New Project: Battery-Backed Computer Surge Protector Mod.

[Hikaro Takayama]

Well, I've had the idea for this project kicking around for a while (especially after losing several hours worth of work on a couple of occasions during the summer due to 5-second power interruptions due to heavy AC useage).

Basically, I bought an APC battery-backed surge suppressor for $35 at the local Circuit city and decided to hack it, in order to make it fit in with what will be the rest of my decor.  To that end, I bought a 12" by 24" sheet of 1/16" aluminum diamond plate at Lowes, and 2 4-foot sections of 3/4" brass angle plate from McMaster-Carr (along with a couple hundred brass screws and other misc items).

I then took these metal bits to my Uncle Bob's (well actually, he's my granduncle) machine shop to have some cutting and milling done, while I set about acquiring some more parts.

For the indicator lights, I'm going to be using Sqare D motor control Pilot lamps (with the spring-bayonet style 120v lamp removed and a standard 5mm Extra-Bright LED of the appropriate color inserted in its place... works surprisingly well and looks like an actual light bulb), and the on/off switch is going to be an Ideal 1/2" heavy-duty appliance-grade momentary pushbutton switch.  Finally, I'm replacing the 15 amp button-type circuit breaker with a slightly modified Squre D 15 amp household breaker (which you can see to the far right in the picture).  The 4 battery-backed outlets and 4 straight surge protection (without backup) outlets are standard outlets in two steel wall-box outlet blocks.

Here's a picture of the surge suppressor as it stands and what I have completed of the new case:



Oh, and you better believe that the case is going to be grounded (The ground wire will be connected directly to one of the brass screws holding the case together.... The outlets are automatically grouned to the metal outlet blocks, which in turn, are grounded to the rest of the case)

[Jake of All Trades]

Confound it, another thing to add to the "to build" list...

Great stuff, mate!

[Offlogic]

Yet another of your projects that enhances the aesthetics while actually enhancing function.
Bravo!

[Hikaro Takayama]

Thanks... I haven't had too much time to work on this.... I went to the National Apple Harvest Festival (which had not one, but TWO traction engines running, as well as all sorts of other old-fashioned arts and crafts demos going on... I picked up a nice wooden chest for about $40), and was searching around for a red and Green version of the Square D pilot lamp (the actual 120V bulb of which I'll be replacing with high-intensity correctly colored LED versions thereof), when it finally hit me to check Square D's web page (I didn't grow up with computers, and only started going on the internet about 10 years ago, so such things don't usually occurr to me as the first thing to do), and sure enough, I found what parts I needed, and the "Local Distributor" that I could order them through just happened to be the electrical supply store that I got the outlet blocks, outlets, breaker and amber lamp from (Tri-State Electrical, which is also where I got the Bakelite box that I used in my telephone project).

Therefore, to make a long story short, I ordered the lights, as well as some properly sized fast-on connectors, which should arrive tommorrow.

Tonight, all I'm doing is sanding down the rest of the brass angle plates (and seeing if I can get some Neverdull (tm) somewhere... We used that to polish all the brass and chrome on the ship, and let me tell you, that stuff could take off not just tarnish but actual saltwater-induced CORROSION).

[J.Wilson Esq.]

Never Dull sounds good; I've used Mother's wadding polish before, but I never tried to take serious corrosion off. But, I saw all sorts of testimonials for it on a forum. http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f74/never-dull-287534/

There's a possibility it's been discontinued, though: http://www.dlawlesshardware.com/m10-never-dull.html

I use Cape Cod metal polishing towelettes, but I doubt they would be too effective on serious rust or corrosion, because they smell too delicious.

[HAC]

Geez, I had a microphone like that attached to my old Heathkit 6-meter rig (yes, it was tube powered). Haven't seen one of those in years, brings back memories..
Cheers
Harold

[Hikaro Takayama]

Geez, I had a microphone like that attached to my old Heathkit 6-meter rig (yes, it was tube powered). Haven't seen one of those in years, brings back memories..
Cheers
Harold

Oh, that microphone is one of my future projects.... I'm trying to convert it to run on USB power so's I can use it for my Skype phone mic on my computer.  My one friend who just went into the Marines got it from his grandmother, who was getting rid of it and gave it to me... The first thing I remarked was, "Hey! That looks just like the microphone for the radio that was in the movie Frequency."

As for the quest for neverdull.... My uncle Bob, who, as I said before runs that machine shop, said he had a friend in the business who was a retired sailor, and he would ask him about neverdull today, and see where one might be able to obtain some locally.... If all else fails, I could just drop by my uncle's shop some afternoon and use his buffer with Scotchbrite(tm).

[Hikaro Takayama]

Well, it's finally finished: 


By Hikaro_Takayama

The Green light is power on, the amber one indicates correct building wiring (it's off because our house, which was wired in the early 1940's or late 1930's, does not have a ground connection in ANY of its outlets, with the exception of the 230V outlets in the basement), and the red one comes on if the battery is bad or missing.  They are made by modifying Square D motor control/switchboard pilot lamps.... I removed the 120V bayonet socket incandescent bulbs and put bright white LEDs in thier place (using some 18-20 AWG #4 uninsulated fast-on connectors over the clips).

The power on switch is an Ideal Appliance-rated pushbutton switch (and much more durable than the cheap, little membrane switch that was originally on the board).

For the phone line surge suppressor portion, I just borrowed my idea of using 1/4" phone jacks in place of RJ-11 jacks (since the only steam-able RJ-11 jacks I've been able to find cost $35 EACH!!!!), only this time I cut one of the sides off a 2"x2"x4" bakelite wall box (which I bought for just such a purpose) and mounted the jacks into the plate and the plate into the main box (to keep from grounding the phone lines out).

The outlet blocks are standard galvanized steel conduit box face plates with Pass & Seymour outlets in them. 

Finally, I replaced the original 15 Amp button-type circuit breaker with a Square D 15 amp panel breaker (which is rated at 10,000 Amps when it opens before the contacts arc over).  I also replaced the rubber grommit that was molded around the power cord with an old PG-11 strain relief that I snagged from work (they were throwing a bunch of old, obsolete stuff out before moving to the new building, and I scored some pretty sweet parts, including a 10x14" aluminum Rose junction box).

Hope you guys like it.... I actually finished it Wednesday, but couldn't locate my camera until now.

[CryingSwan]

WOW!


I love the functional pieces. I know you mentioned you didn't have a camera till now, but did you take any photos of the process?

[Hikaro Takayama]

Aside from the one in the first post, no I did not.... I generally tend to get deep into a project when I'm doing it to the point that I can become oblivious to whats going on around me, thus I forget to make photographic documentation of the process....  Not to mention that I've been rather squeezed for time the past few weeks.
 
 I could post some plans that I drew up for cutting and such, though.

[WisconsinPlatt]

(since the only steam-able RJ-11 jacks I've been able to find cost $35 EACH!!!!)

Oh.  I see you shop at Rockler as well. 

Don't know if it was the same RJ11 jack, Rockler used to carry some that went for about the same price.  Many a project wanted them and never got them.

[Hikaro Takayama]

Oh.  I see you shop at Rockler as well. 

Don't know if it was the same RJ11 jack, Rockler used to carry some that went for about the same price.  Many a project wanted them and never got them.

Actually these were sold through Mouser.... They may have been made by the same people though:  They were Amphenol super heavy-duty weatherproof industrial RJ-11 jacks (they had matching plugs that were just as expensive).