Voltage-Surge Protector

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This last operation divides the four outlets into two pairs. In the severed line, you'll insert a filter to remove noise from the last two outlets. But before you can do that, you have to cut a small piece of insulation from the three wires that join sockets three and four, just as you did when installing the MOV's.

After stripping the wires between three and four, solder an RF choke between the black pigtail on socket two and the freshly exposed black wire between three and four. Then do the same for the white wires. Finally, connect a 0.047 microfarad capacitor across the green and black wires and a second 0.047 microfarad capacitor across the green and white leads, laying the capacitors out of the way after installation.

After inspecting your work for shorts, reassemble the case. Then plug the cord into a convenient outlet, and you're ready to go. When using the power strip for a computer, plug the printer into outlets one or two and the computer itself into three or four.

And there you have it: three different degrees of protection from snaps, crackles, and pops. Remember, though, that none of these devices is a lightning arrester. In the rare instance when lightning actually strikes your house, damage will ultimately result. For everyday voltage transients, however, surge protectors are an effective, inexpensive form of insurance.

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