Dimming Electricty Condition & PC

[Himan Dilru]

is it harmful to turn on pc in dimming electricity condition even i have a ups????there is a power problem in our area.i call it as dimming electricity condition because my ups making "Tokos Tokos" sound.is that bad for the PC???

 

[CaedenV]

This is called a brown out and it happens when the power generator (your utility) is not able to keep up with fluctuations in demand. This generally happens when you live in 3rd world countries like California that do not believe in things like a power grid.

A UPS has a battery built in which will pull extra power from the outlet when power is good, and then supplement power to your PC when the power available is less than what it needs to be. I typically only use a surge protector on my computer, but if I lived in an area with power issues like that then I would absolutely use a UPS at all times, and replace it every year or two to keep the battery in good condition.

Check your unit for what that alarm means. It could just be telling you that there is a power event happening and letting you know that it is doing it's job... but it could also mean that the battery is dead and that you could potentially be having issues. There should be some lights on the unit that can explain that a little better.

For a more long-term solution; If you are the home owner there are some large capacitor units that you can get for your home that essentially do what the UPS does but for your whole house. Most people do not need them, but living in the area that has this kind of issue I may want to speak to an electrician about installing something to help even out your power load... or start looking into investing in an off-grid solar solution.

 

[rgd1101]

what kind of ups? make and model?
Most consumer ups only have enough power for you to shut down the pc before the power go out completely

 

[Tom Tancredi]

This is called a brown out and it happens when the power generator (your utility) is not able to keep up with fluctuations in demand. This generally happens when you live in 3rd world countries like California that do not believe in things like a power grid......

HEY We do due believe in power grids... why right here we are all natural power grid.. ohh wait I need to feed Hamster #255.. come on you rodents pedal faster Daddy wants to play some Counter Strike!

In honestly I second this as totally correct. NO unless absolutely necessary you should NOT turn on a computer during dimming electrical conditions, while yes the UPS maybe powering enough 'clean' power to it, your draining it and your power isn't enough to properly charge it (Tok Tock Toc) and it is letting you know HEY USER THERE IS A PROBLEM!

You should get proper power to your location first for electronic to work "as expected"

 

[Himan Dilru]

sometimes it happens some times it won't.there was a power problem due to heavy thundering & my ups is a prolink one.i bought it 3 months ago.this problem came after that incident

 

[CaedenV]

check the lights on the UPS and find out how serious the issue is. Beeping is sometimes just to remind you it is there... and sometimes it means the end of the world is happening. It is up to you to look at the lights and your user manual to tell the difference.

If this is a regular issue then I may consider upping to a larger unit as a UPS is typically meant for very limited occasional use.