Phase 3 problem ?

Stonemason

Hi Peeps

Does anyone know where i can find out about the effects of a phase 3 industrial power supply (in a business premises) that i think is effecting a certain computer im working on.Problem is sometimes the computer starts first time some times it takes a couple of presses of the power button when tested on site. Seems fine at a my place.Im pretty sure though the office itself is toned down to Phase 1 fluctuations in either ampage of current or some such is causing the problem.

Cheers

Stone

Kali

no idea about where to read up on the actual effects but id reccomend getting a decent ups anyway if you think theres power problems... it should clean up the supply and allow the pc to have that immediate surge it requires when its turned on.

Stonemason

If it isnt a typo What ?and where ?would you get one of these Please:D.Do you know if there is such a thing as a regulator unit maybe to stand between the wall socket and the PC.I dont think a surge protector would be any good as it seems lack of power rather than overdose of power is the problem.I have changed the PSU a couple of days ago but i have a feeling that the rough supply may have damaged the original if so it could well knacker the new one too.


cheers for the input Kali


Stone

astrofool

3-phase power is actually a "cleaner" supply of electricity and should do no damage to the pc.

Putting too much load on one ring could cause this however, I had one case at a printer's where they had all the printing equipment on the same line as the pc, the chipset fan would go slow, and it didn't boot fully other times, got an electrician I know to take a line direct and ain't had a bother with it since

Stonemason

Though this is the second time ive had a customer on phase 3 thats had problems first one her machine would work for about three hours in her house (three cottages on a phase 3)then it would close down and wouldnt restart until i cleared the bios and sometimes have to remove and replace the power cable to the motherboard.One day she looked out the front of her house and the transformer was on fire.BTW we tested her machine at my house none stop for 2 days and a m8s house for a week neither of us had any problem.


Stone

astrofool

it's generally used in industry where the machine's tolerance to a fluctuating electrical signal can cause problems.

All mains electricity exists as a wave along the circuit, fluctuating sinusoidally, so at one point it'll be +2v and then -2v for example, what phase3 is is when they put 3 signals along the same line, slightly out of sync with each other, so that when one is at +2, the second is at 0 and the third is at -2.

This can go up to 5-phase, 7-phase and beyond i'm sure if needed.

Why a cottage would be on phase3 is beyond me though, as it's more expensive to put in, hence why it's usually only industrial estates that have it, the transformer was probably old, or tree's kept hitting the line (esp, as the transformer is above ground).

There is probably a short circuit in the line somewhere, a ground wire connected to live or something, do the lights in the house flicker also ?

happened on my uncle's farm at one stage Ring the ESB and get them to replace the transformer, would hopefully fix the problem