Rant: Neighborhood power problems are screwing up my avionics testing

So I was in my garage working on a comms unit from a Cessna, and the lights flickered. My spectrum analyzer reset, and I lost all the settings I had just tuned. This has happened three times this month, and each time it adds hours to my job. Turns out, the whole block has old wiring, and when everyone runs AC, the voltage drops. It's a nightmare for sensitive avionics gear that needs stable power. Anyone else deal with crap power where you work? How do you protect your stuff? I'm gonna buy a UPS, but the good ones cost a lot.

3 comments

3 Comments

evan_patel9d ago

Wouldn't a UPS just give you clean battery power after the drop already happens?

holly_jones299d ago

Check if the UPS you're looking at has automatic voltage regulation to handle those dips without switching to battery. Tbh, a lot of cheaper ones don't do that and you'd still get a hiccup. Have you talked to the power company about the voltage drops on your block? They might have a record of complaints and could be forced to fix the transformer or something.

jamie_bailey654d ago

AVR is key. When holly_jones29 said automatic voltage regulation, that's the whole point. My old UPS didn't have it, so every voltage dip messed with my gear. Cheap ones switch to battery too slow and you still get a blink. Calling the power company might help, but they take forever to actually do anything. You're better off just getting a UPS with good AVR from the start.