We had a power outage last night. It only lasted for about a minute. The power came right back on and my room filled with the odor of melting electronic components.:-((I haven't started to determine exactly what fried but the Bernstein computer is out of action for the current time. Bummer, cuz I was gearing up for a production phase creating the Harvey objects in GMAX. On boot now, there is a sporatic bad evidence..once it went into crazy video mode...once it booted to safemode...often it boots fine...once it booted with an alarm going off on the mobo...When it boots fine, it gives the appearance of working properly until it freezes, which has happened each time I've used it.I suspect either the power supply, mobo, cpu, memory, or harddrive (I'm intentionally leaving off the vid card, cuz I really don't want it to be burned! lol) The fans are all working.Luckily, I've been slowing building my inventory of parts to put together a faster box...I have a new mobo (shuttle via k266A), and a sparkel 350 watt power supply waiting in the box, just need to get some ddr memory and a cpu/fan. looks like the this is now my project rather than gmax.....I have three hard drives, until the box freezes I can access them all, which makes me suspect that they are all right. That'd be good or I'd be starting over with design data for all my airports..Bob Bernstein

Argggh. Power failures. I'm used to them up here but luckily have never had a terminal one yet. Guess you'll just have to use that as an excuse to finish that new one. jb

Well that's a drag Bob but at least you now have a reason for that new puter!! Dan

Sorry to hear about that.Go ahead and build the new mean machine and don't forget a good quality line conditioner/surge protector. get the best.

Sorry to hear this Bob. But like Dan said now even more reason for that new power system.:7Hope you get things up and running soon. :-)http://ftp.avsim.com/dcforum/User_files/3ce80e1950ba5637.jpg-Jay....:-outta-NWA Line Maintenance KDFW -NW KLM WORLDWIDE RELIABILITY

'Sorry to hear about the outage. I'd also say now's the time to break out that new mobo & CPU. While you're at it, I'd just share that one of the best "cushions" I've stumbled onto was installing a "brute-force" Heavy Duty Multi-Pi-Section Filter at the computer's AC Power Input, grounded to earth ground and Chassis Ground. I found one at a junky computer surplus store -- weighs about 8 lbs. At the time I installed it, my motivation was to filter RF on the power line eminating from my other hobby (Amateur Radio), however, during the CA power brown/black-outs of last summer, it really saved the day a time or two during tremendous peaks and sags caused by power distribution sharing "strategies".J.R.

$150 later, now its wait a few days.wish I could spend more, but it'll be fun to use a faster putergot an amd xp1700+ with 256mb of micron pc2100 and an arkua 7528 hsf.waisted a few bucks on fed ex 2day with the possible hope of building over the weekend, but it won't happen likely...probably next Monday nite.Gonna be a long weekend with no scenery design. Bob

Bob,I also live in the NW and we have lots of momentaries outages where I live. The problem with momentary outages like the one you had is that when the power returns the line voltage sometimes soars for a few milliseconds as the load is picked up. I don't know of any surge suppressors that can eat those kinds of surges. Years ago I rigged up a relay with holding contacts that drops out and kills everything on momentary power interruptions. I've never heard of anyone else doing this but it seems to work for me so far.Al

Hi Al, I'm a believer now! Replaced the power supply and I'm back in action.Perhaps I'll get an ups. Course this is the first time power out has damaged my box. Been in the Seattle area for 25 years, computing 20 of those years.B

I'm an UPS believer myself! Use them extensively at work, and I just picked one up for home - just in time, as a roommate decided to do some unplanned electrical work, and tripped my breaker without knowing it - in the middle of a Terrascene/Fly2 slice project. Go battery power go!-Greg

I am a firm believer in UPS's.. I have two.. one for the monitor, printer and speakers and the other for the case/cpu and scanner. I also have a surge protector that is plugged in each UPS that I have everything connected to ... overkill ? .. YES ... but I like to take no chances.bob