UPS question

[HondaF1]

Hello everyone. I want to buy a UPS. And I have a somewhat silly question. I am looking at buying an average UPS, nothing expensive, but just the average UPS. MOst say that they can power to around from about 30 minutes of backup. I am assuming taht they mean that that is 30 minutes of PC running time, taht is when the PC is running. Can someone give me an idea of how long an econobox PC (the lowest power 300W I think power supply and 1 CD drive) of celeron type (ex) 700 MHz) can be supplied with power by a UPS when it is in hibernate/standby mode, and assume that no monitor is used or printer or anything like that?

I am having difficulty finding answer for this question. I woudl greatly appreciate some help.

Thanks

 

[Zepper]

There can't be one answer for all similar systems as the computer power supplies vary in efficiency. You could get a meter like the Kill A Watt device (see my review here: Linkage

You could then measure the actual power your system is using and refer to the spec sheets of the various UPS units to see the approximate time you could expect based on your actual power draw.

. Then when you get your UPS charged up (usually takes over night), run a test to see how long you actually have. UPSes usually have at least two levels of warnings - one when the battery starts to get low and a second, more insistent, warning when the battery is about to give up. You want to test until the final warning. Record the amount of time and re-test every 6 mo. to a year. When the amount of time you get starts to drop off dramatically (assuming a full charge at the start of the test), it's time to replace the batteries. This usually is around three years or so given a good brand of battery like Panasonic or Yuasa... Most folks that need to be able to completely rely on their UPSes change out the batteries at three years as a matter of policy (whether the time drops off or not) - the same with hard drives.
.bh.

:moon:

 

[Googer]

Some ups models do not provide Sine Wave power and can cause trouble for your PC.
Also, you forgot that your monitor if it is a CRT uses 90-150 watts will also need to be pluged in to the ups. But never plug in printers, no matter what. Especially if they are laser.

 

[Googer]

Here is my Recomendaton, It is similar to the two I own.
http://www.apcc.com/resource/i...cfm?base_sku=SUA1000XL

 

[Googer]

263 dollars at
http://www.securemart.com/cgi-.../SM410996.html?pcode=4

 

[Bozo Galora]

you can get a belkin 1000kva for 76 dollars by putting in rebate code 12345 on thir site www.belkin.com
it will run your pc and a 22 inch monitor for around 30 min

 

[Googer]

Originally posted by: Bozo Galora
you can get a belkin 1000kva for 76 dollars by putting in rebate code 12345 on thir site www.belkin.com
it will run your pc and a 22 inch monitor for around 30 min

You sure can get a belkin for 76 bucks but you get a POS that IS NOT A SINE WAVE POWER SOURCE. Dont waste your time.

 

[Fun Guy]

Originally posted by: GoogerBut never plug in printers, no matter what. Especially if they are laser.

Any why is that?

 

[Googer]

They same reason you don't plug in light bulbs, hair dryers, and microwave ovens. I have seen people do that.

 

[Googer]

Laser Printers take mega-wattage to keep their fuser rollers hot and their corona tron wires charged. loseing a print job is no big deal, losing your data is. You can always reprint what you lost or pick up where you left off. If you loose data due to power loss there is no getting it back. After all it's just paper. Loosing a few sheets of paper is no end of the world matter.

Although they work differantly than laser; The same goes for INK JET or BUBBLE JET, do not plug them in to a UPS.

 

[Zepper]

Computers and monitors don't require true sine-wave power - they are quite happy with the stepped square waves of the less expensive battery backup and that is all you should generally plug into the backup outlet on your UPS (your modem, LAN switch(es), routers, answering machines and cordless phone base stations would also do fine if you have them). About the only things that really need true sine wave power are synchronous AC motors. Though true sine wave output is great to have if you have the extra money and those usually have other advanced features too. I would be looking for a good brand (which Belkin is NOT), line-interactive (means it can regulate the output power within a fairly broad range w/o switching to battery) UPS followed by true sine and other features if you have the extra money. You also want to look for a date on the box which relates to the shelf-life of the battery. I would not buy one that has sat on the shelf in the store for longer than 6 months.
. Laser printers draw a LOT of power at startup and may have some synchronous AC motors - that is why you don't want to run them off a UPS. Most ink-jet printers are all DC and don't draw that much power so you would probably be safe in connecting those.
. But it is still best to have only those things that are absolutely necessary connected to the backed-up outlets. I usually connect a plain (NOT surge protected, as MOVs can fail in shorted mode) power strip to a surge-protected outlet on the UPS to plug all other low-powered local devices into EXCEPT any laser printers which I plug into an entirely separate circuit from the computer(s) whenever possible.
.bh.

 

[Googer]

Some Power supply units can only operate properly under a True Sinewave. It is your best and safest bet, you will have the fewest number of troubles with a good (high capacity sine wave) ups vs. the cheap Blue Light Special of the day.

As for me I have two APC 1000XL Net version UPS' and I have used others, with less success. Just remember
you get what you pay for, and when you need it most your K-mart special will fail you.

 

[HondaF1]

Thankyou all. very informative responses. However, what about for a system that uses no monitor, just an economic (in terms of power consumption) box? Here is an example of one, a 200 Watt power supply powering a Celeron chip 2.0 GHz and a DVD ROM drive and 2 USB powered things (like a cheapo joystick)? If that is in hibernate or standby mode, how much time do you think the UPS can give for that box? Remember, no monitor or printer or any other thing plugged into the UPS, just a power supply of the PC.

 

[HondaF1]

What is the advanatge of a sine wave one?