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The Vintage Power Protection Archive
OldSurge.com is dedicated to documenting and preserving the history of surge protectors, power strips, uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs), and related power-protection devices.
The archive combines original photography, measurements, weight documentation, operational testing, teardown analysis, and historical research to preserve information that may otherwise be lost as products are discontinued and supporting documentation disappears.
This archive exists for collectors, researchers, electronics enthusiasts, and anyone interested in the history of power-protection technology.
Featured Artifact
The COXOC CO-001S is a six-outlet surge protector dating to the consumer-computing era of the 1990s.
Although externally unremarkable, teardown examination revealed an unusually simple design utilizing a single SAS 241KD14 metal-oxide varistor (MOV) as its sole surge-suppression component. Despite this minimalist approach, the unit incorporates a full 15-amp resettable circuit breaker, 14 AWG Apollo-manufactured power cord, and substantial stamped-metal outlet-contact assembly.
The artifact is also significant because manufacturer identification was established through a molded COXOC logo located on the attachment plug, providing a direct link to a manufacturer whose modern product line no longer prominently includes surge protectors.
Why Old Surge Protectors Matter
Surge protectors, power strips, and related power-distribution products are among the most common electronic accessories ever manufactured, yet they are rarely preserved or documented in detail.
Many products disappear with little surviving information beyond a brief specification sheet or advertising brochure. Internal designs, component choices, manufacturing variations, safety features, and engineering changes are often lost when equipment is discarded.
The industry itself has changed significantly over time. Independent manufacturers have merged, been acquired, or disappeared entirely. Product lines once sold under familiar names may have been manufactured by different companies, incorporated into larger brands, or quietly discontinued. Examples documented by the archive include products associated with American Power Conversion (APC), S.L. Waber, Tripp Lite, Curtis, Universal, and other manufacturers whose products, branding, and ownership evolved over time.
OldSurge.com documents these devices through photography, measurement, functional testing, teardown analysis, and historical research. By preserving physical examples and related documentation, the archive creates a long-term record of power-protection and power-distribution technologies that played an important role in the growth of personal computing, office automation, telecommunications, and consumer electronics.
The goal is not simply to collect old hardware, but to document how these products were designed, manufactured, marketed, and used before that information disappears.
Browse by Manufacturer
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Historical References
Memorabilia and Literature
Archive Index
Recent Additions
- COXOC CO-001S
- APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (7Z1550L09782)
- Globe Electric 12-003-7MS
- Opti-UPS
- APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (4Z0638P12907)
- PowerSentry 626
- APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (Z96030204796)
- S.L. Waber 952M
- APC SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 (Z99080215662)
- Curtis SP-600
Important Notice
Devices documented on this site are presented as historical artifacts and collectibles. Many older surge protectors may no longer provide effective electrical protection and should not be relied upon to protect modern electronics.
Methodology
Whenever possible, devices are photographed, tested, weighed, measured, and documented before any disassembly is performed. Functional testing, internal examination, and teardown photography are conducted when practical. Non-destructive disassembly techniques are preferred in order to preserve historical examples.
When available, serial numbers, date codes, component markings, patent information, historical advertising, and archived manufacturer documentation are used to establish production dates and document product evolution.
Ongoing Research
Current research efforts include documenting the long-term evolution of APC's SurgeArrest Professional PRO7 product family through comparative analysis of multiple specimens manufactured between 1994 and 2017.
Documented APC PRO7 examples currently span 1994, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2015, and 2017 production. Research has identified at least five suppression-board generations carrying copyright dates of ©1993, ©1996, ©1997, ©2002, and ©2009, together with changes in manufacturing location, date-coding methods, regulatory labeling practices, attachment-plug design, power-cord suppliers, and overall construction.
Additional research focuses on component sourcing, power-cord suppliers, certification markings, and long-term product evolution across multiple product families. Recent work has documented cord manufacturers including Bon-Eagle, Apollo, Hi-Pro, Chung Kwang, Baohing, I‑SHENG, QIAOPU, Kingtec, Rhythm, and others through comparative analysis of preserved artifacts.
Additional research focuses on identifying manufacturer relationships, product families, historical advertisements, and archived web references associated with surge protectors, power strips, and UPS systems.
Recent work has incorporated archived Internet content, marketplace records, pricing history, manufacturer literature, and period advertising to reconstruct the histories of products and manufacturers that are poorly documented elsewhere.
Current manufacturers and product families under active investigation include APC, PowerSentry, S.L. Waber, Curtis, Globe Electric, Opti-UPS, Universal, and other historical power-protection brands.
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Site Information
Archive Statistics
- Content Pages: 45+
- Uploaded Files: 900+
- Physical Artifacts Cataloged: 28
- Manufacturers Documented: 19