On Thu, 2007-11-15 at 18:27 +0200, Dotan Cohen wrote: > Not strictly a Fedora question, but where else will I find a willing > audience of brains? > > A fried lives in the university dorms. She has two electrical outlets > in her part of the room, both on the same fuse. One has a splitter > which powers her computer, LCD monitor, printer, cellphone charger, > speakers, and maybe something else. The other powers the room's > refrigerator, electric kettle, microwave, and maybe something else. > Not everything is in use at the same time (the computer is always on) > and somehow the 10 watt (220 volt) fuse handles it all and even a > small electric heater to boot. > > Here's the question: is there any disadvantage to plugging the heater > into the computer's electrical outlet splitter, as opposed to the > other one? As mentioned, they are on the same fuse. I noticed that > when the heater is started and stopped the speakers make a popping > sound. Is this harmful to the computer? (fire hazard notwithstanding) It's always been my understanding that plugging a computer into the same circuit as anything that suddenly draws a lot of power (like a laser printer when it fires up the fuser or a space heater) is a no-no. Those devices cause momentary power dips and spikes as the go on and off, and that can absolutely kill your system. If you have any way to condition your power (I believe that some UPSs do line conditioning as well) you probably should. Thomas
