Effects of Power Surges & Outages

Hello, people!

I accidentally plugged my VAIO-SZ55 to a defective AC outlet.

It seems that the outlet is no longer "tight" such that my AC plug is loose when inserted.

I only noticed it when i heard a hissing sound (the sound u hear when frying something on a stove).

I will suppose that current was FLUCTUATING like crazy then.

Anything i should be concerned about?

How about power outages?

These things are beyond our control... but i just feel everone should be aware of the possibilities...

Your inputs are ALL welcome.

Tnx, all!

 

Good question:
However, when you plugg something into a defective socket its most likely the socket that will suffer (unless its very very sensitive stuff...)
Then theoretically the transformer (power brick) should have evened out any fluctuations in the current, so I don't think it would be too bad.
A power outage on a laptop isn't a problem - it just switches to battery so I can't see a problem there.
And thinking - when the switch tripped a few times at my place I switched it back on and had a power surge on all sockets, everything works finel, also my old Medion laptop, external HDD etc.

So I don't think it'll cause any real damage except melting your socket/plug and being a potential fire hazzard.

At least that's how I see it.

 

The bad connection meant that the power was jumping across the gap in a series of sparks. The biggest risk is damage to your power plug through the sparking and overheating which can cause the plastic to melt.

The PSU can probably handle the power coming in a series of intermittent pulses although it is something I would try to avoid. Normal AC is a series a regular pulses. The notebook's battery comes useful if there are power outages.

John

 

I'd humbly recommend getting one of these:


Best.accessory.ever. Small enough to toss into your backpack and peace of mind when you're forced to use the AC adapter.

More info here if you're interested.