[VAC] Re: An electrical question

["Tuna" <rctowns@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Has anyone heard of a "power buck"? I did an installation of a 220v tanning
bed, and the salon had one of these things near the power source for each
bed... about the size of a motorcycle battery, i peeked inside, and they
appeared to be filled with some sort of crystals or silica. I don't know if
that was a by-product, or insulator, but the purpose of these things appears
to be to 'buck up' the power if/when the line levels drop below 220volts. It
appears to be a solid-state device, maybe some kind of high-power capacitor?
I don't think they would be useful for continuous use, but to provide enough
juice to start the 12 ballasts in a tanning bed (or start up an a/c's
compressor), a 120v one of these things might be useful when line source is
unknown/unreliable...?

Tuna