[clug] [Offtopic] Mains voltage fluctuations

[Michael Cohen]

We have recently used a UPS to monitor the input voltage levels - you
can get the ups daemon to make a log file of the input voltage every
30 seconds and this way you have a running tally of how the voltage
fluctuates during the day. If the voltage is commonly found that the
level with no effect on the unit you can deduce that its not sensitive
to the voltage levels.

Another issue can be voltage spikes or just voltage conditioning
issues - again a UPS can help but it wont eliminate large spikes (e.g.
lightning) you need a voltage arrestor for that.

Good luck,
Michael.

On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 8:11 PM, jm <jeffm at ghostgun.com> wrote:
> Peter Barker wrote:
>>
>> All,
>>
>>    I'm wondering if anyone else here is noticing a significant variation
>> on the mains power voltage in Canberra (Flynn, in particular).
>>
>>    Measuring with my power meter, I'm seeing the voltage vary between 241V
>> and 251V over the course of a day.
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_mains_power_plugs,_voltages_and_frequencies
> States "As of 2000, the mains supply voltage specified in AS 60038 is 230 V
> with a tolerance of +10% -6%[3]. This was done for voltage harmonisation -
> however 240 V is within tolerance and is commonly found. "
>
> so 216 to 253VAC is within tolerances.
>>
>>    I'm *thinking* these voltage problems are what's causing my A/V
>> Receiver to be unhappy.  The fault is intermittent: it turns on, but shuts
>> down somewhere between 2 and 10 seconds later, before emitting any sound. It
>> was doing it last night when the measured voltage was 251V, but it started
>> up and ran fine this-morning when the measured voltage was 243V. The problem
>> doesn't *seem* to be temperature.
>
> Voltage swings could be a problem with a cheaper unit or one made for the US
> market and then adapted to the australian market. Do you have a "known good"
> unit to compare to? How about borrowing a UPS and testing with that to see
> if that eliminates the problem?
>
> Jeff.
>
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