - the one
component that all protection 'systems' require. No earth ground
means no effective protection.

BTW, this discusses secondary protection. Homeowners should also
inspect their primary protection:
http://www.tvtower.com/fpl.html
What is the essential component in that primary protection system?
What is essential for protecting that utility transformer - and your
household electronics? Bud will not tell you this. No profit in that
reality.

Even Bud's citations (ie Page 42 Figure 8) contradict what Bud
posts. Even his NIST booklet defines what an effective protector does
("divert it to ground"). Bud finally stopped claiming his
protectors work without earthing. Why did he do that? Why did he
stop claiming that plug-in protectors work by "clamping to nothing".
The spin was not working. More sales are his objective.

Want to see what his next 10 posts will say? Bud will cut and paste
same standard replies from maybe a hundred newsgroups. It is what he
does - promote myths for plug-in protector manufacturers. Even this
post from him is the standard advertisment - the standard 'cut and
paste' post.

What would have protected that stove and telephone? A plug-in
protector? Hardly. Required is one properly earthed 'whole house'
protector AND the most critical component in every protection system:
single point earth ground.

 

[Leythos]

They are called 'whole house' protectors. Manufactured by
responsible companies that Bud does not promote for. Industry
benchmarks - such as Siemens, Square D, Intematic, Cutler-Hammer,
Leviton, and GE. A 'whole house' protector for everything in the
house is available even for as little at $50 in Lowes and Home Depot.
That's one protector with a dedicated earth ground wire that does far
more than 100 plug-in protectors. Just another reason why Bud must
avoid the need for earthing - as required in multiple IEEE Standards.
IEEE make recommendation in Standards. Those Standards only define
earthing as required for protection.

And you've been proven wrong on this at least a Dozen times - you can't
provide the part number, lowes does not sell anything in that range that
protects the entire home, and none of the lowes (or other hardware
stores) around here do either.

The best bet was one that was over $100, requires an electrician to
install, needs tested, may require an inspection, and still doesn't
guarantee it will protect your devices with wording any better than a
Quality UPS device does.

Why don't you post a link to that mystical device for $50 at lowes -
you've never posted it before, try now.

--

Leythos
- Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum.
- Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented worker" is like calling a
drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist"
(e-mail address removed) (remove 999 for proper email address)

 

[bud--]

Good to see that Bud who promotes for plug-in protector manufacturers
will demonstrate how propaganda promotes grossly overpriced and so
profitable plug-in protectors.

w_ has to discredit anyone who challenges his dogma.
I can only agree with w_ when he said "It is an old political trick.
When facts cannot be challenged technically, then attack the
messenger." My only association with surge protectors is I have some.

Protectors that can even contribute to
damage of the adjacent laptop. Bud always forgets to include some
important facts - such as both IEEE and NIST define earth ground as
essential to protection. Bud's IEEE citation demonstrates the problem
on Page 42 Figure 8. Bud hopes you have not sufficient concentration
to read that far. Go to page.42 Figure 8. That is what the IEEE says
about plug-in protectors. Being too close to TVs and too far from
earth ground; a plug-in protector earths a surge 8000 volts
destructively through a TV.

Lacking technical arguments w_ also has to lie about sources that
contradict his belief in earthing.
The illustration in the IEEE guide has a surge coming in on a CATV
drop. There are 2 TVs, one is on a plug-in suppressor. The plug-in
suppressor protects the TV connected to it. It does *not* contribute
to damage of the second TV. Without the suppressor, the voltage at the
2nd TV is 10,000V. With the suppressor the voltage is 8,000V. The
point of the illustration, for the IEEE and anyone but w_, is "to
protect TV2, a second multiport protector located at TV2 is required".
Read the source.

A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. When too far
away, what does it do? Stop what three miles of sky could not? That
is what Bud claims.

w_ has a religious belief (immune from challenge) that surge
protection must use earthing. Thus in his view plug-in suppressors
(which are not well earthed) can not possibly work. The IEEE guide
explains plug-in suppressors work by CLAMPING the voltage on all wires
(signal and power) to the common ground at the suppressor. Plug-in
suppressors do not work primarily by earthing. The guide explains
earthing occurs elsewhere. (Read the guide starting pdf page 40).

Even Bud's NIST booklet
defines what a protector must clamp (shunt, divert, connect, bond)
to. From page 6 (Adobe page 8 of 24)
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/practiceguides/surgesfnl.pdf

What does the NIST guide actually say about plug-in suppressors?
They are "the easiest solution".
And:
"Q - Will a surge protector installed at the service entrance be
sufficient for the whole house?
A - There are two answers to than question: Yes for one-link
appliances, No for two-link appliances [equipment connected to power
AND phone or CATV or....]. Since most homes today have some kind of
two-link appliances, the prudent answer to the question would be NO -
but that does not mean that a surge protector installed at the service
entrance is useless."

A 'whole house' protector for everything in the
house is available even for as little at $50 in Lowes and Home Depot.

As Lythos points out, w_ has been challenged on this by several people
and has never provided a link to a $50 suppressor. Or specs for one.
Yet another claim w__ can't back up with a link.

Plug-in protectors don't even claim to provide effective protection.
Don't take my word for it. Look at their numerical specs. Where is
each type of surge listed with numbers for that protection?

Complete nonsense.
MOVs are connected H-N, H-G, N-G. In addition any signal wires should
go through any plug-in surge protector and there is additional surge
protection for each signal wire to ground. That is all possible
combinations and all possible surge modes.
And manufacturers certainly do claim to provide effective protection.

Well Bud will now post incessently here to confuse you.

As Lythos said "w_tom is a surge/power troll, scouring Usenet looking
for posts about surges - then he claims that the only protection that
works is a whole-house surge protector."

He will now post incessantly here to confuse you. But note that he has
no sources that support him. For accurate information read the IEEE
and/or NIST guides.

Bud finally stopped claiming his
protectors work without earthing.

w_ is confused or lying. I have always repeated what the IEEE says -
plug-in suppressors work primarily by clamping, not earthing. The IEEE
says earthing occurs elsewhere.


The question isn't about earthing - everyone is for it. The only
question is whether plug-in suppressors work.

There are 98,615,938 other web sites, including 13,843,032 by
lunatics, and w_ can't find another lunatic that says plug-in
suppressors are NOT effective. All you have is w_'s opinions based on
his religious belief in earthing.

But both the IEEE and NIST guides say plug-in suppressors are
effective. Read the sources.

And never explained:
- Why do the only 2 examples of protection in the IEEE guide use plug-
in suppressors.
- Why does the NIST guide says plug-in suppressors are "the easiest
solution".


Bizarre claim - plug-in surge suppressors don't work
Never any sources that say plug-in suppressors are NOT effective.
Twists opposing sources to say the opposite of what they really say.
Attempts to discredit opponents.
w_ is a purveyor of junk science.

 

[Curt Christianson]

As a former ham operator for many years, you are correct. Vital equipment
must be grounded, antennas physically detached and grounded too. To be
absolutely safe one must be "off the air" during an electrical storm
(although it rarely stopped me.
The average user of consumer electronics is *not* going to spend the time
and money to make their house and the electrical appliances
"lightening-proof". It's far easier to unplug the fragile, expensive, or
other equipment of personal value.

I stand by my first statement--the *average* computer is vulnerable to
lightening strikes, and the static charge build-ups unless their equipment
is disconnected, and they too are essentially "off the air" if they want to
truly protect their investment. The average computer user *will not* spend
the time and money to provide the kind of protection like someone might
employ for a large commercial enterprise.

--
HTH,
Curt

Windows Support Center
www.aumha.org
Practically Nerded,...
http://dundats.mvps.org/Index.htm

| As Curt Christianson notes, your phone company is down - no phone
| servive - for four days after every thunderstorm because their $multi-
| million computer (connected to overhead wires all over town) has been
| destroyed by maybe one hundred surges. Or maybe Curt Christianson is
| posting a popular myth by those who know without first learning
| facts. Protection from direct strikes without damage is routine?
|
| It is routine for factilities to suffer direct strikes and no
| damage. TV and FM electronics atop the Empire State Building sufffer
| about 25 direct strikes every year without damage. As one industry
| professional notes:
| http://www.harvardrepeater.org/news/lightning.html
| > Well I assert, from personal and broadcast experience spanning
| > 30 years, that you can design a system that will handle *direct
| > lightning strikes* on a routine basis. It takes some planning and
| > careful layout, but it's not hard, nor is it overly expensive. At
| > WXIA-TV, my other job, we take direct lightning strikes nearly
| > every time there's a thunderstorm. Our downtime from such strikes
| > is almost non-existant. The last time we went down from a strike, it
| > was due to a strike on the power company's lines knocking *them*
| > out, ...
| > Since my disasterous strike, I've been campaigning vigorously to
| > educate amateurs that you *can* avoid damage from direct strikes.
| > The belief that there's no protection from direct strike damage is
| > *myth*. ...
| > The keys to effective lightning protection are surprisingly simple,
| > and surprisingly less than obvious. Of course you *must* have a
| > single point ground system that eliminates all ground loops. And
| > you must present a low *impedance* path for the energy to go.
| > That's most generally a low *inductance* path rather than just a
| > low ohm DC path.
|
| In early 20th Century, ham radio operators would disconnect their
| antennas, put that lead inside mason jars, and still suffer damage.
| How did they eliminate the damage? When the antenna lead was earthed,
| then damage stoopped. No damage is that easy, that well understood,
| was not installed in Will's location, and is contradicted by Curt's
| post. Protection is defined by earthing. No earth ground means no
| effective protection.
|
| On Jun 30, 11:16 pm, "Curt Christianson"
| > As you've probably guessed by now, little can be done in the event of a
| > "direct power strike".
| > Surge protectors are good--but only for "run-of-the-mill" power surges
on
| > the line *e.g. motors and other devices of similarity starting and
| > stopping). Anything more than a nearby lightening storm everything in
your
| > computer setup must be physically unplugged from the wall outlet. Also
| > telephone modem cords. Which actually brings to mind anything else
within
| > your house, but most importantly that of a solid-state nature. Unplug
them
| > just to be sure. Don't wait until the storm is directly overhead
| > either.Static electricity charges well into the many thousands of volts
can
| > build up along antennas, and other lines while the storm is still quite
far
| > away.
|