If you buy the wrong power supply you could cause substantial harm to your electronics, yourself and possibly cause a fire. If you buy the correct power supply then you should get trouble-free use of your electronics for quite a long time. Here are some great tips on how to buy a power supply the right way. This is written not by someone who sells power supplies or is doing someone who does a favor. This is written by a licensed ham radio operator that recently needed to think through the process of how to buy a power supply.

The first consideration is how much power you will need. There are three considerations to correctly determine the amount of power you will need.

· One consideration is what type of power your power supply will use as an input and output. Most of us are familiar with what we ham radio operators call a “wall wart”. A “wall wart” is the type of converter that plugs directly into your house’s AC outlets (wall outlets). They usually are small plastic box-like plastic contraptions with a small power cord and plug at the other end of it. You probably have used one for a radio, cassette player or other small device from time to time. In this instance, the AC (alternating current) is being converted to DC (direct current).

· Another consideration is what voltage you will need. Do not assume that one “wall wart” with the same size plug will work just as well for your device as another. Your power supply must be matched specifically for the device you are powering. If you supply your electronic device with either too much voltage or not enough you can cause serious damage to your device and possibly yourself. Be sure to check your device’s manual and / or stickers to determine the correct voltage needed. Do not assume that as long as your power converter supplies close to the right voltage that it will be good enough. That assumption can be quite dangerous!

· A third consideration is the number of amps (also known as amperage) that your power converter will supply. Think of it this way. Assume there are two people to handle a length of coiled rope. One person, call him “electronic device”, is pulling power (the rope). Another person, call him “power supplier”, is uncoiling the rope and letting “electronic device” take the rope that he is handing to him. If “electronic device” pulls the rope faster than “power supplier” is handing it out (supplying it) then “power supplier” is bound to wind up with burned hands from the rope being pulled too fast. This is just about what happens to the electronic components and power cord for your power supply if it is asked to supply too much power. This is where fuses and circuit breakers should step in to prevent things from going too far. Don’t take dangerous chances – get the right match for your equipment.

Also determine if there are other, less basic considerations. For example, in ham radio, some power supplies cause interference to some ham radio bands while others do not. Some large power supplies have noisy fans while others use cooling fins and heat sink devices to keep the power supply cool. Some power supplies for the same voltage and amperage are smaller than others because of a design that can wear out faster than other designs.

Look for unbiased write-ups by people who have used your choice for a long time. Search for internet forums for these write-ups. Make sure to read a good selection of these write-ups. In ham radio I use http://www.eham.net/reviews/ – there may be something like this for your particular application.

Remember – there usually are trade-offs in electronics design. For example, a smaller light weight more portable power supply may not be as durable and dependable for long periods of operation as a heavier unit with the same voltage and amperage specifications.

Once you have your model in mind determine how quickly you need your power. If you have the time, shop on the internet to find the best combination of price, freight and shipping times. Also remember to check for guarantees, warranties and availability of repair services. Good luck!

Bill C-28, Canada’s anti-spam legislation, was recently passed and will come into effect later this year. While its intended target is deceptive forms of spam, Canadian small and medium sized businesses should be aware of the Act in order to ensure their compliance when contacting leads, networking and developing marketing campaigns. Here are highlights of the important aspects of Bill C-28 that you and your employees need to know:

Definition of Spam

Generally spam is considered to be mass, unsolicited email from unknown or unwarranted senders. However, the new legislation applies to the sending of “commercial electronic messages”, which can encompass email, instant or text messaging and social media messages and other forms that we may not consider to be spam. Many times information that is sent may not be considered to be spam by the sender, but can be viewed as spam by the recipient. It’s important to think of how the message will be received on the other end before sending. Hopefully, the yet to be released regulations will provide some added details or thresholds to more readily define the scope of this term.

Expressed and Implied Consent

Electronic messages are not considered spam if the recipient consented to receive the message so it is important that you first determine whether or not you have approval from the recipient to send the message. Consent comes in two forms – express and implied.

Expressed consent, as defined in the Act, is what is known as “opt-in” consent, whereby the person or corporation expressly agrees to be contacted before any communication is sent. Usually this would come in the form of a newsletter subscription sign up, adding an email address to a written or electronic list, or checking a box to receive more information. This is a more viable option for business owners because it is less likely that an issue will be raised from those who have clearly indicated interest.

Implied consent has a broader use, which can actually be beneficial to marketers and small business owners, but could also pose to be harder to prove if any issue arises. According to the new Act, implied consent occurs when “[t]he person who sends the message, the person who causes it to be sent or the person who permits it to be sent has an existing business relationship or an existing non-business relationship with the person to whom it is sent;” (Bill C-28 Sec. 9a).

If a customer has purchased wares or services from your business with the past two years, there is considered to be an existing business relationship between you and your customer, which would be implied consent. There is no time limit on the relationship status if the customer has provided expressed consent for future contact. In terms of expressed and implied consent, it’s best to err on the side of caution and try to gain expressed consent for all users when possible.

Identification

Messages must clearly express to the recipient who the message is coming from, remaining consistent with the branding used when the recipient made initial contact with the company. There must not be any misleading information in the subject line that misrepresents the message or the sender. All messages are required to include the active contact information and postal address of the sender.

Unsubscribe Option

Businesses who have an email newsletter must have an unsubscribe option clearly stated on each message so that users can easily halt future correspondence at any time. Some users may not know to use the unsubscribe link, so including contact information for your business is important to ensure that recipients are able to contact you in another form in order to be removed from the mailing list. If a client does contact you via other means to be removed from the list, unsubscribe the user manually and notify them of the removal immediately.

Tips for Small Businesses

If you have a newsletter sign up area on your website, make sure your database saves important information such as name and date of sign up – not just the email address – so that you are able to prove consent if a problem arises. Always give your customers your contact information in any messages sent as well as the option to “opt-out” or “unsubscribe” at any time. Customers should not be automatically placed in an email database, they must be able to choose whether or not they would like to receive information from you. Don’t bombard your customers with messages, it can easily frustrate your clients if their inbox is getting constantly filled with messages from you. Setting up an account with email marketing software can ensure that your messages are compliant with the government rules. Senders who don’t comply with the new regulations can face serious fines, so make sure your messages are useful or informative to the user in some way, this will make customers look forward to your correspondence and make your database grow.

There will be more to come on this important topic when the regulations are released.