UPS: uninterruptible power supply
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My personal unit is an APC 550 which I've had for about 9 years. I got about 3.5 years from the first battery and the current battery is 5.5 years old. [Either I got lucky or the batteries are better.] This unit beeps and warns when the battery is failing, and it was easy to replace. My work unit is a Tripp-Lite ECO580, and it's about 4 years old. Yesterday I discovered the battery is completely dead when I experienced 8 brown outs (very unusual), and my monitors went dead each time. The monitors are plugged into the battery side while the laptop is plugged into the surge protection only side. Before buying a unit, ensure the battery can be replaced. My first unit (cannot remember the brand) did not have a replaceable battery, so when the battery failed I had to recycle the entire unit. Both it and the APC cost about $75 USD, while the price for the battery for the APC was $25. BTW: the units I'm familiar with have 2 rows of outlets -- one is surge protection only and one has surge protection + battery. Plug only necessary items into the battery side. My personal unit has the CPU, monitor, cable-modem, and wifi router plugged into the battery side -- other items are plugged into the surge-only side. The battery power of a home unit is limited, so the more devices you have on battery, the faster it is expended. Use the home unit to protect from brown-outs and provide time to gracefully shut down the system in the case of a full power failure.
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I've got: - A basic CyberPower CP425SLG 425VA just for bench duty (brownout are common where I live) - The same CyberPower CP1000AVRLCD 1000VA you're looking at for the wife's desktop. (PC and 2 monitors on battery, speakers surge only). - A CyberPower PR1500SWRM2U 1500VA with 2 critical load (CL) outlets and 4 non-critical load (NCL) for everything else. Outlet spacing matters. Take a look at Power Splitters/Spiders to get those power "wall warts" away from the back and allow more plugged in. That "everything else" list grows when you get a UPS. My list: - (CL) Server for Plex, Minecraft, etc. - (CL) My desktop development rig - Power spider with speakers, monitor, & USB hub. - Power spider with 2 Gigabit switches, Vera Edge, HD dock, and phone base station - Power spider with cable modem, router, & Vonage adapter - Power spider with 2 WD EX4100 NAS boxes I'm sure some would call this overloaded, but I figure the wall warts for most stuff I have plugged in don't draw too much and I tried spreading the load across all the outlets. With the above setup, I just got 46 minutes run time in a test last week on 8 month old batteries. You do need to change batteries every couple years or so. Be sure to use the monitoring software that comes with the unit you get. And don't plug in a laser printer to a UPS. Not sure where I heard that advice from years ago, but I stick with it...
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I have always had a UPS and never had problems with sparking. The problems I have had are batteries dying after a few years resulting in battery replacement when economical or unit replacement when not, failure to kick in quickly enough form some early APC units and figuring out where to place them and the tangle of power cords.
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We get many thunderstorms where I live. Power is glitchy even w/o the storms. I used an APC 1400 SmartUPS for many years. One thing to make sure you a unit with the capacity to handle the load you have on it. I replaced the tower machine I used at the time with an HP Z800 with an 1100W power supply. Never gave the size of the APC unit a thought until the Z800 killed the UPS. Discovered that HP recommends a 2200VA unit for the Z800. I got the APC 2200 SmartUPS unit. It gets delivered by a tractor trailer on a skid. Unit weighs 110 Lbs. Took two people to lug it up to my ROG. And they typically take a special power cord. Mine required an L5 outlet. Normally, you'd want that load on a 220V circuit, since the ROG is the 4th bedroom I didn't think it would be too wise to have a 220V circuit in what might at some point (after I am out of the house) revert back and become a child's bedroom. Even if you aren't using a machine as large as the HP, best to make sure that you match the capacity of the unit to the equipment you are plugging into it. And keep in mind the UPS will likely outlast you computer, so it is probably wise to get a unit larger than your immediate need.
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I have lots of the APC UPSs at my house. Each time the battery wears out (small battery supplying huge currents) I buy a new UPS right away. Costco has good prices for them. After I replace the battery in the retired one, it moves to protect some other thing in the house. There's now also a UPS on the TV+settop box, the router+modem, the expensive computerized sewing machine, the NAS, my wife's computer upstairs, and (most recently) a lamp in the family room.
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I have used APC UPSes for many years, on both sides of the Atlantic. Other than needing batteries replaced, I have only had two fail on me - one after almost 11 years of continuous use (it stopped charging the battery), and one after a couple of weeks' use (persistent error indication). I called APC's support up about the latter and, after I described the symptoms, they shipped me a new one out overnight express, with a prepaid shipping label to return the defective one in the same packaging. I did once buy a 'store-brand' UPS, and it died within 18 months. I have no experience with CyberPower. I have also certainly never seen a UPS fail in the exciting way described by the reviewers you quote.
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I just unplug them from the wall to test them but what ever. :)
"They have a consciousness, they have a life, they have a soul! Damn you! Let the rabbits wear glasses! Save our brothers! Can I get an amen?"
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Yesterday we had 6 or 7 brown outs / electric flickers due to weather and then fix. My cable modem and wifi router (separate units) are powered on the same home circuit and got power-cycled 6 or 7 times also. It was really annoying and sent me on a search for a UPS. But as I read about UPS it seems as if they are all a bit dangerous. So many reviewers say that their units emitted sparks and/or fire and if they had not been home when it happened it would've been disastrous. What is your experience with this? Are these things safe? I was looking at APC ones but then also saw this one which seems good. CyberPower CP1000AVRLCD Intelligent LCD UPS System, 1000VA/600W, 9 Outlets, AVR, Mini-Tower [^] Any experience with any of these? Thanks for any reccommendations.
Good UPSs don't fail with sparks that could start a fire. I've used a number of them over the years (APC, Belkin), and the only thing that seems to fail are the batteries, which wear out and need replacing from time to time. As for surge protectors, there are two kinds, the MOS ones, where the MOS part takes the hit, burning it out a little more each time, and series mode ones, which use a large inductor and don't wear out (they're also hard to find, heavy as snot, and expensive). BTW, a lot of shills copy their reviews onto many sites, so just because you see it on multiple sites, doesn't mean it isn't from a shill, nor even that it's true. It's not called the 'net of a million lies' for nothing :)
I live in Oregon, and I'm an engineer.
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Yesterday we had 6 or 7 brown outs / electric flickers due to weather and then fix. My cable modem and wifi router (separate units) are powered on the same home circuit and got power-cycled 6 or 7 times also. It was really annoying and sent me on a search for a UPS. But as I read about UPS it seems as if they are all a bit dangerous. So many reviewers say that their units emitted sparks and/or fire and if they had not been home when it happened it would've been disastrous. What is your experience with this? Are these things safe? I was looking at APC ones but then also saw this one which seems good. CyberPower CP1000AVRLCD Intelligent LCD UPS System, 1000VA/600W, 9 Outlets, AVR, Mini-Tower [^] Any experience with any of these? Thanks for any reccommendations.
I have APC units all over my house, we get a lot of thunderstorms in Louisiana and have never had a problem or moments worry. I had a couple of units' batteries requiring replacement, but a local battery shop handles all of my needs. Try not to overload them by using up every sing slot, and pay attention to the VA rating relative to the things you are plugging in.
Sparkless for years now.
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Good UPSs don't fail with sparks that could start a fire. I've used a number of them over the years (APC, Belkin), and the only thing that seems to fail are the batteries, which wear out and need replacing from time to time. As for surge protectors, there are two kinds, the MOS ones, where the MOS part takes the hit, burning it out a little more each time, and series mode ones, which use a large inductor and don't wear out (they're also hard to find, heavy as snot, and expensive). BTW, a lot of shills copy their reviews onto many sites, so just because you see it on multiple sites, doesn't mean it isn't from a shill, nor even that it's true. It's not called the 'net of a million lies' for nothing :)
I live in Oregon, and I'm an engineer.
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I have APC units all over my house, we get a lot of thunderstorms in Louisiana and have never had a problem or moments worry. I had a couple of units' batteries requiring replacement, but a local battery shop handles all of my needs. Try not to overload them by using up every sing slot, and pay attention to the VA rating relative to the things you are plugging in.
Sparkless for years now.
Great info. Thanks for your input. I really appreciate the lounge here providing all this great feedback. I feel a lot better about buying one now. Although I think I am going to buy from a local store instead of internet so I hopefully escape any knock-offs.
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Good UPSs don't fail with sparks that could start a fire. I've used a number of them over the years (APC, Belkin), and the only thing that seems to fail are the batteries, which wear out and need replacing from time to time. As for surge protectors, there are two kinds, the MOS ones, where the MOS part takes the hit, burning it out a little more each time, and series mode ones, which use a large inductor and don't wear out (they're also hard to find, heavy as snot, and expensive). BTW, a lot of shills copy their reviews onto many sites, so just because you see it on multiple sites, doesn't mean it isn't from a shill, nor even that it's true. It's not called the 'net of a million lies' for nothing :)
I live in Oregon, and I'm an engineer.
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Hey, my local library has the ebook copy of the Vernor Vinge book available and I just checked it out. Very cool to find good new reading material. Thanks again.:thumbsup:
Vinge's works are some of my favorites, with that series in particular being some of my favorites among his work. That particular series is really interesting for the aliens.. which are really alien.. but not. We're almost to the hexapodia moment.
I live in Oregon, and I'm an engineer.
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Yesterday we had 6 or 7 brown outs / electric flickers due to weather and then fix. My cable modem and wifi router (separate units) are powered on the same home circuit and got power-cycled 6 or 7 times also. It was really annoying and sent me on a search for a UPS. But as I read about UPS it seems as if they are all a bit dangerous. So many reviewers say that their units emitted sparks and/or fire and if they had not been home when it happened it would've been disastrous. What is your experience with this? Are these things safe? I was looking at APC ones but then also saw this one which seems good. CyberPower CP1000AVRLCD Intelligent LCD UPS System, 1000VA/600W, 9 Outlets, AVR, Mini-Tower [^] Any experience with any of these? Thanks for any reccommendations.
Advice I was given about UPS (by someone who worked for a UPS manufacturer --- I think APC, but I'm not sure). Never plug a surge suppresser into a UPS. UPSes have to convert DC to AC. The easiest way to do that is to create a stair-step wave instead of a proper sine wave. Surge suppressors see that as thousands of tiny surges per second that need to be suppressed. This could lead to overheating/sparks/fires. (Note, I was told this about 20 years ago, so UPSes and/or surge suppressors may have found a solution to this)
Truth, James
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Advice I was given about UPS (by someone who worked for a UPS manufacturer --- I think APC, but I'm not sure). Never plug a surge suppresser into a UPS. UPSes have to convert DC to AC. The easiest way to do that is to create a stair-step wave instead of a proper sine wave. Surge suppressors see that as thousands of tiny surges per second that need to be suppressed. This could lead to overheating/sparks/fires. (Note, I was told this about 20 years ago, so UPSes and/or surge suppressors may have found a solution to this)
Truth, James
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Vinge's works are some of my favorites, with that series in particular being some of my favorites among his work. That particular series is really interesting for the aliens.. which are really alien.. but not. We're almost to the hexapodia moment.
I live in Oregon, and I'm an engineer.
FYI - I read through the (long) prologue of Vinge's Fire Upon the Deep and I also completed chapter 1. The prologue was tough because you can't tell what or who is the viewpoint character. I'm still guessing, but I'm guessing it is an AI from the way it was worded. That really was some tough reading, but interesting too. Now with chapter 1 we get the human viewpoint and that makes it a lot better. Chapter 1 was really good. I think now that I got past the tough prologue this is going to be an interesting story. If nothing else it is quite mysterious. Thanks again for the recommendation. :thumbsup: