PK ELECTRONICS 500 VA UPS at compusa $29.99

[DaveR]

Well, when I saw this I called and had them save one for me at customer service.

<geek>
VA is Volts X Amps...which &quot;may be watts&quot;. It would be watts in DC circuits, but in AC there is a pf. or power factor. IF this is 1 then VA=Watts.

However, if less (cap. or inductive load) then it will be less.

So, 500VA is 500watts, IF pf =1...which in this case it is NOT (500VA but 250 watts)! Some loss surely is due to powering the inverter as well.

Power companys HATE pf. <0.85 or so, and in LARGE computer centers make you add Power Factor Correctors...I have seen/measured 0.67.

WHY?
Because you pay in WATTS but they MUST provide the required AMPS...which they will not get paid for! This is also why Breakers can trip when WATT load seems OK. Oh well...&quot;who asked me&quot; right?

</geek>

 

[jv]

Damn, must be my day. Did'nt get off work until after 6pm and there
was one left on the shelf. Giving my old Cyberpower 500va to my son.
Damn So.Ca. rolling blackouts.

Re: Equipment power requirements...

Watt counts (getting tired) is what your equipment requires to run (duh).

Conversion of required Watts to Voltage Amps are as follows:

_______ Watts (W) X 1.67 = __________ VA

i.e. dont exceed (500VA / 1.67) Watts!

The most power you can safely support when in trouble is 299 Watts

 

[macmedia]

I just bought 3 units at CompUSA.

The offer is good only until Tuesday, June 26th.

Like previous posts - it has 1 built in outlet and a 6 outlet strip. It has protection for telephone/modem lines, Ethernet 10BT, and a computer interface cable (for unattended shutdown and accessories).

You can connect additional battery UPS in series with a built in outlet.

The manual says it can has a Output VA of 500va BUT a maximum of 250 watts output (just enough for 1 computer and maybe a modem!) It takes in 4.2 amps

The unit is nicely made and is small - I doubt the battery can power anything for long though.

 

[Kwad Guy]

NOTE: There are two versions of this UPS...The older version
has a removable standard power cord and uses a weird proprietary
connector on the UPS for the serial connector cable (that is used
to properly log you out and power down your computer if the
UPS kicks in). The newer version has the power cord integrated
into the unit and uses a ethernet/phone cable-like connector for the
serial connector on the UPS.

Overall, it looked like a fine unit for $30. Better than fine,
actually. I couldn't tell if it includes the software for the
orderly powering down or not.

Kwad

 

[Wei2Cool]

<< *NOT* damage caused by accidents or disasters such as fire, floods, or other acts of God - sounds like that means lightning, but doesn't explicitly say so. >>



According this following text from their product info page, lightning damage is covered:

Internet line protection
Just as lightning can strike a power line it can also strike the Internet or network line and send a spike into your computer, damaging or destroying the modem. BlackoutBuster provides protection for your modem or 10 Base-T network adapter against such spikes.

 

[triplebock]

I have already purchased and installed the Blackout Buster 2 at this price. I was quite impressed to find that the shutdown cable (labeled as available at extra cost) was included in my $29.99 unit. The compusa I went to in phoenix only had one of these left after I left. The unit works great and actually has a bit of style compared to the Tripp Lite UPS.

I'm impressed.

 

[EarthToday]

Here's a link to the rebate form if needed. They updated the site.

Rebate Form

 

[TheDon]

Here is a link to the shutdown software...

http://www.pkelectronics.com/software/monupsn18c.exe

TheDon

 

[apoppin]

Sale ends tomorrow - Tuesday. I am picking one up for my neighbor (that got the $140 366i e-machine) tomorrow - still in stock at my loco B&amp;M.