[rescue] Question of how to "smooth" power from Laser printer

[Earl D. Baugh Jr.]

Curious George  <jorge234q at yahoo.com>  wrote:

> --- Earl Baugh <earl at baugh.org> wrote:
>
>> I don't know if I mentioned that I was going
>> to (and how have) built a desk using the 4 posts that had made up  
>> the old
>> rack -- found the Atlanta Fixture store -- a restaurant supply  
>> place, where
>> you can pick up table tops that won't flex, reasonably priced...  
>> better if
>
> I use solid core wooden doors (*un* drilled).
> They usually have a neutral finish (luan), take
> stain well, etc.  (I much prefer looking at a nice
> slab of *wood* than formica or metal!)

Actually the table top I purchased is in fact laminated wood, not any  
plastic, etc.
It was around $40 with tax.   And ready to use as soon as I got home.   
I've already
spilled various liquids on it (none intentionally of course) and done  
other bad things
to it (like have it slide around in the back of my pickup truck from  
85 up around 285
and the highways to my house without being tied down).  All told, no  
worse for wear.
 From a restaurant manager friend, the booth tables in restaurant are  
good for 5-10 years.
(don't know if this is anecdotal or is backed up by any sort of study/ 
facts...)  So I suspect
it will wear well with my use.

>> I'm going to move around some things (i.e. put the
>> rack on the circuit that I pulled all the printers off... ) to  
>> resolve the
>> problem, but even so, it's always "dimmed" the lights when it kicks  
>> on, so to
>> speak..   I've got it hooked up to a UPS, but that doesn't seem to  
>> handle
>> the surge if it's coming from the plugged in devices (handles it if  
>> the power
>> goes low from the
>
> You don't want a laser printer on our UPS.  It is
> a nasty load.  The same is true of many *scanners*!
> If you insist on having a backed up printer, find
> one that isn't a power hog.  Or, put it on its own
> UPS.

Well I had already moved it from the UPS before I wrote my earlier  
messages.
I don't insist on the printers nor scanners be battery backed up, just  
surge protected
(which they are).  Actually my main scanner pulls very little power in  
use....


> Recall that many printers will "sleep" after a while
> without use.  The consequence of this is they will
> eventually *wake up* -- depending on the printer,
> this can be a big load (though not usually as bad
> as power on since the caps across the AC mains
> are already charged at that time; not true on
> initial power up)

Actually this laser isn't much of a hog when it first turns on.
Tested it again tonight, and get no appreciable dimming when that  
happens.
Only when it wakes up to print from being in it's "idle" mode.
I understand the basic mechanism which it uses, so can understand the  
general
reason it could need power when it does this.  But I don't understand  
why it only does
it when it wakes up, but not when it starts... (unless they simply  
start up into a modified
"sleep" mode until something prints...)

I will look for a "line conditioner" when I'm out this weekend.   
Thanks to all
for pointing out this.

> Even easier solution is to find a printer that
> isn't as much of a pig!  :>

True, but I actually MADE $50 on this printer by purchasing it.
Box had 2 UPS symbols, and two different rebates were available...

(Wife says I can have anything that is free -- i.e. with rebate... we  
don't
count taxes and stamps...nor my time to fill the stupid things out...
so far the running total is almost $9k worth of various computer  
parts, with
very close to a 90% success rate in receiving the rebate amounts...  
which is also
acceptable to the wife...)

Earl