ARTICLES

What is a profit-measured service manager to do?

"Identifying and alleviating subtle power issues can be the answer to many costly “no problem found” service calls.” [...]

Effects of let-through voltage to connected equipment

In a restaurant environment, appliances like blenders, cappuccino machines, AC units, refrigerators, ice machines create electrical noise that affects your POS equipment, servers and computers. [...]

Knowledge is King – Electrical Terms 101

Protect yourself, your equipment and your company’s integrity by taking these power related symptoms out of the equation when performing service calls. It will lead to better cost management and higher service agreement profitability. [...]

Before you plug in your electronic equipment

Protecting sensitive equipment from “dirty power” requires more than a common surge suppressor. [...]

Protect your mission-critical equipment from damaging electrical noise

Guard against disruptive, damaging and destructive power-related issues • Avoid system lock-ups and errors • Reduce unnecessary service calls due to power issues • Eliminate downtime for your POS system due to power problems • Protect your investment by reducing the [...]

Resolving the Hidden Vulnerability in Security Systems

A serious threat is putting many surveillance and access control systems at risk. But this threat doesn’t come from viruses, cyber criminals or stealth intruders. [...]

Service Techs Chasing Ghosts?

"The benefit a power quality program brings to a dealership is to eliminate power issues from the service equation. To maximize profits in a maintenance agreement, it is important to identify power issues that may be present in a facility as [...]

Smart Power Systems’ Technology VS Others

There’s a reason surge suppressors are low cost protection products, they handle a small percentage of power related problems. Smart Power Systems Transformer-Based Filter technology offers a low let-through, providing Computer-Grade Power and a more stable power source for today’s microprocessor [...]

Power Quality and Sensitive Electronics

Protect your business equipment with Smart Power Systems Electronic Power Conditioners with TBF™ technology. [...]

Power Protection for Critical Security Systems

Security systems are designed and installed for protection – not protecting them with proper power protection can challenge any benefit expected from a security system.Smart Power Systems offers a full line of patented protection products, including UPS’s for 100% protection from [...]

James Ritty and the “Incorruptible Cashier”

Since the first mechanical cash registers patented by James Ritty in 1883 to stop theft by his employees, to the addition of electric motors in 1906, the ECR business successfully incorporated machinery to enhance its ability. Following the announcement of the fully transistorized business computer in [...]

The A-B-Cs of Over voltage

Over voltage, a power disturbance that occurs when voltage exceeds specified limits, may not be the first potential complication that comes to mind when designing point of sale systems or other applications that encompass electronic equipment. However, understanding what over voltage [...]

It’s Getting Hot in Here!

The Mega Conditioner protects your expensive office equipment - copiers, large format printers with constant power conditioning, voltage regulation and TBF technology. [...]

What’s Inside the Box?

How often do you review your power protection products? Do you know its “let-through” capability? Can you be sure it is the right product for the newest digital equipment? [...]

Who’s at Fault?

An equipment malfunction creates the perception of hardware or software failure because that is what the customer sees.  This impacts people’s judgment of you and your products. What is not visible, and more commonly the cause, are power related problems.  These types of issues [...]

The “When” Question Answered

“The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office suffered an estimated $70,000 in damages Aug. 31, when a surge fried nine work stations, fire alarms, office equipment, electronic surveillance equipment, electric door locks and other devices. The surge followed a power failure…”   – The Union Democrat, [...]

If push comes to shove, you lose in the perception game

Many hardware & software providers don’t realize that the effects of transients are significantly impacting their company’s productivity and profitability. The problems described above result in billion of dollars of lost profits to U.S. business every year. [...]

Electrical Problem-Solving Made Easy

“Well, if it can be thought, it can be done, a problem can be overcome” – E.A. Bucchianeri That’s Smart Power Systems. We’ve innovated technology that provides the end user, and the dealer supporting electronic systems, with the highest level of [...]

A severe storm warning is not the only time to worry about power problems

Severe weather conditions can wreak havoc on any business—particularly restaurants that suffer from a reduction in business and loss of inventory due to spoilage. It’s easy to think about the potential for a power issue right before a storm, but your [...]

What does let-through voltage do to connected equipment?

Let-through voltage is the key to determining the impact of your power protection. The more voltage spikes and surges pass through to your equipment processor, the more problems your equipment is going to have. Typical surge suppressors, and most high-end filters, [...]

Old Technology VS New Technology

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Managed Print System Vulnerability Solved with “Easy Fix”

Experienced document-management resellers utilize electronic power conditioning to resolve unexplained system crashes An insidious threat is putting managed print systems at risk. This fatal flaw in the installation of multi-function peripherals takes hundreds down each day across the country, creating serious [...]

Lightning strikes coming soon to a location near you

Summer has officially started, which means it’s time to think about severe weather. This year’s winter was pretty extreme and spring was non-existent for most of the country, so weather-weary residents can now breathe a brief sigh of relief. Although hurricane [...]

Are you a victim of logic confusion?

Logic confusion is one word we like to toss around at Smart Power in regards to power issues. You might’ve heard the term used in conversation, so it’s time we explained what logic confusion is and why you should be concerned. [...]

Q&A – Why should I purchase an Electronic Power Conditioner from Smart Power?

It is difficult to place a dollar figure on how much can be saved by protecting your Point of Sale System with Electronic Power Conditioners (POS Guardian or Smart Cord) from Smart Power Systems. Consider these facts… An Electronic Power Conditioner [...]

Q&A – What is power quality?

In its broadest sense, power quality is a set of boundaries that allows electronic systems to function in their intended manner without significant loss of performance or life. The term is used to describe electric power that drives an electronic systems [...]

Q&A – Do I need power protection even if I have a dedicated line?

Dedicated lines terminate at the main electrical panel, the connecting point for all loads, including noise generating loads. Dedicated lines offer no protection against power surges and noise generated by neighborhood industrial equipment or lightning strike transients. The Electronic Power Conditioners [...]

Q&A – Why do I need power protection if I have a maintenance contract?

(A) MAINTENANCE CONTRACTS DON’T COVER EVERYTHING! – Most maintenance contracts don’t cover damage due to power problems. If it is determined that power quality is the reason for repair, you may have to pay for the repair. Eliminating one repair caused [...]

Q & A – What are the symptoms of dirty power?

If you are experiencing any of the following, your equipment may be driven by “poor power conditions”: • Blue Screens of Death • Unexpected Downtime • Confusing Error Codes • Excessive “no-trouble-found” Service Calls • Poor Print Quality or Phantom Paper [...]

Q&A – Is your surge suppressor really protecting your equipment?

Surge suppressors are designed for catastrophic events, like lightning. They simply don’t hold noise levels down to a level low enough to be effective. The vast majority of them do not even begin to work until the spike level reaches 350 [...]

MythBusters – The Smart Power Way

Electricity is fascinating but many people don’t stop and think about it until there’s a problem, which can be a total buzzkill. At Smart Power, we are obsessed with all things electricity and we hear a lot of misconceptions about the [...]

The Dangers of Neutral to Ground Bonding in Surge Suppressors

By Mark Waller Mark Waller & Associates Chino Hills, CA Why would anyone want to bond neutral to ground? Why wouldn’t they? In their rush to provide the highest possible levels of power protection for copiers and fax machines, power protection [...]

Voltage Transients

To most people, power quality is a mystery unless it is a power outage or lightning strikes. Studies show these events, while easy to identify, have the lowest potential of any power quality problems you will encounter. The highest number of [...]

UPS Types & Common Power Problems

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS), also referred to as a battery backup maintains a supply of electric power to connected equipment by supplying power from a battery source during a power outage. A UPS will switch from utility power to battery [...]

The Effects of Common Mode (N-G) Noise on a Data String

Today’s electronics have microprocessors that act as high speed switches. These switches are turned off and on millions of times per second. Microprocessors normally work with 5 Volts DC. The off state (zero DC volts) is called “zero” The on state [...]

Warning! Don’t be liable for this!

Not all power protection equipment in the market is GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter) compatible. Typically, GFCI’s are installed in environments where electricity and water are present like restaurant kitchens, bars, C-stores, retail locations and homes. When installed properly, a GFCI [...]

Feeling Dirty? (Power, That Is)

From time to time, you’ll hear us reference “dirty power” when talking about our products. The Smart Power development team spends so much time thinking about dirty power, it’s several degrees hotter in their offices than anywhere else in the building [...]

Move over, Rippley: It’s time for Smart Power’s Believe it or not!

Electricity is a fascinating thing—trust us, we know. At Smart Power, we are dedicated to knowing everything we can about electricity, how it works and using that knowledge to develop the products that safeguard our customers and assist them when things [...]

Weather Emergencies: Are You Prepared?

Batten down the hatches; weather forecasters are saying that the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season is going to be extremely active. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting 7 to 11 hurricanes in the next four months and of those, three [...]

Hot Temps, Hot Times

Protect your equipment this summer with the Venus Uninterruptible Power Supply with automatic voltage regulation. Ahhhhhh…summer. It’s the season of barbeques, beaches and weekends by the pool. It’s also the season of increasingly hot weather. Last year, there was a heat [...]

The Mystery of the Office Ghost

It’s funny to joke about the company “ghost” that causes strange happenings around the office. It’s no coincidence that the “ghosts” who plague office buildings also tend to be technology-savvy. In the hands of the supernatural, printers have unexplained issues and [...]

If a power outage can affect the Superbowl, how can you protect your business?

When half of the lights went out on February 3rd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, an estimated 108.4 million television viewers watched it happen. This year’s Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers was the [...]

Ground Loops

Ground loop formation is a common problem in today’s electronic equipment installation where multiple devices and peripherals are connected to different power sources communicating through data lines or audio/video wiring. What is Ground Loop? According to the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), [...]