Yes, he seems to know a fair bit but has problems expressing it clearly for us simpletons! I think the point was, that the keison would protect everything too, including the expensive stuff, but yeah, it is more expensive. Debateably more effective however, so perhaps not a fair comparison?
I've also replaced lots of blown PSUs, but not many decent ones. Difficult to prove why they've failed though.
Many power supplies sold to typical computer assemblers may be missing essential functions necessary for reliable operation and to meet regulations (ie EU Standards). But only the computer assembler is responsible for meeting those regulations. IOW manufacturer can forget to include £10-20 of parts. Only the computer manufacturer is responsible for making sure those functions exist. Then the supply sells for even higher profits. Then a computer assembler recommends a £80 UPS to compensate for missing £10 parts.
Most failures are manufacturing defects. Just about every power supply I have repaired or diagnosed was a failure directly traceable to component failure – a manufacturing defect. Component not located anywhere that a surge might cause damage. Remember those electrolytic capacitors with counterfeit materials? How long did that manufacturing defect exist before failures occurred? Months and years. That is how and why most things fail.
But so few know how to do this stuff. Yet somehow know why failures happen? Wild speculation is why surges get blamed. A typically destructive surge occurs maybe once every seven years - even less often in the UK. If you had a surge, then so many less robust appliances are also destroyed. But so many know it must be a surge based only on wild speculation.
Provided were reasons why - the numbers. No numbers is your first indication when a poster is lying. You need not understand most numbers. Maybe only 5% do. You need not understand most reasons why. But to know which reply is honest means that post also provides the numbers – the reasons why. No numbers is your first indication of junk science lies such as HowStuffWorks.com.
A perfect example of one who swallowed the lie - hook, line, and sinker. A long post hardly discusses page 2 because HowStuffWorks page 1 is so full of lies and myths. HowStuffWorks provides no numbers. No numbers is the first indication of lies. See "Inside a surge protector" in rec.radio.shortwave at to appreciate how technically insulting HowStuffWorks is:
http://*******.com/2fy7u
Read and only understand some reasons why. Anything that is truly informative takes at least three rereads to grasp. But the bottom line facts are obvious and simple. Protection is always about where energy dissipates. Always. Plug-in protectors will not discuss energy and have near-zero energy numbers. Near-zero is sufficient to advertise myths in sales brochures. No earth ground (every power strip) means no effective protection. Yes, read that sentence at least three times. Plug-in protectors have no earth ground. 'Whole house' protectors are always how protection was done due to the always required short connection to earth.
The Keison is closer to £100. Not £500. If destructive surges exist, the Keison or equivalent is the only effective solutions. If a surge is causing computer failures, then it is also damaging the dishwasher, furnace, washing machine, microwave ovens, fire protection system, clock radios, etc. Which demonstrates how many blame imaginary surges. Either you need protection for everything ... or protection already inside the computer is making surges irrelevant. Effective protection means a destructive surge must not be inside the building. Once inside, nothing does effective protection.
Again, this simple. Protection is always about where energy dissipates. Always that simple. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground because protection is always about where energy dissipates. Previously were reasons after numbers after reasons why that is true. But you need only grasp the bottom line. Where does energy dissipate? A protector is only as effective as its earth ground; as was true 100 years ago.
Why is this complex? Protection is always about where energy dissipates. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground.
These measures are industrial grade, however, and applying them to a home setting is almost always overkill.
