In article <telecom24.276.15@telecom-digest.org>, AES
<siegman@stanford.edu> wrote:
> In article <telecom24.275.11@telecom-digest.org>,
> bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) wrote:
>> It should be obvious that any such device will need to be powered by
>> some sort of UPS. Whereupon you may as well use a UPS. <grin>
> I don't see why a simple power monitor/logger gadget can't be battery
> powered, or more precisely, line powered with battery power to carry
> it over the hopefully rare occasions when the line power fails,
<sigh> That battery "back-up" _is_ a UPS. A "simpleton" DC-output
variety, but a UPS nonetheless *grin*
> preserving the already logged data and keeping its internal clock
> running. We're talking about logging mostly short losses of voltage
> in household electric service that's mostly on -- and battery backup
> should keep a simple logger gadget running for days if not months.
> In my household the built-in wall oven apparently has a built-in
> battery;
Usually a 'super-cap', rather than a real battery.
> it's clock and other settings will still be valid after a 20
> minute outage. Some electric clocks and most of the cordless and cell
> phones will retain settings for a day or more; and of course all the
> laptop computers for much longer. The thermostats for the HVAC ditto.
> The microwave oven's clock display, however, is flashing "==12.00=="
> over and over after even a sub-second glitch, as are many other
> electric clocks. The coffee maker with a built-in auto-start feature
> to make coffee just before 6:00 am each morning has lost all its
> settings -- but comes back up with its heating element still on if it
> was on when the power failed; lovely safety feature, that.
> Most annoying is the expensive, highly touted Bose radio: it loses all
> its settings -- time, station presets, etc -- on even the slightest
> power glitch. (Lots of other things not to like about this overpriced
> radio as well -- DON'T BUY BOSE is my recommendation.)
>> Most modern "smart" UPS systems have a capability for signalling a
>> host computer about the state of the incoming power, and the state of
>> the UPS batteries. Allowing, among other things, 'controlled'
>> shutdown of a UPS-protected device when the UPS batteries are about to
>> expire.
> Sounds like I'll have to look at this -- but I don't really want UPS,
> especially for the household appliances, and would initially just
> like to assemble some data on how badly PG&E is really doing.
Right. Use the UPS to supply power to an 'always on' computer, that
logs the data reported by the UPS. UPS for a microwave, or a coffee
maker is _expensive_, not to mention sort-of silly -- they draw a lot
of power.
> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Now wait a minute! I have a Bose radio
> and that does not happen. The radio has a battery compartment which
> keeps everything in place. The battery does _not_ continue to play
> the radio, but when our power goes out here, I do not have to reset
> the clock or the presets, etc. Do you have a battery in your Bose
> radio? PAT]
Depends on the model, Pat. Bose does make more than one. ;)
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have the expensive one which came
out about 4-5 years ago; charcoal grey, with buttons on the top
of it in addition to the remote control. I do not have the very new
one advertised in the past year which has remote control only and
no buttons on the top which can play several CDs one after another.
Mine has green LEDs which brighten or dim according to the amount of
light in the room. I also have my television set (a separate thing)
plugged into it via the AUX switch to get pseudo-'stereo' sound from
the television audio. PAT]
Robert Bonomi (bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com)