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Pete Simmons
01-30-2005, 8:27 PM
What do people use to protect your Lasers from AC Power spikes/ outages? Surge Protectors? UPS? If a UPS how big ( watts) for a typical small 25 watt Laser?

Jerry Allen
01-30-2005, 9:18 PM
I'm just using a new 2000 joule surge suppressor. The power in my neighborhood stinks, so I plan on changing it out every few months or so. Surge suppressors, most of which use metal oxide varistors, wear out over time, and faster in a "spikey" area.
Chaining suppressors adds protection. For the most part it's hard to know how much protection is left. Everytime the suppressor takes a hit, a small hole is punched in the plastic or mylar dielectric. Eventually it does nothing to mitigate a surge.

My 25w laser is 8 amps max., so you'd need a minimum of 1000w for a UPS. A margin above that would be good. That's pretty large for a UPS. Most smaller ones tell you not to use a laser printer on the UPS because it's more than the UPS can handle. That pretty much applies here, unless someone knows where to get reasonable 1100-1200w unit.

I also use a line conditioner on some of my other stuff, like the TV, etc. That has the effect of keeping any line voltage between about 80v to 140v controlled at 117v.