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Uninterruptible power supplies - more complicated to buy than I'd like

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  • Mircea NeacsuM Mircea Neacsu

    APC Backup-UPS Pro 1500VA. Looking on the APC site seems it's no longer available (model BR1500MS). They have however other models that might fit your needs. Years of pain have taught me stay away from any UPS that is not APC. Might be a bit more expensive but quality is great and their service superb. In the end, if you pay a bit extra it gets amortized over the years of trouble free service.

    Mircea

    D Offline
    D Offline
    Dave Kreskowiak
    wrote on last edited by
    #5

    I have the same here. The transformer in the thing may be a bit suspect though. I'm hearing they are using aluminum wiring in them and soldering to aluminum is not the most reliable connection. If it fails, chances are that's what is going to do it. Other than that, everything else in them is rock solid.

    Asking questions is a skill CodeProject Forum Guidelines Google: C# How to debug code Seriously, go read these articles.
    Dave Kreskowiak

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    • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

      Ugh, I'm looking for an uninterruptable power supply rated for my 1000W/15A PC and my ???W/???A 55" monitor because I've had a few power scares lately. I bought one without checking the ratings, and it's useless. I'm probably going to give it away just because I don't want to deal with the return. It wasn't that expensive - about as expensive as it was useful. I'm finding the difference between 1000W protection and 1500W protection is about $250 vs $550, and a huge size difference as well, and I have limited space. I'm going to use one of those $30 power consumption monitors to see what my real world draw is when I'm not banging on my video card or CPU. For the first time, I'm kind of longing for a relatively low power AMD system again, instead of my 180W TPD CPU and 320W TPD GPU. My power supply is rated @ 1000W / 15A, but I'm sure that's peak, but then again so is the rating on the UPS, unless I spend another $130 USD to get 1000W sustained output. Anyone have a power hungry system on a UPS? What did you get?

      To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

      Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
      Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
      Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter
      wrote on last edited by
      #6

      It seems you are looking for a UPS that will keep you working while there is a power outage... It will you coast - in money and headache - more than you can imagine. I have learn that UPS is there to give you time to shut down gracefully and not to keep you running...

      "If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization." ― Gerald Weinberg

      "It never ceases to amaze me that a spacecraft launched in 1977 can be fixed remotely from Earth." ― Brian Cox

      honey the codewitchH J 2 Replies Last reply
      0
      • Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter

        It seems you are looking for a UPS that will keep you working while there is a power outage... It will you coast - in money and headache - more than you can imagine. I have learn that UPS is there to give you time to shut down gracefully and not to keep you running...

        "If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization." ― Gerald Weinberg

        honey the codewitchH Offline
        honey the codewitchH Offline
        honey the codewitch
        wrote on last edited by
        #7

        Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:

        I have learn that UPS is there to give you time to shut down gracefully and not to keep you running

        That's exactly what I want it for. But you have to understand my PC draws about as much juice as at least half dozen laptops. I want to be able to plug in everything i spent more than $500 on into it. Why? Because when the construction going on across the street shorts the power line to my house again I don't want it to blow up my computer, or its $900 monitor. Equipment attached to a UPS is typically decoupled somewhat from the power source, using the battery as a go-between, and otherwise is more isolated than you can get with a surge suppressor. I honestly don't care about shutting down gracefully. I care about weathering about 100 current spikes in the span of a minute.

        To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

        Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK R J raddevusR 4 Replies Last reply
        0
        • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

          Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:

          I have learn that UPS is there to give you time to shut down gracefully and not to keep you running

          That's exactly what I want it for. But you have to understand my PC draws about as much juice as at least half dozen laptops. I want to be able to plug in everything i spent more than $500 on into it. Why? Because when the construction going on across the street shorts the power line to my house again I don't want it to blow up my computer, or its $900 monitor. Equipment attached to a UPS is typically decoupled somewhat from the power source, using the battery as a go-between, and otherwise is more isolated than you can get with a surge suppressor. I honestly don't care about shutting down gracefully. I care about weathering about 100 current spikes in the span of a minute.

          To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

          Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
          Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
          Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter
          wrote on last edited by
          #8

          If your concern is spikes and surges, you should look into lightening protection and not UPS...

          "If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization." ― Gerald Weinberg

          "It never ceases to amaze me that a spacecraft launched in 1977 can be fixed remotely from Earth." ― Brian Cox

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

            Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:

            I have learn that UPS is there to give you time to shut down gracefully and not to keep you running

            That's exactly what I want it for. But you have to understand my PC draws about as much juice as at least half dozen laptops. I want to be able to plug in everything i spent more than $500 on into it. Why? Because when the construction going on across the street shorts the power line to my house again I don't want it to blow up my computer, or its $900 monitor. Equipment attached to a UPS is typically decoupled somewhat from the power source, using the battery as a go-between, and otherwise is more isolated than you can get with a surge suppressor. I honestly don't care about shutting down gracefully. I care about weathering about 100 current spikes in the span of a minute.

            To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

            R Offline
            R Offline
            Rage
            wrote on last edited by
            #9

            honey the codewitch wrote:

            at least half dozen laptops.

            :omg:

            honey the codewitch wrote:

            $900 monitor.

            :wtf: OK, why do you have such a computer ? Are you a supervillain planning to take over the world ?

            Do not escape reality : improve reality !

            1 Reply Last reply
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            • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

              Ugh, I'm looking for an uninterruptable power supply rated for my 1000W/15A PC and my ???W/???A 55" monitor because I've had a few power scares lately. I bought one without checking the ratings, and it's useless. I'm probably going to give it away just because I don't want to deal with the return. It wasn't that expensive - about as expensive as it was useful. I'm finding the difference between 1000W protection and 1500W protection is about $250 vs $550, and a huge size difference as well, and I have limited space. I'm going to use one of those $30 power consumption monitors to see what my real world draw is when I'm not banging on my video card or CPU. For the first time, I'm kind of longing for a relatively low power AMD system again, instead of my 180W TPD CPU and 320W TPD GPU. My power supply is rated @ 1000W / 15A, but I'm sure that's peak, but then again so is the rating on the UPS, unless I spend another $130 USD to get 1000W sustained output. Anyone have a power hungry system on a UPS? What did you get?

              To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

              Mike HankeyM Offline
              Mike HankeyM Offline
              Mike Hankey
              wrote on last edited by
              #10

              I've been running a CyberPower similar to this[^] for many years and it's been a life saver. I had to change batteries a couple of years ago, easy and inexpensive. It gives me about 15 mins. to shut down when power goes out. Only down side is that it doesn't run with generator, that will cost you as it doesn't produce a clean sine wave. Most don't!

              PartsBin an Electronics Part Organizer - An updated

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              • Mircea NeacsuM Mircea Neacsu

                Your mileage may vary but I’ve been using APC units for the last 15 years (I think). Previous bad experience was with triplite and cyberpower. Had only one APC unit die on me (actually on my son) and they sent a replacement unit in 2 days. Cool thing is that you send the bad unit only after you get the new one. Saves you the hassle of finding package for the old one.

                Mircea

                W Offline
                W Offline
                wapiti64
                wrote on last edited by
                #11

                My experience is similar to yours. I have 4 APC 1500's and they perform flawlessly (knock on wood), while I have had poor experiences with CyberPower and Triplite. All of my APC's are at least three years old. I sold a Threadripper system a couple of months ago and tossed in an older APC unit (1350 I believe) that I had laying around. Too bad I could have sent the HCW for the cost of shipping.

                1 Reply Last reply
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                • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

                  I hate to say this, but Amazon's reviews on APC's top end products are pretty negative. A lot of people having to have units RMA'd and replaced due to defect or otherwise complaining about performance or glitches. Many of them are saying they used to rely on APC but it has went downhill. You may have lucked out by having one of their older units, but those reviews make me uncomfortable. Other brands like cyberpower aren't coming up with reviews like that as much

                  To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

                  J Offline
                  J Offline
                  Jorgen Andersson
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #12

                  If you want to level up from APC you have to go to Eaton. Been using them to power server racks on several places. Been extremely reliable, but also a bit pricey. Selection starts here: Backup Power UPS[^] (Read the FAQ near the top of the page) You probably don't need to bother with a standby UPS, but rather a Line-interactive or Online If you go for standby you can just as well buy an APC.

                  Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                  honey the codewitchH 1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter

                    It seems you are looking for a UPS that will keep you working while there is a power outage... It will you coast - in money and headache - more than you can imagine. I have learn that UPS is there to give you time to shut down gracefully and not to keep you running...

                    "If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization." ― Gerald Weinberg

                    J Offline
                    J Offline
                    Jorgen Andersson
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #13

                    Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:

                    I have learn that UPS is there to give you time to shut down gracefully and not to keep you running...

                    That would depend on the size of the battery pack.

                    Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                    Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • J Jorgen Andersson

                      Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:

                      I have learn that UPS is there to give you time to shut down gracefully and not to keep you running...

                      That would depend on the size of the battery pack.

                      Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                      Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
                      Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Offline
                      Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #14

                      I remember those of size of a wardrobe - and you had to run for your life to shut down the computer before they run out of electricity (like 3 minutes)... And of course power was back 5 seconds after you confirmed the shutdown... :sigh:

                      "If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization." ― Gerald Weinberg

                      "It never ceases to amaze me that a spacecraft launched in 1977 can be fixed remotely from Earth." ― Brian Cox

                      J 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • Kornfeld Eliyahu PeterK Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter

                        I remember those of size of a wardrobe - and you had to run for your life to shut down the computer before they run out of electricity (like 3 minutes)... And of course power was back 5 seconds after you confirmed the shutdown... :sigh:

                        "If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization." ― Gerald Weinberg

                        J Offline
                        J Offline
                        Jorgen Andersson
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #15

                        Nowadays they're the size of a large suitcase and will power a couple of servers for up to an hour. But generally not for common people. But then again, our resident Witch isn't common, is she?

                        Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                        1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

                          Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:

                          I have learn that UPS is there to give you time to shut down gracefully and not to keep you running

                          That's exactly what I want it for. But you have to understand my PC draws about as much juice as at least half dozen laptops. I want to be able to plug in everything i spent more than $500 on into it. Why? Because when the construction going on across the street shorts the power line to my house again I don't want it to blow up my computer, or its $900 monitor. Equipment attached to a UPS is typically decoupled somewhat from the power source, using the battery as a go-between, and otherwise is more isolated than you can get with a surge suppressor. I honestly don't care about shutting down gracefully. I care about weathering about 100 current spikes in the span of a minute.

                          To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

                          J Offline
                          J Offline
                          Jorgen Andersson
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #16

                          Most cheaper UPSs are of the standby type, they won't give you any protection of that kind, they run from the line until there's a power failure that turns them on. There will be a short glitch when they turn on. I would not recommend them for sensitive (expensive) equipment. An online UPS is converting power from AC to DC and back to AC and thereby completely isolating your computer from the line from anything except a direct hit by the lightning. In between there are Line-interactive UPSs that clean and regulate the voltage to a some extent before turning on backup power. This is normally enough for most computers.

                          Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

                            Ugh, I'm looking for an uninterruptable power supply rated for my 1000W/15A PC and my ???W/???A 55" monitor because I've had a few power scares lately. I bought one without checking the ratings, and it's useless. I'm probably going to give it away just because I don't want to deal with the return. It wasn't that expensive - about as expensive as it was useful. I'm finding the difference between 1000W protection and 1500W protection is about $250 vs $550, and a huge size difference as well, and I have limited space. I'm going to use one of those $30 power consumption monitors to see what my real world draw is when I'm not banging on my video card or CPU. For the first time, I'm kind of longing for a relatively low power AMD system again, instead of my 180W TPD CPU and 320W TPD GPU. My power supply is rated @ 1000W / 15A, but I'm sure that's peak, but then again so is the rating on the UPS, unless I spend another $130 USD to get 1000W sustained output. Anyone have a power hungry system on a UPS? What did you get?

                            To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

                            M Offline
                            M Offline
                            MarkTJohnson
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #17

                            What about a Honda (or similar) generator to supply power? Will the one you have last the 5 minutes it would take to walk to the generator and crank it up? There's probably some problem with this idea that the more electronically inclined here will use to shoot down this notion. And I'm okay with that, unabashedly ignorant of these things.

                            I’ve given up trying to be calm. However, I am open to feeling slightly less agitated. I’m begging you for the benefit of everyone, don’t be STUPID.

                            honey the codewitchH 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • M MarkTJohnson

                              What about a Honda (or similar) generator to supply power? Will the one you have last the 5 minutes it would take to walk to the generator and crank it up? There's probably some problem with this idea that the more electronically inclined here will use to shoot down this notion. And I'm okay with that, unabashedly ignorant of these things.

                              I’ve given up trying to be calm. However, I am open to feeling slightly less agitated. I’m begging you for the benefit of everyone, don’t be STUPID.

                              honey the codewitchH Offline
                              honey the codewitchH Offline
                              honey the codewitch
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #18

                              I'm not looking to keep my computer on, but to isolate it from my house's power surges.

                              To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

                              J 1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • J Jorgen Andersson

                                If you want to level up from APC you have to go to Eaton. Been using them to power server racks on several places. Been extremely reliable, but also a bit pricey. Selection starts here: Backup Power UPS[^] (Read the FAQ near the top of the page) You probably don't need to bother with a standby UPS, but rather a Line-interactive or Online If you go for standby you can just as well buy an APC.

                                Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                                honey the codewitchH Offline
                                honey the codewitchH Offline
                                honey the codewitch
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #19

                                I just contacted them for a quote, but the fact that I had to is sort of intimidating.

                                To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

                                J 1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

                                  I just contacted them for a quote, but the fact that I had to is sort of intimidating.

                                  To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

                                  J Offline
                                  J Offline
                                  Jorgen Andersson
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #20

                                  You can buy them on Newegg[^] if you'd like. Pretty sure you can find other online stores as well.

                                  Wrong is evil and must be defeated. - Jeff Ello

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

                                    I hate to say this, but Amazon's reviews on APC's top end products are pretty negative. A lot of people having to have units RMA'd and replaced due to defect or otherwise complaining about performance or glitches. Many of them are saying they used to rely on APC but it has went downhill. You may have lucked out by having one of their older units, but those reviews make me uncomfortable. Other brands like cyberpower aren't coming up with reviews like that as much

                                    To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

                                    raddevusR Offline
                                    raddevusR Offline
                                    raddevus
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #21

                                    Did you buy yours online? I decided to buy mine at local Best Buy (yes there is still one here where I live) because I saw so many fraudulent items on Amazon which were supposed to be from APC. If you read the reviews you will see that fraudsters can take over the sales listing and make it look like it is official product but it is not. Some people had there "APC" product explode in fire. I bought my APC at the beginning of the pandemic (ca 2020) and it is still working great. I suggest you try to buy the product locally if you can, not thru amazon. The fraudsters can make the product look just like official product but it is garbage. It was shocking to me to learn this too.

                                    1 Reply Last reply
                                    0
                                    • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

                                      Kornfeld Eliyahu Peter wrote:

                                      I have learn that UPS is there to give you time to shut down gracefully and not to keep you running

                                      That's exactly what I want it for. But you have to understand my PC draws about as much juice as at least half dozen laptops. I want to be able to plug in everything i spent more than $500 on into it. Why? Because when the construction going on across the street shorts the power line to my house again I don't want it to blow up my computer, or its $900 monitor. Equipment attached to a UPS is typically decoupled somewhat from the power source, using the battery as a go-between, and otherwise is more isolated than you can get with a surge suppressor. I honestly don't care about shutting down gracefully. I care about weathering about 100 current spikes in the span of a minute.

                                      To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

                                      raddevusR Offline
                                      raddevusR Offline
                                      raddevus
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #22

                                      honey the codewitch wrote:

                                      I honestly don't care about shutting down gracefully. I care about weathering about 100 current spikes in the span of a minute.

                                      That's exactly why I bought my APC at the local Best Buy. We were having spikes where the power would go off for 2-3 seconds every 10 minutes or something. it was so infuriating. The APC resolved the issue. PHew...

                                      honey the codewitchH 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • raddevusR raddevus

                                        honey the codewitch wrote:

                                        I honestly don't care about shutting down gracefully. I care about weathering about 100 current spikes in the span of a minute.

                                        That's exactly why I bought my APC at the local Best Buy. We were having spikes where the power would go off for 2-3 seconds every 10 minutes or something. it was so infuriating. The APC resolved the issue. PHew...

                                        honey the codewitchH Offline
                                        honey the codewitchH Offline
                                        honey the codewitch
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #23

                                        Sorry, but what is an APC? I'd like to look into it. It may be closer to what I want. I have a journaling filesystem and don't really give a damn about shutting down gracefully. Edit: Oh you're talking about the brand. Silly me.

                                        To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • honey the codewitchH honey the codewitch

                                          Ugh, I'm looking for an uninterruptable power supply rated for my 1000W/15A PC and my ???W/???A 55" monitor because I've had a few power scares lately. I bought one without checking the ratings, and it's useless. I'm probably going to give it away just because I don't want to deal with the return. It wasn't that expensive - about as expensive as it was useful. I'm finding the difference between 1000W protection and 1500W protection is about $250 vs $550, and a huge size difference as well, and I have limited space. I'm going to use one of those $30 power consumption monitors to see what my real world draw is when I'm not banging on my video card or CPU. For the first time, I'm kind of longing for a relatively low power AMD system again, instead of my 180W TPD CPU and 320W TPD GPU. My power supply is rated @ 1000W / 15A, but I'm sure that's peak, but then again so is the rating on the UPS, unless I spend another $130 USD to get 1000W sustained output. Anyone have a power hungry system on a UPS? What did you get?

                                          To err is human. Fortune favors the monsters.

                                          R Offline
                                          R Offline
                                          Roger Wright
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #24

                                          I've got my 1000W PC on an APC BackUPS 1375 and it's humming along nicely. I can't recall ever having an APC unit fail on me, though I have worn out and replaced quite a lot of batteries over the years. I'm not sure about other brands, but replacement batteries for all my APCs are readily available at local stores. They have become a bit sneaky, though, as they no longer mark the batteries with the standard markings to encourage users to buy replacements from them. Happily, it's easy to measure the battery and match it to an equivalent in the store. On a different track, if your service entrance has room for it, they make whole house surge arrestors that plug into a 2-wide breaker slot ( to cover both legs of the 240V circuit). At around $100, they're quite affordable.

                                          Will Rogers never met me.

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