Computer shuts down randomly (sometimes at same time as TV!)

variation in power due to the hurricane

since there is no power down south the closer you are the more the drain is in the grid. my power shut off 3 times last week with out a storm and its very rare.

i think its low voltage or fluctuations in voltage?


idea 2 - its cern

CERN starts up this week and it might create mini black holes

i think it might make a mini singularity like the big bang and create a mutlidemnsional rift - we might get a whole new universe? of coarse we be dead and scattered into sub atomic particles but who knows?

It could be that you're experiencing voltage or frequency variations. Sometimes called "brownouts". It that's the problem, your components are shutting off due to low voltage or out of spec frequency.

I'd recommend an Uninteruptable Power Supply (UPS) to protect any sensitive or expensive electronic components. Make sure you look for one that will perform "line smoothing" to maintain voltage and frequency within a tigh band.

It's not necessarily an individual circuit problem but could be a building or neighborhood problem with insufficient power to handle the demand.

Yes, Line Conditioning/Smoothing could be very important.

Voltage Fluctuations are not always corrected fast enough to prevent some of the issues seen.

Some of the better UPSes actually constantly provide the power and don't just wait until a power failure to kick in.

If you're going to buy a UPS at a local store to save money on shipping (these things are HEAVY) then be careful about terms. Some will try to sell you equipment to reduce "line noise". That's mostly for audiophiles and they will talk your ears off about how important it is. What you're really looking for is frequency and voltage control. And of course, a short period of time to maintain power during a power loss is appreciated. I see the most advantage in that I can keep my modem and wireless router going during a power outage and still use my laptop if I want.

I have an electrical background myself, and here is my theory:

High tech components use a "soft on". That is to say, that the device is always 'on' when plugged in. The power switch really just powers on the remainder of the equipment(usually all of the high power consuming parts). The power switches these days commonly run off of a bi-stable type circuit. If the voltage drops, even for a split second, it can affect the bistable and make it change states from on to off. Basically the short drop causes the bistable to forget its state, so it ends up being reset to off.

The other possibility is that there is interference going through your home from other equipment on the power grid, and it is causing a certain frequency to resonate through your equipment causing the bistable to reset to off.

What you could do is try using a UPS. If that solves the problem then the cause was something from the power coming into your house. I always recommend people buy a UPS for their computers. Nothing fancy, just something that will turn off the computer gracefully when power is lost.

Having a good power supply and UPS are important for your PC's health! I have an older UPS that is similar to the one Griimmy linked to. Imagine your computer rebooting when you are in the middle of something!

But dragonsplayer might also be right. Could be gremlins!