Uninterruptable Power Supply (Advice)

[zadok]

I' m seriously considering buying a UPS to protect my computer. I was wondering if anyone is already using one and has any advice about them. The one I have got my eye on (see link) is inexpensive and seems to do what I would like it to. It does say it protects against 'lightning' but I don't I believe that. I checked out the box and it didn't mention it. If it did, it would be amazing and a great bonus.
http://www.tandy.com.au/cgi-bin/tandy.storefront/42a61eaf094a2ade2740c0a87f9c06f0/Product/View/M7656

[vifferman]

Looks a bit lightweight to me, given that its capacity is only 180W.
Remember: you get what you pay for.

[zadok]

Looks a bit lightweight to me, given that its capacity is only 180W.
Please explain. :confused:

[Mooch]

Zadok , The VA rating looks a bit light for both a PC and Monitor , It's probably suited to protect a small PC without a screen which would be fine allowing your PC to shutdown in an orderly fashion should you loose power. Having seen the odd bit of lighting damage I doubt most claims about most products that protect against it .
I've installed / used alot of UPs's over the years from PC's to Datacenters and have found the best alround brand to be "APC". Some brands have caused more damage to equipment they were protecting than the power would have .
Check out the link below, It'll give you an idea of what size the UPS will need to be.

http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_selector/index.cfm?action=build_form_a&device_type=workstation&app_type=workstation&showChassis=1&showMonitor=1&showProcessor=1&showVoltages=1&showIntDrives=1&showPeripherals=1&showPrinter=1&appUsed=basic&cgi_referer_check=&return_query_string=

[zadok]

Thanks Mooch. Their SurgeArrest for home and office sounds good.

[MSTRS]

I have used a UPS for yonks - 500VA. Dunno if has surge protect or not, but have one of those as well anyway. The UPS keeps my PC going for 20mins or so which is ample time to save open app & shut everything down.

[vifferman]

I second the recommendation of APC. It's what we use at work, and I've installed them at Kraft Foods' sites in Australia.

Good kit, they are. :yes:

[FzerozeroT]

Don't pass by second hand ones either, i got a 1000VA six outlet (3 UPS, 3 Surge) for $50!

[Devil]

We've got an 11kVa one here, and a 33kVa on in the other office. MGE Systems. Seem to be pretty good.

[idb]

We've got an 11kVa one here, and a 33kVa on in the other office. MGE Systems. Seem to be pretty good.
The first should run a house and the second should run three houses!
You're not taking any chances are you?

[TwoSeven]

I'd suggest looking in NZ for an UPS rather than oversease. Try the APC range from someone like Ascent Here (http://www.ascent.co.nz/mn-product-template.asp?cname=UPSs)

I'm also not sure if you are aware of what an UPS actually does - or is meant to do. In their most basic form, they are just a battery and an inverter that will provide power for a period of time if the mains dies.

Things to look for are the wattage it can supply and for how long it can supply it and the number of devices (plugs) it can supply it for. Many of the consumer models will talk about how many standard PCs they will protect - but I prefer to just think of them as glorified multi-socket boards.

Next thing some models do is provide a level of surge protection (over voltage). You need to figure out if its a one shot model - that needs to be replaced after a large surge - or a multi-shot model that can be used several times (and how much does it cost to replace that module).

Also is sag prevention - sags are an extreme drop in voltage but for a brief period of time - not enought to cause an outage - but enough to cause damage (PCs are very prone to being half a miliamp or volt out on their supply).

Finally for the really expensive units you have a line leveler (or line smoother). These normally deconstruct the incoming AC voltage into DC, then build it back into a pure AC voltage again (you'll hear audiphiles going on about them).

Prices start from about Nz$500 and go into the tens of thousands.

[Ixion]

More to the point, is what you do when the UPS trips in (ie you have no mains power). The purpose of a UPS isn't to be a substitute power supply, it's to allow you a chance to bring whatever is running off (the PC in this case) down gracefully.

So you need some software like Parachute that monitors the UPS and if it goes to battery initiates a shutdown on the PC .

[Lias]

Pretty well covered already, but I'll also vote APC for the best UPS's hands down.

[phantom]

and another vote for APC, we use them on most of our sites and have had very few problems

[zadok]

Thanks guys. APC it is. I've just ordered a Home/Office Surge Arrest 6 Outlet with phone protection.