I have been seeing an ever increasing phenomena where electronic systems will lock up during thunder storms surges etc and then some times for no apparent reason at all were systems will totally lock up go dead not transmit data etc. and for all apearances are dead. You power down the various systems.
Phone, Fire/Burg alarms, Computers, electronic processors and sattelite recievers wait sevral minutes plug back in and they apear to work like nothing at all has happened to them. I had a total lock up at WAVL 910 am this summer just had a total lock up of a fire alarm at a training academy where it never gave a trouble or failure signal we just did not get daily test.
Several Engineers think it has something to do with modern switching power supplies and what is really wierd some times whole facility locks up every electronic item and some times only one system.
In the case of life safety systems this could be very critical.
They just had a similar type problem happen in Cranbeery Pa where raw sewage dumped into stream becuse pumps shut down and alarms did not sound or call out.
this happens regardless of surge supression ,grounding method UPS power back up
isolation transformers etc.
has any one else come across this does any one know if any one is doing a study on this and could this account for some electrical fires.??