Mary Carlson wrote:
I live in a remote mountain area where brief electricity outages of just
a few seconds occur several times a week. Resetting the clocks on small
appliances (microwave, coffee maker, answering machine, etc) has become
an all but useless task. Does anyone know of a very small battery
backup or UPS of some sort that would be suitable for this application?
I don't need enough power to run the appliance, multiple
outlets, or anything like that . . . I just want to keep the power from
being interrupted so I won't have to reset everything every time the
electricity goes out for a second.

TIA for any information anyone might be able to provide.

I feel your pain! Do other households in the area have the same problem?

My worst problem used to be answering machines. With my last one, I had
to hold a button while a voice counted through the days of the week,
then to the right hour, then to the right minute. I'd stand around
waiting, and if I missed the right hour or minute, I'd have to run
through an additional 24 hours or 60 minutes.

Power failures don't affect my current phone clock. Perhaps it's
powered by the battery in the handset. I still have to reset it for
daylight time and for drifting, but it's quick, using the number pad and
display.

I still have to reset the clock on my microwave. It would be hard to
run it long on a battery because the display segments are lighted.
However, it can be set in a jiffy. I do it at my convenience because
the oven works fine without it.

I wonder why manufacturers don't advertise if a clock will keep running
for a certain amount of time without power. To me, that's an important
consideration. It should be easier than ever because clocks seem to
need less power than before. I used to keep my 1996 computer plugged in
because the clock could drain the battery before very long. I leave my
2006 computer unplugged 50 hours a week because I've never read that
anyone needed to replace the battery in this model.

Nowadays, clock backups often use EDL capacitors because they have a
longer service life than batteries. If a clock has a low-power display
(LCD), that might be the way to go. The capacitor might need a series
resistor so that when power came on, the charging surge wouldn't damage
the power supply.