Quanmax KUBE-8110, User Manual

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xxii KUBE-8110 User’s Guide
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Power Protection
The greatest threats to a system’s supply of power are power loss, power spikes, and power surges caused
by electrical storms, which interrupt system operation and/or damage system components. To protect your
system, always properly ground power cables and one of the following devices.
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Surge Protector
Surge protectors are available in a variety of types and usually provide a level of protection proportional
with the cost of the device. Surge protectors prevent voltage spikes from entering a system through the AC
power cord. Surge protectors, however, do not offer protection against brownouts, which occur when the
voltage drops more than 20 percent below the normal AC line voltage level.
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Line Conditioner
Line conditioners go beyond the overvoltage protection of surge protectors. Line conditioners keep a
system’s AC power source voltage at a fairly constant level and, therefore, can handle brownouts. Because
of this added protection, line conditioners cost more than surge protectors. However, line conditioners
cannot protect against a complete loss of power.
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Uninterruptible Power Supply
Uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems offer the most complete protection against variations on
power because they use battery power to keep the server running when AC power is lost. The battery is
charged by the AC power while it is available, so when AC power is lost, the battery can provide power to
the system for a limited amount of time, depending on the UPS system.
UPS systems range in price from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, with the more
expensive unit s allowing you to run larger systems for a longer period of time when AC power is lost. UPS
systems that provide only 5 minutes of battery power let you conduct an orderly shutdown of the system,
but are not intended to provide continued operation. Surge protectors should be used with all UPS
systems, and the UPS system should be Underwriters Laboratories (UL) safety approved.