Comments on: Laptop Power Supply and Surge Protection http://chris.pirillo.com/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/ News and Reviews! Geek, Internet Entrepreneur, Hardware Addict, Software Junkie, Book Author, Once TV Show Host, Technology Enthusiast, Shameless Self-Promoter, Tech Conference Coordinator, Early Adopter, Idea Evangelist, Tech Support Blogger, Bootstrapper, Media Personality, Technology Consultant, Thicker Quicker Picker Upper. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 23:17:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Mark http://chris.pirillo.com/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-761079 Mark Wed, 15 Sep 2010 05:07:04 +0000 http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/08/31/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-761079 You obviously don't know what you're talking about. As Justin Emalius points, that "brick" is a voltage and current converter, dropping the 120 or 240 AC volts on the mains side to whatever DC voltage is required by the laptop, typically around 20 volts DC. Your laptop is essentially isolated from the mains. Spikes and surges won't affect your laptop. Assuming your laptop battery is installed, it's like having your computer plugged into a UPS, protecting your from power failure and brownouts. Those who sell surge protectors for laptops are laughing all the way to the bank. You obviously don’t know what you’re talking about. As Justin Emalius points, that “brick” is a voltage and current converter, dropping the 120 or 240 AC volts on the mains side to whatever DC voltage is required by the laptop, typically around 20 volts DC. Your laptop is essentially isolated from the mains. Spikes and surges won’t affect your laptop. Assuming your laptop battery is installed, it’s like having your computer plugged into a UPS, protecting your from power failure and brownouts. Those who sell surge protectors for laptops are laughing all the way to the bank.

]]> By: Justin Emalius http://chris.pirillo.com/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-553179 Justin Emalius Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:01:21 +0000 http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/08/31/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-553179 Laptop power supplies do quite a bit more than just filter the electricity that is running through the power cord. The one that came with my Dell Inspiron drops the voltage from 110 to 19.5, raises the amperage, and converts it from AC to DC. Laptop power supplies do quite a bit more than just filter the electricity that is running through the power cord. The one that came with my Dell Inspiron drops the voltage from 110 to 19.5, raises the amperage, and converts it from AC to DC.

]]> By: Alex Wieder http://chris.pirillo.com/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-539985 Alex Wieder Sun, 02 Sep 2007 16:18:12 +0000 http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/08/31/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-539985 Most people keep the laptop's battery in place while using it connected to the AC outlet (not a good idea, but that's not the point of this discussion). As such, the laptop has a built-in UPS - should the grid's power fail, you still have plenty of time to save your work and shut down the laptop gracefully. I agree that surge-protecting a laptop is a good idea, but I don't see any benefit in using a UPS for it (at least if you keep the battery in it while using it on AC). Alex Most people keep the laptop’s battery in place while using it connected to the AC outlet (not a good idea, but that’s not the point of this discussion). As such, the laptop has a built-in UPS – should the grid’s power fail, you still have plenty of time to save your work and shut down the laptop gracefully.

I agree that surge-protecting a laptop is a good idea, but I don’t see any benefit in using a UPS for it (at least if you keep the battery in it while using it on AC).

Alex

]]> By: E. Douglas Jensen http://chris.pirillo.com/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-539927 E. Douglas Jensen Sun, 02 Sep 2007 13:39:29 +0000 http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/08/31/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-539927 You're partially right that "The more you pay, the more protection you’ll get." A major exception is the class of very expensive surge protectors sold to "audiophiles" with more money than sense -- you know, the ones that will pay $500 for a volume control knob because they believe the vendor's hype that violates the laws of physics. The second major exception is that virtually all surge protectors, including the multi-$K ones sold to sucker audiophiles, use MOV's. It's true that some MOV protectors are more effective than others. But all of them lose effectiveness with every surge they protect, and all of them wear our sooner or later, and you don't know how much, if any, protection you currently have. The best surge protector I know about is made by Zero Surge, and uses no MOV's. It ranges in price from a couple hundred to a thousand dollars.Their web site provides the evidence of comparative effectiveness. I have no relationship to Zero Surge except as a long time very happy customer. I have a Zero Surge in front of my UPS and another after it (UPS's can fail in a way that generates killer surges on their outputs, I found out the hard way). You’re partially right that “The more you pay, the more protection you’ll get.” A major exception is the class of very expensive surge protectors sold to “audiophiles” with more money than sense — you know, the ones that will pay $500 for a volume control knob because they believe the vendor’s hype that violates the laws of physics. The second major exception is that virtually all surge protectors, including the multi-$K ones sold to sucker audiophiles, use MOV’s. It’s true that some MOV protectors are more effective than others. But all of them lose effectiveness with every surge they protect, and all of them wear our sooner or later, and you don’t know how much, if any, protection you currently have. The best surge protector I know about is made by Zero Surge, and uses no MOV’s. It ranges in price from a couple hundred to a thousand dollars.Their web site provides the evidence of comparative effectiveness. I have no relationship to Zero Surge except as a long time very happy customer. I have a Zero Surge in front of my UPS and another after it (UPS’s can fail in a way that generates killer surges on their outputs, I found out the hard way).

]]> By: wikili http://chris.pirillo.com/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-684039 wikili Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/08/31/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-684039 <!--%kramer-pre%-->s the Best External Battery for the PSP, iPod, or iPhone? Which USB / Firewire Car Charger do You Use? Battery Saving Tips for iPods and Zunes Apple Macbook Battery Help Get Better Vista Performance on a Laptop ComputerLaptop Power Supply and Surge Protection[VIDEO] How to Check for a Battery Recall Battery Recall Video a Do You Condition Your Rechargeable Batteries?<!--%kramer-post%--> s the Best External Battery for the PSP, iPod, or iPhone? Which USB / Firewire Car Charger do You Use? Battery Saving Tips for iPods and Zunes Apple Macbook Battery Help Get Better Vista Performance on a Laptop ComputerLaptop Power Supply and Surge Protection[VIDEO] How to Check for a Battery Recall Battery Recall Video a Do You Condition Your Rechargeable Batteries?

]]> By: The PC Info http://chris.pirillo.com/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-534226 The PC Info Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 http://chris.pirillo.com/2007/08/31/laptop-power-supply-and-surge-protection/#comment-534226 <!--%kramer-pre%-->daylightTP2 min 34 sec - Jul 28, 2006Security camera footage of a laptop being stolen, in broad daylight. To read the story - see http://www.stubbedtoe.co.nz/blog/blog.php?blog=10 The guy hasn’t yet been caught. [ Google Blog Search: Laptop ]Laptop Power Supply and Surge Protectionhttp://live.pirillo.com - Recently, long time chatter CamBlack came to me for help with his mom?s laptop. I was able to hook them up with HP, who replaced the laptop for her. Now, Cam is wondering about whether or not a laptop needs a<!--%kramer-post%--> daylightTP2 min 34 sec – Jul 28, 2006Security camera footage of a laptop being stolen, in broad daylight. To read the story – see http://www.stubbedtoe.co.nz/blog/blog.php?blog=10 The guy hasn’t yet been caught. [ Google Blog Search: Laptop ]Laptop Power Supply and Surge Protectionhttp://live.pirillo.com – Recently, long time chatter CamBlack came to me for help with his mom?s laptop. I was able to hook them up with HP, who replaced the laptop for her. Now, Cam is wondering about whether or not a laptop needs a

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