Umeme Uchafu and You.

Dirty electricity is a big problem in Tanzania. Viruses may cause most of Tanzania’s software problems but dirty electricity is accountable for most of the hardware issues that we find here. Unlike software, there is often no way to recover from a hardware failure without spending more money. That means even though in my mind a virus scanner is lazima–an unquestionable must, correct power protection is even more important.

The problem with power protection is that there is no wisdom on the issue from Western developed countries (unlike with viruses). There are power protection items available here in Tanzania that we can use to protect against the bad power here but they are often not widely understood. In the US and Europe there are not so many worries about power, besides perhaps lightening strikes.

I think the most important rule is to keep at least one piece of equipment between you and Tanesco. I recommend some of the devices below. Here are some options I researched last weekend at a certain direct dealer in downtown Morogoro (between dala stand & soko):

Solatek AVS 30A

Prices are listed in TSH

• Voltage Regulation: Blue Samlex (not fake) Voltage Regulators, clean wild voltage to lengthen the life of laptop hard drives. Will not protect transformer explosions, etc.
  • 500W (4 laptops or 1 desktop): 38500
  • 1000W (2 desktops): 48500
  • 1500W (3-4 desktops):62500
• Voltage surge protectors strips (protect from lightening or perhaps transformer explosion)
  • Solatek Multiguard Surge+Spike (5 plug, 13A): 39500
  • Tripplite: 24000 (?)
• Solatek AVS – Automatically cut the power if power is poor, return it after short timer. Free warranty service is available at AAPower on Zanake street in Dar es Salaam. I plan to visit this week.
  • COMMGuard (1 desktop, laptop): 28500
  • AVS 13A (3-4 desktops?): 70000
  • AVS 15A (round holes, 5 desktops?):  78500
  • AVS 30A (7-10 desktops?): 92500

I have not yet had a chance to price UPSs. Still, I would like to post the reminder that Laser printers & copiers should be protected separately from other devices as they suddenly draw huge amounts of currents when the toner lases (see wikipedia). If one is plugged into a UPS with a computer in the wrong port you will, in a short time, kill the UPS, computer and printer.