29 replies to this topic

[jrm30655]

The brownout in Villa Nova today killed my landlords 32" flatscreen TV and he is going into severe withdrawal.

Where is the best place to buy one now?

[lakeside7]

Do not know if its the best place, but WalMart has reasonable selection, with some being discounted

[johanson]

I like the prices at Costco best.

[doberwoman]

and look for the possibility to pay for it in some months with no extra charge....

And plug the new one with a surge protector, I use the "multicontacto" but be sure that it is equipped with surge protector.

[OsoNegro]

WalMart

[Shira]

Tio Sam They have Sony Bravia

[Ginger]

I got mine at Tio Sam as well. At the time they were running a sale so it's at least worth checking out.

[El Toro Furioso]

Right now, Walmart has a Sanyo 32" LCD HDTV (720, not 1080, but a beautiful picture) for $3,799 pesos. That is about $2000 or more pesos less than the competition. I just bought one and I am very happy with it. They seem to be going fast. Walmart is also featuring an LG 32" LCD for well over $7,000 pesos, so the Sanyo seems to be a rare bargain. Go for it!

[thevalerieleigh]

Last week we bought a 40", LCD High Def. TV at Sam's Club for $350 USD. Didn't go in there planning to buy a flat screen but couldn't pass it up at that price!

Good luck!
Valerie

[cedros]

and look for the possibility to pay for it in some months with no extra charge....

And plug the new one with a surge protector, I use the "multicontacto" but be sure that it is equipped with surge protector.

A surge protector doesn't protect against damage from brownouts.
Maybe the OP's damage was caused by a surge rather than a brownout?

[johanson]

And a surge protector only works if it has some place to shunt the surge (not brownout) to. You know, it has to be properly grounded. The surge is shunted to the ground, which has to be really grounded.

[lcscats]

Make sure it has the connections you want. Some of the less expensive
sets don't have all the different connectors like Analog audio out used to
connect TV output to audio receiver that doesn't have optical in. As far
as surge versus brownout. I use a surge protector connected to a ground
verified AC socket and that feeds a 1500W voltage regulator that feeds
a toroidal power filter system. No problems. Hate to say it but this is what
you need for expensive electronics from NOB. Also yes some regulators
have surge protection built in. I use a seperate surge protector as it has
higher protection ratings than the unit in the regulator and is cheaper if
it burns up than the regulator. Was the TV a Mexican TV? Mexican
TV's seem to be better protected than gringo TV's. Can't figure out why.

[lcscats]

And a surge protector only works if it has some place to shunt the surge (not brownout) to. You know, it has to be properly grounded. The surge is shunted to the ground, which has to be really grounded.

Listen to the man!! All folks should have a small ground testing device down here.
If you put your desktop computer into one of these grounded plugs that doesn't
really have the ground wire attached it could burn out early. Look for surge
protecters with ground indicator lights and a light to indicate the MOV's are OK.
MOV's are what give there lives in a spike. Surge protector ratings are in
Joules and anything below 500 is junk FYI. I also have a voltage gauge hooked
up to tell me what is going on with the grid before and after voltage regulation.
Also don't forget to condition your phone line (DSL) or Cable modem if they
are connected into your conditioned power systems. Also don't forget to put
a lightning shunt onto your Sat dish wire (s). We do get wicked lightning here.
Not trying to be anal just trying to show how many ways your nice equipment
can die down here. Good brand names are Belkin and Steren make nice stuff.
I would avoid Senelec which sold me two surge protectors with hot and neutral
reversed which is a very bad thing.

[lcscats]

sorry

[Ferret]

sorry

What are you sorry for? The information that you and Pete provided can simply NOT be said enough times. Protect your electronics.

[ohjoni]

sorry

Don't be sorry. However, can you say that in English?

[ohjoni]

Don't be sorry. However, can you say that in English?

I think what many of us need is someone to take us to the store to buy what we need, come home with us and hook it up. This is Greek to me.

[geeser]

The power situation last was fairly typical. The voltage on one line dropped to 62-70 volts for almost the whole 13 hours. Low voltage kills electronics with transformers and with small relays. The surge protector will not stop a low voltage situation.from causing havoc. The TV could be saved only by stopping the low voltage from entering, unplug it. Problem is that we don't know when this occurs in the night. I lost two TV in the last two years. They loose the small relay that turns them on and it is not a real expensive item to replace. I think I have finally fixed my TV problem with a battery back-up with alarm. The alarm went off at 5:00AM when the battery ran down and I got up to turn it off and unplugged the tv. I believe that the battery back up will furnish 120 VAC as long as it can and then cuts off the outlet the TV is plugged into. Also the surge protector will not stop damage from a gradual rise to 207 volts either. This happened two years ago whtn transfomer on the pole went nuts.

[mpb]

I use a unit, brand named Exceline, that drops out at 90 volts on the low side and 130 volts on the high side. I have been using them for everything with a motor and electronics and in the last 8 years, they have not failed and I have not lost any equipment.

[Chapala.geek]

First.... the comments that all of you mention about grounding... GOOD!

People blindly believe that if there's a three-prong plug in the wall thinks that they are grounded. More than 80% of the cases that it's NOT SO! Sometimes it's merely just for show... other times, there MAY be a ground wire, but hardly goes in the ground.. AND THE WORSE... someone STOLE your copper ground from outside your home without your knowing!!!!

So... first... GO CHECK your GROUND!
Second,, if you are UNSURE of the DEPTH of the ground, Put in a NEW ONE!
Third... like everyone here is stating, get your ground current CHECKED!

A stitch in time.... Ah... you know the rest.

NOW... be THANKFUL you are not living far north for this peak solar season... people are starting to get "in-ground current" from the solar geomagnetic storms ... which ALSO can cause havoc on electronics... But namely in-ground current can cause blackouts by tripping major substations... like what's been happening in Norway and other northern countries. Here's a bit about grounding... - http://www.mastersco...om-solar-flares