UPS recomendation - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Brewer
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 08:40:55 am
content: I am thinking of buying a new UPS for my computer. It would be helpful if I get some opinion from you. Any experience of having a good one? I need something that will not harm my PC when power goes? Expecting some recommendations from you.

author: notsob
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 08:45:33 am
content: Firstly, change you profile to show where you are, so people in your area my be able to give locale specific info(dealers, specials and such).Secondly, don't be so vague, what sort of load are you intending to put on the UPS, how much backup time are you wanting, what is your approx budget, etc etc.

author: Clair
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 08:56:08 am
content: Go for a one whose run time is more because it is the parameter that tells you how long your UPS will be able to provide you the power. I had bought one long back. It never showed any error or complaint until now.Adding more equipment will lead to a shorter run time. Sorry I don't have any vast knowledge about it.But this will definitely help you..http://www.staticon.ca/product-detail/stativolt-ups-systems

author: Brewer
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 09:03:15 am
content: Sorry notsob. Let me check and will post it soon. Thanks anyway

author: Brewer
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 09:04:53 am
content: Thank You Clair.. It is a very useful link! Hope they have good UPS products!

author: Wytnucls
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 09:24:17 am
content: APC has a pretty good reputation.Choose the one that best suits your needs.My Back-UPS RS500 has been working fine for years. It did have a problem with one overheating capacitor, but was easily repaired with a higher spec cap replacement.http://www.apc.com/site/apc/index.cfm?ISOCountryCode=us

author: george graves
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 09:46:28 am
content: I like APC's stuff. I've cracked open a few, and it a quality build (maybe overkill?)Anyways, on their site is a calculator to help pick the right UPS.BTW - you can by them used for cheap, and swap out the batteries.

author: notsob
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 10:28:48 am
content: Something else to look for, some UPS' have the ability to initiate an orderly shutdown of your PC if power does not come back in a certain time, some do not.

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 12:46:11 pm
content: +1 for APC. I havethis onefor eleven years and, despite it was recalled by APC early on its lifetime, it has been working perfectly fine. I also havethis other onefor about three years and has been working without a glitch.

author: SLJ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 01:08:37 pm
content: I have had no complaints or problems with APC but have had several problems with Tripp lites and would never purchase one again.

author: VintageTekFan
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 02:02:22 pm
content: My office supplies a lot of APCs (~20/yr for 5 years while I've been there), and for the most part, they work great if you keep up with replacing bad batteries. I've also seen that SmartUPS tend to last longer in service and have longer intervals in battery changes.Although I did see one fire - the battery ruptured and ignited the control cabinet it was in. I think it was overheated.I've personally had good experience with a Liebert GXT and GTX2, both gotten off Fleapay.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 02:25:15 pm
content: Quote from: Brewer on December 12, 2013, 08:40:55 amThe first question is: do you have a lot of power outages? If not then don't bother. A UPS will cause outages as well. First of all the batteries will need replacement after 3 to 4 years. Secondly it can break. Expect to spend extra time and money on the UPS!IMHO APC makes good quality UPSes. Their circuitry is straightforward and rugged. I've only seen one fail (caused by a near lightning strike) but they also quite working when the batteries are dead.

author: SLJ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 02:52:57 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on December 12, 2013, 02:25:15 pmSorry but that is a stupid comment.A good ups will protect from voltage variants, spikes, and brown outs also. Not running on a quality UPS is risking all kinds of trouble for both hardware and software even if you have relatively good power.

author: madires
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 02:57:24 pm
content: APC SmartUPS, but just the real line-interactive models. Stay away from BackUPS and semi SmartUPS. Unfortunately APC changed the clear and obvious model naming for the different UPS types/technologies :-( Since the UPS' use standard batteries (sometimes glued together) you don't need to buy expensive spares from APC, you can simply get Panasonic or whatever you prefer for half of the APC price. If they signal a bad battery first perform a power cycle and wait a few hours to check again before ordering a new pack. For normal usage a battery pack will last about 4-5 years. And yes. APC batteries use advanced make-more-money technology ;-)

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 03:00:53 pm
content: You should be able to find a used rackmount UPS for cheap or free, then just replace the batteries. (Open up the battery module and you'll find a bunch of standard lead acid batteries.)

author: alanb
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 03:23:50 pm
content: Firstly watch eevblog 504 so that you can understand what the options are.http://www.eevblog.com/2013/08/07/eevblog-504-ups-tutorial-teardown/Then choose the brand.

author: edpalmer42
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 05:33:18 pm
content: I've never liked APC units. They have a nasty tendency to overcharge the batteries in an attempt to reduce recharge times after an outage. This ages the batteries very quickly and they need to be replaced often. Other brands are far more 'battery friendly' and turn the charger off after the recharge period. This can give you 5-7 year battery life as opposed to APC units that might be only 2-3 years.I have heard that APC has improved the battery handling in their recent units so this info might only apply to used APC models. Check the brochures and manuals carefully before you buy.Ed

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 06:11:03 pm
content: Quote from: SLJ on December 12, 2013, 02:52:57 pmYou have been reading too many brochures from UPS manufacturers. Equipment has to be able to withstand spikes, brown-outs, etc to pass FCC/CE testing. In other words: an UPS doesn't add any extra protection.Edit: a so called online UPS isn't much help either unless you never switch off/on equipment connected to it. Everytime you switch something on it has to cope with a large inrush current.

author: VintageTekFan
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 06:49:15 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on December 12, 2013, 06:11:03 pmIt is my understanding that it can survive a brownout condition, not necessarily continue operation through it.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 07:00:58 pm
content: If you don't leave your equipment on and power outages are rare then you could get by on a just surge protector.Some UPS have additional filtering, Line Interactive and Online UPS offer additional protection.If you get a UPS get something simple and easy to repair. Knowing how much the replacement batteries are in advance is good as well.For a PC make sure it has at least a USB cable for management and software to control this.Calculate the power requirements and allow for overhead and do not attach needless devices to it.UPS have various power consumption ratings, switching times and other specs you may want to check.It's handy to have a silent operation mode. They are useful when you need a portable recharging station on holidays.

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 10:02:34 pm
content: I have 4 older APC SmartUPS 1550s and 1 BackupUSP XS1000. THe 1550 has automatic voltage regulation, 8 protected outlets and has software to power the computer down. I agree, APC replacement batteries are ugly expensive as are replacements from Batteries Plus. Batteries can be found for $25 each and it uses 2. The backupUPS covers my ham radio equipment. One SmartUPS covers my office equipment, 1 covers my workbench, 1 covers the TV and cable box and I have 1 as a spare. I have been using them since 2004 and they are basically bullet proof.

author: C
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2013, 10:51:50 pm
content: Be aware that your electric bill will increase with a UPS connected.As some have stated UPS's do fail! You also have the problem of the UPS telling the PC to shutdown and the PC failing to do that correctly. Good software can also make the need of a UPS less, but this may need to be configured.I have one business here running with no UPS's! The data that might be saved would exist only on the users PC at the time of a power flop, so unless a large number of UPS's were installed there would be no real gain, just problems. To make matters worse, the software that would contain the data sometimes has problems with just a network glitch. For them it's just cheaper and safer to run with out. They know that they need to check what they were working on. The recreation of 10 minutes work vs the costs and added UPS problems just do not make sense for them for the few power flops a year.The reverse could also be where all/most/some computers need/should have a UPS. But just because you have a UPS on the server and it works correctly does not save you from data loss. That huge data base could be corrupt just from the data that existed on things not UPS protected when power goes.For surge protection, remember that a lighting strike surge takes the path of least resistance, Crazy paths do happen.One thing you might think on is do you have surge protection at the power entrance to the house/building? A lighting strike might not kill something, just make it fail a lot sooner.If you get a UPS, it should be easy for a user to replace the batteries. If it is not designed with this in mind, I would not buy it.C

author: denneyaa
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 13, 2013, 01:47:42 am
content: I have multiple ups's. The main concern that I found is make sure that the one that you select has well more than enough battery/runtime and that you select one that has more wattage than you require. I have found that over time you add different items or upgrades to your system and those will affect your ups runtime in the long term.