Power protection and equipment safety - Few unknown facts

Considering no business in India has the luxury of uninterrupted power and the power supply often tends to fluctuate widely, it has become imperative for every office or facility these days to have a back-up and power protection mechanism in place. However, the current devices used for protection of expensive equipment like Laptops among others is simply not enough. Nor is it sufficient to rest once a reliable power socket outlet is in place. One needs to consider the type of electrical conductor and compatibility with international plugs & receptacles. Now that is where the catch is!

Just as every country has it’s own currency or national identity with flag, language, culture, food etc. for electrical mains plugs and sockets also, most countries have their own set of physical configuration depending on the ampere ratings. For example round pin 6 Amps & 16 Amps in India, 13 Amps flat pins in the UK and so on. With multitude of MNCs setting up shop in India and Indian companies also purchasing many devices from different countries, every office today might have different equipment with different set of compatibility and specifications. Before we get into the unknown link, quickly let us cover the three types of connectors.

The first one is IEC320 connectors (shown obove) or C13-C14, which is a kettle type connector. Normally this 10 Amp. rated connector is suitable for desktops, fax machines & most computing devices. This configuration in Indian commercial terms is also called as computer compatible connector. It is so common that normally all good hotels will have equipments with this type of connectors. The other two types of IEC320 connectors are C5-C6 & C7-C8. Normally laptops sold in India by major companies have preferred to give adapters with C5-C6 connector, which has earth terminal for safety. Whereas C7-C8 has only two terminals, which is in use for laptops as well as for communication equipments and selected music systems. This connector has the shape of figure 8 so it is also called as the Figure8 connector.

Each of these three types of connectors need to be powered with the respective country’s mains plug and the compatibility issue thus becomes relevant at this stage. Facility managers or executives incharge of administration in most offices today take the short cut solution by way of using multi-plugs or adapter. Though such steps help overcome the immediate issue, the long-term high risk of equipment getting damaged is very much there. The recommended solution is to use the respective plugs & receptacles rather than using multi option. For example, at the time of recommendation and implementation of power systems in the office there should be special emphasis on internationally accepted sockets provided in the system. If not in the entire office, atleast for the conference rooms and key areas, the person incharge should ensure that besides good compatible electrical sockets, there are also reliable conductors with properly rated fuse and switch in place. There is a provision for surge protection in these power socket outlets, which need to be considered. Further, even if one has a surge protected strip it may not be sufficient unless the implementation is done under expert supervision.

Moving beyond, in addition to providing quality power socket outlets in the modern office it has to be the responsibility of the facility or administration incharge to provide global power connector kit to it’s frequently travelling executives or executives visiting overseas. The power connectivity kit should become part of notebooks/laptops or any electrical mobile equipment and appliances. There is a good range of travel kits, which include power cords with simple plug-ons with respective country or widely used power plugs. The kettle power plugs are most commonly available in hotel rooms, therefore carrying a travel kit compatible with kettle power plugs can avoid last minute tension and heartaches when trying to use a notebook or laptop abroad.

In the next article we would focus on surge protection in little more detail separately.

(This article is first of the two-part series and has been written by the businessgyan editorial team based on inputs provided by Narendra Damani of Fraser Techno Circuits. Feedback can be mailed to poweruk@businessgyan.com)

Issue BG12 Mar02