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Thread: Surge Protector

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    San Angelo, Texas
    Posts
    31

    Surge Protector

    I am trying to find out what kind of surge protector would be good for a Laser Engraver.
    I know most of yall probley have one already. We really did not have to worry about that
    problem with the rolling black out but now that it have been so hot. We are have them
    and i was need to add one to my engraver. Thank You

  2. #2
    Gabriel

    This has come up frequently so a search will yield a lot of reading.
    Mike Null

    St. Louis Laser, Inc.

    Trotec Speedy 300, 80 watt
    Gravograph IS400
    Woodworking shop CLTT and Laser Sublimation
    Dye Sublimation
    CorelDraw X5, X7

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Glenelg, MD
    Posts
    12,256
    Blog Entries
    1
    A surge protector will do nothing to help with blackouts/brownouts... you need a UPS.
    Hi-Tec Designs, LLC -- Owner (and self-proclaimed LED guru )

    Trotec 80W Speedy 300 laser w/everything
    CAMaster Stinger CNC (25" x 36" x 5")
    USCutter 24" LaserPoint Vinyl Cutter
    Jet JWBS-18QT-3 18", 3HP bandsaw
    Robust Beauty 25"x52" wood lathe w/everything
    Jet BD-920W 9"x20" metal lathe
    Delta 18-900L 18" drill press

    Flame Polisher (ooooh, FIRE!)
    Freeware: InkScape, Paint.NET, DoubleCAD XT
    Paidware: Wacom Intuos4 (Large), CorelDRAW X5

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    San Angelo, Texas
    Posts
    31
    Do you know a good place to get one I know they have them like a Office depot
    would that be good enough.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Northern Kentucky
    Posts
    3,279
    talk to your electric power company about installing a surges protector for your equipment

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Savusavu, Fiji
    Posts
    1,167
    Gabriel, it would help if you put what machine you have in your signature block. You probably need a BIG UPS for your laser if you need to keep it going on battery power for a job when a blackout hits. Most UPSs are for computers and only need to keep them going for a matter of minutes. For voltage fluctuations, we use an APC Line-R regulator. But if the power goes out, so does the laser.
    Last edited by John Noell; 08-30-2011 at 4:54 PM. Reason: typos
    Longtai 460 with 100 watt EFR, mostly for fun. More power is good!! And a shop with enough wood working tools to make a lot of sawdust. Ex-owner of Shenhui 460-80 and engraving business with 45 watt Epilog Mini18.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    San Angelo, Texas
    Posts
    31
    Ok well I just want it to say on for a few min to be able to turn it off and not have it just go down and fry my system.
    The engraver is on it own breaker.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    South Central Pennsylvania, USA
    Posts
    761
    APC has them in all sizes - from desktop to data center size.

    http://www.apc.com/products/category.cfm?id=13

    They have an online calculator where you can put in the wattage of your equipment and it will give you the time reserve for different sizes of UPS. Or give them a call and they'll talk to you about your needs.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Location
    Michelmersh, ROMSEY, Hampshire UK
    Posts
    1,020
    You need an "always on" or "double conversion" UPS for running a laser.

    The brownout as a normal UPS switches over to battery operation does not affect a normal PC, but would almost certainly upset a laser.
    The "always on" type does not have this switchover delay.

    For reasons that are not obvious to me, UPSs are usually rated in VA (Volts/Amps) : to get the usable wattage for your equipment you need to multiply the rated value by 0.707 - a good reason for using the equipment calculator!

    You don't say what type of laser you have - I found that a 2000VA UPS works fine for my 60W jobbie. Most of the time the UPS is just ticking over, but high speed full power rastering pushes it near to the max.

    A UPS is a big fire risk (all that stored energy) so think about where it will be sited - access to turn off the mains input and to get near with a fire extinguisher.
    (This is NOT something that the UPS manufacturers warn you about, but I have had personal experience!)
    Epilog Legend 32EX 60W

    Precision Prototypes, Romsey, UK

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Anaheim, Ca
    Posts
    908
    Contact APC directly tell them what you have they have different units based on your needs for our embroidery machines the motors use a different sine wave it is square not smooth like an S then regular motors put the wrong unit and it will keep the power clean but set to a standard wave. My understanding is stepper motors use different wave lenghts.
    Craig Matheny
    Anaheim, Ca
    45 watt Epilog Laser, 60 watt Epilog Laser,
    Plasma Cutter, MiG Welder
    Rikon 70-100 Lathe
    Shop Smith V510, To many hand Tools and
    Universal Repair Kit (1- Hammer and 1- Roll of Duck Tape)

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