> You may have heard that our so-called Governor, here in the
> great state of Taxifornia has proposed replacing rolling
> blackouts with universal brownouts: reducing line voltage
> about 10-15% on hot days this summer. Any guesses
> at how that will effect a computer running GIMPS?
Power supplies in today's PC's can usually switch fine down to 80-90 V
AC.
However, running like that for prolonged periods can cause problems in
the long run since it forces the switching supply to run less
efficiently.
Also, brownouts can be really bad on motors. They have to work "harder"
with less voltage and can easily burn out with as little as a 10%
reduction in potential.
In fact, for air conditioners, refrigerators, fans, etc. it's better to
just turn them off during brownouts, otherwise you may be quite
displeased to find that your refrigerator's condenser has pooped out on
you, or that your ceiling fan is making unusual grinding noises now.
Brownouts can even cause fires when marginal motors start to burn out
and actually combust.
No... that's why rolling blackouts are a MUCH better alternative than
simply reducing line voltage. If they overdid it, you'd be creating
much more problems.
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