Uninterruptible Power Supply - DPChallenge Forums

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

09/12/2006 11:31:53 AM · #1

My APC UPS is giving me trouble dropping the power even when there's no apparent power dip. I have gone through a number of APC UPS's, and overall, I'm not really happy at their longevity or need for too-frequent battery replacements.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a really good UPS that's a good bang for the buck. I have pretty hefty power requirements, currently serviced by multiple UPSs, but I would also consider one really big one for all devices.

I did in recent years start replacing my Smart UPS and Back UPS pro units with Back-UPS office type UPSs, since those take up less floor space (I have four computers under my desk, which is really a 6 foot table).

Any recommendations? What are you using for a UPS? How's the battery life (replacement life)?

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

09/12/2006 11:38:09 AM · #2

Mine's a Conext 900 AVR, it comes into play regularly in the winter here (our power is erratic, and I have yet to have to replace the battery after 3 years of use...

Robt.

skylen

Nikon D200

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

09/12/2006 11:38:14 AM · #3

This may not be helpful, but you might find it interesting. :)

I helped my dad set up a voice mail system in his medical office several years back. To keep the voice mail computer running, we bought a regular office-type UPS unit, a couple of deep-cycle marine batteries, and a 12 V car battery charger. We put it all in a large plastic toolbox, and voila! A UPS that runs the computer for over 24 hours on battery.

This is probably not recommended usage, however, so "don't try this at home."

Alain

Nikon D7100

Sigma 18-250 f/3.5 - 6.3 DC OS HSM

09/12/2006 11:58:31 AM · #4

Eaton UPS (PowerWare) are using a patented way of recharging their batteries that makes them to have a live twice as long as the competition. In my area, the telephone compagny, the hospitals and the school boards uses only that brand.

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

09/12/2006 12:25:48 PM · #5

Thanks for the replies so far. The Eaton looks good but quite pricey per watt.

The Conext seems to be one of those store only brands. I couldn't find one for sale at the usual on-line places I shop (NewEgg, Buy.com, Amazon).

I did find the Opti-UPS series while searching. Seems interesting, line-interactive instead of standby like APC (presumably better for battery longevity).

This one is tempting:

Opti-UPS

Bear_Music

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

09/12/2006 12:38:40 PM · #6

Originally posted by nshapiro:

The Conext seems to be one of those store only brands. I couldn't find one for sale at the usual on-line places I shop (NewEgg, Buy.com, Amazon).

Got it at Best Buy several years ago.

R.

I just googled it and got many hits...? Apparently it's manufactured by APC, and it IS a house brand. Lot of people are happy with them, checked it out on several discussion boards.

R.

Message edited by author 2006-09-12 12:41:52.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

09/12/2006 01:26:28 PM · #7

Thanks. I went for the high powered, medium cost unit. The Eaton was very tempting, and I'll guess better (more professional configuration) but more than twice as much. This way, I can buy two (a second after I try this one).

For benefit others, here's what I bought:

270620 Opti-UPS Gaming Series GS1100B 1100VA/550W UPS Retail ***Free Shipping*** $95.99 1 $95.99

First time going through ZipZoomFly. But they had very good resellerrating ratings!

adamweb

Canon EOS-6D

09/12/2006 01:32:27 PM · #8

you want to buy one that is actually a voltage regulator, cheap battery backups simply sense power failure and start powering the sockets off the battery, still sending interrupted voltage to your computer (low voltage damages more electronics than surges!) the name of the feature varies from brand to brand but it's called AVR on my cyberpower (automatic voltage regulator)... i recommend a model like this:

//www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16842102018

Message edited by author 2006-09-12 13:33:55.

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM for Canon

09/12/2006 04:24:13 PM · #9

Originally posted by adamweb:

Thanks. The Opti-UPS I bought claims to have AVR (as does the Eaton which was my second choice).

cbonsall

Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT

09/12/2006 07:01:20 PM · #10

here at work we used to have loads of UPSs, sometimes one for each rack. Eventually they bit the bullet and went for a proper solution, we now have a full on diesel power generator in the car park, its about the size of 2 or 3 cars but it does the job, unfortunately it only runs the servers, lighting and desktop PCs still go down when theres a power outage or just a power blip :-(

virtuamike

Nikon D2X

Carl Zeiss 35mm ZF f/2.0 Distagon T

09/13/2006 07:34:06 AM · #11

Originally posted by cbonsall:

We use UPS's for each row at work to protect against spikes and drops, and we have a generator to fail over to if the power goes out for an extended amount of time. Redundancy is good =)

Neil, UPS batteries normally last about 3 years before they need replacing. That can change depending on climate (hot weather bad) and usage. To power 4 computers you need a pretty hefty unit - something in the 1500VA range at least if you're also running monitors off it. We've been using APC at work for the past few years and we've had our fair share of batteries that need replacing (exploding from heat, having modules fail and overcharge, dying of old age) but we've stuck with them.

Morgan

Nikon D800

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED

09/13/2006 08:29:19 AM · #12

UPS systems are complex. It is critical to get it right. Here are a few best practice ideas and an article that I authored on AC power issues for the broadcasting business. I hope that this information is useful.

Absolute Power - MICAN web site

TIPS and IDEAS

1./ Sizing of the UPS is critical, load it somewhere between 60% to 85% capacity, do not under or overload it.

2./ Maintenance is critical, batteries need to be maintained and checked regularly for fluid levels and other tests

3./ Permit suitable ventilation for the UPS, it s a source of potentially harmful gases

4./ Permit the UPS sufficient time to recover after a failure. Repeated power failures with insufficient recovery time is a great way to kill or shorten the life span of a UPS

5./ The sine wave output of a UPS must be properly conditioned and protected, otherwise it can harm your computers or they can harm it. Switching power supplies place damaging harmonics on the neutral that stress the UPS

6./ Do not use any home made remedies as they have the potential to emit damaging and unregulated sine waves - sags, surges, spikes, etc.

7./ Buy the best UPS that you can possibly afford or simply go without it, low-end solutions are sometimes more trouble than they are worth

8./ Learn how to properly calculate the loads with the WAV acronym(Watts = Amps x Volts)

Cheers,
Michael

Message edited by author 2006-09-13 08:31:41.