Spikey wrote:
> The motorhome has a "smart" electric system which supplys 12v and 240
> mains to various outlets from an external source (mains). I'm
> assuming its more at risk of spikes or surges but for the life of me
> I cant find any info even with the boating fraternity who usually
> have a similar set up. I dont normally bother but we are going to be
> full timing it for a while and so the laptop contents are more
> critical.
> So will the normal surge connector I use at home be sufficient to
> protect it or do I need something else/different?
No, it won't. You really should invest in a good UPS (Uninterruptable Power
Supply) and it should include Line Conditioning. They aren't real expensive
and APC makes the ones I use here at home.
>
> And if the power is supplied by generator does that make any
> difference? Or with an inverter?
YES! W/r to operating the computer: It makes a definite difference! Unless
you know that the generator is guaranteed to duplicate the specs of the
power grid, you want to watch out.
Most generators don't put out a perfectly sinusoidal power wave.
Inverters in particular often put out a square wave which is capacitively
filtered and only approximates the needed sine wave; and not very
inefficiently I might add.
Either is subject to power surges, momentary over/under voltages due to
load changes, external induction and normal operations. These are the
important things a UPS will do for you. A UPS with line conditioning will
also keep the waveform within specs and definitely will prolong the life of
the computer. For a laptop you're only looking at about $150 for a good
UPS. Check the laptop; if it uses, say, 80W, then a 150W UPS will suffice
of even a 100W but not nearly as reliably, especially if you add any
perhipherals to it.
As for charging batteries, FINE: No problem. Battery chargers will work
find on those instruments.
>
> I'm assuming with 2 full batteries in the laptop I dont need UPS?
You still need a UPS is you want to plug the laptop into the line power.
Normally, the computer power system is disconnected from the batteries when
it's plugged into the line. The batteries only connect when you remove the
line power. But, the ARE charging at all times, so IF you decide to charge
the batteries IN the laptop, without a UPS, keep the computer itself OFF.
I have two batteries for mine too, and I run the laptop with one while the
other is connected to the brick, charging. When it shows low on power, I
switch batteries. I get about 4 hours per battery on my laptop, give or
take, depending on what I'm doing and the age of the batteries.
>
>> o)
All of this assumes that you have a ground system too, right? The "Earth"
ground wire (3rd wire, bare or green insulated) of a gen power system should
return to the chassis of the generator, which in turn should be grounded
itself, but your equipment won't care as long as it connects back to the
genset; all will still operate correctly for your system.
HTH
Pop`
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