Tech- Homework help - PC Amperage

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help - PC Amperage
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 11:16 PM

FYI: In Australia, fuses are not installed in plugs.

I remember some early PCs (AT vintage) that had fuses in them. I know - cause I blew one once...

Standard 240/250V circuits here are 8 amp light - 15 amp power - inistalled at the mains box. Portable plugin powerboard that come with circuit breakers have 10 amp ones - many early model and cheaper ones have no circuit breakers.

Indeed there is some good arguments for not having them in every powerboard, especially if you have to plug in more than one in series to get enough sockets to run the PC setup, what with lots of little plug adaptors for all sort of optional extras, speakers, printers, monitors, external dialup modems, external HDs, routers, broadband network adaptors, etc. PC cases have stopped including a plug to piggy back the monitor into now too.

Further, the normal powerboards have the sockets too close, and many low voltage plugpacks are too wide, so you can't fit in more than 2 on a 4 point or 3 on a 6 position powerboard anyway, and then you can't fit in any other normal width plugs either!

Robin

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 02:07 PM

And, of course that varies from country to country. Since the U.S. has a lower voltage, it has to draw a higher amperage to do the same job. As John in Kansas points out, the amps in most of the answers above apply only to the UK.

But generally, you can put all the computer stuff one individual could want to use on one household circuit. It may require a separate circuit for some high-performance laser printers.

I'd recommend that you don't use high-amp appliances like toasters and microwaves and vacuum cleaners on the same circuit. When my wife turns on the vacuum when I'm using my computer, I think I may have grounds for justifiable homicide.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: nutty
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 01:11 PM

Thanks for all your help but it seems that the problem was much more simple that it at first appeared.

What was wanted was the fuse rating of the plug that was used to connect the computer or peripheral to the electricity supply.

The correct answer (so I'm told) is 5amp.

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: mack/misophist
Date: 15 Dec 04 - 11:02 AM

If you're using the word 'fuse' in the ordinary electrical sense, I've never seen one in a computer or any peripheral. I took a couple of hardware courses a few years ago and the term never came up. The only equivalent I know of is the circuit breaker that should be in the power supply and in the recommended power strip. I've been inside 2 or 3 dozen machines, many of them older ones, without ever seeing a fuse.

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 10:58 PM

Highest fuse rating for a computer - 300 amps - breaker switch.

Highest fuse rating for a peripheral - 3,687K amps - your grid system.

Hot pluggable - leave it overnight - it is edible in the morning.

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: Grab
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 12:27 PM

I have to say that any computer course that thinks fuse rating of PCs is something their students need to learn isn't worth the money you're spending on it. Especially given the *HUGE* range of power consumption of computers and equipment (see JohnInKansas's answer).

Hot-pluggable: Per Rapaire's answer, anything that can be plugged or unplugged whilst the computer is powered up ('hot') without damaging the computer, and whose presence or absence can be detected by the computer so that it can be used without rebooting. Also called "hot-swappable". Note that detection *doesn't* have to be automatic - you may need to select some option to say "enable this" or "let me remove this".

Graham.

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: Rapparee
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 12:16 PM

You mean I have to remove all those pennies I've shoved into the computers over the years? Dang! I'm gonna be rich, rich, rich!

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 12:12 PM

Wouldn't Gateway or Dell sales people be motivated to find this out helpfully and toll free by phone or online? :~)

~Susan

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: s&r
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 12:10 PM

A lot depends on the level of your study, and the context. If you are at secondary school and not studying computers as a specialist, then the answer may be simply to read the labels on the back. Power consumption and fuse ratings are probably given.
Three things are important: Don't use a fuse lower than the current drawn by the device, don't use a fuse higher than the level that would prevent nuisance blowing, don't use silver paper or other means of circumventing the fuse.

Stu

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 12:00 PM

nutty -

You'll need to give some context for the fuse questions. ENIAC was a computer and drew several kilowatts. Common desktop computers use less current. UK computers use twice the voltage and half the current of comparable US computers. I don't know of a "legal limit" for what commercially sold home/business computers and peripherals are allowed to draw, although there may be EIA and/or IEEE (or other) standards on this. If you're referring to the internal fuse on a piece of equipment, the answer is "what's shown on the label."

The "hot pluggable" is a little easier, since it's a relatively new term. It simply means that a peripheral device can be removed and/or connected without shutting down the main machine.

The term is most often seen in connection with RAID arrays of hard drives, on large servers. You'll often see it as "hot swappable" as well as "hot pluggable," and you'll have to determine from your course material whether they consider them interchangeable terms. It also comes up especially with laptops where older versions required you to turn off the machine to take out a floppy drive and replace it with a CD drive, for example. With a few newer ones you can make the swap with the machine running. USB peripheral devices are generally "hot pluggable" although the term isn't often used in this context. You can connect your camera, download your pictures, and disconnect the camera without turning off the computer, if you follow the correct procedures.

John

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: s&r
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 11:58 AM

In the UK the household sockets are normally 13A so that would be the highest possible.

The rating for the computer itself needs more detail, but a quick check is to work from the rating of the power supply - say 500W
Power is E x I = 500W so 500/240 (UK) gives over two amps, so the nearest standard fuse would be 3A. It needs also to be the type of fuse specified, ptobably a slow blow that will allow for surge. If the same fuse feeds the monitor, you probably need 5A. (depending on monitor type)

Peripherals? What are they? Domestic printer, scanner etc probably 1A.

This assumes plug top fuses rather than internal fuses.

Stu

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: Rapparee
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 11:47 AM

A "hot pluggable" means that you can install it and have it work without rebooting the computer. Like plugging in an external hard drive and having the computer recognize it and work with it without rebooting the computer.

Wouldn't have clue about the other two questions -- whatever is just below the point where the equipment's guts fuse together, I suspect.

Subject: RE: Tech- Homework help
From: wysiwyg
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 11:45 AM

Suggest you PM Booster Terrik, who just completed a course about current tech stuff.

~S~

Subject: Tech- Homework help
From: nutty
Date: 14 Dec 04 - 11:30 AM

I'm doing a computer course and have been set some info to find.
It's a simple enough question but I'm drawing a blank. I'm sure someone out there can help.

What is the highest fuse rating for a computer?
What is the highest fuse rating for a peripheral?

Also can you give a simple definition of "hot pluggable"

Help will be gratefully received as I have to hand this in tomorrow.