Cap,

You can get a UPS to condition the supply, provide uniterruptable power and
transform the voltage to the required power for your imported instrument
(208V to 230V for example).  However if you use the UPS to boost the power
then you have no bypass capability.  That is if you need to work on the
UPS, you can not go to line bypass and have the instrument stay up on line
supply while the UPS is attended to.  The disadvantage is that you have to
buy a transformer to go in line behind the UPS which can cost $500 to $1600
depending upon your requirements.

You can also get just a line conditioner, which adjusts sags and surges,
but does not take out transients very well and has no batteries to keep you
up when the power goes down, of course.  These line conditioners just clip
the peaks and do not regulate the harmonics.  A UPS takes the power,
inverts it to DC to charge the batteries and then rectifies it back to
clean AC to supply the instrument with the square controlled harmonics and
all that good stuff.

Does this clear things up?

Cheers,

Bill

-------------------------------------
William J. Showers
Dept of Marine Earth & Atm. Sciences,
North Carolina State Univ.

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Common sense is genius dressed in working clothes. (Emerson)