Power drops or spikes cause short drop in TV picture

[NutritioN]

Hi, we have a TV that runs off a feed that is being received over ethernet via a powered HDMI sender/receiver setup. In the same room is a mini fridge and when its pump cooling system starts or stops the TV signal drops for a second or two. It's the HDMI extender that is being affected.

Do power surge protectors work both ways for drops and spikes? What can we do to minimise the effect of the fridge's cycles on other electrical gear in the room?

I did find some expensive third party AC adapters that would replace the one that came with the HDMI extender. But it's not really clear if this is appropriate for our issue.

Cheers!

 

[lucid]

There are two problems. The first is that the fridge is is chucking out some RF interference as the motor driving the compressor kicks in.

The second is that the the HDMI cable or the powered splitter or both aren't well-enough shielded to deal with the effects.

The solution lies mostly with the fridge. That's where you need to start.

The fridge should be fitted with a suppressor. These don't last forever, and so it sounds like yours has failed. It's a replaceable part. Espresso and the like sell them for fridges, freezers, washers, dishwashers etc. They cost around £15.

Alternatively, where fridge is old and on its last legs, have a think about a replacement. It could save you a bob or two in leccy bills.

Outboard mains suppressors such as the power surge sockets won't be as effective. They interference pulse has to travel along the mains cable before getting to the surge protector device. That gives the signal time to radiate. Stopping it at source with the suppressor part is better.

If you're still noticing the odd blip then it's time to look at the HDMI gear. Better shielding on hardware and cables is the answer. It's not so easy to achieve though as very few manufacturers put money in to shielding.

 

[NutritioN]

Ace thanks, just needed more terms to aid the searches for solutions! Seen things like power purifiers and silencers for affected HiFi equipment but wasn't sure if that was the right angle to take. And some of that stuff looks pointlessly expensive. Will have a look and see if we can drop in a VDR & CONTACT SUPPRESSOR type thing for less than £20.