In industrial power networks for normal operationtechnology special protective devices are installed, but they do not exist in the interstorey switchboards of residential buildings. Housing is not responsible for the failure of household electrical appliances due to poor operation of the electrical network. Therefore, the presence of complex electronics in the house requires mandatory protection against harmful effects of fluctuations in the electrical network. To do this, you can use a surge protector or a voltage regulator. What is best to use, each solves independently, but you need to at least approximately know what they are and what factors they protect.
What are the obstacles?
External influences are divided into high-frequency and impulse. The latter, in turn, come in two classes:
- natural - a lightning bolt next to the power line (during a thunderstorm all household appliances should be turned off);
- man-caused - the result of an accident at the substation, switching processes when connecting (disconnecting) a large number of consumers, the deterioration of power grids.
Impulse noise is inherent in industrial zones and urban areas. They occur in all networks and can reach a value of 6 kV in 10-6-10-9from. The technology is protected from jumps by connecting through line filters and voltage regulators.
The causes of RF interference are the same, only to them is added power tools and household electrical appliances. It is impossible to exclude them, since the transmission occurs by wires and through space.
So what is better:mains filter or voltage regulator? What is better for home appliances? Solving these issues, consumers first look at the price. In most cases, they confuse protective electrical devices, especially without separating them. Many often take not what they need.
Selection of UPS, stabilizer or mains filter
Each protective device solves a certain range of tasks, and it is necessary to determine how much this corresponds to the current need.
Network Filter Functions
All people who use sophisticated electronics do notcan imagine how you can work without network filters. The device smooths the pulses and is a stabilization block with a group of outlets. It consists of two parts: a voltage limiter and a filter. The first includes varistors - active resistors, changing the parameters depending on the magnitude of the voltage. They are included mainly between phase and zero. Protection of high-sensitivity devices from high-frequency oscillations and pulses is performed using an LC-filter, which can also contain inductors.
The network filter works according to the classicalsingle-phase circuit. Note! This circuit should include grounding in a three-wire supply network! If it is not, the filter also copes with its work, but worse. All impulse noise must go to the ground.
Varistor VDR1 is an alternatingsemiconductor variable resistance, nonlinearly changing characteristics simultaneously with the voltage. It is installed at the input to suppress the voltage pulses. The varistor takes it upon himself, not skipping further.
In addition to protection from interference, network filters provide for the shutdown of consumers in case of short circuits and overcurrent.
Нам предстоит решить вопрос:a surge protector or a voltage regulator - which is better. First, pay attention to the price, which in some measure is an indicator of quality. Cheap devices do not save equipment. But they can be used if you "bring to mind" with your own hands.
On sale there are many low quality products,where there is no protective and filtering schemes. In this case, the mains filters serve only as extensions or protect the equipment from a dangerous voltage increase. It should be noted that they do not serve for stabilization.
The purpose of the voltage regulator
The device is designed to maintainvoltage of the network at 220 V. If it exceeds the set value, it is aligned, and with a decrease - an increase, as far as the transformer can handle it. When the external network is not working well, users pay more attention to it when they make a choice of the voltage regulator or the network filter.
During emergency jumps, the load is disconnected. In addition, impulse jumps to the consumer are not to be missed when switching power.
Structures of stabilizers
In the stabilizer, the voltage is regulated in various ways. One of them is the switching of the secondary windings of the transformer.
The voltage is changed by electronic keys controlled by the processor. Data comes from the sensor and is switched using an electronic thyristor switch.
In parametric stabilizers is usedthe phenomenon of avalanche breakdown on zener diodes, when, with a significant change in the current, the voltage remains constant. For power amplification, the load is connected through one or more transistors.
As high-frequency filters, capacitors are used in the circuit. Stabilizer - a complex device, which may include a mains filter.
The resistor at the input allows to keep the transistor open, and also supports the zener diode in the active region.
The stabilizer is selected on the power of consumers.Nowadays, electronics is used everywhere, for example, in control units of energy-saving lamps. Therefore, it is needed not only for computers, but also for lighting systems. If it is used for electric motors, you should know that the inrush current of the latter is several times higher than the rated current. Despite the fact that stabilizers allow short-term overload, here the power margin should be taken more.
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)
In a specialty store sellers vied formay offer stabilizer, surge protector and UPS. What is better to buy - it is immediately difficult to decide with the existing large selection of models with different names and properties.
Many purchase UPS to eliminate onepossible malfunction in the network - the sudden disappearance of the voltage to correctly shut down the electronic devices. Imported models are UPS. It is advisable to purchase them with a stabilizer function to eliminate radio frequency and electromagnetic distortion and interference.
When the disappearance or reduction of the supply voltagebeyond the required range, the UPS goes to work through the batteries. Depending on the model used, the operating time of an independent source can reach several minutes or hours. The device is selected for the power of the protected equipment.
An important characteristic of UPS when running on battery is the shape of the output voltage. In cheap devices, it is rectangular, and in frequency and amplitude is equal to the mains sinusoidal voltage.
Multifunctional UPS
UPS защищает приборы не только при отключении, но and when the voltage drops below the permissible threshold by switching to batteries. Periodic operation reduces battery life. It is advisable to additionally connect a voltage regulator before a bespereboynik. For some models this is not necessary. Modern UPS may contain an integrated filter or voltage regulator.
The voltage of a modified (rectangular) sinusoid cannot be correctly measured with a conventional voltmeter. The readings will differ significantly from the actual values.
What is the difference between the voltage regulator and the network filter?
The stabilizer is preferable to apply, becausethat protection is carried out at several levels. It may include a surge protector as a separate part (for example, Sven products). By itself, it does not correct undervoltage, which negatively affects the durability of devices.
При его повышении в устройстве сгорает fuse that will have to be changed. But the models are constantly being improved, and it is desirable, by their characteristics, to correctly determine which network filter is better.
The stabilizer will gently disconnect the power supply,which is then easy to repair. It is preferred because the price of the mid-level model is the same as that of a high-quality network filter. Power reserve of any protective device is taken at the level of 20-30%.
Buying a quality stabilizer is justified in the following cases:
- unstable operation of the external network (relevant for the village);
- The total cost of household appliances should be significantly higher.
Conclusion
Buying valuable electronics, you should decidethe question of how to take a surge protector or voltage regulator, what is better, and how to make it profitable for yourself. With the right choice, protective devices provide reliable power supply for home appliances. It is important to determine how the external network of the apartment works, as well as the price and characteristics of the purchased product. The advantage remains for the stabilizer, reliably protecting expensive electronics from voltage surges and high-frequency interference. For computers, it is imperative to purchase a UPS, which allows for the correct shutdown, increase their lifespan and store valuable information.
