NZFF

Well there I was, happily flying along with everything under control, then.............

BANG and a smell of something electrical burning. Had the aircraft been shot at? Was some multiplayer MiG attacking me? No, it was just that the power adaptor had burnt out, with a bang. Not had that happen before, but for now it will mean no simulation until I can get it replaced, which because of the plugs and output of it, will not be a quick thing. So grounded for a time, but I will be watching the forum.

Made me think that it was good to know that I had the computer backed up, so if you have not backed up recently then do it now. Tomorrow could be too late.

Smooth landings.

Happy , friggen power supply !

Sounds similar to me without the bang, 2 years ago whilst flying my RAM caught fire. Should have seen the puter store guys face when I told him what happened... lol

Which is why it's v important to have a line-interactive UPS between yr computer & the wall. The 700va's worth having are around $200, but worth every penny. All reading this should be mindful that there are about 8 different types of "power event" that cause problems for a computer - both over-voltage and under-voltage types. A REALLY good power supply can help with a couple of the over-voltages (and poss even 1 or 2 of the under-voltage ones), but it still runs the risk of being "zapped". And since the supply of power in NZ is far from perfect (especially for any small-town or rural simmers reading this), we experience a number of these mysterious "power events" each and every week (more when demand is high or there are specific weather conditions causing issues - heavy wind / rain, snow / ice). And these "power events" have a cumulative "damage effect" on the internal components of a computer (regardless of whether it is a Windows-based PC or an Apple-based one). Which is why things can "suddenly" die - they've been pinged 30, 40 or 100 times over the course of 2-3 (or more) years, and then decide "That's it - I've had enough: I'm going to join the clown school" (Homer Simpson).

So, I recommend a good brand like Eaton's PowerWare 700va line-interactive UPS to all my customers (and use one myself, of course!). They come with a 3 year guarantee, have a user-replaceable battery, and a $50,000 connected-device guarantee! Ya can't beat that on price! I used to sell the excellent APC brand, but they are way too expensive and don't seem sufficiently "better" to be worth 3x the price! Note also that another excellent benefit of a UPS is in relation to those pesky micro power outages - you know the ones: a small "blip" that switches the telly (and computer) off and makes the lights flick but nothing else. Those ones are (apparently) really bad for a computer's innards - not to mention the high probability of hard drive corruption! But with a UPS, you get around 5-7 minutes (up to 11 on the 700va depending on how much juice yr comp sucks) of battery backup. And since the line-interactive UPSes shunt the power thru the battery all the time (basically), it means that there is no "lag" in the UPS switching to battery when the power fails.

Anyway, enough with the sales pitch. Most people are blissfully unaware of the dangers of power supply issues, so I thought it worth mentioning. Of course, I happen to sell them as well...