Belkin F5C572-AV: Destiny's Shovel, a morality tale
Written: Jun 06 '02 (Updated Jun 06 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It protects Cable TV lines
Cons: Generic leaflet hard to read (minor)
The Bottom Line: A lightning strike on a Cable TV line can destroy all your audio/video equipment from many miles away. If you have Cable TV, you need a Belkin F5C572-AV.
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| WulfsDen's Full Review: Belkin SurgeMaster (F5C572) Surge Suppressor |
The other day, I was feeling guilty. I had recently written a beginner's guide to Home Computers, and a write up on the APC Back-UPS Pro 650. In both, I stressed the importance of using the correct size, type, and quality of surge suppressor on your electronics. Yet, I knew that some of my lesser-used items still relied on a 10-year old Radio Shack surge suppressor for protection.
There is such a thing as tempting fate, and I knew that I had a big red target on my chest. Thinking quickly, I changed into a less provocative T-shirt, put on my hardhat, and headed down to Home Depot.
Now, since I am an EXPERT on power supplies, I knew just what I wanted. First, I wanted a unit with two sets of lights, one to show power on/off and the other to show that the surge suppression is working. This is important, because after 2-3 years (not 10 - blush!) the circuits burn out and the unit must be replaced. Secondly, the unit must state clearly that it is UL1449 rated. A unit that simply says UL Listed is unacceptable. It could be listed as an extension cord, and have no verified surge suppression. I was not planning to use the new unit on a computer, but I still wanted phone line protection against lightning strikes. After all, in my home, computers tend to multiply without warning and it pays to be prepared.
At the Home Depot, I selected a Belkin F5C572-AV unit rated for 592 Joules. This is a brand that I know to be good quality. They stand behind their equipment with a $20,000, no-hassle guarantee if the unit fails to protect your equipment. This unit would be fine for TV, Stereos, DVDs, and other light electronics, though a bit under rated for a power PC.
It's hardly surprising that an experienced consumer like myself, had no problem selecting the right unit. Imagine then my surprise when, after walking several miles to the nearest register, I noticed that the unit in my hand did not have phone jacks. Instead, it had round coax connectors like the ones you see on the back of a VCR or TV. Argh!! I had picked up the wrong box.
Now many of you know that Fate has fickle fingers, but her cousin, Destiny, carries a shovel. It was at that precise moment, that Destiny's shovel struck me right between the eyes.
"Oh My!" I said, preferring to use polite epithets that I can repeat on Epinions. What a fool I had been. While every single piece of electronics I own has a surge protector, and I protected all my phone lines too, I had totally forgotten about the Cable TV line entering my home. That line connects to the VCR and TV, which in turn connect to the DVD, Laser Disk, Audio Components, and so on. A chance lightning strike on the cable line, even one several miles away, could send thousands of volts rushing into my house to fry all my delicate circuits.
So you see my friends, sometimes wrong is right. I bought the unit at once and hurried home.
Basics:
The Belkin F5C572-AV is a switched power strip, with seven three-prong protected sockets and a heavy-duty six-foot power cord. It has a red power-on/off light and a green protection-good/replace light. It has two Cable TV coax sockets marked clearly as input and output. A six-foot coax cable is included.
I plugged mine into the socket behind my TV, and plugged all my audio/video equipment into it. I connected the Cable line from the floor into the INPUT coax, and connected the OUTPUT coax to where the Cable used to go, which in my case was the TV/VCR splitter.
My cable line ends about a foot from the floor, which was not a good place for the power strip. I needed a coax female-to-male connector about 4-feet long to extend this line to the place I wanted to put the strip. I simply made one up from the old stuff in my basement. (Expertise has its rewards.) If your cable line is too short, you will probably need to pick up a cable from Radio Shack.
(Remember male connectors (prongs) connect to female connectors (sockets). This male-female naming system isn't my fault. Electrical Engineers are crude. What can I say?)
The unit has Safety Shutdown Technology which will power down your equipment if the surge protection fails. This is likely to get your attention a bit quicker than the green light going out.
All the technical information you need is on the outside of the box. Inside the box is a small-print leaflet that is generic to the whole range of units, and is therefore hard to follow. To claim under the warrantee you need to have receipts for the equipment, and claim within 15 days. Other conditions may apply. Make sure you read this part and put it away somewhere safe.
This unit is almost identical to the unit with phone jacks. Be sure you get the right one.
Specs:
UL 1449 Rated
Cable Line Protection
7 Surge Protected AC Outlets
6 ft. Heavy-duty Cord
6 ft. Coax Cable Included.
Lifetime Power Switch
Lifetime Product Warrantee
$20,000 Equipment Warrantee
Safety Shutdown Technology.
Maximum Energy Dissipation: 592 Joules.
Response Time: Less than 1 nanosecond.
Electrical rating: 125V, 15A, 60Hz, 1875 Watts (continuous duty).
Maximum Spike: 42,500 Amps.
EMI/RFI Filtration: Noise 100 kHz to 100 MHz, Attenuation up to 43 dB.
See Also:
CD Burners for Bunnies: http://www.epinions.com/content_2645663876
Digital Cameras for Bunnies: http://www.epinions.com/content_2654445700
Home Computers for Bunnies http://www.epinions.com/content_2661851268
APC Back-UPS Pro 650 http://www.epinions.com/content_2661851268
Just cut&paste the URL into your browser's address window.
Recommended:
Yes
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