[PLUG] I gots me them ol' DSL blues

Eric Wilhelm ewilhelm at sbcglobal.net
Mon Feb 21 17:48:38 UTC 2005


# The following was supposedly scribed by
# Ovid
# on Monday 21 February 2005 11:04 am:

>Occasionally it
>was resetting itself for no apparent reason, but I realized that it
> was doing this when I would start the microwave.  The building I live
> in is old and the wiring is poor, so when I start the microwave you
> can see the lights in the kitchen dim slightly.

Not sure if it's really your wiring.  I've replaced all of the wiring in 
my house and still get lights dimming (or brightening if they're on the 
other leg) when large loads are started (electric heater, welder, 
furnace blower, table saw, etc.)  I suspect an undersized transformer 
out at the pole, but can't get the power company to answer me on that.  
The evenings issue makes me suspect the power company even more, since 
your neighbors watching must-see TV puts more load on the grid.

> My thought is that 
> my microwave is pulling enough power that the DSL modem would be
> reset.

That's a possibility, but you would have to put a voltage logger on the 
line to find out what the voltage is doing throughout the day.  Even 
then, you're assuming that the modem's DC converter is affected by 
fluctuations in the AC voltage.  (maybe replacing it would help?)  
Enough theory, plug a big power tool or heater (something worth about 
1600 watts) in next to it and find out.  A voltage meter might be a 
good addition to that experiment, especially at those times of day when 
the modem is flaky anyway.  The room may go dark.  You've been warned.

> Would a UPS help with this?  If so, where could I get a decent 
> one that's not too terribly expensive?

Only if it has voltage regulation.  That means it might not be a cheapy.  
Those probably only kick in when power stops completely.  My APC 
Back-UPS XS1000 has high/low voltage cut-out, but (IIRC) it was about 
$150.

--Eric
-- 
"It is a mistake to allow any mechanical object to realize that you are 
in a hurry." 
                                      -- Ralph's Observation
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